MagiStream

I tried to get an even closer look at the scene before me, but nothing worked. My face was pressed tightly against the iron bars as my eyes ate up the action. The figure’s arm lashed forward again, striking the scientist across the face and splatting blood on the cement floor. I could almost taste the metallic red liquid the smell was so strong.

The scientist, with blood running down his face, held his punishment stick up in front of his face and stumbled, slumping backwards against the wall. His other hand was clutched over his eye socket, but blood still seeped out from between his skinny fingers.

“Help,” the scientist coughed out weakly, spitting blood against the floor as the figure moved in on him. I urged them to come a little closer… I could almost make out what exactly the figure was. I could see the outline of his shape now; it was humanoid, strong, long, and lean. Come on, I urged. The figure’s hands were clenched into fists as he snarled.

“You think this is funny?” he snarled in his smooth, golden voice. The figure lifted his hands and grabbed the front of the scientist’s lab coat, pulling him closer and growling in his face. “You like your little tests? WELL? Do you?!” The scientist didn’t say a word.

“I don’t think it’s very funny! And you think I’m the monster?” the figure screamed now, slamming the scientist’s head back against the wall. The scientist groaned and slumped to the ground, blood pooling out of the back of his head.

“He would make an excellent ally,” my demon observed, her rough voice sounding please inside my brain.

“Yes,” I agreed, even more intrigued and impressed. My tail lashed back and forth like an angry snake, wanting some of that blood to splatter its black spikes. I was overwhelmed, for a moment, by sheer bloodlust. I bared my teeth and grumbled against the iron bars.

“Calm him over, darling,” my demon urged, persuading me to talk to the mysterious figure. I hadn’t spoken in so long I’d forgotten what my voice sounded like.

“Hello?” I called cautiously from my cell. My voice was a bit rough and cracked from being unused, but I supposed it sounded like me. The figure’s head snapped in my direction and I gasped at the golden eyes that met my glance. For a moment, I was completely mesmerized by them.

They were like a lion’s eyes; set deep in the face with dilating pupils. They were so blazed with anger that they looked like they were on fire, but the eye color itself was an alluring liquid gold. The figure’s eyes shimmered and caught the dim light in the room, giving them a glowing appearance. I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

“Well?” my demon probed, snapping me from my thoughts. “Call him over!” her voice was very impatient now.

“Right,” I thought back, attempting to use my voice. I cleared my throat before speaking again, noticing that the figure’s eyes were still trained on me. “Let me out, please! I can help you.” I begged, wanting nothing more than to get out of this cell. The figure stared at me for a long moment before turning to the scientist’s body.

He reached down and ripped something from the belt of the limp body before taking steps towards me. The figure walked without a sound, slowly. It was as if he was sizing me up, just in case I decided to attack him. He walked like a predator; careful and calculating. For a moment a sliver of fear bolted up my spin.

“Don’t be afraid, darling,” my demon soothed, removing all of the fear inside me. As the figure came closer, I made out some of his other features. His hair was a bit frizzy and stuck up in some places, but it looked soft and luxurious to the touch. It was a brownish gold in color, like a lion’s mane only a bit more blonde. His mouth was slightly ajar like he was scenting the air, revealing a sharp pair of pointed K9s. His hands hung limply at his sides, and they ended in fingernails that grew to a pointed tip. I realized at that moment what this figure was.

“You’re a mutant, aren’t you?” I blurted out before I could stop myself. The mutant just stood there and looked at me for a long moment before tossing the object in his hand at me. As it flew through the air I made out a pair of keys; they easily slipped between the iron bars of my cell and clanked to the floor right in front of my feet.

“Yes,” the mutant mused. “How could you tell?” His golden eyes rolled and then focused back on me. I probably looked like such a freak just standing behind these iron bars. I bent down to pick up the keys without taking my eyes off the mutant. As soon as my clawed fingers wrapped around the key ring a shout came from down the hallway, echoing. Oh no… not now!

“Sedate him!” one voice yelled, and the sound of footsteps rushing down the hallway overwhelmed me as people came around the corner. Another scientist stopped near the dead body of her fallen friend, the mutant’s victim.

“Hurry up!” my demon snarled in my head, almost laughing at me distastefully. I fumbled with the keys before clicking one into the key hole on the iron door. Wrong key! I picked another one at random, but by now the scientists were right outside my cell. I could hear the mutant hissing and clawing. Please be right key, I begged as I pushed it into the hole.

‘Click.’ They key turned in the hole and clicked the lock open. I smiled devilishly and pushed with all my might against the iron door, sending it spiraling backwards and knowing over an unsuspecting man. He wasn’t wearing a lab coat, so I wasn’t sure what his job was at the… prison.

The mutant’s eyes met mine for a moment and then we turned to the approaching mob. My tail lashed behind me, spikes swinging dangerously. My fingers curved ever so slightly, leaving my claws in the perfect position to strike anyone who came at me. I growled, low and intimidatingly.

“Get them,” my demon roared, urging me into the attack. My blood was pulsing all too fast in my veins and my heart was racing with excitement and anticipation. I wanted this… I wanted it so badly. I could hear my heart thudding in my ears and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as I made my first attack.

My tail was lightning fast as it stretched out from behind me and wrapped around the throat of a women wearing all black, probably a member of security. My fight or flight instincts began to kick in, and suddenly the heavy weight of the women seemed like nothing as I lifted her by her throat and slammed her against the door of an empty cell.

“Don’t you just love pain?” I laughed humorlessly, letting her body fall to the ground as I whipped around and slashed the spikes of my tail across the face of another human. This building had to be loaded up with security, so there was no telling how many people would be coming. I figured this didn’t happen often, but they had to be prepared in case it did.

I slashed my claws across the arm of a scientist who tried to stab a needle into my arm, sending the syringe crashing to the ground and spilling the contents inside. “Ooh, that’s too bad,” I mumbled sarcastically. “That syringe looked expensive.” And then I sliced my claws over her throat and she collapsed to the ground.

I glanced over for a moment to take a look at the mutant. Every move he made was exact, precise, and powerful. His agile figure allowed him to dodge moves I never thought possible. Impressive. Very impressive. A strike from his sharp nails caused the victim’s head to jerk to the side, resulting in a moment of weakness. Then the mutant slammed his fist into his opponent’s face, dropping them to the ground. His mind seemed to work fast, telling him each and every move to make; and he obeyed without a second thought.

“You should listen to me like that, darling,” my demon laughed in a rough, yet light tone. I smiled in response, showing my teeth, which probably scared the person I was currently fighting. I twisted my tail out to an opponent who attempted to come around behind me and the spikes of my tail went straight through his neck. Warm blood pooled out from his neck and stained the spikes of my tail and some of my scales. I could smell the rust-like scent of the blood and feel the warmth against my tail. Ewww, I thought.

Yet, no matter how gross it was, the malicious part of me liked it. Part of me craved that warm, sticky liquid like an addict craves drugs. I heard my demon laughing again inside my head, the sound bouncing back and forth between my ears; she was wallowing in the pure enjoyment of the blood. Loving what it felt like to conflict pain to another being. She is a demon after all…

I could hear more people running down the hallway, over whelming us. There were too many, I didn’t think we’d last much longer. I wasn’t sure if the scientists would kill us or sedate us. I did know one thing; if we lived, we had a heck of a lot of pain to look forward too. There was no way we would get away with this without any form of punishment. We’d taken lives. Surprisingly, I didn’t regret it at all. After everything these humans had done to me, death was not even a worthy punishment. If only they could feel the pain they’d caused me. Then they’d understand. Or, maybe they wouldn’t.

“You b*****ds,” the mutant hissed from behind me. “I’ll never submit to you! I’d rather die!” I found myself admiring the mutant. Not only for his bravery, but for his strong will and sense of freedom. He knew what he wanted and he refused to surrender. I admired him for his value of pride.

The mutant and I now stood back to back as we were surrounded in the narrow hallway. Cornered, I felt fear grip hold of me. What are they going to do? Escape was virtually impossible. A stone ceiling blocked our way up and cells lined our sides. People crowded the paths in front of us and behind us, a few dead bodies or wounded people splattering blood across the ground. Two scientists stood behind some security officials with syringes in their hands. For a brief moment, I wondered if the liquid inside would kill us or sedate us.

“You heartless monsters!” the mutant screamed from beside me. I could hear the hysteria in his voice. The burning anger, the strong determination, the bloody hate, and even the tiniest bit of fear. Just a little bit of fear that seemed to say ‘I’m not ready to die.’ I then pitied the mutant, wondering how much of his life he’d spent trapped in this prison and how much pain he must have endured to still be standing here today. I realized then that he was so much more than strong. “I’ll kill you! All of you!” he roared on, still baring his teeth and looking the people in the face.

I knew he meant it when he said he’d killed them. If in just under a year I’d grown to hate these scientists so much I could kill them without a second thought, then this demon’s heart must be blackened with his hate for them. I wonder how long it’s been since he’s seen the sun. How long it has been since he’s felt hope. Now, I was glad I had the mutant on my side. If we survived, I hoped we could somehow find each other’s long lost freedom.

One of the scientists stepped closer to me and I growled, long and low. My green eyes bore into hers with a warning look. For the moment, we were at a standoff. If one of the scientists came closer to us, they would be met with claws to the face. If we attempted to escape, the syringe needle would plunge into our flesh and render us helpless to the effects of the liquid.

“What do we do?” I thought to my demon, unsure how to respond to the dire situation. I desperately hoped my demon had a response that could get us out of this.

“Sorry, darling,” my demon sounded honestly disappointed and sorry. I swallowed hard, this wasn’t a good sign. “There is no escape. They will get you eventually. If anything, I’d make sure they pay for it.” So that was it. I was to fight for as long as I could until that needle made it into my arm.

Eventually, it was the humans who grew impatient with the waiting. I was anxious the entire time, not in any hurry to get that needle into my flesh. The mutant standing behind me was shooting obscenities all the while, refusing to even grow tired of the situation. I must admit, he has quite a mouth. I swear that mutant was shouting every foul word ever to be invented in the English Language. I think my ears are burning from just listening to it all.

“Do you blame him, after everything he’s been through?” my demon chastised in her familiarly rough voice.

“No,” I replied, realizing how much the scientists deserved to hear those words. They came forward, attacking us from all angles. Each human was armed with a variety of weapons; whips punishment sticks. Nothing that would kill us, only bring pain. We tried to fend them all off, the mutant and I. It was only a matter of time however.

I remember a sharp prick of pain in my left arm. The pain was brief, sort of like stepping on something sharp. I could feel myself slipping in unconsciousness, but I tried to fight it. My vision blurred and I begged my demon for help, but I got no response. Through the jumbled commotion around me I could hear the mutant, shouting still and growling at the people around him. I’m sure he lasted longer than I did.

Blackness was ebbing in the edges of my vision. The scientists were standing back in their formation, waiting for me to just collapse to the ground. I held onto consciousness as long as I could, and I could still hear the mutant’s alluring voice when the darkness overtook me.

When my consciousness began to return, the only thing I could register was pain. Throbbing, relentless, and burning pain. My eye lids were closed tight and all I could see was blackness. I attempted to lift my eyelids to see where I was, but I couldn’t get past the pain. For a moment, light began to flood my vision, but then I lost strength and they dropped back close. Dangit.

I thought hard, trying to block out the pain and remember how I had gotten into this situation. Nothing came to mind, I couldn’t make sense of anything but the blazing pain. I desperately wanted to move, as my instincts told me I was in danger, but I couldn’t tell where my body was. Do I still have feet? What if they got chopped off? What if I’m missing an arm? A million questions raced through my mind, but I couldn’t answer any of them. I was so tired… no, I need to stay awake. I can’t let go.

“Relax Darling, I’ll protect you,” I heard a voice inside my brain. I felt fear shoot through my pained body and panic began to rise inside my brain.

“Who are you?” my thoughts wailed, emotions rushing all over as I got the overwhelming urge to run. I desperately tried to lift my arms, shift my legs, to do something. I begged my eyes to open, but I saw nothing but blackness. Not a sound came to my ears; I was trapped. Alone.

“It’s okay,” the voice soothed. It was very rough and hard to describe, but instantly I felt myself relax. “Everything will make sense soon.” I believed those words. Somehow, in the back of my mind, I knew that voice. I just couldn’t place what it was or what was going on at the moment.

“Is she dead?” I heard a human voice, but it sounded distant. In my mind I could feel hate bubbling up and giving me strength. Just enough to force my eye lids halfway open, causing a bright light to flood them. I tried desperately to hold them open, but it was too bright. They squinted even further closed. No, no!

“Look, she’s breathing,” another voice disagreed, and I swallowed down a hiss. I had to swallowing it down. It wanted to come out, but I couldn’t move my jaw. It was locked in place. The more I thought about my jaw, the more I became aware of the aching thirst. My tongue was dry against the roof of my mouth and I could feel the breaking of my lips. I willed them to open so I could find something to drink. This is torture. Help me… please.

I could feel the throbbing ache. It was overwhelming and sobs began to build in the back of my throat. I had to swallow them down; I thought I was going to choke on them. I desperately needed to open my mouth: to inhale, to release the sobs, to quench this dreadful thirst. There was, however, nothing I could do. I was at the whim of my body and the humans around me.

I felt the panic rising again, threatening to consume me and drive me to hysteria. My heart began to beat wildly and I could hear it in my ears. I was sure my blood had to be racing, but I couldn’t register any more of my body to tell. All I could feel was pain and numbness. I had no idea where my limbs were or where I was and it was killing me. What am I going to do? I didn’t know how to get out of this situation. I longed deeply to hear the voice again, but it never came. Blackness began to ebb at the edge of my mind and I fought against it with everything I had.

I can’t go to sleep, not now. Oh, I was so tired. My mind craved rest like my body craved a relief from this pain. Sleeping would provide both, but I feared that something would happen while I was sleeping. Soon enough, the darkness began to pull me under. It was too strong.

I drifted into a black lullaby, pulled into deliria.

I was standing inside a familiar house. My mind was extremely fuzzy, so I couldn’t place exactly where I was. Something inside me registered the word ‘home,’ so I just left it at that. There was no sense trying to remember something I knew I never would.

I walked down the hallway and turned into a small room. It all seemed so familiar. The mirror, the hanging towels, the tile floors, the shower. I turned and looked in the mirror, gasping at the reflection. I saw me, only I was different; my eyes were bright green, my skin a scaly and scarlet red, my tail twisting out, claws ending my fingertips. I recognized this part of me deep in my mind, but I just couldn’t place it. Like everything else around me, this appearance was a haze.

I reached a finger out to touch the mirror. As soon as the claw touched the glass, a crack spread out from the single spot the glass was touched. The crack spread and began to cut my reflection into jagged pieces, leaving me twisted and unrecognizable. Then I winced as a high pitched scream flooded my eardrums. It was followed by swearing in an alluring voice, the hiss of a cat, and a laugh.

I raced from the room and down the hallway, stopping in a large open room and gasping at the scene before me. A large, fluffy grey cat sat on the couch. Its tail was lashing wildly back and forth and its ears were drawn flat back. I knew this cat. My eyes trailed from the cat, catching a trail of blood and following it until it was interrupted by the body.

I let out a gasp of horror at the sight of a women and the word ‘mom’ rang in my mind. Although I could tell the blood wasn’t coming from her, she still looked to be immensely pained. Her body was turned at an awkward angle and her eyes were closed tight; she was unconscious. Her hair and hands were stained with blood, much like her shirt, but I couldn’t find a scratch on her. I again located the trail of blood and my eyes began to follow it.

I continued to follow the trail until it stopped around a pair of bare feet with slightly pointed toenails. My eyes began to travel up the body until they reached a familiar face. The eyes were a bright gold and the hair was a golden brown, and all I couldn’t manage a word to place this face at all. I had no idea who I was looking at; the only thing I knew was that I felt an overwhelming amount of pity for them.

The pity grew when I saw the pain in those eyes. Blood was everywhere. It dribbled from a deep wound in the head of the unrecognizable person and dripped over the golden eyes until it pattered to the floor. I smelt the rusty smell of the blood in the air and could almost taste it when I breathed. The golden brown hair was clumped together by dried blood. Cuts ran across the figures chest and legs, leaving the clothing that covered him ripped up beyond repair. Then my eyes caught the large syringe stabbed into his arm and I felt dizzy. Without warning, I dropped to the ground.

The person rushed to my side and started shaking my limp body. I couldn’t move as I was overwhelmed with pain. Extremely harsh pain. I was watching the scene unfold from a third person. The person I didn’t know was shaking me, repeating the phrase ‘wake up’ over and over again along with a few unrepeatable words. Then the imaged blurred.

“Wake up, wake up!” a smooth voice spoke harshly, and I groaned. Something told me I needed to wake up now, so I forced my eyes to pry themselves open. Slowly, slowly, my eye lids uncovered my eyes and revealed nothing but bright light. I was confused.

Then a blurry imagine began to fade in. I made out a figure in front of me and stone grey walls. I could hear voices in the background as well, but I couldn’t figure out what they were saying. My vision blurred around for a bit, and then came into focus. A pair of golden eyes was staring at me. I screamed.

Then a hand clamped over my mouth.