"Are we ready?"
I was now totally strapped down, and I had bite blocks in my mouth that would be removed after I theoretically passed out.
Aster was at my left knee, Banks was at my right, and Cole was at my right elbow. All of them had serious faces on and were no longer joking and poking fun at each other like they had been doing while they were setting up.
My heart is racing in my chest. Fuck, I'm so scared.
I caught a glimpse of my new eyes, sitting in glass dishes with liquid in them, and it was almost enough to call it off right then and there.
But I swallowed my words and pushed on. I had come this far. I had to go all the way.
"Let's do this."
"I'm ready."
"Twenty-five minutes?"
"We got this." You give the order." I shut my eyes, trying to focus on calming my pounding heart down. I could almost taste my fear in my throat, it was so strong.
"Just remember, Z, you will not die." I nod as much as I can, but there's a leather strap going across my forehead too.
"Ready." Says Aster one last time. "Go."
I inhale deeply as I feel their blades immediately cutting into my legs and arm as soon as the word falls from Aster's lips. It makes my toes curl and my teeth clench.
It fucking hurts, but I keep my eyes closed and keep breathing.
That only works for a few more seconds though.
I feel my back arching off the table as much as it can when Aster's fingers start tearing the muscle away from my kneecaps, and Cole's fingers start digging out my elbow. I can feel my heart hammering in my chest and hear it in my ears.
I force my back down onto the table, and keep my eyes squeezed shut.
Pass out.
I try to scream when I finally feel my kneecaps being torn out, but my bite block keeps words from coming out. Only muffled noises of pain.
"Both kneecaps are out, moving onto the feet." My legs don't feel right; I can flex my thigh muscles but can't move the lower halves around.
My eyes shoot open suddenly. Wait, the feet? I don't think they said anything about my feet.
My vision blurs when I feel something slipping out of my elbow. I hear something fall on the floor.
"Leave it, keep going." I hear Aster's muffled voice.
Pass out. My eyes flutter, my surgeon's movements blurred around me.
Something cold and hard is going into my arm, and I try to move away instinctively at the horrible pressure that comes from Cole pushing what I assume to be my new elbow into place.
I roar as loud as I can when he braces himself and pushes even harder, until there's a loud clicking noise and he finally eases off.
But I can still feel something sawing into my ankles.
And it hurts.
My body doesn't even know how to process all the pain I'm in.
My eyes aren't staying open anymore, and I can feel sweat dripping down my face. My heart is racing in my chest, panicked and trying to keep me alive.
Aster said I wouldn't die, but was he sure?
"Is he still awake?" I hear Banks asking, and I feel more pressure at my feet. Was this how they were making me taller? Just attaching more leg? That felt too simple. I groan in response and hear a mutter curse from Cole.
"Let's hope he goes soon. As soon as you're done with that elbow, I'm doing the lungs."
"I'm done." Cole says seconds later, after a lot of stabbing and tugging. I assume he was sewing me back up. But I wasn't opening my eyes, not for anything.
I was trying so hard to slip into unconsciousness.
But it was escaping me.
I felt numb in some places, but I could still feel the blade Aster was running down my chest.
I screamed again, but this time managed to push the bite blocker out.
"FUCK!" I scream into the air with the last breath I can as Aster literally rips my lungs out.
I black out.
"Lungs are in…"
"...I'll… tongue… take one ear… halfway mark already… have…hands."
I'm going in and out.
I wish I would just go out.
I could feel tugging at my chest, and I groan.
"God damn it, Z, I'm fixing to hit you over the head. You're fighting it too much."
No. No, I'm not. I want nothing more than to slip into a coma right now.
I can't respond. I can feel blood under me. It feels like there's an entire puddle of it.
I gag when I feel something metal going down my throat, and my eyes shoot open at the pain of my tongue being sliced off.
I can feel blood running out of my mouth, and tears streaming down my face.
My hearing is gone now. I want to scream but I can't because of how much blood is in my throat.
What did I do to deserve this? Is this power really worth it?
Pass.
Out.
Please.
"Do it. Hit him over the head. He cannot be awake for the eyes." Just fucking do it.
And then blackness.