Everything feels wrong. I blink at the lights shining in my face. My surroundings seem oversaturated, blinding. Spots of color leap out, making it hard to see anything even ten feet away.
It soon becomes clear that I am tied up. Plastic bands wrap around my wrists and ankles; I am trapped here in this too-bright place, and this hits me with such force that I double over.
Why am I here? What happened? Why is everything so bright? And then right before all my questions become too much, there’s the click of a lock, amplified by the silence.
“Hello.” The voice that comes from just beyond the light sounds slippery, sliding out of their mouth and into my ears, leaving them seeming slimy. The voice laughs, but I still can’t see the person through the bright fog. “So you can hear me. Wonderful. I thought you might not, after all that’s happened.”
I try to speak, but the words die in my throat.
The voice laughs again. “Oh, don’t bother with that, little one.” There are footsteps, then the faint outline of a person. They are tall, broad-shouldered, and confident in a possessive sort of way. “What do you remember?” There’s force to the words, and I almost speak, but shake my head violently instead. I don’t remember, so there’s nothing to say.
I fight down the panic struggling to consume me.
“Still silent, little one?” The figure’s words sound hungry somehow, especially the way they say “little one.” They step closer, and I start to see their face. He looks familiar, but I can’t place how. He’s old, that much I know. And the gelled-back gray-white hair and sharp features accentuated by the harsh light tell me that I probably wasn’t fond of this person. “You don’t remember me? Well, I suppose that makes sense.”
I try to scoot back in my chair, but it doesn’t budge. The panic is starting to rise up again. “Who — who are you, then?” I manage to stutter out.
“Why, I’m Noah Thornton, pleased to make your acquaintance. Your boss, too, so mind your manners.” By this point, Noah is right in front of me. He kneels down and looks me in the eye, smiling a predatory smile. “You had such potential.”
Here, something snaps. “What do you mean, ‘had’?” I spit, but he only chuckles, standing back up. He fiddles with his tie and smirks.
“What I mean to say is that you failed. Now everyone you loved is gone. Though I suppose that doesn’t matter to you, since you can’t remember anything of your past. Well, let me just tell you then, yes? Emma loved you the most. She was the last to go. She was pulled away by a massive, hulking thing, and you didn’t even try to save her. Just stood there, smiling. You liked the pain you were causing, see. And where are you now? Trapped.” He grins, relishing the fear radiating from me. Was I the same as Noah with everyone I knew? I shake my head, pushing away his gaze and words.
“Oh, yes, you were exactly like this.” His smirk grows wider. How did he know what I was thinking? “Do you want me to tell you of your best friend? Adam died fighting, if that’s any consolation. Right by your side, in fact. He was taken by the tentacled creature and you did nothing to stop it. Now, this was before you enjoyed the terror, but I like to think this was the turning point. The first death, and you had already given up.
“You changed after that. And, despite this, they stayed. The lives of everyone who cared for you ended painfully, but not more, perhaps, than July. Now, you didn’t know July very well, but they loved you. You had a way with people — a charisma, shall we say. A lot of people cared for you, but you never noticed. July was different, more stupidly brave. And because of this bravery, they died saving you, and you laughed at their anguish. You see, while a lot of the monsters and other such beings were on your side, our side, many also wanted you dead. Georgia was one such being. One with a fiery temper, and even more fiery tendencies. July jumped in front of the fire aimed at your chest and hit the floor right at your feet. You laughed at their tears. While they grasped at life, you turned heel, never to think of the tragedy again.”
I’m crying now. It’s not pretty crying, either, but the kind that leaves your face a red, wet, snotty mess. “Please stop,” I whisper, trying in vain to sound braver than I am.
“Oh, come now, Agnes, you’re an adult who can deal with her issues. And I think it’s important for you to know about all of this! So,” he begins, putting his hands together so that his fingertips are just touching, “do you remember anything?”
I don’t, of course, so I shake my head slightly. He sighs, turns around, and stalks out of my view.
“I figured as much.”
The door clicks shut, and I am left alone.
It soon becomes clear that I am tied up. Plastic bands wrap around my wrists and ankles; I am trapped here in this too-bright place, and this hits me with such force that I double over.
Why am I here? What happened? Why is everything so bright? And then right before all my questions become too much, there’s the click of a lock, amplified by the silence.
“Hello.” The voice that comes from just beyond the light sounds slippery, sliding out of their mouth and into my ears, leaving them seeming slimy. The voice laughs, but I still can’t see the person through the bright fog. “So you can hear me. Wonderful. I thought you might not, after all that’s happened.”
I try to speak, but the words die in my throat.
The voice laughs again. “Oh, don’t bother with that, little one.” There are footsteps, then the faint outline of a person. They are tall, broad-shouldered, and confident in a possessive sort of way. “What do you remember?” There’s force to the words, and I almost speak, but shake my head violently instead. I don’t remember, so there’s nothing to say.
I fight down the panic struggling to consume me.
“Still silent, little one?” The figure’s words sound hungry somehow, especially the way they say “little one.” They step closer, and I start to see their face. He looks familiar, but I can’t place how. He’s old, that much I know. And the gelled-back gray-white hair and sharp features accentuated by the harsh light tell me that I probably wasn’t fond of this person. “You don’t remember me? Well, I suppose that makes sense.”
I try to scoot back in my chair, but it doesn’t budge. The panic is starting to rise up again. “Who — who are you, then?” I manage to stutter out.
“Why, I’m Noah Thornton, pleased to make your acquaintance. Your boss, too, so mind your manners.” By this point, Noah is right in front of me. He kneels down and looks me in the eye, smiling a predatory smile. “You had such potential.”
Here, something snaps. “What do you mean, ‘had’?” I spit, but he only chuckles, standing back up. He fiddles with his tie and smirks.
“What I mean to say is that you failed. Now everyone you loved is gone. Though I suppose that doesn’t matter to you, since you can’t remember anything of your past. Well, let me just tell you then, yes? Emma loved you the most. She was the last to go. She was pulled away by a massive, hulking thing, and you didn’t even try to save her. Just stood there, smiling. You liked the pain you were causing, see. And where are you now? Trapped.” He grins, relishing the fear radiating from me. Was I the same as Noah with everyone I knew? I shake my head, pushing away his gaze and words.
“Oh, yes, you were exactly like this.” His smirk grows wider. How did he know what I was thinking? “Do you want me to tell you of your best friend? Adam died fighting, if that’s any consolation. Right by your side, in fact. He was taken by the tentacled creature and you did nothing to stop it. Now, this was before you enjoyed the terror, but I like to think this was the turning point. The first death, and you had already given up.
“You changed after that. And, despite this, they stayed. The lives of everyone who cared for you ended painfully, but not more, perhaps, than July. Now, you didn’t know July very well, but they loved you. You had a way with people — a charisma, shall we say. A lot of people cared for you, but you never noticed. July was different, more stupidly brave. And because of this bravery, they died saving you, and you laughed at their anguish. You see, while a lot of the monsters and other such beings were on your side, our side, many also wanted you dead. Georgia was one such being. One with a fiery temper, and even more fiery tendencies. July jumped in front of the fire aimed at your chest and hit the floor right at your feet. You laughed at their tears. While they grasped at life, you turned heel, never to think of the tragedy again.”
I’m crying now. It’s not pretty crying, either, but the kind that leaves your face a red, wet, snotty mess. “Please stop,” I whisper, trying in vain to sound braver than I am.
“Oh, come now, Agnes, you’re an adult who can deal with her issues. And I think it’s important for you to know about all of this! So,” he begins, putting his hands together so that his fingertips are just touching, “do you remember anything?”
I don’t, of course, so I shake my head slightly. He sighs, turns around, and stalks out of my view.
“I figured as much.”
The door clicks shut, and I am left alone.