a shifters tale part 17
#17 of A Shifters Tale
mweah!
As you already know the spiel, here is the next part of the story.I hope that everyone enjoys :)
p.s. Please leave comments and let me know what you think and where I could improve.
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Imagine being trapped in your own body fully aware of everything that's happening around you yet being completely unable to do anything about it since your body is in so much pain that your brain shuts down your cognitive abilities to try and save its self from further damage so it can focus on trying to heal your body to a certain extent. I will tell you this,"IT IS NOT FUN!!!" as a matter of fact it is almost enough to drive you mad.
While the girls tried desperately to save me from my almost inevitable fate, I could feel everything they did to me, hear everything they around me and about me, I could feel every tug, bump, jostle, move and brush of their fur against my body when they had me in what sounded like a truck. I could even hear the words of the doctor they had tried to take me to in that town in the swamp region , and I remember laughing in my head when I heard the sound of crunching metal as I could just envision what Kate had done to the doctor's car.
But more than anything I remember the nightmares... they haunted my every footstep as I tried to run from my own mind.Several times I had been pulled into the dream world only to relive my worst nightmares over and over again; this time was no different than any other.
I stood on top of a mountain and looked at the far off horizon, a haze of red mist hung in the air turning the golden sunset to a dull rusted red as I gazed into the fading light of the sky.
*The mist... it's so thick...* I thought to myself as I looked on into the ever fading light.
"Why don't you look around Chad...?" I heard... or more like felt someone say behind me.
"No"
"No? But don't you want some light for the trip down? We have such a long way to go..." it said.
"Why?"
As I posed my question I heard a deep guttural growl that signaled its irritation with me.
"Do it" it growled.
"Why..."
"Why? What do you mean why?" I heard it say.
I could feel my blood starting to boil at the years of torture and nightmares that had taken their toll on my mind, I didn't choose to be like this, I didn't choose to be a monster, I didn't choose to be burdened with him so that he could me every minute of every day.
"I am so sick of this charade..., why can't you just let me rest..." I said sullenly. As I sat down the ground gave in a most sickening manner. I forced myself not to look down as I already knew the answer to that question.
"Rest...?" I heard it say in a semi-questioning tone.
"You want to rest..., after everything that you've done..., you want to REST?!" it yelled the last word with credulity.
I simply closed my eyes, as I pulled my feet under me in an Indian style sitting position and didn't respond.
"Fine you want to rest? Go ahead, but while you do I want you to see what's going on in the real world."
Before I could figure out or even ask what it meant everything that had been blocked off in the dream world suddenly came rushing in. I saw everything that the girls had done for me while I was comatose, and saw the worried looks on their faces as they gave me what little medical attention they knew. I also saw the fact that Serenity had never left my side for even a moment; she hadn't slept or even eaten a proper meal for the past few days either.
*that stupid girl* was the only thing I could think until the next scene rolled through my head and sent a cold shiver down my spine.
Serenity was in what looked like an underground storage area.It was sparsely lit with old yellowed emergence lights of some kind that where stuck into the cement walls close to the ceiling.The entire room stood about ten feet tall and looked like something you would see in an underground shelter, the only difference was that this one had holes in the walls that looked like someone had blasted those sections out but I couldn't see any scorch marks so I don't know how it was done.
Scanning the room I looked around to see why Serenity was so fearful of her surroundings and what I saw sent a shiver down my spine.At several points around the room I could see hands reaching up from the ground as they tried to grab anything within reach. I quickly looked around some more and found Kate backed into a corner as she growled down at a hand that had sprouted from the ground not five feet from her.
Suddenly the image faded and I was on the mountain again and the mist seemed like it was getting thicker. That was not the only thing growing stronger as the smell of blood started wafting through the air. I also heard the faint sound of rushing water somewhere in the distance.
"So what" I said as I looked off into the distance.
"Do you really think I am going to worry about the women just because they have to deal with a few puppets?" I said lazily.
The figure snarled at me, a deep and guttural noise that reeked of decay and promises of death "fine if you want to be like that then let us see how they deal with this!"
Before I could even utter a word I was slammed in the back by something and picked up. I could feel whatever it was sliding over me as a deluge of rust colored liquid swept down and carried me away, out of reflex I tried to inhale and that's when it began, the pain flared in my forehead and quickly spread through my body. It was so sudden and so intense that I didn't have any time to fight it back or try to stop it.
I felt something else welling up in me as well although I didn't know what it meant or why it was happening. Only one thought was going through my mind.
"Serenity, please stay safe"
Kate
I jumped forward and lashed out with a kick knocking the head off of another zombie as I tried to make my way back over to Serenity. I could see her struggling to fight with these things while she made sure that Chad didn't fall off her back.
"Hold on I'm coming Serenity!" I yelled out as I punched another zombie in the face breaking its jaw bone and tearing what little flesh it had left on its mouth, it fell backwards with a hissed moan before being replaced by three more.
Suddenly a chill ran up my spine as everything seemed to stop and instinctively I froze to.The zombies halted in place and the air chilled to the point where I could see my breath as I exhaled.Something moved to my left towards the center of the room. I wanted to look but every fiber of my being told me to keep perfectly still.
I heard a small thump; one foot step, followed by another step then another.The zombies all turned as one to look at the noise. The one I had punched got up just as its jaw fell off with a sickening schlurp.
I wanted to look for Serenity but I could not see where she was because the zombies where in my way.Suddenly I felt something splatter against my arms followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor.The footsteps got closer and with each step there was another splatter and another zombie hitting the ground.
It was close now, whatever it was. I could almost feel it breathing on my neck.The zombies around me where shuffling around me trying to go after whatever was behind me.One of them was wearing what looked like a riot helmet and as it passed by I caught a glimpse of the thing in the reflection of the visor and my breath caught in my throat.
*it's Chad!* I couldn't see most of his face but I knew it was him because of his hair.
He looked strange and I didn't know why but I could tell this was different from back at the castle, the aura that he put off and the blood lust in it as well as the way he was standing with his head hung low towards the ground and the set of his shoulders made it clear why my body hadn't moved even though I had wanted to get to Serenity.
I knew that if I moved that he would attack me and tear me to pieces with that power of his. I was frozen in fear.Just then another thought ran through my head,*what happened to Serenity?!?* I thought to myself.
I tried to look between the zombies as they shuffled past but there were so many of them that I could never get a clear look at her to see if she was OK. I could see little patches of yellow fur here and there so I knew that she was still in the corner by the door we had come in but I couldn't tell if she was OK or not.
The whole time these thoughts were going through my head and the fear racked my body I watched Chad come into view from my left and that's when I got a really good look at him, the tattered shirt he always wore was in shreds and hanging down from the waistband of his pants where it was tucked in, kind of making it look like he was wearing a Gothic kilt with pants.His hair was down since Serenity had taken out the ribbon during the ride here and he was dripping blackish fluid from his hands. Every time one of the zombies got to close for his liking his right arm lashed out for what seemed like a split second and either the zombies head would come off and hit the floor or it would split apart and the whole zombie would just drop like a rag doll.
As I watched, Chad started sniffing around, and he let loose a growl which was something I didn't even think he was capable of, but when he did every strand of fur on my body stood up like I was standing near a tesla coil.
I could feel my entire body shaking from head to toe but I couldn't stop myself. I watched as one after another Chad ripped apart the zombies like so much tissue paper until only a few remained.That is when I started to really get worried since I could see Serenity now and she was crumpled on the floor in a heap off to my right, which begged the question, *How did Chad get to the other side of the room without me even noticing?*
Just as that thought crossed my mind he suddenly vanished from in front of me. At first I couldn't comprehend what happened, and before I could piece it together I felt a puff of air run across the back of my neck followed by a growl so loud and deep I thought a wild beast had gotten into the room with us until I realized what it was.
Chad was standing right behind me now, I could feel him breathing on me, looking at me, and although I tried with everything I had to stay perfectly still my body slowly began to turn around as though someone else was in control of it.
I was helpless and terrified beyond belief when I finally made eye contact with Chad and when I did I had the faint sensation of something warm and wet running down my thigh.The only thing I could see where his eyes, at least where his eyes should have been...or whatever they had turned into.
The only things looking back at me now were two pools of inky blackness that seemed to suck the air out of my lungs.They seemed to devour even the light around them and as I looked into them I could feel myself slipping away.
Just then Chad lunged forward and buried his teeth into my throat, *Is this how I'm going to die?* I thought to myself as I felt his teeth sinking into my neck followed by something else warm and wet running from my wound, this time I knew that it was blood. I felt myself slipping even further now and I knew I was done for.
*Smack*
"Wake the fuck up and stop that screaming you big fucking baby"
My head jerked to one side as someone slapped me.
*Smack*
I felt another slap land on my other cheek and it was about that time my eyes snapped open and I lashed out with my claws, only to hit air.
I looked around in complete bewilderment as I tried to figure out what had just happened.
I looked around taking stock of the situation, I was in a large room made of polished metal, and the smell of sterilizing chemicals assaulted my nose as the sounds of a heart monitor beeped its cadence nearby.
I sat up slowly only to have someone push me back down gently, the sudden contact made me jerk away in reflex, which unfortunately made me fall off of the bed I had been laying on.
"I knew I should have strapped your dumb ass to the bed" I heard someone huff, just then a figure came into view to my left.
As I turned to take them in I tried to place their face to no avail.They looked completely androgynous and I couldn't tell whether they were male or female, the voice sounded female but there was a definite male jaw line with very fair skin and delicate features, and if I missed my guess a slight metallic sheen to the skin.
Suddenly I was picked up from the floor by this person as easily as I would pick up a paper weight and place back on the bed. I watched dumbfounded as this person reached to the opposite side of the bed and grab a strap.
"This time stay still," the person told me, "We don't need our prisoners hurting themselves before the interrogation, now do we?" they said as they moved to another strap and started to secure it.
I tried to talk but my mouth felt like sand paper and cotton mixed together.
"I know what you want to ask, yes your digimon is OK, and is being held in a null cell down the hall, and no she is not hurt. Yes, Chad will be fine, he's in a stasis tube right now undergoing repair and no you can't have anything to drink it will only put you out again and give you more nightmares."
By this time they were done strapping me to the bed and looked at me, I still couldn't tell whether it was a very handsome man or a very beautiful woman because they were flat chested, but I did see what looked like a comforting smile run across their lips before they spoke again.
"My name is Gabriel, and for the record yes I am a man, I have already given you the antidote to the gas you got hit with, it will take some time before the effects fully wear off so to keep you from trying anything stupid that might get you hurt, and trust me you will get hurt, I'm going to put you out again and this time you won't have any nightmares like that one.
I watched Gabriel as he finished strapping me to the bed with well-practiced movements before he turned to something behind him and picked up what looked to be a small syringe. He turned back to me and before I could try and say anything he stabbed the syringe into my leg and pushed down on the plunger pushing the slightly yellowish liquid inside the needle into my body.
Just as quickly as he had stabbed me he pulled out the syringe and looked at me with what seemed to be a warm if not creepy grin on his face, "Welcome to sanctuary Kate, I do hope you get to stay for a while. I have been in desperate need of new test subjects for a while but don't worry,I won't do anything that will put your life in too much danger," he said with that smile still plastered on his face.
"For now though you can rest easy, nothing is going to happen to you... yet," right around that time everything started to swim and my head hit the bed I was laying on with a loud thud.
Before I passed out from whatever I was injected with I caught one last look of Gabriel walking away, my last thoughts were *what the hell have I gotten into this time?*
To be continued...
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Sorry for the long wait on this one. I seem to have finally made a breakthrough with my writers block, which I am happy about, I get the feeling that now I will be able to right a lot more easily then I have been in the past.On a side note I will be moving to a new house soon and I now have a car :) yay!!!
Thank you to all of you who are still reading my stories and you can expect more in the near future.Happy Fourth of July to everyone!!!