Sweat drowns my dreams. I wake up confused, body shivering, heart beating wildly. What the hell did I dream about last night?
I don't seem to remember a thing.
"What are you doing down there?!" I hear the beast's voice right before the pain. A soft kick – by her standards – follows, right in the side ribs, leaving me once again gasping for air. She's staring at me, slightly annoyed. I rub my back slowly, opening my eyes, and end up staring right between her legs.
"Morning to you too..." I grunt as I get myself together. Damn, there's pain all over.
"Why?" She points at the floor, waiting for an answer.
I shake my head, unsure how to explain my obvious choice of bedding arrangements. "I... I didn't know where to..."
"You sleep with me," she shuts me down as she grabs her massive axe and heads out the door, "get moving."
"S...sure..." I confirm, getting up, hurrying to get my shoes on and rush down the stairs, fearing to get lost inside the giant stone maze before reaching her.
I finally catch up with the beast right before she sets foot on to the massive stone terrace towering over the burning sands. I make my way outside, enjoying the view ahead. All I need is the refreshing morning air to chase my nightmares away. How I miss my old morning routine, my cold black tea doubled by a hefty caffeine intake right before sitting down to work at my desk.
The healer woman is here, waiting, her body just as beautifully nude and scarred as before. She smiles at me.
"Lhina'an, take care of him," ordered Rai'Ze, pushing me ahead.
"I will," the healer woman replies. "He won't feel a thing."
Suddenly her smile doesn't seem so friendly anymore.
Won't feel what? Will this hurt? What's going on? I turn towards Rai'Ze for answers, and her serious face makes my blood freeze. What's wrong?
"The Th'al-nik, it's eating you," the beast speaks, pointing at my left arm.
Eating me? What is she talking about?
I stare at the bracelet, confused. Its inner core is slowly spinning.
Has this thing never stopped all night long?
Six Ae'l lines? That's three more than yesterday! When did that happen? Wait, isn't this a good thing? I thought this is how you charge it. You get your blood boil or something, and then the bracelet sucks out that Ae'l energy, and you can use it to blast things away with it. At least that was my impression, was I told wrong?
My eyes turn back to the beast, but all I get is the view of her muscular back as she heads back to the cave. What the hell is this all about? Why is she leaving me alone? I don't like this.
"Marcus, come to me," I hear the healer's soft voice, and I turn to her.
She's still smiling, her eyes easing my fears, her voice relaxing my tension. I walk to her, a bit more confident, still unaware of what's happening. She gently puts her hands around me, slowly caressing the back of my head, pushing herself into me, and looking deep into my eyes. I can feel my heart pounding, pressing against her bare breasts.
"The Th'al-nik, it hurts, doesn't it?" she speaks softly. "It pains u..."
I nod, the damn thing almost burned down my arm yesterday! The image of my charred hand still haunts me whenever I stare at it. And then there's the time when it starts spinning all by itself! It jolted me so hard that I almost collapsed. If not for Rai'Ze...
"It's testing you, and ur body does not like that." She smiles again, running her hands across my back.
Of course, my body doesn't like that, I confirm, nodding again. Apparently, it really hates being burned alive or tortured with wave after wave of excruciating pain.
"It starts when I don't command it," I manage to speak the moment her gaze lets go of my eyes.
She sighs, hands slowly probing me, pushing herself into me more, her body completely embracing me.
"And then the pains starts," I continue to explain to her, not sure if any of my words help her in any way find whatever is wrong with this damn bracelet.
"It only wants to feed, it needs to, all of us do." Her calm voice sends a shiver down my back.
Wait a moment!
Is she taking the damn bracelet's side now? Hey, I'm in pain here, and this alien piece of shit thing is broken as hell. Aren't you supposed to fix it or something? I don't want to hear about it feeding off me, I just want the damn pain to go away and this thing to work properly for once.
Words that I wish to say, I almost find them if not for her glowing eyes looking back at me, staring deep into my soul.
"Relax, it will be good," she whispers, but somehow, I don't trust her.
Something is wrong, I think, unable to push back against her words.
There are things I must say about the bracelet, the pains, the constant numbness... and...
Her eyes widen, their color changing, her pupils narrow, turning hot, yellow, orange, burning slits. She leans her head forward and slowly presses her lips to mine. I try resisting her, worried about the beast, knowing too well she's not the kind to fuck with. What is she thinking? If the beast comes back, we're both dead!
My heart pounds wildly. And yet, there's no sign of resistance from either of us.
This is wrong, isn't it?
I feel weak, unable to mutter a single word. Her body feels amazing, her firm breasts pressed against my chest, her hands playing on my back, her soft legs sliding through mine, her tasty lips so close to mine, her face so beautiful... My body softens, and I slowly lose all sense of control.
What's going on?! What's happening to me?
As soon as her soft lips touch mine, I feel myself completely melting away. Without a single thought or reason, I give up and open my mouth. Her sweet tongue lashes inside, probing and touching, caressing my own before turning into a harsh and choking wild snake.
"Oooooohhhhhhhhhhh!!" I try to pull away from her! But her grip is too strong, her entire body coils around mine while her hands hold my head in place. She's so incredibly strong, like steel, there's not a thing I can do to free myself from her! I'm trapped in her deadly embrace while her swirling, wild tongue keeps suffocating me!
Why?...Why is she doing this to me?...
I... can't.... breathe!
I.... I need air...
My brain collapses. Muted cries of help scream inside my head as a massive wave of fear washes all over my body. My vision darkens, and my mind completely fades away.
"Move it, buddy!" I suddenly hear a dude's voice from behind. I jolt, my heart beating, I'm still alive!
I turn toward the voice.
I can move?! Did she let go of me?
A sweaty chubby guy, office dressed, looks at me, annoyed. His shirt is open at the neck, barely holding around his waist, his glasses too small for his big head.
"Are you gonna move or what? You're blocking the way!" he squeals, pointing at the large entrance glass door.
I instinctively move aside. The automated doors slide open. He rolls his eyes and rushes inside, mumbling that he's late and has a lot of work to do. A cold and refreshing air hits my face. The modern building's AC units are working at full power today.
I look around, completely confused. The noises, the smell, the people, everything is so alien and strange. I'm lost in a world that seems more like fantasy than reality... and yet... it's not!
I'm home!
I'm stunned, frozen in place, staring like an idiot at the wide glass door entrance of my office building. People hurry inside, pushing me out of their way, everyone's busy, checking their phones, talking, laughing, texting, sipping on their overpriced latte. I stand still, staring at them, unable to move. I turn around. The street, the cars, the buildings, everything is here, just as expected. Things I never thought I could forget are getting all back to me at once. All at once!
I'm back home! Right in front of the office building, smartphone in hand, ready to get inside, to my desk, to my work, to my normal life. I stare at the phone, the weather app is open, hot day, scattered showers in the afternoon, watch out for the UVs. I touch, I scroll, I find. Online news, streaming videos, cats, memes, more stupid news...
"Hey, are you coming or what?"
This voice! This guy... I know him! What's his name? He grabs me and pushes me toward the elevator. I walk along, unable to shake him off.
"Listen, don't freak out, but we had to change the code while you were away. Not much, just to sort the new entries. I'll show you later."
Entries? Oh, yes, the database code... damn, I worked on that thing like a dog!
"Changes? What changes?" I ask, shaking my head. Don't fucking ruin my code, you shithead!
"Hey, don't be like that. While you were gone, I had to update the database all by myself to keep that fucking bitch off our backs. Not everyone gets a three-week off time mid-update season, some people have to work their asses off...."
I'm not listening anymore. I'm too busy looking at the young woman walking toward us in her high heels, taking in her long legs, her push-up tits, her tight skirt, and her smile.
"What's up, boys? Late again?" The beautiful young woman sneaks past us and enters the elevator smiling. Her smell... flowers, spring, soap, delicate perfume... so fresh...
"I'm not going up now, I got some shit to solve. I just wanted to tell you to check the updates, we'll talk later." The guy excuses himself and gets out just as the elevator doors close, leaving me alone with her.
The small steel cage accelerates upward toward my office floor. She looks at me and blushes. Do I know her?.... She's from Q&A, we always bump into each other. She's a hottie. Cute, smart, always polite, smiling, and shaking hands with everyone. Do I like her?
"Nice tan," she says. "Where did you go? Bet it was nice...."
I nod, smiling back at her. Tan? I look in the mirror, nothing changed, my unshaved face, my slightly overgrown bear, the same sun-parched desert-riding skin.... oh...
"You seem different. Do you work out? Where? I go to this place in the center, it's a bit more expensive but it's close to my home so...."
I've been hunting wahnz, got two, almost got killed by a massive alpha, I thought to answer, smiling at my own reflection. My hair is wild, my new beard is a bit rough, my shoulders seem broader, my arms stronger. The office clothes look weird on me, almost like a prisoner's uniform.
"And then this time, I got muscle cramps for a week. It's not good to force yourself, you know?" she concludes just before the metal doors slide open. "Anyway, good to see you back. If you're in the mood, maybe we could hang out sometime. We can go drinking after work at this nice place, Metan or something. It's close, you cannot miss it."
I nod and smile as the doors close again. Two more floors to go, I think, turning back to the mirror, curious about the changes.
But the mirror is black.... and the elevator doesn't go up anymore... did it stop?
No!
It's falling... fast!
I'm falling!
I feel my stomach turning upside down!
I reach for the walls, trying to hold on to them, but the walls are all gone!
Everything around me goes dark, yet I know I'm falling still!
My heart pumps, and my head spins. Fear gets hold of me, and I start shaking, shivering, cold, hard, teeth clenching. My arm! It burns again! I raise it, blue, green, and purple lines run through my veins, crawling over my skin, eating it, tearing it apart. I shake it, and bits of flesh fly over! Stop!
I have to stop it! Everything must stop!
The world falls and spins, and I fall with it!
I scream!
Oh God, someone, anyone, please... make it stop!!!
"U good, u good," I hear the young woman's soothing voice, waking me up from my nightmare. I grasp for air.
Where am I?!
What is this place?
Wait! I know her!
The healer woman, she's here!
"AAaaghhh!!! Where?! What?!" I convulse, my body twitching still, my hands grabbing her as tightly as I can. Don't! Don't let me go! Don't let me fall!!
She holds me close to her chest, tears running down her face, dripping over her dark paint, smearing it.
I stare up at her, shaking, teeth clenched. What's going on? Where's the office? Where am I?
"A dream, just a dream," she softly speaks, looking down at me with gentle eyes, caressing my head, and pressing me against her warm body.
"I was back home... going to work... the elevator... broke and... " I try explaining and breathing at the same time. But things get tangled fast, words make no sense any more, and my head hurts. I stop and look at her, dazed. I can't remember much else. One after another, all my fragmented memories are gone, they fade away. She won't believe them anyway.
"U good, u here with me, just a bad dream," she calmly whispers, running her fingers through my hair. I let my head fall between her soft and welcoming breasts. Her words make me relax, and I feel safe once more.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. No fall, no darkness, no dread, no fear. My heart still beats strong, my skin is cold, my body feels tired, my muscles are sore, but nothing else. I'm safe. I open my eyes and look back at her. Were those tears? She smiles. I must have imagined it.
I take another deep breath. Everything feels fine except for one thought. Why am I here? I look around the terrace, trying hard to remember, but the damn bracelet keeps bothering me. What now?!
My arm twitches and pulsates as the Th'al-nik feels like it's biting into my flesh. The recent pain fades, but the numbness remains. This thing needs a fix, or it will rip my arm off one day, I conclude, rightfully annoyed.
At least this time, the pain seems tolerable, I think, and I slowly pull myself away from Lhina'an's warm embrace. She releases me without saying a word, moves around, and gently touches my back with her hand. Her touch is so reassuring.
At least the nightmare is gone. I feel relieved as I step hard on the stone floor. Rock solid! Nothing moves, nothing falls apart. Good! I breathe more, wiping the cold sweat away from my forehead.
"Rai'Ze waits for u," she whispers. "We have to go." She slides ahead, caressing my body with hers. Her gentle rippling smooth skin feels somehow colder than mine now.
Am I having a fever?
A virus maybe?