Spectrum ⇒ Avengers [ 1 ]

Scorch Marks

I float through the darkness, swimming lazily through a haze of pain and unconsciousness. Although there are words, they are echoing and indecipherable- they are sounds, a multitude of colour, but nothing is coherent.

I turn, twist, my brain straining against the walls I create.

Jake. Peter. Arachne.

And something else, a blue light that flickers in corner of my eye, glowing, pulsating, more alive than inanimate.

Brynn... Brynn...

I stretch out towards it, straining desperately to reach it, to touch it. Something about is hypnotic, pulling me in. And yet it distances, too, always drawing out of my reach, teasing me and dragging me further into the darkness.

Find me, Brynn. Come and find me. Come and play.

My fingers burn as the light touches them, and the pain shoots up my arm, engulfing me, warping my body as my brain spirals into infinity.

In the depths of the darkness, I scream as the light consumes me.

The light that greets me when I crack open an eye is different, blinding, yellow and buzzing above my head. I close it again, wincing, and have to press my lips together to stop a shock of pain escaping- my chest is on fire, and I can feel droplets of liquid running over my skin.

Both of my eyes open, crusted over with sleep or tears or blood, and I blink several times. The light above my head morphs back into a lightbulb, and I can see the rust coloured walls, and, when I look down, I can see straps holding my body to the chair.

It hits me all at once- Peter, Jake, Arachne and her soldiers, the tale of Achilles, and- oh god, oh god, the brand that sizzled and burnt into my skin. When I look down, I can see the blood staining across my shirt, and just below my top, the skin is blackened and twisting, oozing thick crimson. The pain is like nothing I've ever felt before, it's like a knife plunging into my skin, over and over and over.

I keep my teeth clenched, closing my eyes again. They're puffy from tears and painful to close, but I'm positive I'll throw up if I look at the ugly mark on my skin again. There's no one in the room, I'm alone, left solitary to bleed out or burn.

My arms tremble under their straps, skin quivering. Every nerve in my body is alive, every neurone moves at light speed. It feels like I've been put on fast forward, processing things too quickly for my brain to handle. When I look at the room again, every detail burns my eyes, a sensory overload that mixes with the agony on my skin. I swallow, throat arid from screaming, and blink away a few more tears, my nails digging into my skin. I'll either scream or burst into tears, the pain is so great. I wish I could sink back into unconsciousness, but I know that it won't come. Any kind of sleep would be impossible now, I'm too raw, too awake.

Strange how alive you become, on the edge of death.

There's the soft rumble of the elevator, and my breath chokes me, spit bubbling and making me cough as I force my head back and close my eyes tightly, trying to make my breathing slow to normal rate. I can't do this again, I just can't, I'd rather die.

I gaze under my eyelashes, beaded with tears, as the doors open. The dark blue clunking of boots on the floor indicates the soldiers, dressed in shades of black. They file out, four of them, and a man in white lab coat, standing out like a dove amongst ravens. The doors close. No Jake. No Arachne. Just me and five men big enough to eat me alive.

My heart is beating so loud I'm convinced they can hear it, and I curl my hands as fists to my side, praying that they don't realise I'm awake. Five. Five people. I breathe in sharply, knowing what I going to do is crazy. I'm half wild, starved, terrified, and in so much pain that it hurts to take breaths. But I'm also desperate, and that makes me dangerous- and reckless.