Cosmic

Waking Up

Prologue

The thing about death is you always picture it slow, maybe in your sleep. Somewhere you won't feel pain, but that's just something you might tell yourself so you can sleep at night. Death is much, much worse. Imagine the worst pain you've ever felt. Now double it. Triple it. Quadruple it, but even then that's not enough. I'm not saying that we all die painful horrible deaths. Some of you will die at ease in your sleep, but for everyone else, I'm preparing you for the worst. When i died i felt it. Every aching moment of it.

I rolled over in my bed and sighed. I just needed five more minutes. This shiver ran through my body though and I bolted upright. This. Was. Not. My. Room. Yes it is. Calm down. I told myself. But there was this nagging feeling in the back of my mind. This is not your room it kept whispering. Shut up. I shouted at it. I pushed the comforter off myself and placed my feet on the ground. Same carpet. Same bed. The posters of obscure bands on my walls. There was the cup that i use for water on my nightstand. It was empty. I frowned, maybe i drank all of it in the middle of the night and.. Forgot. I turned around slightly. I was looking for something out of the ordinary.

This sudden burning pain in my shoulder grabbed my attention. I winced and slowly pushed down my sleeve exposing my shoulder. There was a pattern there that wasn't there before. It was tiny little stars cascading down my shoulder. I checked my arm and they extended down to my wrist. I twisted my arm this way and that. The little stars didn't leave or fade. It wasn't a tattoo and it wasn't a scar. I don't think i could've gotten a scar like this. It was like it was imprinted into my skin like i had them this whole time and just never noticed. Then i saw it. The thing to prove that this wasn't my room. A camera.

I looked at it closely. It wasn't all to big. I don't even know how I saw it. But it was there. I went to the door maybe they left it unlocked. No such luck. The door knob looked like the one i had in my room except it was turned around. The lock would usually face in but this one faced out. Someone wanted to keep me in. I spun around slowly and faced the camera. "Who are you." no reply. "You can't keep me in here!" i screamed. "Open the damn door!" i shouted. I felt, rather than saw the door open. It felt like an electric current ripping through me, going through my body and short circuiting the wires in the door and the camera. The red blinking light stopped and the door made a soft click as it opened up.

That was weird. I thought to myself. Maybe the wiring is faulty. I said as i inched closer to the doorway. No it was you and you know it. The voice in my head whispered. Shut up! I really must be going crazy. I peered out through a crack in the door. There was nobody. I opened the door wider. Still no one. It was one of those long boring hallways. Faded blue walls and white tiled floor. Typical of your secret underground government facility. Or your local Insane Asylum. I shook my head. I was not insane. Slowly cautiously i stepped out into the hallway and then. I took off.

*in the camera room*

Agent Coulson stared at the screen hands in his pockets. Astella shifted in bed uncomfortably. "You know watching people sleep is rude and uncomfortable." Steve said as he walked into the room. Coulson turned red slightly. He had once told Captain America he had watched him while he slept. Steve laughed and watched as Astella bolted upright in bed. "Looks like someone's awake." he murmured.

"It's not right to keep her in there." i replied gruffly.

"I don't call the shots on this one Agent Barton." i focused on the screen. She was looking around the room almost confused. It was an exact replica of her old one.

"It's creepy how you guys do that." Steve said grimly watching her. She was rubbing her arm twisting and turning it around.

"I'm guessing she found the pattern of stars." Agent Coulson said lowly. Steve and I both nodded. Slowly Astella turned and seemed to look directly at the camera. Like she was peering into our souls. I tried to blink back my surprise. Quickly she spun around and jiggled the handle on the door. The door handle was one of the things to set the mood off. It was backwards so it could be locked from the outside but it was also electrically wired to open. I'd done it myself infact.