Phantomverse Stories

The Mer-Phantom (Part 4)

I feel like I'm going to be writing "The Mer-Phantom (Part 11)" by how long this is getting! These are supposed to be short stories!!!

I DO want to get to other ideas I have soon so I'll try to wrap it up.
And I say that but will I do it is it the question!

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I had a dream that I escaped from the tank. I fell down a garbage chute, rode inside a trash beast, almost died in an alley, then a girl took me to a weird place called an apartment building in her own very dry and non-trashy beast.

Then I woke up in a semi-filled tank in an unfamiliar room and realized it wasn't a dream.

It was real.

I was in the world!

Sitting up in the odd "tank," I took in my surroundings: white floor and tank, faded green walls, and a shelf with various strong smelling containers, some glass, some plastic.

They almost reminded me of all the liquids that I used to be injected with so the scientists could analyze my reaction to them (either nothing at all or an itchy feeling, usually), but they seemed less metallic and sterile and more homely and sweet-smelling.

They must belong to the girl. Was this her tank room? Was she even here?

I really wanted to see her again, not only out of curiosity, but also because I feel like I definitely owed her. I mean, she saved my life after all.

So I just sat there, looking around, for probably an hour or two, when the door opened and a light clicked on, momentarily dazzling my vision.

Blinking, I finally got my first clear and coherent look at her. Her hair was so dark, dropping to her shoulders, and tangled, unlike the neat tied up hair of the female scientists at the laboratory. She also had darker toned skin, brown eyes, and was a little broader than most pale sallow-faced people I'd seen.

Finally realizing we'd been staring at one another for an uncomfortable amount of time, she frowned and cautiously perched on the side of the tank, like she wanted to start a conversation. But still she was hesitant, unsure how to begin. I really didn't want things to start off this awkwardly, and since she still wasn't saying anything, I didn't see the harm of initiating the conversation myself. I needed the practice anyway.

"Why did you save me?" It was my most pressing question. She sat back in response, taken aback by the question. She continued to stare at me, but now with a smile playing on her lips.

"Um..." she mumbled. "Is it okay if we come back to that question?" She laughed, though I'm not sure why. Maybe it was just so unexpected.

"Should we just start with names, then?" She suggested.

"Subject 23..." I answered readily, them trailed off. Her eyes lit up with understanding.

"Yeah, that is a pretty crappy name." Seized with an idea, she pulled out her phone and began tapping it repeatedly.

I sat up curiously. After a few seconds, she told me her plan.

"I looked up a few boys' names, and I can read them off until you hear a name you like. If you want." I nodded eagerly.

"Okay." She started. "Aaron, Adam..." All the names started with the "a" sound. Weird. Then, suddenly. The names changed.

"Barry, Benjamin, Brian..." I gasped in surprise. How many names were there?

Noticing my shock, she stopped reading. "What?"

"Just all these names..." I stammered. "It's overwhelming."