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Reality
11 years ago
General
Darkness surrounded me, besides a small red tint of light that was just ahead of me. I could tell I was in some kind of room, but it was difficult to see. I walked toward the red light which didn't seem to have a source, and I saw a window which suddenly had a bright light shining though it.
The room kept me distraught, and there didn't seem to be any way out besides a door to the right of the window. As I approached the window, I heard a soft groaning sound from the other side. What was on the other side made me sick.
The entire left side of the room was covered in a muscle tissue that had a dark brown tint to it. In the center of the room, a figure of an upper torso with arms and a head was clearly jutting out of the muscle tissue. It was attached, but it still moved. It didn't look at me, but it still groaned, then started to hum in a rhythm, as if it were singing.
The door suddenly opened, letting in the bright light and brightening the rest of the room I stood in. I didn't want to go in, but it didn't look like I had a choice. I walked in and kept my eyes on the creature, and it started to talk to me.
"All I ever wanted was you," it sung to me, with a deep voice and a sad tone, "All I ever needed was you."
It sung, and the groaning was actually sobbing. It was crying as it tried to sing.
I couldn't seem to speak, not that I wanted to. I was terrified. It's face was even more mortifying. It didn't have eyes, just black holes, but not endless holes. I could see the back of it's head, like someone dug a hole in the dirt. It's mouth was made of three fat mandibles and it had no nose.
"All I ever needed was you..."
It kept trying to sing to me as it looked at me with its empty holes for eye sockets.
A wire ran under the creature, where the torso hung from the ground, and it had an odd glow to it, like provoking me to pull it. I knew if I tried, I'd be in arms reach of the creature, and I had nothing to defend myself with should it attack. I noticed in the light I was naked as well, which gave me a huge sense of insecurity.
There wasn't any other way out, so I slowly walked to the creature and stuck my arm out to grab the wire. It suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me towards it. When I was close enough, it grabbed my waist, over powering me, and lifted me into the air above it.
It yelled at me with an angry time, "ALL I EVER NEEDED WAS YOU!"
It quickly brought me down and shoved me in its mouth, as if it were trying to swallow me whole.
I shot up from my bed, my heart racing and feeling very uncomfortably hot. My eyes were wide open, but I saw nothing from the darkness of my room. After a few moments of trying to calm down and realising it was just a dream, I got up out of bed and made my way to my door.
I turned on the light and squinted my eyes from the sudden brightness. A chill suddenly shot through my entire body. The temperature felt colder than usual. I shrugged it off and tried to take my mind off the strange dream.
I had woken in the middle of the night again. It was midnight. I hoped I'd be able to get back to sleep after that nightmare, but this chill was bothering me. I figured going to sleep in just boxers would be a bad idea. I put on a hoodie and pulled on soft pajamas.
Moonlight shined brightly though my window. I opened the blinds and looked out to see the calm countryside, with a city far in the distance. Sky scrapers stretched to try to touch the stars, and it looked beautiful from the light the moon cast.
A bright light suddenly appeared over the city, like a flame. I thought it was a shooting star, but I could see smoke coming from it, and it fell straight down. It got closer to the city, and eventually disappeared, but a sudden flash of light made me cover my eyes. A rumble shook the house as I heard a boom that made a sound as if it were swallowing itself. I looked back outside and saw a huge mushroom cloud rising into the sky. Large billows of dust and dirt surged toward me. I moved to get on the ground, but I was grabbed from behind and a rag was pressed against my nose. The strange smell seemed to made me feel weird, then everything suddenly turned black.
Consciousness slowly returned to me, and I could see the bright light even though my closed eyes. I slowly opened them, giving them time to adjust to the brightness. When I moved to rub my eyes, I felt resistance on my wrists. I opened my eyes fully and tried to sit up, but something was going across my chest. I lifted my head up and fought against the straps of the stretcher I was restrained to. My ankles were strapped down as well, and my heart quickened again. A long narrow hallway stood silent in front of me, with the bright LED lights illuminating it. There were many doors on both sides of the hall, one right across the other.
The sudden jolt forward startled me and I laid my head back to see someone standing over me. He looked straight forward and wore a white, long sleeved doctor chat and a mask over his mouth. A stethoscope hung from his neck and his hands had tight latex gloves covering them as he gripped the side of the stretcher and pushed it. I was naked all but a muzzle strapped on my maw, and I started to feel sick. I growled as I pulled against the restraints, curling my tail towards me to try to break them, but it was hopeless.
The doctor made a sharp turn and pushed me in through a door way. Inside, he stopped me under a large light hanging from the ceiling. He pulled over a chair and pulled his mask under his muzzle. Now I could tell he was a wolf.
"So... been awhile since the last check up, hm? Feeling alright?" he asked with a mocking tone as he loosened the straps on my muzzle and pulled it off.
"I'm fine," I said, hardly recognizing my calm voice.
"Oh? I don't think so. There's plenty of things wrong with you, " he spoke and took off his gloves, then awkwardly rubbed his paw against my bicep.
"Where am I? Who the fuck are you?" I spoke louder, and, despite my fear, kept my voice steady.
"Now now, no need for such vulgar language, " he squeezed my bicep, "Ah, such strong muscles and such smooth scales. "
He leaned over me and pressed his stethoscope against my chest. The cold steel pressed against my chestscales, making that one spot have a feeling that almost felt like burning.
"Hmm... are you nervous? Your heart beats fast... a strong, rhythmic beat."
"What's wrong with me then? No, what do you want from me?"
He pulled away and sighed. "I want you to get better. "
"There's nothing wrong with me. There's something wrong with you if you're going to kidnap me," I suddenly remembered what happened before I blacked out, "And... what happened to the city?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?" he asked and walked over to a sink in a counter then turned it on.
His back was to me, but there was nothing I could do. "Did... it get attacked?'
"Attacked?" he turned off the sink and walked back over to me, "What did you see?"
"An explosion... a cloud, the city got bombed didn't it?"
"Oh no... it's worse than I thought, " he shook his head.
I was starting to get frustrated. "I don't care, let me out of this."
"You are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. You're seeing things, hearing things, hallucinations. Maybe even amnesia. It's all in your head."
"How do I know you're real then? If any of this is?" I pulled against the straps, wishing they were gone as if it were a dream. They still held tight.
"How do we know anything exists?" he smiled, "You see me don't you? Hear me, feel me, aren't I real?"
His smile of amusement hit a nerve with me. His mood change of concern then to sudden humor started to get me angry, as if he thought this was a joke.
"Let me go. Now," a small cloud of black smoke slipped out from my maw with that last breath.
"I don't think you understand. I want to help you, and I think I know a way how to," he kept smiling as he took off his mask and stood up. He started to unbutton his coat.
"Uh... what are you doing?" I tightened my jaw.
"You ask so many questions, as good patients do, but I think you already know the answer to that one."
He slipped off his coat in a seductive way, revealing his bare torso. My cheeks became warm, and I felt a feeling of discomfort yet a feeling of warmth. I looked away and balled my hands into fists.
"Come now, this will help you," his voice got smoother, softer.
"Touch me and I'll kill you."
"It won't be so bad. I think you're a victim of Stockholm Syndrome," he put his hand around my muzzle and turned my head to him, "I can see it in your eyes."
He let go and moved his hand down my chest, then belly. I tensed as he got lower, but he stopped at my waist. He undid his pants and pulled them off, then abruptly climbed on top of me, still covered by only his boxers.
"I bet a big, strong dragon such as yourself is no match for a wolf like me," he leaned over me, feeling a hard bugle press against my waist as held his head inches away from mine, "Such a good dragon."
A sudden sound of a large explosion emitted from behind me. The wolf looked up, but I couldn't see what I was, and ears were slightly ringing.
"Get on the ground, on the ground now!" I could hear voices yelling.
A moment later, the wolf was grabbed and pulled off me by a few people in black armor. White letters lined their back, but I couldn't read it from the light making silhouette.
"Sedate him!" someone yelled, and a moment later someone grabbed my head.
"No wait, I comply, I comply!" I shouted.
A needle was immediately shoved up under one of my neck scales. A sharp pain shot into my neck as someone kept my head held down. Yelling and the sounds of footsteps striking the ground were the last things I heard before falling unconscious.
"Hey, hey, WAKE UP!"
I was being shook violently. I opened my eyes and groaned, and the shaking stopped. I was pulled up from sitting down by my biceps as I tried to blink the blur from my eyes.
"Come on, get the fuck up, MOVE!" the one on my right side holding my bicep yelled.
They half dragged me, and I was feeling a little woozy. I lifted my head to see a somewhat large metal door. They dragged me toward the door against the concrete path that formed a hallway without a ceiling, instead, a dark sky with stars dotted randomly spread about. On my left and right, large metal fences made out of barbed wire formed walls, and beyond that, just bleak, empty land.
I started walking on my own after a few moments, but they didn't loosen up. I looked over at one of my captors, and saw he had the same uniform as the other guard did. They wore armor and a helmet which covered their whole head and a small, tinted visor was going through the middle so they could see. They both held a rifle in their free hand. My wrists were cuffed behind my back and I was again naked.
My vision returned to normal, and the path seemed to stretch on forever. Above the door, a tower watched over the trail, and large towers were spaced around the sides of the walls. Bright lights on top of the barbed wire illuminated the path, and near the lights, large turrets with several barrels sat idle.
"Listen up prisoner," the guard on my right said, "You're being detained in cell block B. You are prisoner 12675. Remember that."
When we reached the metal door, it opened automatically and they led me inside. Inside, a small room. To my left a tinted window that took up most of the wall. Once inside, the guard on my left pulled a gas mask off the wall and strapped it onto my head. A quiet sound of a leaking air hose filled the room, and white gas started to fill the room.
"Decontamination, you filthy fuck," a guard said with disgust.
The door in front of me opened, and when the gas cleared, they took my gas mask off and pulled me forward into a boxed room with a single door on every wall. They led me to the door in front of me, which above it said "Cell Block B".
"Know the rules. Violence is not tolerated, unless there's no one to enforce it," the guard on my left snickered, "Eating is a privilege. No weapons or drugs of any kind."
We arrived at the doorway, which had a cyan colored energy field covering it. The guard on my right disabled it when he went over to a control panel. He looked back at me.
"Your cell number is 75. Figure it out. You'll find your jumpsuit in there."
They let me go and shoved me through the doorway. I kept my footing and turned around. The cyan field had already been activated again.
"And have fun," he said, laughed, and walked to the door they brought me to.
I touched the field and instantly got shocked by it. I pulled my hand back, it a small cloud of white smoke floating into the air. I shook it off and turned around to see the cell block.
The room was composed of three floors with many cell doors lining the walls. A fence ran all the way up to the third floor from the second floor, and from the third floor to the roof, to prevent any accidents, I assume. The room was dark, only a few dimmed lights giving me light to see. I walked past the many cells, past the the stair case that led to the two upper floors, and found my cell some other doors down. Every cell had that same cyan energy field. With all these cells, it made me think this place was susceptible to power outages. The first floor didn't really have much on it besides a few metal tables, but there was a doorway on every wall in the middle of the cells, leaving an even number of cells on each side. They all had an energy field around it, and had a sign above each doorway. The left wall's doorway had the word "Showers", above it. The front wall was the cafeteria, and the right wall led to the courtyard outside.
I had a throbbing headache, and I didn't feel like exploring. I wasn't going to stay here long. I walked to cell 75 with a deactivated energy field and walked in. As soon as I did, it turned on behind me.
My cell wasn't very big, and the concrete walls made me claustrophobic. A toilet, a sink, and a bed were the only things in my room from what I could see, since not much light from outside my cell was let in. On the bed, an orange jumpsuit lay with 12675 written on the back. It was better than being naked, so I put it on and laid on my bed.
I wasn't sure if this time to think was a good or bad thing. My head still ached and I couldn't fall asleep. Not that I really wanted to anyway. I was scared about where I'd end up next. I didn't know where I was or why I was in prison or even what I did to get here. I knew one thing for sure now. This isn't a dream.
I tried remembering where I was before the monster in the dark room. But I couldn't. I remember everything after, but nothing before that. Was my memory wiped or tampered with? That monster couldn't have been real, it's impossible.
I just need to get out of here.
I waited hours, thinking and being bored out of my mind before a loud, sudden beep nearly scared me out of my wits. I shot up from my bed in alarm, but I soon realized all that happened was the fields being down. It was the morning bell I guess.
I walked outside my cell and took a look around. Other inmates came out of their cells, some running upstairs or to another cell in a rush. Others walked lazily out to go to the showers or cafeteria. I stood outside my cell and analyzed the area. If the second and third floors had as many cells as the first floor, there's probably about 300 inmates in this block.
As I looked around, I saw a small pack of coyotes walking over to me. There's four, and the looks in their eyes told me they weren't looking to be my friend. They made a semi circle around me, cornering me against the wall and my cell.
"Mmm... new blood," the coyote in the middle right said, who's number was 12663.
"It's been awhile... we should teach him the rules here," the one on my right laughed, who had 12652 written on his jumpsuit.
"I don't play by the rules," I said, finally recognizing my own voice.
"Oh you will," 63 laughed, "Their rules don't mean shit here. Our rules matter, and I can already tell you'll have a problem following them."
"I have a rule. Fuck with me and I'll kill you."
"Oooh, we have a hard ass over here!" the one on the middle left said, 57.
"You're going to learn quickly it doesn't work like that here," 63 said, pulling a sharp piece of metal out of his jumpsuit.
"You're the leader here huh? This little wannabe gang? If you make a move you're going to get it the worst," I said, keeping them all in my eyesight.
63 took a step toward me, and the others followed, closing in on me.
"You're going to die like a FUCKING dog here!" 52 shouted and charged me.
I faced him and let him charge, then quickly moved to the side, grabbing the collar of his jumpsuit and grabbed it lower with my free hand, helping him charge right into the edge of the doorway of my cell. His head rammed so hard into the concrete wall, I couldn't imagine him getting out of that without a shattered skull.
I let him go and he fell motionless to the ground.
"Good recruit. Kept his nose to the grindstone."
57 and 63 stared at the dead, or dying, coyote on the ground.
"Hey let's just leave him alone, " the coyote on my left said, 60.
"We have other boys in other blocks, we'll make you pay!" 63 yelled.
"Can't do it yourself?" I asked in a mocking tone.
57 tried pulling a fast one while my attention was diverted to 63, or so he thought. He surged forward and tried to throw a punch at my head. I blocked it and 63 found his chance to attack meanwhile. He followed up on 57's assault, but not after I grabbed 57's arm and twisted it behind his back. He was in between me and 63 who was now much closer now, but never attempted to strike. "Careful with that blade. You might get someone," I said, pinning 57's left arm high against his back and holding his bicep with my other hand.
I could see 60 out of the corner of my eye, and his tail tucked between his legs. 63 looked at me and 57, trying to find another move. 57 groaned as I slowly kept moving his arm higher.
"H-help me!" 57 screamed, "He's going to break my arm!"
"Not break. Dislocate," I said softly, watching 63 closely.
He didn't know what to do. I could tell. He was panicking. To my surprise, he lunged forward with his blade raised, trying to stab me in the neck. I bent my knees slightly and leaned backwards, letting 57 lean on me. I moved when it was too late for 63 to react to my movement, forcing him to accidentally stab 57 in the throat, where my neck was less than a second ago.
63 jumped back with a look on his face that would have made me laugh if I didn't hear the sound of 57 gurgling and choking on his own blood. I pulled the blade out of his throat, and threw him down next to 52, out of my way and nothing between me and 63.
"Well... I'm going to have fun with you now," I said, turning the duct tape handle of the knife in my hand. I took a step toward him, which he immediately responded by taking a step back.
"Hey, hey, I think you know the rules alright," he said, still taking steps back.
I saw 60 run away from my left, seeming to hug the wall to avoid my attention. Behind 63, a few guards suddenly appeared from around the stair case to my right.
"Drop the knife, drop it!" one yelled as they walked towards us, rifles trained on us.
I dropped the blade and two guards grabbed 63 while the other two focused on me.
"Hey let me go!" 63 shouted.
"Get in your cell, 75," a guard said, wearing a different uniform than the guards who brought me here.
I walked back into my cell as 63 thrashed and tried to break free.
"I didn't kill them, it was his fault!"
The field reappeared, trapping me in. The two guards grabbed 57's and 52's ankles and dragged them away. 57 was still alive, and they didn't seem to care he was bleeding out.
A small robot in the shape of a box made a quiet whirring sound as it moved over the blood, walking on its stubby legs. The blood was gone after it moved, and it followed the trail of blood behind the staircase.
I didn't get any blood on my jumpsuit luckily. I laid down on my bed.
"Hey nice going with those tools, " I looked at my cell door to see a bull standing on the other side, "They liked messing with people they thought were weaker than them. About time someone did something."
"When does this damn door open?"
"It's probably just a temporary lockdown for you because of that fight. Should open in a few minutes, or hours, depends."
I stood up and looked at the, who had 12617 written across the chest of his jumpsuit. He had a sliver ring pierced in his nose.
"So what's the way out of here?" I asked.
"Haha, it's not that easy."
"If you're not going to tell me, get away from me."
"Watch your tongue, dragon," he snorted, "you'll find yourself dead quicker talking like that."
"If you want to end up like them, stay right there when the door opens. If you have anything worth saying, then out with it."
"Go to Cell Block A. You'll fit in good there. That's where all the fun happens. They might transfer you over there if you cause enough trouble here," he said and abruptly walked away.
I laid down on my bed and sighed. There's gotta be a way out of here. Maybe Cell Block A will do something for me. I didn't want to kill anyone else, but if Cell Block A is what I think it is, I may be forced to.
And what if I got out of here? Where would I go? I couldn't see anything in the Darkness but dead land, but I don't know how I got here in the first place. Must be done kind of vehicle somewhere...
The field suddenly turned off, and I took a deep breath and stood up. I walked outside my cell and went to the courtyard.
There wasn't much to see out there besides the open sky. Hard, rocky dirt covered the entire area, and guards stood on top of the surrounding walls. Groups of inmates stood around, like inside my block, and the only doorways were the ones that connected Cell Block A and B. That meant Cell Block C is either connected to Cell Block B through the showers or is isolated.
I wondered if Cell Block C is where the most dangerous inmates go and are contained, and Cell Block B is the starting ground. Didn't matter much to me though.
I walked into Cell Block A and immediately noticed how different it is from Cell Block B. It looked as if it were completely abandoned by the security. The layout of the cells was the same as Cell Block B, having three floors and the doorway placement jab the walls, but it looked darker, older, and unclean.
Holes of a heavy impact dotted the walls and ground, dried and new blood splattered in some places. A circle of inmates stood and watched, what sounded like fighting, in the middle of the block. Cheering, screaming, and awkward moaning seemed to slightly echo within the block.
"Psst, hey, come here," a whisper called from behind me to my right.
I looked over to see a wolf peeking his head out from his cell. He waved for me to follow and ducked back behind the wall. Taking one more look around, I walked over to his cell and stepped inside.
"You're new here aren't you? I can tell, no one from Cell Block B just wanders in here," he spoke quickly and seemed to shake uncontrollably, "12675 huh? Yea, yea, I'm 11326, nice to meet you, heh."
The way he shook was unnerving. His jumpsuit was ripped and torn on the arms and legs mostly, and his eyes were bloodshot.
"So uh... what are you in for? Hehe."
"Who's in charge here and how do I get out of here?" I asked. I didn't want to screw around with him.
"Oh uh... that'd be 11401, everyone here just calls him Top Dog, hehe, get it, because he's a German Shepherd, and he's a dog and-"
"Yea, yea, I get it. Where is he?"
"He can be any where in the block really, but you can check by his cell, second floor, cell number 201."
I turned around and started walking toward the staircase.
"Hey, wait," he called and grabbed the end of my tail.
I jerked my tail back. "Never touch me again," I said and continued walking.
"Oh, uh, sorry," he mumbled, "What do I get for helping you?" he asked excitedly.
I stopped and looked at him again. He stared at me with a smile and his tongue hanging out, panting and wagging his tail.
"You get that warning and leave me the hell alone."
I hurried up the stairs and I could hear him whimpering behind me.
"Awww, please?" he begged.
I ignored him and walked down the catwalk to cell 201. A couple of buff Boxers stood outside his cell.
"Get lost, lizard," one snarled at me.
"I need to speak to 401 about getting out of here."
"I don't give a fu-"
"What's his number?" a voice asked from inside the cell.
"Uh, 12675," a Boxer replied.
"Let him in."
One of the Boxers stepped aside to let me pass. As I walked through, the other stopped me by putting his hand out on my chest.
"Is he with you?" he nudged his head behind me.
The wolf stood there, still wagging his tail and smiling.
"Uh... no," I said, pushed his hand off, and walked in.
Inside, it looked like any other cell, but cleaner than other ones in this block. 401 sat on his bed, smoking a cigar, and stroking the back of another sleeping dog next to him.
"You know what I'm here for?" I asked.
"I could take a guess. You want to join us?"
"Uh... no?"
"Shame. You'd make a good enforcer."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Not even 24 hours of you being here and already killed two people," he laughed, "Word gets around quickly."
"Right... I want to know how to get out of here."
"There is no way out. Why would there be, it's a prison."
"Everything has flaws," I glanced back at the unconscious dog.
"Maybe you could get out," he stood up, "Are you a killer? They let you out if you agree to be a soldier. You know, fighting wars and all that. You look like you'd like it."
"There's gotta be a way out of here. A hole in a wall, a wall to climb, a sewer, something."
"Been here 20 years and I've found nothing. The guards hardly do anything besides drag bodies out, but if you get on them, get a gun, security code well... that'd be a good shot," he blew out a cloud of smoke.
"So enlist or murder, then murder more," I concluded.
"Ayee yep. That's how it works. But if you finish your years in the military they let you go and you won't be wanted for the rest of your life."
"But have a higher chance of being killed."
"Rolling the dice. Take your pick," he smiled, "What's life without a little fun?" he took a step closer to me, "Kill someone. We'll swarm the guards, then we'll all get out."
"Why doesn't anyone else do that? Why must I?"
"They're going to be more cautious about you. We've been here for years and decades, and so have they. They don't know you," he put his cigar in an ashtray, "We've never tried anything like it. They won't expect it from you. It will be perfect."
"That plan is bullshit and you know it. You just want me to start shit."
He frowned. "Do you have a better plan? That's the only way if any."
"I'm not killing anyone. I'll have a better chance in the military. How do I get in?"
"Can try calling a guard over by the entrance, see if you can get the warden," I turned and walked out of his cell, moving past the guard dogs.
"If you change you mind, I'll be here, " he said from inside.
I walked past the wolf who sat on the floor, then started wagging his tail when he saw me again.
"Oh, where are we going now?"
I walked down the stairs and then to Cell Block A's entrance. Two guards stood by the metal door I was brought though.
"Hey, pigdog," I called to a guard.
He looked over.
"Let me see the warden. It's about joining the army."
"And why the fuck should I care?"
I tried to think of a reason. I looked at the wolf who looked up at me and smiled when he saw me looking at him.
"Get the warden or I'll kill him," I pointed at the wolf.
"You won't do shit."
"I grabbed the wolf and put him in a headlock. "Just takes a small movement to snap the neck."
"Hey, hey," the guard took a step toward me, "Fine, I'll see if he's busy. I don't need you killing him and giving me more paper work..." he opened the metal door and went through it.
The other guard looked over and I let the wolf go. He over dramatically gasped for air, even though he was breathing fine when I held him.
"You were going to kill me?!" he yelled, clutching his throat.
"Yes."
"I... that's... the most romantic anyone has ever done to me!" his voice and tone changed.
"Get away from me."
The sound of the metal door closing caught my attention. I looked over and saw the warden with six guards boxed around him. He didn't wear a helmet, but wore the same armor. The only difference was the red stripe going down the sides of his legs and sides, then turning outward at the bicep to the wrist.
"Ah, 12675, already a trouble. You are the one to be enlisted?"
"Yes."
He inspected me closely. "You look able, yes, a worthy soldier, bloodthirsty hm? We'll need to chat. But I don't want you in my prison either. Come to my office."
A guard walked to the panel by the door and the field deactivated. As soon as I stepped though, I heard it turn back on and the guards suddenly drew their rifles, aiming at me.
"Of course, we'll need to sedate and restrain you. Do you accept?" he asked.
"I'll cooperate."
"No, we must do this. No chances."
Sedate. Again. I was getting out of here, but go where? This pattern frustrated and confused me, but nothing I could control.
"Yes."
The warden nodded to a guard who pulled over a wheelchair and nodded to it. I sat down and the guard rolled up my sleeve and then did a needle under one of my forearm scales. It stung, but in a few moments I was finally out of this hell.
"Dad! Dad come on, we're going to be late!"
I could hear a voice yelling as my entire body shook. I groaned and opened my eyes, trying to focus on the figure sitting on top of me.
"Daaad, come on get up!"
I rubbed the blur out of my eyes and stared at the little dragon.
"Come on, go eat, we gotta go!" he bounced excitedly.
"Go where?" I asked, sitting up.
"To school! Today's the first day of fifth grade and you gotta drive meee!"
"Oh... right... how could have I forgotten," I looked at an alarm clock sitting on a night stand, "It's 4 in the morning," I looked at him, "What kind of school are you going to?"
"It takes you forever to get ready so I had to get you up early!" he smiled and thumped his tail against the bed.
"Alright, alright just... give me a minute."
"Fiiine, can I have waffles for breakfast?"
I looked around my bedroom trying to find something I could recognize.
"Daaad!" he bounced up and down.
"Huh, what?"
"Can I have waff-"
"Yea, yea sure...er..."
He leaned down and kissed my cheek then hopped the bed and ran out of the room.
It took me a few minutes to get out of bed. I was in my boxers again, but it didn't feel foreign to me or surprising, but rather expecting it, but not from previous awakenings. It felt natural, but I don't remember being in my boxers the night before, or anything for that matter. I'd come to that realization and yet I'm still trying to over think it.
My room looked different than before. Everything was different from furniture to the architecture. I didn't recognize it anymore than my other room, but still had a feeling it was... mine.
I walked to my dresser and put on pajama pants, then soon after noticed a photograph sitting on top of the dresser. In it was me wearing a tuxedo with my arm around a beautiful woman wearing a dress. We stood on a beach with a sky that looked of dusk and a calm ocean. She looked so familiar but I couldn't recognize her. Our black scales looked perfect together, seeming to have the exact same tone, but her eyes are the focal point. Even in the picture they looked as if they have a soft purple glow.
"Dad!" a voice called from outside my room snapped me out of my trance.
I walked out of the room and went down a small hallway which led to a staircase. As I went down the stairs, I heard a TV in the room around the corner. Sure enough, he laid on the couch watching some cartoon with ridiculously colored dragons. I walked across the room to the kitchen and turned on the light.
I suddenly began to feel light headed as I looked around the room. A counter separated the kitchen and the living room, where I could see him laying down. Him... this kid who called me dad and I didn't even know his name. I tried hard to suppress a headache that kept jabbing at me.
I opened the freezer and took out waffles, putting three on a plate and sliding it in the microwave. It came to me like muscle memory, but I had never made waffles before. I glanced back at the kid who so calmly watched the TV. I'd become so lost in thought the loud beep of the microwave startled me.
I took the warm plate out and put it on the counter. Naturally, I went over to the refrigerator and took out the butter and syrup, not even having to look for it and put the butter on the three waffles, then syrup and cutting it into six pieces in that exact order.
By the time I finished, my head was throbbing. I felt like I've done this a million times before, but I know I've never done this before, I couldn't have. I didn't think as I did it, I just did it, as if I didn't know any other way to. I set the plate down on the dining table and he hopped over and immediately started eating. I sat on the opposite side of the table as him and stared at him intently. He didn't seem to notice since he was so distracted by the waffles.
"Yu mak tha bes wafflez errer," he said with a mouth full.
I was appalled, almost disturbed, by how much he looks like me. He has those same scarlet eyes and two little horns growing out of his head along with a small spike coming out of his chin. He looked up at me and swallowed.
"What cha lookin' at?"
"Oh, nothing, uh..." I took a deep breath and sighed, "Son?"
"Yeees?"
"Where is... mom?"
A short silence passed by and he frowned.
"Are you feeling okay dad?"
"Yes."
He took another pause as he took another bite.
"You said she died before I hatched."
"Why did she die?"
He shrugged. "You never told me."
I took a deep breath and looked at the clock. It was only 4:30, but it felt longer than that. I shook my leg up and down in anticipation and a small feeling of anxiety. The more I thought the more my head hurt. There's a part of me that loves this kid and feels a... connection, but another part of me that feels this is impossible.
"You forgot the milk," he said as he ate more.
"Milk...?" I asked, but immediately realized I forgot the milk, but not because he just told me.
I went to the fridge and, despite there being two types of milk, grabbed the skim milk, poured a glass, and set it down next to him. I sat back down.
"You like skim, right?" I asked.
"That's the only thing I've been drinking for years dad... are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine, just a little forgetful at this age I suppose," I tapped my fingers on the table, "How old are you again?"
"Dad, it was just my 11th hatchday three months ago, you don't remember that either?" he asked, sounding slightly upset.
"Well, how old am I?"
"Oh, um..." he had finished eating and made a face of intense concentration, as if trying to remember, "Like a bagillion... I think."
"Oh come on, I'm not that old," I smiled.
"Well...I don't know..."
"Aww, you don't remember?"I asked, trying to imitate him.
"Ugh daad."
I laughed. It made me feel strange, a good strange, maybe because I couldn't remember the last time I laughed.
"Why do you always extend your words like that?" I asked as I got up and put his plate in the sink.
"Iunno," he put his empty glass in the sink and looked up at me, "So what we gonna do?"
My headache had become a lot less painful and I started to feel happier and a feeling of comfort, especially about and because of my son.
I picked him up, putting an arm under his legs and using my other arm to hold his back up. He wasn't too heavy, as I expected, and suddenly clung on to me, caught off guard by me picking him up, and put an arm around my neck. He smiled at me with his sparkling red eyes as I held him close. I never wanted to let him go.
I've never felt the way I did as I held him. How I felt earlier about anything couldn't compare to now. I felt nothing has been real up until now and he's my heart, keeping me alive. While I felt this, an itch wouldn’t go away in the back of my mind. Not an inch…a clawing.
“Will I be as strong as you one day?”
“You’ll grow to be stronger than me,” I smiled and held him close to me.
I don’t know what forced me, but I started to cry. It was from a combination of joy and confusion, the lack of understanding but the excess of love I felt for my son I never met. I didn’t want to let him go, but I did, and he swayed his tail back and forth.
But I knew if I fell asleep, he’d be gone.
“Sooo, when are we gonna go to school?” he asked.
I didn’t want him to leave my sight, but I knew what had to be done.
“What time does it started?” I asked hesitatingly.
“7, I think.”
“We’ll go at 6:30 then.”
That still left me an hour and a half with him.
He yawned and stretched. “I think I’m gonna take a nap. I don’t wanna be tired on the first day. Shouldn’t have gotten up so early…”
I didn’t want to show him my disappoint, so I just pat his back and said okay. He walked up the stairs and I laid down on the couch, looking at the cartoon on the TV but not necessarily watching it.
I thought hard to try to put everything I could remember in some logical order. The monster, the city and the nuke, the doctor, the prison, and my son. My brain scrambled. A mutilated, disgusting monster saying it wanted me. Sudden and total destruction. A man who tried to rape me. A clingy and creepy kid stalking me. Then the love for my son…me returning the affection. There’s a pattern. What was I seeing?
The monster said all it ever wanted was me, sadly, before killing me in rage. Then the bomb of the city…it had to represent something about destruction, total annihilation. The doctor…he kidnapped me and tried to rape me before the police showed up and arrested me. When I went to prison, I killed two people and that kid had an awkward obsession with me stalking me until I left. Then my son…and my overwhelming love for him. But…my deceased wife.
That doctor said I was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and was hallucinating. What could have I been seeing? As if he tried to convince me he wasn’t real, nor anything I see or think is real. He mentioned I might have amnesia, forgetting. But what is real?
The love for my son. Before that I felt as a drone, driven by nothing, feeling nothing. The only time I felt was when the doctor started engaging directly possibilities on what’s going on. He had to have been right if it made me feel, yet killing someone makes me feel nothing.
If I have amnesia, that would explain why I can’t remember anything, but not remembering my son, my wife, anything about my past? It was more than that. I wasn’t hallucinating. But yet the doctor acted like he knew me. That could have been his own fault…he seemed psychotic, but I know there was truth in what he was saying.
Psychotic…that word didn’t sit well with me. Like an itch I couldn’t scratch. But the present…where I’m at now with my son. It was so painful to try to remember something that had to do with the past. I never needed to do that before now. Trying to remember my wife, my son, what I did and who I am just caused pain. The pain of thinking, and the numbness of being the drone I was before.
I suddenly realized these events aren’t in order. Up until now, everything I went through had a beginning that came off of that last event’s ending, besides my son. I was supposed to go to war, but here I am, at home. My first event, the monster, is completely illogical. That was fake, and that would explain why it was the first event. It didn’t have anything to take off from.
But what of the others? Destruction, rape, prison, my son...
I swallowed hard as my stomach pulled itself into knots. It suddenly clicked with me, but I didn’t want to believe it. It didn’t come like a memory, but like seeing the picture of a puzzle before putting in the last piece, unlike a memory, where you already see the picture with no missing pieces.
I was the monster. She left me, and it took an unforeseeable toll on me emotionally and psychologically, total destruction. Like the irradiated land of the area the bomb exploded in, I couldn’t get her back, and my all my attempts were futile. Desperation and obsession overtook me, and I raped her. Then I went to prison. My obsession became worse, locked away for who knows how long then I became a drone, nothing, and that’s when I killed two people in cold blood, in the prison. I got out with the belief I’d go into the military, but I never did. I got out somehow. Then my son hatched, and I remembered all the pain she caused me. I murdered her and said “All I ever needed was you.”
I clung to my son as my last hope in the world and never told him what happened to his mother. With a fear I’d become as obsessed with him as I was with my wife, the fear of losing him, or the fear I’d become a drone again, I strengthened the father and son bond that was already existent at conception. It couldn’t go wrong like it did before, not in the same way, and I lived to try to make everything be perfect between me and him.
That’s why I love him so much. That’s why I was forming a subconscious obsession, grown from the rejection of, love, desperation, and obsession for my wife.
I felt nauseous. I didn’t want to believe this, but it made sense and I couldn’t think of any other possibility. But why was it happening like this? This wasn’t amnesia. It was too much.
Someone, or myself, did something to my head, made me forget. My headache started to come back as I tried to remember what I did to myself. That was it. I COULDN’T rememer. That part of my brain just didn’t seem to be there. That must have meant all that was a dream, made by my emotions as an improvision for while I feel the way and have felt the way I do. A flaw in the plan. Or maybe it’s not. Maybe whatever I did was meant to take the pain away and ensure I don’t become obsessed with my son as I did with my wife, at least…not as fast.
I let go of trying to remember what I did to ease the pain. All of the thinking had made me weary, and I couldn’t help but fall asleep, and for the first time I remember, not being forcefully sedated.
A sudden slap across my face jolted me awake.
“Don’t you DARE fall asleep on me Major!”
I quicly got my bearings and looked up at the one who slapped me.
“Get your helmet on, ETA 10 minutes!”
I stood up and he pushed a helmet into my arms. The sudden weight that fell on my shoulders surprised me, and I almost lost my balance. Other soldiers held rifles and looked a bit shaken up. We stood cramped in a metal box with all types of gear on te sides. The one who slapped me, another Major, already had his helmet on and we wore ccompletely different armor than any of the other soldiers. That’s what almost made me lose my balance.
I put my helmet on, it clicking with the armor at my neck as the helmet’s interface started up. I stood in front of all the soldiers, as did the other Major, and he started to speak.
“Alright, one more time!” he shouted, foucsing everyone’s attention on him, “Omegas are taking point to draw enemy fire. We suppress and ALL of us move up! We are strength in numbers!” he cheered and shoved a large machine gun into my arms.
A wire from my forearm suddenly shot out into a jack in the gun. Across my hud, a bar in yellow read “initializing”.
“Our goal is to storm the enemy’s final retreat. They won’t have anywhere to retreat after this! This war has been faught for too many years, and it’s time to end it!”
I held the gun in my hands as he shoved another machine gun into my chest. He held it expectingly, and I switched the first gun to one hand, grabbing the other with my free hand. Just like before, a wire shot out of my forearm and into the gun. Another yellow bar appeared, and the first yellow bar turned green and read “M240 detected”.
“No mercy for them. They won’t show you any,” he picked up two M240s and they were initialized the same way into his suit, “And stay out of our fire. It’s not our fault if you run into our fire. It’ll be just like boot camp. Stay behind us. We are your protection until we get into the city. You know what to do once we get in. Watch for friendlies.”
A small jolt shook the inside, and I could already hear the roars of gunshots. The door clicked and suddenly fell down. The Major walked across the metal door and I followed right on his side. My weapons had finished initializing and my vision suddenly lit up with red dots. My arms snapped to aim, two red dots turning yellow. I realized they were enemies, some in bunkers and opening fire on us. The Major had already started shooting before he even stepped on the metal door. We stepped on to the beach and slowly walked forward. I could hear gunshots all around me, from my left and right, front and back. I pulled both triggers, feeling no recoil and staying close to the Major. The yellow and red dots were in silhouettes of people, and when a yellow dot disappeared, another would reappear closest to the last yellow dot, and my arms would already snap to aim the gun at the yellow dot.
I could feel bullets hitting my armor all over as I squeezed the triggers. The impact felt like a light poke and made a sharp, metallic sound. When I was out of ammo, the guns snapped to my side and reloaded from magazines on my waist.
In a few minutes, we had already pushed forward all the way to the enemy’s front walls. Not a thought crossed my mind as I killed the enemy soldiers and corpses lay all across the battlefield. Mortar fire and mines took a toll on our soldiers, but if it hit an Omega, they’d fall and get right back up.
Several soldiers rushed up to the walls, put some device on it, and blew large holes in it. We quickly moved through it and had little resistance from the enemy. Different squads split off onto different streets, but the Major and I along with our squad stuck together. Planes flew overhead and dropped bombs miles ahead of us.
“We clear them out. First the capital, then weed them out of their rat holes for bunkers. They’re probably all regrouping all their remaining forces at the capital city. We must watch carefully as we get closer. They’re just closing themselves in more,” the Major said.
I could see the bombs explode and buildings collapse in the distance. Bomb sirens, explosions, and gunshots are all that could be heard in the distance, some closer than others. Not many dots appeared on my HUD, and if there was they quickly disappeared behind cover or from the pull of the trigger. After the long, calm trek through the city, compared to the fight we went through when we first arrived, we took a moment to rest as the Major started talking on the radio.
“Hotel here, is engaging the capital, just a few more kilos away. Any reinforcements near our position?” he went silent for a few moments, then spoke again, “10-4, we’ll rendezvous with the-“
A loud series of explosions cut off the Major and startled me to which I then instantly looked over to where it came from. My ears had a painful ringing, and took me a few moments to realize the tall apartment building began to fall. It covered the sun, causing a large, deathly shadow engulfing my squad. The soldiers were able to get out of the way, but the Major and I were too heavy. I put my arms above my head and the building started to crash against the floor, eventually forcing a concrete wall to fall on me and knock me unconscious.
“Come on, come on, we’re late!”
I opened my eyes and saw him tugging on my arm.
“Come on dad, we need to go!”
I sat up and wrapped my arms around him, holding him so close as if my life depended on him, the last beep before a flat line.
So I had gone into the military. But why did that interferes with the order of the dreams? They were almost in order. After that final battle, I was relieved and came home, was notified of my son’s hatching and was able to have custody of him. He must have been with my relatives.
I was a Major, a high ranking officer. It takes years to obtain that rank, especially after going to prison and the murder of my wife, but I excelled. Perhaps that’s why I was granted amnesty and was able to have him, thinking the military “fixed” me. I think it actually did. When the wall collapsed, I may have gone into a coma with severe memory loss.
But why was I with my son after prison? I didn’t know I had a son until after the war. I had finally woken up. Will these dreams haunt me and keep adding more theories or is this the past I need to force myself to believe to stop them?
I had been gone a long time, away from my son. If I had been in the military and in a coma for as long as I think I was, I wasn’t there for him almost his entire life. But he said I was there for his 11th hatchday which was 3 months ago. If he hatched after I went to prison, and I was in the military long enough to be a Major, that had to have been at least a decade. I’ve only been with him for most likely less than a year…
“I promise to never leave you again…I’m so sorry,” I whispered as the water in my eyes began to blur my vision.
“What?”
“It’s okay to miss a day, Shrive,” I pulled away and looked into his young and innocent eyes, “You’re going to be so much better than me…”
© Intellectual property rights reserved Shascarr 2014
The room kept me distraught, and there didn't seem to be any way out besides a door to the right of the window. As I approached the window, I heard a soft groaning sound from the other side. What was on the other side made me sick.
The entire left side of the room was covered in a muscle tissue that had a dark brown tint to it. In the center of the room, a figure of an upper torso with arms and a head was clearly jutting out of the muscle tissue. It was attached, but it still moved. It didn't look at me, but it still groaned, then started to hum in a rhythm, as if it were singing.
The door suddenly opened, letting in the bright light and brightening the rest of the room I stood in. I didn't want to go in, but it didn't look like I had a choice. I walked in and kept my eyes on the creature, and it started to talk to me.
"All I ever wanted was you," it sung to me, with a deep voice and a sad tone, "All I ever needed was you."
It sung, and the groaning was actually sobbing. It was crying as it tried to sing.
I couldn't seem to speak, not that I wanted to. I was terrified. It's face was even more mortifying. It didn't have eyes, just black holes, but not endless holes. I could see the back of it's head, like someone dug a hole in the dirt. It's mouth was made of three fat mandibles and it had no nose.
"All I ever needed was you..."
It kept trying to sing to me as it looked at me with its empty holes for eye sockets.
A wire ran under the creature, where the torso hung from the ground, and it had an odd glow to it, like provoking me to pull it. I knew if I tried, I'd be in arms reach of the creature, and I had nothing to defend myself with should it attack. I noticed in the light I was naked as well, which gave me a huge sense of insecurity.
There wasn't any other way out, so I slowly walked to the creature and stuck my arm out to grab the wire. It suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me towards it. When I was close enough, it grabbed my waist, over powering me, and lifted me into the air above it.
It yelled at me with an angry time, "ALL I EVER NEEDED WAS YOU!"
It quickly brought me down and shoved me in its mouth, as if it were trying to swallow me whole.
I shot up from my bed, my heart racing and feeling very uncomfortably hot. My eyes were wide open, but I saw nothing from the darkness of my room. After a few moments of trying to calm down and realising it was just a dream, I got up out of bed and made my way to my door.
I turned on the light and squinted my eyes from the sudden brightness. A chill suddenly shot through my entire body. The temperature felt colder than usual. I shrugged it off and tried to take my mind off the strange dream.
I had woken in the middle of the night again. It was midnight. I hoped I'd be able to get back to sleep after that nightmare, but this chill was bothering me. I figured going to sleep in just boxers would be a bad idea. I put on a hoodie and pulled on soft pajamas.
Moonlight shined brightly though my window. I opened the blinds and looked out to see the calm countryside, with a city far in the distance. Sky scrapers stretched to try to touch the stars, and it looked beautiful from the light the moon cast.
A bright light suddenly appeared over the city, like a flame. I thought it was a shooting star, but I could see smoke coming from it, and it fell straight down. It got closer to the city, and eventually disappeared, but a sudden flash of light made me cover my eyes. A rumble shook the house as I heard a boom that made a sound as if it were swallowing itself. I looked back outside and saw a huge mushroom cloud rising into the sky. Large billows of dust and dirt surged toward me. I moved to get on the ground, but I was grabbed from behind and a rag was pressed against my nose. The strange smell seemed to made me feel weird, then everything suddenly turned black.
Consciousness slowly returned to me, and I could see the bright light even though my closed eyes. I slowly opened them, giving them time to adjust to the brightness. When I moved to rub my eyes, I felt resistance on my wrists. I opened my eyes fully and tried to sit up, but something was going across my chest. I lifted my head up and fought against the straps of the stretcher I was restrained to. My ankles were strapped down as well, and my heart quickened again. A long narrow hallway stood silent in front of me, with the bright LED lights illuminating it. There were many doors on both sides of the hall, one right across the other.
The sudden jolt forward startled me and I laid my head back to see someone standing over me. He looked straight forward and wore a white, long sleeved doctor chat and a mask over his mouth. A stethoscope hung from his neck and his hands had tight latex gloves covering them as he gripped the side of the stretcher and pushed it. I was naked all but a muzzle strapped on my maw, and I started to feel sick. I growled as I pulled against the restraints, curling my tail towards me to try to break them, but it was hopeless.
The doctor made a sharp turn and pushed me in through a door way. Inside, he stopped me under a large light hanging from the ceiling. He pulled over a chair and pulled his mask under his muzzle. Now I could tell he was a wolf.
"So... been awhile since the last check up, hm? Feeling alright?" he asked with a mocking tone as he loosened the straps on my muzzle and pulled it off.
"I'm fine," I said, hardly recognizing my calm voice.
"Oh? I don't think so. There's plenty of things wrong with you, " he spoke and took off his gloves, then awkwardly rubbed his paw against my bicep.
"Where am I? Who the fuck are you?" I spoke louder, and, despite my fear, kept my voice steady.
"Now now, no need for such vulgar language, " he squeezed my bicep, "Ah, such strong muscles and such smooth scales. "
He leaned over me and pressed his stethoscope against my chest. The cold steel pressed against my chestscales, making that one spot have a feeling that almost felt like burning.
"Hmm... are you nervous? Your heart beats fast... a strong, rhythmic beat."
"What's wrong with me then? No, what do you want from me?"
He pulled away and sighed. "I want you to get better. "
"There's nothing wrong with me. There's something wrong with you if you're going to kidnap me," I suddenly remembered what happened before I blacked out, "And... what happened to the city?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?" he asked and walked over to a sink in a counter then turned it on.
His back was to me, but there was nothing I could do. "Did... it get attacked?'
"Attacked?" he turned off the sink and walked back over to me, "What did you see?"
"An explosion... a cloud, the city got bombed didn't it?"
"Oh no... it's worse than I thought, " he shook his head.
I was starting to get frustrated. "I don't care, let me out of this."
"You are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. You're seeing things, hearing things, hallucinations. Maybe even amnesia. It's all in your head."
"How do I know you're real then? If any of this is?" I pulled against the straps, wishing they were gone as if it were a dream. They still held tight.
"How do we know anything exists?" he smiled, "You see me don't you? Hear me, feel me, aren't I real?"
His smile of amusement hit a nerve with me. His mood change of concern then to sudden humor started to get me angry, as if he thought this was a joke.
"Let me go. Now," a small cloud of black smoke slipped out from my maw with that last breath.
"I don't think you understand. I want to help you, and I think I know a way how to," he kept smiling as he took off his mask and stood up. He started to unbutton his coat.
"Uh... what are you doing?" I tightened my jaw.
"You ask so many questions, as good patients do, but I think you already know the answer to that one."
He slipped off his coat in a seductive way, revealing his bare torso. My cheeks became warm, and I felt a feeling of discomfort yet a feeling of warmth. I looked away and balled my hands into fists.
"Come now, this will help you," his voice got smoother, softer.
"Touch me and I'll kill you."
"It won't be so bad. I think you're a victim of Stockholm Syndrome," he put his hand around my muzzle and turned my head to him, "I can see it in your eyes."
He let go and moved his hand down my chest, then belly. I tensed as he got lower, but he stopped at my waist. He undid his pants and pulled them off, then abruptly climbed on top of me, still covered by only his boxers.
"I bet a big, strong dragon such as yourself is no match for a wolf like me," he leaned over me, feeling a hard bugle press against my waist as held his head inches away from mine, "Such a good dragon."
A sudden sound of a large explosion emitted from behind me. The wolf looked up, but I couldn't see what I was, and ears were slightly ringing.
"Get on the ground, on the ground now!" I could hear voices yelling.
A moment later, the wolf was grabbed and pulled off me by a few people in black armor. White letters lined their back, but I couldn't read it from the light making silhouette.
"Sedate him!" someone yelled, and a moment later someone grabbed my head.
"No wait, I comply, I comply!" I shouted.
A needle was immediately shoved up under one of my neck scales. A sharp pain shot into my neck as someone kept my head held down. Yelling and the sounds of footsteps striking the ground were the last things I heard before falling unconscious.
"Hey, hey, WAKE UP!"
I was being shook violently. I opened my eyes and groaned, and the shaking stopped. I was pulled up from sitting down by my biceps as I tried to blink the blur from my eyes.
"Come on, get the fuck up, MOVE!" the one on my right side holding my bicep yelled.
They half dragged me, and I was feeling a little woozy. I lifted my head to see a somewhat large metal door. They dragged me toward the door against the concrete path that formed a hallway without a ceiling, instead, a dark sky with stars dotted randomly spread about. On my left and right, large metal fences made out of barbed wire formed walls, and beyond that, just bleak, empty land.
I started walking on my own after a few moments, but they didn't loosen up. I looked over at one of my captors, and saw he had the same uniform as the other guard did. They wore armor and a helmet which covered their whole head and a small, tinted visor was going through the middle so they could see. They both held a rifle in their free hand. My wrists were cuffed behind my back and I was again naked.
My vision returned to normal, and the path seemed to stretch on forever. Above the door, a tower watched over the trail, and large towers were spaced around the sides of the walls. Bright lights on top of the barbed wire illuminated the path, and near the lights, large turrets with several barrels sat idle.
"Listen up prisoner," the guard on my right said, "You're being detained in cell block B. You are prisoner 12675. Remember that."
When we reached the metal door, it opened automatically and they led me inside. Inside, a small room. To my left a tinted window that took up most of the wall. Once inside, the guard on my left pulled a gas mask off the wall and strapped it onto my head. A quiet sound of a leaking air hose filled the room, and white gas started to fill the room.
"Decontamination, you filthy fuck," a guard said with disgust.
The door in front of me opened, and when the gas cleared, they took my gas mask off and pulled me forward into a boxed room with a single door on every wall. They led me to the door in front of me, which above it said "Cell Block B".
"Know the rules. Violence is not tolerated, unless there's no one to enforce it," the guard on my left snickered, "Eating is a privilege. No weapons or drugs of any kind."
We arrived at the doorway, which had a cyan colored energy field covering it. The guard on my right disabled it when he went over to a control panel. He looked back at me.
"Your cell number is 75. Figure it out. You'll find your jumpsuit in there."
They let me go and shoved me through the doorway. I kept my footing and turned around. The cyan field had already been activated again.
"And have fun," he said, laughed, and walked to the door they brought me to.
I touched the field and instantly got shocked by it. I pulled my hand back, it a small cloud of white smoke floating into the air. I shook it off and turned around to see the cell block.
The room was composed of three floors with many cell doors lining the walls. A fence ran all the way up to the third floor from the second floor, and from the third floor to the roof, to prevent any accidents, I assume. The room was dark, only a few dimmed lights giving me light to see. I walked past the many cells, past the the stair case that led to the two upper floors, and found my cell some other doors down. Every cell had that same cyan energy field. With all these cells, it made me think this place was susceptible to power outages. The first floor didn't really have much on it besides a few metal tables, but there was a doorway on every wall in the middle of the cells, leaving an even number of cells on each side. They all had an energy field around it, and had a sign above each doorway. The left wall's doorway had the word "Showers", above it. The front wall was the cafeteria, and the right wall led to the courtyard outside.
I had a throbbing headache, and I didn't feel like exploring. I wasn't going to stay here long. I walked to cell 75 with a deactivated energy field and walked in. As soon as I did, it turned on behind me.
My cell wasn't very big, and the concrete walls made me claustrophobic. A toilet, a sink, and a bed were the only things in my room from what I could see, since not much light from outside my cell was let in. On the bed, an orange jumpsuit lay with 12675 written on the back. It was better than being naked, so I put it on and laid on my bed.
I wasn't sure if this time to think was a good or bad thing. My head still ached and I couldn't fall asleep. Not that I really wanted to anyway. I was scared about where I'd end up next. I didn't know where I was or why I was in prison or even what I did to get here. I knew one thing for sure now. This isn't a dream.
I tried remembering where I was before the monster in the dark room. But I couldn't. I remember everything after, but nothing before that. Was my memory wiped or tampered with? That monster couldn't have been real, it's impossible.
I just need to get out of here.
I waited hours, thinking and being bored out of my mind before a loud, sudden beep nearly scared me out of my wits. I shot up from my bed in alarm, but I soon realized all that happened was the fields being down. It was the morning bell I guess.
I walked outside my cell and took a look around. Other inmates came out of their cells, some running upstairs or to another cell in a rush. Others walked lazily out to go to the showers or cafeteria. I stood outside my cell and analyzed the area. If the second and third floors had as many cells as the first floor, there's probably about 300 inmates in this block.
As I looked around, I saw a small pack of coyotes walking over to me. There's four, and the looks in their eyes told me they weren't looking to be my friend. They made a semi circle around me, cornering me against the wall and my cell.
"Mmm... new blood," the coyote in the middle right said, who's number was 12663.
"It's been awhile... we should teach him the rules here," the one on my right laughed, who had 12652 written on his jumpsuit.
"I don't play by the rules," I said, finally recognizing my own voice.
"Oh you will," 63 laughed, "Their rules don't mean shit here. Our rules matter, and I can already tell you'll have a problem following them."
"I have a rule. Fuck with me and I'll kill you."
"Oooh, we have a hard ass over here!" the one on the middle left said, 57.
"You're going to learn quickly it doesn't work like that here," 63 said, pulling a sharp piece of metal out of his jumpsuit.
"You're the leader here huh? This little wannabe gang? If you make a move you're going to get it the worst," I said, keeping them all in my eyesight.
63 took a step toward me, and the others followed, closing in on me.
"You're going to die like a FUCKING dog here!" 52 shouted and charged me.
I faced him and let him charge, then quickly moved to the side, grabbing the collar of his jumpsuit and grabbed it lower with my free hand, helping him charge right into the edge of the doorway of my cell. His head rammed so hard into the concrete wall, I couldn't imagine him getting out of that without a shattered skull.
I let him go and he fell motionless to the ground.
"Good recruit. Kept his nose to the grindstone."
57 and 63 stared at the dead, or dying, coyote on the ground.
"Hey let's just leave him alone, " the coyote on my left said, 60.
"We have other boys in other blocks, we'll make you pay!" 63 yelled.
"Can't do it yourself?" I asked in a mocking tone.
57 tried pulling a fast one while my attention was diverted to 63, or so he thought. He surged forward and tried to throw a punch at my head. I blocked it and 63 found his chance to attack meanwhile. He followed up on 57's assault, but not after I grabbed 57's arm and twisted it behind his back. He was in between me and 63 who was now much closer now, but never attempted to strike. "Careful with that blade. You might get someone," I said, pinning 57's left arm high against his back and holding his bicep with my other hand.
I could see 60 out of the corner of my eye, and his tail tucked between his legs. 63 looked at me and 57, trying to find another move. 57 groaned as I slowly kept moving his arm higher.
"H-help me!" 57 screamed, "He's going to break my arm!"
"Not break. Dislocate," I said softly, watching 63 closely.
He didn't know what to do. I could tell. He was panicking. To my surprise, he lunged forward with his blade raised, trying to stab me in the neck. I bent my knees slightly and leaned backwards, letting 57 lean on me. I moved when it was too late for 63 to react to my movement, forcing him to accidentally stab 57 in the throat, where my neck was less than a second ago.
63 jumped back with a look on his face that would have made me laugh if I didn't hear the sound of 57 gurgling and choking on his own blood. I pulled the blade out of his throat, and threw him down next to 52, out of my way and nothing between me and 63.
"Well... I'm going to have fun with you now," I said, turning the duct tape handle of the knife in my hand. I took a step toward him, which he immediately responded by taking a step back.
"Hey, hey, I think you know the rules alright," he said, still taking steps back.
I saw 60 run away from my left, seeming to hug the wall to avoid my attention. Behind 63, a few guards suddenly appeared from around the stair case to my right.
"Drop the knife, drop it!" one yelled as they walked towards us, rifles trained on us.
I dropped the blade and two guards grabbed 63 while the other two focused on me.
"Hey let me go!" 63 shouted.
"Get in your cell, 75," a guard said, wearing a different uniform than the guards who brought me here.
I walked back into my cell as 63 thrashed and tried to break free.
"I didn't kill them, it was his fault!"
The field reappeared, trapping me in. The two guards grabbed 57's and 52's ankles and dragged them away. 57 was still alive, and they didn't seem to care he was bleeding out.
A small robot in the shape of a box made a quiet whirring sound as it moved over the blood, walking on its stubby legs. The blood was gone after it moved, and it followed the trail of blood behind the staircase.
I didn't get any blood on my jumpsuit luckily. I laid down on my bed.
"Hey nice going with those tools, " I looked at my cell door to see a bull standing on the other side, "They liked messing with people they thought were weaker than them. About time someone did something."
"When does this damn door open?"
"It's probably just a temporary lockdown for you because of that fight. Should open in a few minutes, or hours, depends."
I stood up and looked at the, who had 12617 written across the chest of his jumpsuit. He had a sliver ring pierced in his nose.
"So what's the way out of here?" I asked.
"Haha, it's not that easy."
"If you're not going to tell me, get away from me."
"Watch your tongue, dragon," he snorted, "you'll find yourself dead quicker talking like that."
"If you want to end up like them, stay right there when the door opens. If you have anything worth saying, then out with it."
"Go to Cell Block A. You'll fit in good there. That's where all the fun happens. They might transfer you over there if you cause enough trouble here," he said and abruptly walked away.
I laid down on my bed and sighed. There's gotta be a way out of here. Maybe Cell Block A will do something for me. I didn't want to kill anyone else, but if Cell Block A is what I think it is, I may be forced to.
And what if I got out of here? Where would I go? I couldn't see anything in the Darkness but dead land, but I don't know how I got here in the first place. Must be done kind of vehicle somewhere...
The field suddenly turned off, and I took a deep breath and stood up. I walked outside my cell and went to the courtyard.
There wasn't much to see out there besides the open sky. Hard, rocky dirt covered the entire area, and guards stood on top of the surrounding walls. Groups of inmates stood around, like inside my block, and the only doorways were the ones that connected Cell Block A and B. That meant Cell Block C is either connected to Cell Block B through the showers or is isolated.
I wondered if Cell Block C is where the most dangerous inmates go and are contained, and Cell Block B is the starting ground. Didn't matter much to me though.
I walked into Cell Block A and immediately noticed how different it is from Cell Block B. It looked as if it were completely abandoned by the security. The layout of the cells was the same as Cell Block B, having three floors and the doorway placement jab the walls, but it looked darker, older, and unclean.
Holes of a heavy impact dotted the walls and ground, dried and new blood splattered in some places. A circle of inmates stood and watched, what sounded like fighting, in the middle of the block. Cheering, screaming, and awkward moaning seemed to slightly echo within the block.
"Psst, hey, come here," a whisper called from behind me to my right.
I looked over to see a wolf peeking his head out from his cell. He waved for me to follow and ducked back behind the wall. Taking one more look around, I walked over to his cell and stepped inside.
"You're new here aren't you? I can tell, no one from Cell Block B just wanders in here," he spoke quickly and seemed to shake uncontrollably, "12675 huh? Yea, yea, I'm 11326, nice to meet you, heh."
The way he shook was unnerving. His jumpsuit was ripped and torn on the arms and legs mostly, and his eyes were bloodshot.
"So uh... what are you in for? Hehe."
"Who's in charge here and how do I get out of here?" I asked. I didn't want to screw around with him.
"Oh uh... that'd be 11401, everyone here just calls him Top Dog, hehe, get it, because he's a German Shepherd, and he's a dog and-"
"Yea, yea, I get it. Where is he?"
"He can be any where in the block really, but you can check by his cell, second floor, cell number 201."
I turned around and started walking toward the staircase.
"Hey, wait," he called and grabbed the end of my tail.
I jerked my tail back. "Never touch me again," I said and continued walking.
"Oh, uh, sorry," he mumbled, "What do I get for helping you?" he asked excitedly.
I stopped and looked at him again. He stared at me with a smile and his tongue hanging out, panting and wagging his tail.
"You get that warning and leave me the hell alone."
I hurried up the stairs and I could hear him whimpering behind me.
"Awww, please?" he begged.
I ignored him and walked down the catwalk to cell 201. A couple of buff Boxers stood outside his cell.
"Get lost, lizard," one snarled at me.
"I need to speak to 401 about getting out of here."
"I don't give a fu-"
"What's his number?" a voice asked from inside the cell.
"Uh, 12675," a Boxer replied.
"Let him in."
One of the Boxers stepped aside to let me pass. As I walked through, the other stopped me by putting his hand out on my chest.
"Is he with you?" he nudged his head behind me.
The wolf stood there, still wagging his tail and smiling.
"Uh... no," I said, pushed his hand off, and walked in.
Inside, it looked like any other cell, but cleaner than other ones in this block. 401 sat on his bed, smoking a cigar, and stroking the back of another sleeping dog next to him.
"You know what I'm here for?" I asked.
"I could take a guess. You want to join us?"
"Uh... no?"
"Shame. You'd make a good enforcer."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Not even 24 hours of you being here and already killed two people," he laughed, "Word gets around quickly."
"Right... I want to know how to get out of here."
"There is no way out. Why would there be, it's a prison."
"Everything has flaws," I glanced back at the unconscious dog.
"Maybe you could get out," he stood up, "Are you a killer? They let you out if you agree to be a soldier. You know, fighting wars and all that. You look like you'd like it."
"There's gotta be a way out of here. A hole in a wall, a wall to climb, a sewer, something."
"Been here 20 years and I've found nothing. The guards hardly do anything besides drag bodies out, but if you get on them, get a gun, security code well... that'd be a good shot," he blew out a cloud of smoke.
"So enlist or murder, then murder more," I concluded.
"Ayee yep. That's how it works. But if you finish your years in the military they let you go and you won't be wanted for the rest of your life."
"But have a higher chance of being killed."
"Rolling the dice. Take your pick," he smiled, "What's life without a little fun?" he took a step closer to me, "Kill someone. We'll swarm the guards, then we'll all get out."
"Why doesn't anyone else do that? Why must I?"
"They're going to be more cautious about you. We've been here for years and decades, and so have they. They don't know you," he put his cigar in an ashtray, "We've never tried anything like it. They won't expect it from you. It will be perfect."
"That plan is bullshit and you know it. You just want me to start shit."
He frowned. "Do you have a better plan? That's the only way if any."
"I'm not killing anyone. I'll have a better chance in the military. How do I get in?"
"Can try calling a guard over by the entrance, see if you can get the warden," I turned and walked out of his cell, moving past the guard dogs.
"If you change you mind, I'll be here, " he said from inside.
I walked past the wolf who sat on the floor, then started wagging his tail when he saw me again.
"Oh, where are we going now?"
I walked down the stairs and then to Cell Block A's entrance. Two guards stood by the metal door I was brought though.
"Hey, pigdog," I called to a guard.
He looked over.
"Let me see the warden. It's about joining the army."
"And why the fuck should I care?"
I tried to think of a reason. I looked at the wolf who looked up at me and smiled when he saw me looking at him.
"Get the warden or I'll kill him," I pointed at the wolf.
"You won't do shit."
"I grabbed the wolf and put him in a headlock. "Just takes a small movement to snap the neck."
"Hey, hey," the guard took a step toward me, "Fine, I'll see if he's busy. I don't need you killing him and giving me more paper work..." he opened the metal door and went through it.
The other guard looked over and I let the wolf go. He over dramatically gasped for air, even though he was breathing fine when I held him.
"You were going to kill me?!" he yelled, clutching his throat.
"Yes."
"I... that's... the most romantic anyone has ever done to me!" his voice and tone changed.
"Get away from me."
The sound of the metal door closing caught my attention. I looked over and saw the warden with six guards boxed around him. He didn't wear a helmet, but wore the same armor. The only difference was the red stripe going down the sides of his legs and sides, then turning outward at the bicep to the wrist.
"Ah, 12675, already a trouble. You are the one to be enlisted?"
"Yes."
He inspected me closely. "You look able, yes, a worthy soldier, bloodthirsty hm? We'll need to chat. But I don't want you in my prison either. Come to my office."
A guard walked to the panel by the door and the field deactivated. As soon as I stepped though, I heard it turn back on and the guards suddenly drew their rifles, aiming at me.
"Of course, we'll need to sedate and restrain you. Do you accept?" he asked.
"I'll cooperate."
"No, we must do this. No chances."
Sedate. Again. I was getting out of here, but go where? This pattern frustrated and confused me, but nothing I could control.
"Yes."
The warden nodded to a guard who pulled over a wheelchair and nodded to it. I sat down and the guard rolled up my sleeve and then did a needle under one of my forearm scales. It stung, but in a few moments I was finally out of this hell.
"Dad! Dad come on, we're going to be late!"
I could hear a voice yelling as my entire body shook. I groaned and opened my eyes, trying to focus on the figure sitting on top of me.
"Daaad, come on get up!"
I rubbed the blur out of my eyes and stared at the little dragon.
"Come on, go eat, we gotta go!" he bounced excitedly.
"Go where?" I asked, sitting up.
"To school! Today's the first day of fifth grade and you gotta drive meee!"
"Oh... right... how could have I forgotten," I looked at an alarm clock sitting on a night stand, "It's 4 in the morning," I looked at him, "What kind of school are you going to?"
"It takes you forever to get ready so I had to get you up early!" he smiled and thumped his tail against the bed.
"Alright, alright just... give me a minute."
"Fiiine, can I have waffles for breakfast?"
I looked around my bedroom trying to find something I could recognize.
"Daaad!" he bounced up and down.
"Huh, what?"
"Can I have waff-"
"Yea, yea sure...er..."
He leaned down and kissed my cheek then hopped the bed and ran out of the room.
It took me a few minutes to get out of bed. I was in my boxers again, but it didn't feel foreign to me or surprising, but rather expecting it, but not from previous awakenings. It felt natural, but I don't remember being in my boxers the night before, or anything for that matter. I'd come to that realization and yet I'm still trying to over think it.
My room looked different than before. Everything was different from furniture to the architecture. I didn't recognize it anymore than my other room, but still had a feeling it was... mine.
I walked to my dresser and put on pajama pants, then soon after noticed a photograph sitting on top of the dresser. In it was me wearing a tuxedo with my arm around a beautiful woman wearing a dress. We stood on a beach with a sky that looked of dusk and a calm ocean. She looked so familiar but I couldn't recognize her. Our black scales looked perfect together, seeming to have the exact same tone, but her eyes are the focal point. Even in the picture they looked as if they have a soft purple glow.
"Dad!" a voice called from outside my room snapped me out of my trance.
I walked out of the room and went down a small hallway which led to a staircase. As I went down the stairs, I heard a TV in the room around the corner. Sure enough, he laid on the couch watching some cartoon with ridiculously colored dragons. I walked across the room to the kitchen and turned on the light.
I suddenly began to feel light headed as I looked around the room. A counter separated the kitchen and the living room, where I could see him laying down. Him... this kid who called me dad and I didn't even know his name. I tried hard to suppress a headache that kept jabbing at me.
I opened the freezer and took out waffles, putting three on a plate and sliding it in the microwave. It came to me like muscle memory, but I had never made waffles before. I glanced back at the kid who so calmly watched the TV. I'd become so lost in thought the loud beep of the microwave startled me.
I took the warm plate out and put it on the counter. Naturally, I went over to the refrigerator and took out the butter and syrup, not even having to look for it and put the butter on the three waffles, then syrup and cutting it into six pieces in that exact order.
By the time I finished, my head was throbbing. I felt like I've done this a million times before, but I know I've never done this before, I couldn't have. I didn't think as I did it, I just did it, as if I didn't know any other way to. I set the plate down on the dining table and he hopped over and immediately started eating. I sat on the opposite side of the table as him and stared at him intently. He didn't seem to notice since he was so distracted by the waffles.
"Yu mak tha bes wafflez errer," he said with a mouth full.
I was appalled, almost disturbed, by how much he looks like me. He has those same scarlet eyes and two little horns growing out of his head along with a small spike coming out of his chin. He looked up at me and swallowed.
"What cha lookin' at?"
"Oh, nothing, uh..." I took a deep breath and sighed, "Son?"
"Yeees?"
"Where is... mom?"
A short silence passed by and he frowned.
"Are you feeling okay dad?"
"Yes."
He took another pause as he took another bite.
"You said she died before I hatched."
"Why did she die?"
He shrugged. "You never told me."
I took a deep breath and looked at the clock. It was only 4:30, but it felt longer than that. I shook my leg up and down in anticipation and a small feeling of anxiety. The more I thought the more my head hurt. There's a part of me that loves this kid and feels a... connection, but another part of me that feels this is impossible.
"You forgot the milk," he said as he ate more.
"Milk...?" I asked, but immediately realized I forgot the milk, but not because he just told me.
I went to the fridge and, despite there being two types of milk, grabbed the skim milk, poured a glass, and set it down next to him. I sat back down.
"You like skim, right?" I asked.
"That's the only thing I've been drinking for years dad... are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine, just a little forgetful at this age I suppose," I tapped my fingers on the table, "How old are you again?"
"Dad, it was just my 11th hatchday three months ago, you don't remember that either?" he asked, sounding slightly upset.
"Well, how old am I?"
"Oh, um..." he had finished eating and made a face of intense concentration, as if trying to remember, "Like a bagillion... I think."
"Oh come on, I'm not that old," I smiled.
"Well...I don't know..."
"Aww, you don't remember?"I asked, trying to imitate him.
"Ugh daad."
I laughed. It made me feel strange, a good strange, maybe because I couldn't remember the last time I laughed.
"Why do you always extend your words like that?" I asked as I got up and put his plate in the sink.
"Iunno," he put his empty glass in the sink and looked up at me, "So what we gonna do?"
My headache had become a lot less painful and I started to feel happier and a feeling of comfort, especially about and because of my son.
I picked him up, putting an arm under his legs and using my other arm to hold his back up. He wasn't too heavy, as I expected, and suddenly clung on to me, caught off guard by me picking him up, and put an arm around my neck. He smiled at me with his sparkling red eyes as I held him close. I never wanted to let him go.
I've never felt the way I did as I held him. How I felt earlier about anything couldn't compare to now. I felt nothing has been real up until now and he's my heart, keeping me alive. While I felt this, an itch wouldn’t go away in the back of my mind. Not an inch…a clawing.
“Will I be as strong as you one day?”
“You’ll grow to be stronger than me,” I smiled and held him close to me.
I don’t know what forced me, but I started to cry. It was from a combination of joy and confusion, the lack of understanding but the excess of love I felt for my son I never met. I didn’t want to let him go, but I did, and he swayed his tail back and forth.
But I knew if I fell asleep, he’d be gone.
“Sooo, when are we gonna go to school?” he asked.
I didn’t want him to leave my sight, but I knew what had to be done.
“What time does it started?” I asked hesitatingly.
“7, I think.”
“We’ll go at 6:30 then.”
That still left me an hour and a half with him.
He yawned and stretched. “I think I’m gonna take a nap. I don’t wanna be tired on the first day. Shouldn’t have gotten up so early…”
I didn’t want to show him my disappoint, so I just pat his back and said okay. He walked up the stairs and I laid down on the couch, looking at the cartoon on the TV but not necessarily watching it.
I thought hard to try to put everything I could remember in some logical order. The monster, the city and the nuke, the doctor, the prison, and my son. My brain scrambled. A mutilated, disgusting monster saying it wanted me. Sudden and total destruction. A man who tried to rape me. A clingy and creepy kid stalking me. Then the love for my son…me returning the affection. There’s a pattern. What was I seeing?
The monster said all it ever wanted was me, sadly, before killing me in rage. Then the bomb of the city…it had to represent something about destruction, total annihilation. The doctor…he kidnapped me and tried to rape me before the police showed up and arrested me. When I went to prison, I killed two people and that kid had an awkward obsession with me stalking me until I left. Then my son…and my overwhelming love for him. But…my deceased wife.
That doctor said I was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and was hallucinating. What could have I been seeing? As if he tried to convince me he wasn’t real, nor anything I see or think is real. He mentioned I might have amnesia, forgetting. But what is real?
The love for my son. Before that I felt as a drone, driven by nothing, feeling nothing. The only time I felt was when the doctor started engaging directly possibilities on what’s going on. He had to have been right if it made me feel, yet killing someone makes me feel nothing.
If I have amnesia, that would explain why I can’t remember anything, but not remembering my son, my wife, anything about my past? It was more than that. I wasn’t hallucinating. But yet the doctor acted like he knew me. That could have been his own fault…he seemed psychotic, but I know there was truth in what he was saying.
Psychotic…that word didn’t sit well with me. Like an itch I couldn’t scratch. But the present…where I’m at now with my son. It was so painful to try to remember something that had to do with the past. I never needed to do that before now. Trying to remember my wife, my son, what I did and who I am just caused pain. The pain of thinking, and the numbness of being the drone I was before.
I suddenly realized these events aren’t in order. Up until now, everything I went through had a beginning that came off of that last event’s ending, besides my son. I was supposed to go to war, but here I am, at home. My first event, the monster, is completely illogical. That was fake, and that would explain why it was the first event. It didn’t have anything to take off from.
But what of the others? Destruction, rape, prison, my son...
I swallowed hard as my stomach pulled itself into knots. It suddenly clicked with me, but I didn’t want to believe it. It didn’t come like a memory, but like seeing the picture of a puzzle before putting in the last piece, unlike a memory, where you already see the picture with no missing pieces.
I was the monster. She left me, and it took an unforeseeable toll on me emotionally and psychologically, total destruction. Like the irradiated land of the area the bomb exploded in, I couldn’t get her back, and my all my attempts were futile. Desperation and obsession overtook me, and I raped her. Then I went to prison. My obsession became worse, locked away for who knows how long then I became a drone, nothing, and that’s when I killed two people in cold blood, in the prison. I got out with the belief I’d go into the military, but I never did. I got out somehow. Then my son hatched, and I remembered all the pain she caused me. I murdered her and said “All I ever needed was you.”
I clung to my son as my last hope in the world and never told him what happened to his mother. With a fear I’d become as obsessed with him as I was with my wife, the fear of losing him, or the fear I’d become a drone again, I strengthened the father and son bond that was already existent at conception. It couldn’t go wrong like it did before, not in the same way, and I lived to try to make everything be perfect between me and him.
That’s why I love him so much. That’s why I was forming a subconscious obsession, grown from the rejection of, love, desperation, and obsession for my wife.
I felt nauseous. I didn’t want to believe this, but it made sense and I couldn’t think of any other possibility. But why was it happening like this? This wasn’t amnesia. It was too much.
Someone, or myself, did something to my head, made me forget. My headache started to come back as I tried to remember what I did to myself. That was it. I COULDN’T rememer. That part of my brain just didn’t seem to be there. That must have meant all that was a dream, made by my emotions as an improvision for while I feel the way and have felt the way I do. A flaw in the plan. Or maybe it’s not. Maybe whatever I did was meant to take the pain away and ensure I don’t become obsessed with my son as I did with my wife, at least…not as fast.
I let go of trying to remember what I did to ease the pain. All of the thinking had made me weary, and I couldn’t help but fall asleep, and for the first time I remember, not being forcefully sedated.
A sudden slap across my face jolted me awake.
“Don’t you DARE fall asleep on me Major!”
I quicly got my bearings and looked up at the one who slapped me.
“Get your helmet on, ETA 10 minutes!”
I stood up and he pushed a helmet into my arms. The sudden weight that fell on my shoulders surprised me, and I almost lost my balance. Other soldiers held rifles and looked a bit shaken up. We stood cramped in a metal box with all types of gear on te sides. The one who slapped me, another Major, already had his helmet on and we wore ccompletely different armor than any of the other soldiers. That’s what almost made me lose my balance.
I put my helmet on, it clicking with the armor at my neck as the helmet’s interface started up. I stood in front of all the soldiers, as did the other Major, and he started to speak.
“Alright, one more time!” he shouted, foucsing everyone’s attention on him, “Omegas are taking point to draw enemy fire. We suppress and ALL of us move up! We are strength in numbers!” he cheered and shoved a large machine gun into my arms.
A wire from my forearm suddenly shot out into a jack in the gun. Across my hud, a bar in yellow read “initializing”.
“Our goal is to storm the enemy’s final retreat. They won’t have anywhere to retreat after this! This war has been faught for too many years, and it’s time to end it!”
I held the gun in my hands as he shoved another machine gun into my chest. He held it expectingly, and I switched the first gun to one hand, grabbing the other with my free hand. Just like before, a wire shot out of my forearm and into the gun. Another yellow bar appeared, and the first yellow bar turned green and read “M240 detected”.
“No mercy for them. They won’t show you any,” he picked up two M240s and they were initialized the same way into his suit, “And stay out of our fire. It’s not our fault if you run into our fire. It’ll be just like boot camp. Stay behind us. We are your protection until we get into the city. You know what to do once we get in. Watch for friendlies.”
A small jolt shook the inside, and I could already hear the roars of gunshots. The door clicked and suddenly fell down. The Major walked across the metal door and I followed right on his side. My weapons had finished initializing and my vision suddenly lit up with red dots. My arms snapped to aim, two red dots turning yellow. I realized they were enemies, some in bunkers and opening fire on us. The Major had already started shooting before he even stepped on the metal door. We stepped on to the beach and slowly walked forward. I could hear gunshots all around me, from my left and right, front and back. I pulled both triggers, feeling no recoil and staying close to the Major. The yellow and red dots were in silhouettes of people, and when a yellow dot disappeared, another would reappear closest to the last yellow dot, and my arms would already snap to aim the gun at the yellow dot.
I could feel bullets hitting my armor all over as I squeezed the triggers. The impact felt like a light poke and made a sharp, metallic sound. When I was out of ammo, the guns snapped to my side and reloaded from magazines on my waist.
In a few minutes, we had already pushed forward all the way to the enemy’s front walls. Not a thought crossed my mind as I killed the enemy soldiers and corpses lay all across the battlefield. Mortar fire and mines took a toll on our soldiers, but if it hit an Omega, they’d fall and get right back up.
Several soldiers rushed up to the walls, put some device on it, and blew large holes in it. We quickly moved through it and had little resistance from the enemy. Different squads split off onto different streets, but the Major and I along with our squad stuck together. Planes flew overhead and dropped bombs miles ahead of us.
“We clear them out. First the capital, then weed them out of their rat holes for bunkers. They’re probably all regrouping all their remaining forces at the capital city. We must watch carefully as we get closer. They’re just closing themselves in more,” the Major said.
I could see the bombs explode and buildings collapse in the distance. Bomb sirens, explosions, and gunshots are all that could be heard in the distance, some closer than others. Not many dots appeared on my HUD, and if there was they quickly disappeared behind cover or from the pull of the trigger. After the long, calm trek through the city, compared to the fight we went through when we first arrived, we took a moment to rest as the Major started talking on the radio.
“Hotel here, is engaging the capital, just a few more kilos away. Any reinforcements near our position?” he went silent for a few moments, then spoke again, “10-4, we’ll rendezvous with the-“
A loud series of explosions cut off the Major and startled me to which I then instantly looked over to where it came from. My ears had a painful ringing, and took me a few moments to realize the tall apartment building began to fall. It covered the sun, causing a large, deathly shadow engulfing my squad. The soldiers were able to get out of the way, but the Major and I were too heavy. I put my arms above my head and the building started to crash against the floor, eventually forcing a concrete wall to fall on me and knock me unconscious.
“Come on, come on, we’re late!”
I opened my eyes and saw him tugging on my arm.
“Come on dad, we need to go!”
I sat up and wrapped my arms around him, holding him so close as if my life depended on him, the last beep before a flat line.
So I had gone into the military. But why did that interferes with the order of the dreams? They were almost in order. After that final battle, I was relieved and came home, was notified of my son’s hatching and was able to have custody of him. He must have been with my relatives.
I was a Major, a high ranking officer. It takes years to obtain that rank, especially after going to prison and the murder of my wife, but I excelled. Perhaps that’s why I was granted amnesty and was able to have him, thinking the military “fixed” me. I think it actually did. When the wall collapsed, I may have gone into a coma with severe memory loss.
But why was I with my son after prison? I didn’t know I had a son until after the war. I had finally woken up. Will these dreams haunt me and keep adding more theories or is this the past I need to force myself to believe to stop them?
I had been gone a long time, away from my son. If I had been in the military and in a coma for as long as I think I was, I wasn’t there for him almost his entire life. But he said I was there for his 11th hatchday which was 3 months ago. If he hatched after I went to prison, and I was in the military long enough to be a Major, that had to have been at least a decade. I’ve only been with him for most likely less than a year…
“I promise to never leave you again…I’m so sorry,” I whispered as the water in my eyes began to blur my vision.
“What?”
“It’s okay to miss a day, Shrive,” I pulled away and looked into his young and innocent eyes, “You’re going to be so much better than me…”
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