The Broken Age

Waking nightmares

I'd been thinking about this for a while now. 'No, you haven't.' Trying to put the pieces together. 'Too many, won't fit.' I keep trying to avoid it, but i think my brain never stopped. It kept trying to decipher it, but also hiding it from me? I'm afraid. Terrified. But i can't leave it, until i remember what I'm leaving, so I've been rattling my head, to piece together the story.

It was night, i hadn't slept the whole time. I just couldn't. But i felt tired the whole time. the snowstorm outside had slowed down. Me, and Lilith got to watch everyone else wake up, slowly, one by one. "I'm going for a walk, while the storm is low." Lilith says, getting up from her chest she had laid in. Alice holds her stomach "I need to go too." Her stomach gives a loud growl, and she stands up. "There is plenty of food!" Lilith answers. Alice's stomach growls again, she gives out a look, like she's about to be sick. Wait i know that look! "Let her out and keep away from her." I say in a serious tone. Lilith tries to argue again but i stop her before she speaks "She'll hurt someone if she's not out." I argue in a raised tone. Lilith just gives a disappointed glare and opens the door, as Alice rushes out. Lilith follows after, stopping to poke her head out again "Don't let anyone in." She growls, slowly moving her head back out.

The room was bright! And cold! There was this gel being smeared over my skin, liquids being piped into and out my arms, and some metal arm holding my head still, pulling my hair back as it did. I couldn't move, scream, do anything besides watch. I could still feel the pain, i just couldn't scream it. I just had to suffer through it. The constant feeling of my limbs being moved, poked, and pinched. Followed by the feeling of scraping, and burning. Then a very long sharp needle extended down towards my head. It was so thin, the only thing that gave it away was its shine as the light it reflected moved along with it. When it finally reached my forehead, there was intense pain, pulsing from it, then small popping around the area... Then there was nothing.

I gasp, waking in a cold sweat. Sam gives me a quick glance before looking back at what she was doing. When did i fall asleep? Sam was looking at a book, i say looking because the book was upside down, it was more like she was looking at the words just out of curiosity, tilting the book side to side. Her sister was asleep, coiled together, and covered in a mountain of towels. Silah was just sitting with his legs crossed together, with no trace of emotion across his face. The storm had picked up again, outside looked both dark and bright out at the same time Like it was meant to be night but lit by a neon green hue. It was hard to tell how much time had actually passed. Everyone was quiet, and i didn't want to be the one disrupt it. So, i raised my back off the ground, and wrapped myself in my blanket as my mind started drifting again.

I think I'm starting to get it. 'No, you're not.' I remember more. It still scares me, to remember, but it's also helping me get over it? 'No its not.' Every night i kept having these dreams, that i could barely remember, but they were all just twisted memories. 'You didn't even want to remember them.' Yeah, and i still kinda don't. But i want to know what others saw. Its helping me get a bigger picture of what's happened to myself. And what happened to the others. What made them into whatever they are now. What really scares me is how they'll act. Will they believe me? Laugh at me? 'Maybe there all snake people too, and there just here to watch you.' Like her? There's something that was still bothering me about her too. Something that didn't feel right. Something that can make me regret what i do, or make me feel a bit better about it.

There was a loud thud in the hall, and the sound of dragging, snapping me out of my thoughts. We stare at the door as the sound gets closer. The door handle turns, swinging open. On the other side was Lilith dragging Alice's body by the leg. When they were both inside, she drops her leg, swings the door shut and drops a blanket on top of her. "Anyone, like to explain what's wrong with her?" She then proceeds to go out to the metal balcony by the rooms window. Once outside she sweeps off the snow that had gathered around the blue machine, shakes off the snow from her arm, and comes back inside. "Well!" She crosses her arms, "Is she okay?" Sam asks in a sort of mumble. "Her hearts beating. I just found her frozen in the snow." I crawl up to Alice on all fours, pulling the blanket off her face, to see the blood of something splattered across it. "Um, we..." I felt nervous about answering this. It was something i didn't really understand "I don't think we know either, she wouldn't tell us much." I answer "Well." She stretches her arms up, and sits in her chest, "It's going to be a bit, before the storm goes down, again...Who wants to tell the story?" She smiles. 'It's your turn.' "Zack met Alice before us, so how did you two meet?" Sam asks. "Oh, um..." I scratch the back of my head. "We met in a cave. I think she was lonely." I look down, at the floor "I guess i was, too." I could feel the worry rise in me, every second. Like I'm going to say something stupid. And then be treated like a joke 'Again.' Why do i care so much? 'Yeah idiot, why aren't you perfect.' "I-I thought she was a vampire." My voice begins to shake from the pity laugh i give to myself mid-sentence 'And there goes the stupid.' I look up to see i have almost everyone's attention. Even Maggie was watching. Alice gives a small groan, in the short silence. "Why?" Lilith asks. her voice had an almost unnoticeable shake to it.  "There were bits of animal meat, scattered where she lived, and she had big sharp teeth." I pause again, to look at her "I don't even know her actual name. She couldn't remember it." Silah slowly pulls out an opened bag of chips and bites them down, the crunch it gave, made him, jump, but he reached in the bag for more "She told me she didn't like the name. So why did you choose it." Sam asks, 'Because it bothered her.' "There was a bunker, and she was scared of it. But we had to hide from the horde, and i thought from the sun too. There was a bunch of eaten dead bodies, and a drawing made by someone named Alice. That drawing looked a lot like her, so i just assume that was her." I said. "Not a good assumption, a lot of people look alike." Lilith comments in a sarcastic voice 'You're not a good assumption.' "How did you meet everyone else?" Lilith asks, laying back against the wall of where she sat. My stomach dropped, at the thought of it. How i met Silah. The others looked at me with concern, i guess i was showing the fear i felt. I think i remember, i was just worried about how to explain it. Then there was the thought that had been bothering me, ever since i started to piece it together. Like a grinding in the back of my head, scared of what, she would do with me. But also, grateful? Or maybe happy with what she did do. I feel like it's only right if she was let in. Maybe she could help us more 'Or doom you all.' "I... I met Silah, alone... Somewhere." I look at Sam there was curiosity sparking in her eyes. "But if I'm telling the story, then i want her to be here too." I turn my attention to Lilith, who leans forward with curiosity. She knew who i meant, i could tell. "The snake is welcome to come in when it has the khrabrost to show itself, and take off its shoes." She spits out. 'Yes, the roasted crab. Totally know what that is.' "I... trust her." I force out. She waves her hand at the closed door insinuating that i can open it. I stand up to do so, and with each step i get more nervous that she won't be on the other side. 'You imagined it, idiot.' I put my palm on the handle, take a deep breath, and turn. There was nothing on the other side. 'There all watching you, in disappointment.' I couldn't dare to turn back. I close my eyes tight and whisper "Please." It's the only thing i could think to do. Then i felt it. A hand on my shoulder. I open my eyes to see her, a distorted background in the shape of a person, revealing itself to me again,  staring at me with that same probing stare. But this time i was relieved to see it 'You thought it was fake? You idiot.' "I trust you." I say again this time with a bit more confidence. "Shoes, off." Lilith commands. The alien gives her a short glare revealing her, sharp nailed green feet. And walks in behind me. I sit down again, in my previous spot, and the snake crouches down next to me.

"I was with Alice in a store, hiding her from the sun. But there was a sound. Like lightning, i got curious and found a yellow door, with the snake people bringing a bunch of people into it. Then they caught me." 'The end.' I take a breath, preparing myself. A shiver crawls down my spine and then i speak. "There was moving. Then everything was bright and cold. I couldn't move, but i felt things being put into me. And there was this big, long needle, that went in my head. Then nothing." I pause again "I woke up to see Silah." I point to him, as his ear gives a small flap "I don't know what he is, who he was, or why he looked like that." I give a small glance to the others, Sam holding Maggie's hand. And Lilith watching me, with a slightly depressed face. "I was scared of him. But he was fine. Every day we had the same sort of test, until one day he... snapped, and helped me get out." I look at him, giving a faint smile. Then i look at the snake. "You did too... On that first night. I remember seeing you getting talked down by someone... I knew how that felt... Is... Is that why you opened the door for us?" Her regular expression was gone. Replaced by something that looked more like curiosity "I returned you, to stop any potential damage to the facility." She spoke in a cold tone. I didn't expect this answer, but i wasn't sure what answer i would have gotten anyway. There was a long pause, It felt like the tension in the room completely died. "Maybe that's enough of a story for the day." Lilith says Sam agrees giving a faint yawn.

Everyone had fallen asleep... Except from me, Lilith, and the snake lady. There was something i still wanted to say. I just wasn't sure how to do it. I turn to the snake as Lilith watches us "Listen... I... Um, i.... You..." I pause and try to collect my thoughts "I never... Thanked you for helping us get out... The reason doesn't matter... Thank you." I say. There was no response from her. But i didn't expect there to be. No sound. Just the distant noise of thunder and wind, from the outside.