Chapter Text
I feel myself gasping for air. What was once stale and sickly air is now fresh and sterile. Air enters my lungs easier than it has in years.
Something beeps steadily to the left of me, bringing me into focus. I force my eyes to open to find the source of the annoyance. When I open my eyes I can’t tell what’s going on around me. Everything is wrong. So wrong.
The last thing I remember was the feeling of hot blood washing over me and lights flickering on and off as loud alarms and voices roared around me, and…and the eel. I shiver at the thought, but push it down as I try to figure out where I am.
The lights around me are dimmed, but are still bright enough to see what's around me. I scan the room to see many machines and screens showing different medical information. The beeping comes from a screen with a steady line going up and down. A wire comes out of it and I follow the line to a plastic clip on my right index finger. Ah, a heart monitor. I’ve been hooked up to these before.
As I scan the room I start to feel more aware of my body, and it hurts. An ache spreads through my whole body, but my main concern is my head. I know I bumped it a few times, but it’s absolutely killer. I go to rub my head with my hand, but I feel that my arm’s being held down by something. I look down to see what’s stopping me and I freeze.
How did I miss them?
To the side I see someone’s hand resting on my biceps. I follow the arm that it’s connected to and it turns into a heap of blond hair. There is someone resting at my bed side. They’re slumped over in their chair, leaning on a small table. Their head is resting in the crook of their arm as their other hand holds firm on my arm.
What?
Is this my guard?
Pretty shitty guard if they’re just going to sleep on the job.
I try to scoff at the thought but something is caught in my throat. Coughing doesn’t dislodge it so I try to reach up with my free hand to take out whatever's there, but nothing happens. I try to reach up again, but nothing moves. I turn my head to the side to check out what’s happening and…where the fuck is my arm?! My arm ends just below the shoulder and is covered in bright bandages that are stained with blood.
My breath hitches as my brain scrambles to catch up with what I’m seeing. My arm. Is gone. Torn off. The heart monitor to my left started to beep louder and quicker as I began to freak out. This seems to alert the guard next to me.
The hand on my remaining bicep gives a slight squeeze as they start to wake up. They give off a slight hum when they straighten their back and stretch. The guard glances over to the heart monitor with a confused look before whipping their head to look at me. My eyes widen as I could now clearly see their face.
Their - his - hair is messed up from sleep, but falls effortlessly in that “I just woke up” ruffled look. His glasses are slightly skewed on their face that couldn’t possibly help his vision. He isn't exactly dressed as a common guard with a sweater over a shirt with an odd picture that I’ve never seen before. Upon closer look, he doesn't even have a weapon. Why position a guard at my bed with no weapon?
While looking over their appearance I almost missed the way their face lit up and he began rambling.
“Oh my goodness! You’re up! Man, you really gave us a scare when we found you. Well I didn’t find you, Rocky did. He and his mate had brought you in and you were just covered in blood. You were also in pretty rough shape, but I did the best to help out with my little medical knowledge. I may be a doctor, but not that kind!” He said with a laugh. He continued to talk more about so much and nothing at the same time, that it was hurting my head.
“Mmfphh.” I try to cut them off, but forgot about the thing stuck down my throat.
“Oh, yes! I’m so sorry. We had to tube you to keep you stable. Hmm.” He hummed and turned towards the various monitors to check…something. I don’t know. “You seemed to have stabled out considering how you were when you arrived. I’m going to take the tube out from your throat. It’s going to feel very unpleasant and might hurt a bit. Try not to talk or make any noises to minimize the pain. I’m sorry.” He said and gave a sympathetic look.
All I could do was give a nod and close my eyes. Just get it over with. I flinched as a hand rested on my shoulder and the pressure traveled up my throat. I gagged and coughed as the tube exited my body. My eyes opened with tears in them as I gasped for air.
“Oh geez, I really am sorry. I know how uncomfortable that can be.” The guard said as he glanced at me and put the tube on a nearby table.
I go to grab my throat with my right hand and I’m again reminded that it’s just...gone. My head snaps to look at the stump and the heart monitor starts to spike again.
“What-” I groan at the discomfort in my throat. “What did you do to my arm?”
I see him go to answer but I don’t hear a word he says.
The black box. My mission. My purpose. I…I failed. The box must not have reached the surface when the eel devoured the submarine.
I failed my mission and this is my punishment. My repentance. I failed so they took my arm as a reminder that it was all more than me, and I still failed.
I turn my head back to the guard as he finishes talking.
“...yeah I’m sorry man. It’s messed up. I tried everything I could.” He admitted as he scratched the back of his neck as if to taunt me. Anger bubbles in my chest, but I’m in no condition to fight. I’m down an arm and still hooked up to so many gizmos. I take another look around to see different tubes and wires hooked to my legs, arm, and head. They’re pumping me with something. Something to keep me weak and compliant.
“Where are my manners? You must be so confused about what’s going on. My name is Ryland Grace, but most people just call me Grace. You can call me Ryland if you want, or whatever! Whatever you want really! I really don’t mind. Wow, I can’t believe I’m talking to another person who can talk back to me in my own language. You wouldn’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve heard another person speak. In person anyway. I’ve heard it through movies and shows and music and what not. But it’s just different when-”
“Do you ever shut up?” I snapped at him. Fuck! I can’t even think with him in the room.
He shrinks at the comment. “Yeah, sorry. Just a very exciting day for me.” He chuckled nervously.
I roll my eyes. “You make a shitty guard.” That remark just makes him look at me with a confused expression.
“Guard? No, I’m not a guard. Just a teacher.” He shrugs.
Now it’s my turn to be confused. What the hell? Why is there a teacher at my bed side. What a weird prison. And if it couldn’t get any weirder I hear strange musical notes coming from the walls. The notes seem to get the guard’s - teacher’s - attention.
“Rocky - Rocky, no! Not yet! Just give us some more time!” He shouts at the door. “Sorry, he’s just excited.” The teacher says with a chuckle.
“Riiiight…” I say nervously. What a strange man.
“That’s right! I didn’t ask your name! You know mine, but I didn’t even ask yours. What’s your name?” The teacher beams at me.
“You…you don’t know? They didn’t tell you?” I ask. Shouldn’t the C.O.I have told him? And if not, everyone knows “The Butcher”. I can’t really get anywhere without people harassing me over what I did.
The teacher just glances at me nervously. “N-no? Sorry, they didn’t tell me your name. I don’t think they even know.” He admitted as he glanced at the door again.
Of course they didn’t tell him. They stripped him of even his name. Now known as just the convict, because that’s all I am anymore. I’m a nobody. I could have been somebody, or something, if I could have just sent back the black box. I ball my fist and squeeze my eyes shut. I failed the mission, I’ve been put in another prison, and now I’ve been stripped of who I am.
“I really am sorry, but you can tell me now. I’d really like to know your name so I can stop calling you ‘the man recovering in the next room’ “. He admits with a sigh.
I open my eyes to look into his face. All I see is sincerity. He’s telling the truth.
“Simon.”
He continues to look at me expectantly. What else does this guy want? I glare at him, daring him to say something. He just clears his throat and glances away for a second.
“No last name?”
“No.”
“Cool. Cool. Like Madonna.” …What?
“Who the hell is Madonna?” He looks offended and like he’s going to say something until the music returns. What the hell is that? I look around the room to find the source and see nothing. I’m about to say something until the door to the room slams open. The room is filled with bright light and I have to shield my face.
When I lower my hand and fully open my eyes I’m met with a strange scene. There’s a weird rock thing with 5 legs encased in glass. I’m already starting to freak out, but then it starts to emit a loud screech and stomp one of its legs. I’m hit with the realization that it’s going to charge.
I don’t have time to think. I need to get out of here before this thing attacks me. I start ripping the wires and tubes out of my skin with my free hand, and then tear the wires from my only arm with my mouth. I roll off the bed and slam into the ground. With enough effort I get my legs to work under me and I stand on shaky legs. I grab a needle that was resting on a nearby table and point it at the thing.
“Get the fuck away from me!” I threaten it as I swing the needle in its direction. It makes a warbling noise and moves throughout the room. It starts to make its way over to me. Yeah, no way in Hell is that thing coming near me.
I hear the teacher yell something, but the blood is rushing to my ears and it’s making it impossible to hear what he’s saying. While the rock thing is distracted I rush out the door.
I need to find a way out of here.
I slam into the walls and different furniture as I make my way through the building. At some point I find myself on the floor after losing my footing. I roll over in pain since I landed on my missing arm. I look up in time to see the captures running out the room I was in. I hoist myself off the floor by using the wall and continue to look for an exit.
I open door after door looking for a way to escape but keep finding new rooms. I yell in frustration as I open yet another door to a bathroom. I take a towel from the room and throw it down the hall to slow them down. I can’t let them catch me.
I look at the last door in an open room. This has to be it. I reach for the door and swing it open. I’m hit with a sudden and very bright light. I shield my face for a second to get my bearings before dropping my arm to start running again, but I stop in my tracks.
This…this isn’t a prison. It can’t be. Can it? I look around and see a very bright orb in the sky. Much brighter than any artificial light they gave us convicts in the last prison. There’s also a ton of sand on the ground. I haven’t seen it in person before, but I’ve read about it and seen pictures. I hear the next thing before I see it. I hear the crashing waves of a body of water. I look over and see blue water shining under the light. It’s almost peaceful until it starts to morph.
The blue starts to get duller and murkier as it gets replaced with a brown-red sludge. The smell of iron hits the air. The sound of screams hit the air soon after. I go to cover my ears with my hands, but it doesn't work well when you’re missing an arm. The screams grow louder and louder. This isn’t a prison. This is a redo. They’re making me go down there again to get the black box. They’re going to weld the door shut again to send me down to the bloody ocean, to die again. They’re killing me again.
I sink to my knees as the screams keep growing louder. There’s nothing I can do to stop the screams. I squeeze my eyes shut to make them stop. I can feel my breathing get heavier and my heart pound against my chest. Then I feel a hand on my shoulder.