Marissa took in breath as she stood on one of the beds in the room, rocking herself back and forth. Her mind was frantic, her heart was threatening to pound out of her chest, and she could barely keep a hold of her grip on reality.
She felt intense waves of emotions crash through her body as she gripped her arms painfully, humming to herself an old hum that her Dad used to always sing. This is what helped her stay somewhat aware of what was happening.
Hannah tittered on the frame of the bed, happily skipping along while she sang a song that she had once heard on TV. She was mostly oblivious to the two suffering eighteen year olds around her. She was a kid, after all.
Axel was more calm than Marissa, but not by much. He kept himself, and by association his mind, busy by observing and cataloguing everything in the room. This served as a much needed distraction.
Each one of them were given new clothes. Hannah a full body onesie type thing, with white parts jutting out while the black fabric underneath seemed to move with her breathing. It looked oddly cute on her, and it even prevented her from hurting that much when she inevitably fell off the bed.
Marissa was given much more free suiting clothes: a white and black mesh shirt with black superimposed over the white, and with the jutting out parts much more oval like in appearance, and not sharp at all. Her pants were the opposite, pointy with white on top and black fabric.
Axel was much in the same boat, though he still was different. Short white and black shorts, and a jacket looking shirt that was rather bulky, but very cold and fit him like a glove.
Marissa felt more and more uneasy as the time continued to tick on. She had close to no idea on what the Protogens were going to do to them, and the question weighing heavily on both their minds was simple.
Where was Mason and B-64?
Hannah didn't care, though she did notice that her brother wasn't there. Axel proposed that maybe they had escaped, but Marissa quickly shot that idea down. They were the first to jump into the beam of light. Whatever it was.
But they continued to stay in silence, with only the small squeals and occasional huffs of pain from Hannah as she jumped about. Marissa wished she had the same level of obliviousness that Hannah had, that child-like innocence.
In all honesty, she wished she could forget everything. She always loved to read and watch those space and sci-fi movies and books, wanting to be a part of some grand adventure. Come out on top and be alive at the end, a perfect happy ending.
Now? She wished that she had never joined in on this. She wished this had never happened. She just wants to go home. To see her dad again, her mom. She just wants to enjoy food and only worry about when the latest video game is coming.
It was here that Marissa finally broke down. Tears streamed down her face as she slid onto her side, hugging herself with the course and rough blankets and staring blankly at the grey walls.
She wished that everything was back to normal. That she hadn't witnessed all the things she had: The massacres, the bodies and the blood. The fear and anguish, the dread that laced through her very being.
She just wanted to forget. She wanted to be happy again. Why did this have to happen to her? Hadn't she been through enough, getting bullied every single day of her life, afraid that anyone remembered her old self, that judged her?
Couldn't she have just dealt with that? Why was she chosen to have to go through with this. She...
She bit her lip, not wanting to wail or sob. Tears flowed down her face, her sniffling barely snuffled out by the sheets.
YOU ARE READING
Factory Reset
Science Fiction"Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying." -Arthur C. Clarke These are the words that haunted Mason Amor. He had always loved to think about what could live beyond the stars in the sky...
