The Regeneration Project

~13~

Risa—

I awake from the nightmares only to wish I hadn't. The pain that I felt before the nightmares is still a lingering pulse through my body; it is unbearable. I feel like I am being incinerated from the inside out. Liquid fire makes its way through my veins and there is nothing I can do to stop it. I lay in agony sprawled out on this useless piece of metal that I have been strapped down to. I scream, I cry, and I beg God for deliverance until the feeling seems to slowly ebb away, but not soon enough for my liking. I lay panting from the internal struggle for a few moments more, terrified that if I make the slightest movement it wall all happen again. I finally muster the courage to move and as I open my eyes and scan the room, I realize there isn't much to look at but my reflection. 

I am in a sterile white room, with linoleum floors, no visible doors, and mirrors covering every surface of the walls. It seems as if hundreds of myself look back at me from all angles. I scrutinize the girl staring back at me and realize that I look awful; horrendous even. My clothes are torn, my hair is knotted to the point that a brush wouldn't even put a dent in the damage, and I am covered in dirt and sweat. I have cuts, scrapes, and bruises running up and down what portion of my skin I can see, and bloodshot eyes. How did I get like this? Those dreams weren't real were they? I was strapped to this table the whole time wasn't I? A million questions zip though my mind. I thoroughly scan over my restraints to look for any weakness, but find none. How long have I been here? Where even is here? Aspen was wrong about one thing, whoever put us here can and will hurt us...

Aspen. Why didn't I think of him before? Where is he? I hope he isn't in the same situation as I am. I struggle against the restraints but to no avail. I laugh, in spite of myself and my situation, because this is exactly how I woke up to Aspen. He had me tied to a bed, afraid that I would hurt him. I finish my inappropriate outburst of laughter and pull against the metal casings on my arms. I pull, and pull, and pull, but just like earlier, nothing happens. 

I sit in silence waiting for someone to come in, a noise, a burst of air conditioning to turn on, anything. After staring helplessly at my reflection for several uneventful minutes I start to hear voices through one of the walls. I listen intently, but from this distance I an't make out any distinct voices or words, just muffled sounds. Then, I hear the scraping of metal against linoleum, probably the floor, and then a definite lock click into place. Suddenly, the lights in the room shut off, and the wall I am facing turns transparent, like a two way window. 

Then I see him. Aspen. Strapped to a table identical to mine, in a room identical to mine, except for one thing. There are people swarming him and he is frantically thrashing around trying to break free of his bonds. Its is a sea of white; lab coats, masks, shoes. Waves of white people poking with white things. I can barely see him anymore through the mass of people unless someone moves out of the way.

"Aspen!" I scream as loud as my dry throat can manage and it comes out more like a raspy scratch.

He doesn't hear me, but I continue to scream his name. I watch and scream as they poke him with needles and prod around while he cries out in pain. After a while, a tall man dressed in a lab coat closes the distance to the table and removes one small syringe from his pocket. He takes of the cap and then quickly injects the substance into the side of Aspen's neck. His body goes slack, completely limp. The other people break away from the table and I get my first good look at him. He is covered in red spots from where all the needles were inserted into his skin, and there is a deep shade of blue starting from the injection point into his neck and making webs across his skin as it spreads to the rest of his body. I don't have any clue what they are doing to him, but I don't like it. His eyes bulge as though he is getting choked, and the man just stands there with a smug smile spreading across his face. By now, the others have left the room and it is just him and aspen.

"You little..." I scream through the glass at the man furious as to how he can be happy about any of this. 

My eyes are quickly averted back to Aspen when he starts seizing on the table. The man lets out a throaty laugh and walks out the door. Suddenly, Aspen goes completely still. Too still. His chest no longer moves up and down at regular intervals with his breathing. His eyes don't flutter, nothing. 

"No!" I scream aware of what this means. "No, no, no no."

He can't be dead. There is no way. He can't be. This is just a dream, yes, I didn't really wake up from the nightmares, this isn't real. I try to convince myself of this all the while knowing that this is in fact really happening. Then I do the only thing I can do. I cry. It starts as a whimper but crescendos into a chorus of wails and screams. I scream at the people who did this to us, I scream at myself for not being able to save him, I scream at him for not fighting harder. I scream until there is nothing left to scream about, but continue screaming because I have nothing else left to do. I sob whilst strapped to table with tears streaming down my face, but I don't care. I don't care anymore. There is nothing left to care about. My family is gone, my country is gone, and the only person I had left to love is gone now too. They can come and kill me too for all I care. It would be better than living with this. I don't want to feel. There is nothing waiting for me but grief. 

After what seems like hours, the lights turn back on and the glass turns back into a mirror. Aspen is really gone now. I can't even see him. They took away the last bit of him I had. I lay on the table and close my eyes willing an image of him to come to mind as I wait. Finally, I hear footsteps draw up to the table after the whoosh of a door opening. I leave my eyes closed, I will not fight. I hear ragged breaths around me and will myself not to flinch. That's when the needles start prodding.

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Have a wonderful monday wattpad! (: