"Oh Baaniaa....waky, waky...."
I sucked in a breath and sat up. My body felt heavy and I could faintly see the image of a man leering over me. My mouth felt dry----I desperately needed water. But I didn't have the energy to ask.
Where was I? The last thing I remembered was reaching that weird city in the cave. Oh! And that Alexander dude! The fuck pushed me in the water! How the hell is it possible to have such an annoying person in your own dream? And plus those monsters.....they chased me...what a horrible fucking dream!
"Since your awake....I'll tell you what I did."
I looked over at the man I now called Twoshits as he fiddled with the IVs that were on a stand near my hospital bed. He looked excited, like he had just won Father of the Year or some shit like that.
"Wha...."
How did I get here? Why was I here?
"Oh, don't speak yet." He smiled down at me and I frowned, creeped out. "Your vocal cords are still adjusting."
"....yeah...."
"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow, oddly amused. Oddly calm. He looked a lot more put together than when I last seen him. A lot less crazy. "You say that like you know what I did."
What you did??
"Motherfucker, just spill the beans."
He maintained his smile but clinched his fist. "I fixed you. You won't thank me now, but I know you'll thank me later. It's funny, cause I tried this experiment on so many different specimans----old, young, middle aged----"
I know he did not just call us 'specimans'.
"But few with AB blood type....and few with your condition."
I lifted my head and glared at him. "What....are you talking about?"
"You were ovulating, the harmone balance through that time---or lack there of, was a plus. However, sadly I found you at the end of the cycle." He reached into his labcoat pocket and pulled out a pair of glasses. "I had to make a few major incisions in your abdomen to make up for that."
I....my brain hurt. If I didn't feel so weak I would have socked him in the face. But right now I was just at lost for words. And he was right, about doing something to my stomach. I felt a low, acking pulse there----the pain barely being numbed by the medication.
"....what are you saying."
He leaned forward and bopped me in the head with his glasses, as if I were a little child. "What I'm saying is....the virus likes your blood type, and significant blood loss. We had to have you almost near death there, buddy. But the virus, it accepted you."
"It accepted me? Like I'm at some Little League Baseball try out or something?!" I sat up and swung an arm at him, but my arm barely left the bed. "What the fuck did you do to me?!!"
What....?
I reached up a hand to feel at my neck. It was swollen....a-and bumpy. "What happened to my throat----!"
I caughed as an intense pain pulsed up my neck, and then a burst of blood richoted through my lips---onto the floor, onto his labcoat, all over the thin, sea-green blanket I was under. I just sat there for a moment, watching a single dribble of blood roll off the hospital bed and onto his brown slacks. I just felt....out of control. I hadn't felt this way since Devon. I shivered and glanced away, in effort to shield my face. I felt him staring at me. I knew he saw it too----how uncomfortable I was. And it made me wanna cry, and kick him in the nuts all at the same time.
Twoshits pursed his lips and stepped forward, pulling me up and yanking me off the bed. "I think you've slept enough."
I flinched as he pinched my back meat and pushed me forward. "Mother fu---"
He slapped me in the back of my head and I nearly toppled onto the floor.
"Don't call me that. Again."
"R-right."
"Now go."
I inched forward, my legs violently wobbling with every step I took. If Twoshits wasn't holding my arm, I would have fell already. We made our way to the hallway, the slow squeek of the wheels to my IV machine scratching against the floor. There was one large window behind the room that I was end---the last one at the end of the hallway. However, the windows were all covered with thin, baby blue curtains that only let a sliver of light in to kindle the hallway. There were vines growing on the sides of the walls and everything seemed to be....antiques....and used. It felt like the only two people here were me and this man. The thought of that alone was eerie.
"Don't worry, there are others here." He assured me. "Mostly....dead of course. Or Flipped. But they're here."
Dead. Of course. Heh.
"It's a miracle how your still alive. I expected you to die a week ago."
Oh. Gee, thanks.
"Ok. That sounds cool and all, but I don't suppose your gonna tell me why the lights are off?" I glanced around the hallways as my bare feet walked across the chilled, wooden floor. "Y'all not pay the light bill or something?"
He chuckled and guided me forward. "I don't think you would like that, Ms. Khatri. Too bright. Plus....you look...."
I didn't say anything as we moved further down the hallway. I knew he was baiting me. He wanted me to scream to the high heavens and ask 'WHAt? WhAT do I look like???'. But I didn't want to throw up blood again. I could still taste the tinge of iron in the back of my throat, and it didn't seem like it was going away.
Suddenly something jumped out into the hallway in front of us. It seemed larger than human, and was bent over, ravaging the fuck out of what seemed like a piece of meat. I flinched, hearing the squishy, slimy sound as it ripped meat from the bone. The droplits from the blood slid onto the floor to a constant beat. Until it bit into a big chunk and then the blood thickened into a dark, ooze that splattered onto the floor, the sound echoing through the hallway walls.
Uh.....that's goddamn nasty.
As if it heard my thoughts, it looked up from its meal and met my gaze with its small, yellow irises. Grunting and making that 'ck, ck' sound, it stood up to its full....possibly eight feet hieght and puffed out its chest.
Well....then.
I looked at Shitface, but he was just staring at the creature with a childlike wonder. What the fuck was he looking at this thing for? Doesn't he see this every day? He be acting all brand new for no goddamn reason. And now we were both going to die. Cause he was stupid, and I could barely stand up on my own. What a pair.
He turned to me and blinked, eyes still glossed over with a pleasant wonder. "It's mating season for them and he---"
"I don't care."
He looked at me for a moment before pushing me forward. I stumbled as my IV machine scratched against the wooden boards. But I couldn't stand up straight, so I was stuck awkwardly inching forward as I tried to gain my balance. And as I came closer, the monster seemed to get more on edge and it's clicks became louder.
I gripped the IV stand as I forced myself to stand up straight, my legs barely holding it together underneath. I was a couple feet in front of it now and it was just as tall as I had thought. And the fresh blood caked around it's mouth, that was unmistakeable. It looked at me, and the bones on its shoulders seemed to flare as its clicks grew more rapid. I blinked and looked away as I inched my IV over to the side.
Its not real. Its not real. He's just...saying hello. Not agitated at all. Those clicks just mean 'Hello'. Heh, just 'hello'. Heh heh.
It stood frozen still. The only thing moving was its convulsing shoulder blades and its yellow eyes as they followed me.
"Did you see that?"
I jumped and glanced over my shoulder. Shitface was right behind me, but he wasn't looking at me, he was still mesmerized by the creature. However, the creature seemed to completely ignore his existance as it stared me down.
Ah...not used to new comers, are we? Heh...yeah that must be the case, right?
In a split second, my foot slid on a lukewarm liquid---blood and I came crashing down onto the floor infront of it. The creature cried out in surprise and slammed its arms on the floor on either side of me.
I covered my face as the hot, insides of my hands sizzled against my cheek. "I'm sorry....I'm sorry...."
I peaked through the cracks to my fingers and met the creatures gaze. It's root like muzzle bended outwards to circle around my stomach. I squeeked as I tried to crawl away. "Help---!"
Shitface crouched down in front of us and chuckled. "I wish I knew how."
I reached an arm out and swung my fist, knocking him in the jaw and turned to scurry away from the creature. Thankfully, it didn't move....though it's yellow eyes still followed me.
Shitface stood up, rubbing his jaw. "Get back here!"
"No! Fuck you!" I pulled the needle out my arm and shoved the IV stand at him. Not waiting for him to react, I took off down the hallway.
At this point, I was running back to where I came from. What was I going to do?? I couldn't go back in that room! It was a dead end! Was there something across from there? Another part to the hallway?!
I darted across the floor and turned left. This part of the hallway was short and there was a door waiting for me at the end. I ran forward, cursing under my breath. I swear if this another dead end....!!
I grabbed the handle and pushed the door open, slamming it behind me. Immediately, I heard a bang on the other side, the creature hissing and clicking as it tried to force its way through. I glanced around this vast...room. What the fuck? They had time to hide the Buckingham Palace in this shithole? And why did they have water falls on their statues?
Okay, no, focus. That creature is gonna realize soon enough that it can turn the door knob. I can juke him around those pillars and then run back to the door. And then after that? I...didn't know.
I let go of the door knob and dashed across the tiled floor. The creature busted the door down behind me and I darted towards one of the pillars. But then I saw the figure on the top of the steps. It was bent over into a fetal position and was floating off the ground in the midst of a swiveling ball of water. That was not....possib....
Before I could even consider what I was doing, my feet had changed directions and I was running down the royal blue rug that lead to the steps. The statues that were incased with water seemed to be watching me as specks of fountain water and perspiration sprinkled across my bare face. When I made it to the steps, I almost slipped and broke my ass cause it was dripping with water. The creature behind me, grabbing its changed, wrapped its tree root of a mouth around my leg. I scrambled forward, reaching for the figure in the water bubble. The water was circling at such a high speed that it was blowing wind through my fingertips. But....I had to reach for it, for some reason. It...wasn't in my control. I just had this feeling that if I didn't...I would regret it.
Huhh???
Why was I risking my life for this?! What was I doing?? I had to....I had to get out!
The creature's tree roots was circling up my leg and onto my stomach. I was literally about to be swallowed whole! I reached out my arm again as the creature dragged me back down the steps, its roots inching towards my throat. "Wake up! Please!"
My eyes widened as the being in the bubble swiveledm its head to face me and it's eyes blinked open to a violent red. It's eyebrows furred and I watched as its mouth slowly turned into a frown.
Oh shit. "Never mind! Never mind!"
It reached its arm out of the circle of water, stretching abnormally long as it reached down the steps.
"Get your beauty sleep! Never mind!" I fidgeted and kicked at the creature behind me. "Get the fuck off of me!"
I glanced up when the beings hand latched onto my arm. And it....surprisingly was dry. Cold and dry.
Wait. Holy shit---!
Its mouth had stretched so long and wide that I was starting to think that the thing didn't have any bones. Completely malleable. And it was pulling me and the beast forward. Before I could say anything else, I was lurched off the ground----straight into the being's mouth.