by J. L. Imhoff
My mind is clear. Wouldn’t all my thoughts be jumbled if I were medicated?
Feelings of joy penetrated every cell of my body, in conflict with the depression tearing at my heart and empty womb. This new body would not allow me to be sad, but the loss of my baby tore my heart into shreds.
If this is real, I have to grieve.
The depth of my loss pulled at me. Feeling happy would be a betrayal. Having a baby and a family with David was my dream. I’ve lost that. I want to be sad. Be sad, darn it.
What if I had kept the baby a secret from him longer? Would I still be here? Somewhere deep inside of me I knew it wouldn’t have changed anything. Convulsions racked my body again.
“Everything happens for a reason,” was the positive dribble I used to believe in. Before I died. Before my boyfriend killed me. David, how could you do this? You killed our baby.
You will pay for this, if it’s the last thing I do—you will pay.
To stay in my denial, and believe this was a hallucination, was self-preservation 101. I had to believe it, because believing anything else—believing what they said—was pure insanity.
My mind formulated many questions to ask, and my usual impatience grew the more I thought. I need the basics until I can think of a plan.
Fool them, my brain urged. If I was in a psyche ward, fool them. Let them believe, and get comfortable with, my compliance.
But how?
I drank again from the fountain of water. I need time to think.
Clothing? Where are my clothes? My hand went to my neck. My locket, where is it? Think. Remember.
Turning my attention to my surroundings, I explored the rest of the huge room. I ran my hand over the walls to see if anything else would change or pop out. It did. A small door slid open and a tiny room the size of a closet appeared. Inside was a small circular bowl, with a soft seat, sitting only a few inches off the ground. Is that their toilet? Ugh, that does not look comfortable. As I stepped back from it, the door slid closed and blended into the wall. My bladder pointedly reminded me I needed to use it, comfortable or not, so I did.
I searched the rest of the room for hidden doors. Another one slid open, and inside I found some toiletries, towels, and more gowns similar to the one I wore.
Back at the sink, I used one of the sponges I found to scrub my face, desperate to see if the color would come off. My mouth tasted stale, so I rinsed it out and brushed my teeth with something resembling a toothbrush.
I rummaged through the closet for different clothing, but found no alternates. Abhorring what they’d dressed me in, but with few options, I grabbed a clean one from the closet, and put it on. I waved my hand over the wall by the door and it slid open.
Back in the bedroom, I checked out every inch. As I approached the main door, it opened, revealing an empty hallway.
Go, Anna, get the heck out of here. The doctors back home will fix you. Go, now, before she comes back.
Chapter 4
The hallway ended in a huge circular room, housing several large tanks of neon green water in the center and a half-dozen hallways branching off it. The echo of dripping water reverberated around the empty room. An aroma of seawater, and fleeting scents of fish and seaweed, filled my nose. But the place was empty.
This is too easy.
Keeping my back to the outside wall, I snaked my way around to the far side. The first hallway was vacant also. Doesn’t anyone work around here? It dead-ended in a room filled with body-sized capsules, stacked on top of each other, lining the walls.
There were at least fifty of the capsules made of some sort of thick plastic. I tiptoed over to one of them. The plastic was smoky and blocked my view of the inside, but as I ran my hand over it, the material became clear, and a body appeared through the window. I jumped, shocked.
Sleeping body or dead body? Is it a casket?
Terrified, a new surge of fear coursed through my body and I stumbled backward. My breathing increased to match the frantic staccato of my heart. This room was a dead end, a tomb, with no doors, windows, or anything connected other than the hallway I’d come down. I sprinted back to try another hallway, but voices stopped me in my tracks.
After they passed, at the end of hallway number two was another large room, filled with an in-ground pool system. Three of the pools, the size of hot tubs, were filled with steaming mud in different colors—red, black, and brown. An equal number of pools, with steaming water, not mud, sat on the far side of the room. It resembled some kind of ancient bathhouse.
My breathing slowed and I held my breath, thinking it would help me remain unseen. I watched in horrific fascination as these strange people mingled, naked and covered in mud. Weird rich people.
No other hallways connected to this room, so I slinked back the way I had come. My luck would run out eventually, it always did, and someone would find me. Panic clouded my mind.
Passing the room I’d woken up in, I ran down the hallway in the other direction. An open area appeared in the distance, so I dug deep and increased my speed.
Go. Get out now. Forget what you’ve seen.
My heart hammered loudly in my chest. Light from windows illuminated my path and gave me hope of freedom. Yes! Please, please be a way out.
The open area was a large circular, domed room with five different hallways branching off it. I hesitated for a moment, unsure of which way to go.
Taking a gamble, I sprinted to the hallway on the far left. As I ran, I craned my head back and forth, transparent walls allowing me a partial view of the outside. It was heartening to see gardens abundant with green foliage and countless varieties of flowers I’d never seen. Maybe it’s an island of some kind. I paused for a second to catch my breath and unconsciously touched the wall. It was soft and had a gelatinous texture. Weirder. Just get out, now.
About midway down the hallway was a door. Growing comfortable with the hand-wave function, I opened it without hesitation, rushed down a spiral staircase, in my haste, slipping down the last few steps. It led out into the lush garden.
The fragrance from the flowers was heavy and as I opened my mouth, panting, I could taste them. The aroma became intoxicating and I grew dizzy so I stopped and looked around.
White domed buildings trimmed in gold and made of a stucco-type material surrounded the garden. Maybe I’m in the Mediterranean. A strong sense of familiarity as I looked around brought on the strange déjà vu feeling again. Maybe I’ve seen this place in a travel magazine or something. Yes, I’m sure that’s it.
Equilibrium restored, I didn’t linger to observe the beauty of the place. I wanted out.
My heart thundered in my chest, my ears pounded, and my breath came in short pants. Run, run, I told myself. Which way now?
There has to be a road somewhere, right? I can flag down a car and have them take me to the nearest police station.
I sprinted away from the building, and across a small meadow. It ended against a transparent wall of some sort. My heart fell into my stomach when my eyes focused on what was beyond the wall.
Crap. Where am I?
Hundreds of fish swam behind the wall as if it was a giant aquarium.
With my arms outstretched to touch the barrier, I craned my neck straight up for the first time, and then back. More ocean. Sea creatures swam overhead outside a dome structure, which blanketed the city.
I’m not on an island after all. I’m under the sea.
Trapped.
No! This is impossible. There has to be a way out.
My hands had frozen midair inches from touching the wall. Now, as they closed the distance, the wall reached out to me, a living glob, trying to absorb my hands.
Instantly I snapped them back, stumbled backward, and fell to the ground. I’d officially reached meltdown level. I’m going insane.
Correction, I’m not going insane. I am insane.
David was right.
When I hit the ground, a laugh resonated from the foliage. On my back, I craned
my head and searched the flowers for the source. A man with long dark brown hair and human skin sat off to the side, hidden in the foliage, whittling a long stick.
He’s human. Maybe he’ll help me get out of here.
“Oh thank God, please help me,” I cried. Tears of joy, relief, and terror trickled from the corners of my eyes.
His intense espresso-brown eyes locked with mine. Scars crisscrossed his torso, visible because he wore only a short, faded maroon wrap tied around his waist.
What kind of costume is that? Is he a caveman?
He tilted his head a fraction to the right, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply.
“Will you help me?” I pleaded, rolling over onto my hands and knees.
“No,” he barked, breaking his silence and returning to his chore.
“I’ve been kidnapped and my body mutilated, don’t you care? Will you call the police for me?”
He froze, squinted, and pursed his full lips. “No,” he answered again as he turned his attention back to his project. His forearm-long knife gleamed as he turned it.
The spit dried in my mouth as fear ran up my spine and settled in my throat. Maybe I should try a gentler approach. “What… are you doing?” I asked, while eyeing the knife.
“Can you not see?” he huffed, his voice mangled with a heavy accent I didn’t recognize.
Forget it—I don’t have time to waste on this rude man. “Will you at least tell me which way to get out of here?”
He laughed, and then pointed up. My eyes followed the direction he indicated, to the top of the dome.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, exasperated.
“If you want to leave, you’ll have to swim out of here.”
“Swim, okay I can swim. I’m a pretty good swimmer.” A tiny flicker of hope built within my heart.
He laughed again, louder this time.
“Fine, don’t help me,” I snapped. I stood, dusted myself off, picked a random direction, and ran. I don’t have time to waste. Get out of here.
I stopped several times to catch my breath. Staying close to the dome, I moved until I was exhausted, my muscles twitching. I needed a place to hide, to rest, and to think.
The closest building had a sign next to the front entrance written in a foreign language. Unable to read it, I stared, as a tickle at the back of my mind told me I should know the language. I traced the strange letters with my fingers, the cold black metal smooth under my touch. Almost as if I could hear whispers coming out of a fog, the feeling I knew what it meant intensified. Strangely, I was sure I’d been here before. Shaking my head to clear the feelings, I scolded myself for becoming distracted.
What is wrong with me?
As I entered the building and my feet touched the floor, a pulse of electricity shocked me, causing me to stumble and fall. At least no one was in here to witness my clumsiness.
The floor was made of a thick, cloudy-looking material, and a light pulsed beneath it. A tingle went up my arms and feet where they touched, and permeated my entire body. I tried to crawl out of the room, but my arms became heavy. Feeling as if every cell in my body vibrated at a high frequency, I closed my eyes and swallowed a wave of nausea.
As I opened my eyes, peace and calm replaced my anxiety and fear. The vibrations gave me a buzz, and I felt drunk.
I regained control of my hands and feet and crawled out of the building. After a minute to gather my senses, I got up and looked around. What is this place? Oz? Wonderland? Peaceful feelings from the strange place lingered.
Towering above everything else stood a reddish metallic pyramid, up on its own little hill. Mesmerized, I walked in the direction of it, surprised no one chased me.
Oblivious to me, people walked in the gardens, but I didn’t ask them for help, they were all similar to Lily—I didn’t think they would help me. As I walked, slowing my pace, I noticed no one said a word. The more intently I listened for any kind of sound, the eerie silence intensified. Could ears burst from straining? I heard nothing but the echo of light footsteps when someone passed me. No birds, no breeze, simply a vacant stillness.
Strangely, a weird kind of outside arena with people tending to fruit trees, green mossy pools, and gardens, was on my trek to the pyramid.
Still searching for a place to hide and rest, I tried another building, but it was locked. I moved on until I found myself at the base of the giant pyramid, seemingly in the center of the city.
From the base on the hill, I looked around, appreciating the vantage point. The city surrounded the pyramid in a circular pattern. Domed buildings connected to each other by a web of transparent tunnels. Lush gardens filled with exotic flowers surrounded every structure. Glimmers of light bounced around the city from an unseen source.
This… is heaven.
Hypnotized by the city’s beauty, I didn’t notice anyone approach me from behind. As I turned back to face the pyramid, I came face to face with Lily, as well as the giant human man in the maroon wrap.
Crap. Run, Anna.
I took off at full speed, running in the opposite direction. As I turned my head to see if they followed me, I ran smack into a tree, and fell to the ground. Looking up, I saw it wasn’t a tree I’d run into. The giant human-looking man towered over me. What is he, some pro wrestler or something?
“You should watch where you’re going,” he scolded. He reached down, plucked me up from the ground as though I was nothing more than a rag doll, and threw me over his shoulder.
“Hey, let me go!” I kicked and screamed as he carried me back to the woman, pounding my fists into his rock-hard flesh. Since when do guys have six packs on their lower backs?
“Where do you want her, Lily?” he asked, completely ignoring my protests.
“In the Healing Center,” she sighed.
“Put me down, you overgrown ogre,” I roared, as I continued my pummeling of his back.
He chuckled as he ambled back to the Healing Center. Efficiently, he returned me to the same room I’d come from, plopped me down onto the bed from which I had awakened, and then left without another word.
I crawled into the bed, and pulled the covers up to my chin, trying to contain my fury but failing. “How could you do this to me?” I screamed at Lily, as tears streamed down my face. “You can’t keep me a prisoner.”
She approached the bed, sat down next to me, and attempted to hold my hand. I jerked it away from her, not wanting to touch. Touching her would make it real.
“Your feelings will change. Give it time. You need to heal and learn about us.”
I shook with rage. “I don’t want to learn about you. I want to go home. David has to pay for what he did.”
“I don’t know what happened that brought you to us, but we gave you a new life. Without us, you would be dead. Is that what you wanted?”
“No… of course not. I don’t believe anything you say. Look at me—I’m a mutant. And… what… what about my baby? You didn’t answer me.”
“Ah, yes.” She paused and hung her head. “I’m sorry.”
Confirmation of what I feared and knew. I couldn’t wrap my tiny brain around it. I buried my head in the pillow and cried until my throat was raw and my stomach ached. My heart heavy with the weight of the loss.
The door clicked open and Lucas whispered, “Lily, do you think she needs something to help her sleep?”
“Yes,” Lily answered.
“No,” I barked, thumping my fists into the mattress as I sat up.
“It will be here if you want it.” He placed a cup of liquid on the bedside table. “Drink, it’s only something to help you relax,” he grinned, exiting the room.
I didn’t want to consume anything that would make my brain fuzzy. My mind had to be clear to process and remember exactly what had happened, what she’d said, and what I’d seen.
“You said we were in the sea, not under the sea,” I challenged, turning to face Lily.
“We’ll talk about it, in detail, after y
ou’ve had time to calm down. I’m sorry you misunderstood. You’ll learn about our home soon enough,” she explained. She stood and walked toward the door. “You haven’t had anything to eat. Do you have an appetite yet?”
“You expect me to eat? Are you kidding? I want to go home,” I begged. My eyes nearly swollen shut—my emotions raw.
“We’ve been over this. My answers will not change. I’ll get you something to eat and have it brought here. You can choose to consume it or not. I’ll be back.” She left and the door closed.
I ran to the door and waved my hand all over the wall. Nothing. Locked. Dammit. Knowing the only way out was this door; I went back to bed and crawled in. I need to think. I need a plan. Maybe I can gain their trust and they will let down their guard. Then I’ll escape. Feign compliance.
Lily returned within a few minutes with a tray. “Here, I have some spirulina algae mixed with purple dulse seaweed. It’s not what they have in the human world, but is what we eat here. You’ll enjoy it.” She handed me the tray. It had two bowls on it, with a tall glass of water. The bowls had the most awful-looking mush in them I’d ever seen.
“No offense, but this looks vile,” I complained. I won’t eat that crap.
“I’ve spent a bit of time in the human world. I understand this is different for you. But I promise, it’s not as bad as it looks.” She took the biggest bowl, spooned out a bit, and offered it to me.
“You can’t be serious.”
“It’s the purest form of nutrition we have. We eat for fuel, to feed our bodies. This is good and it’ll taste good to you. It wouldn’t to a human, but our taste buds are different, more sensitive. We appreciate flavors a mere human wouldn’t detect.”
I rolled my eyes at her, hoping she would offer another option. I pushed her hand aside and pulled the covers over my head as I turned my back to her, taking a fetal position with my arms wrapped around a pillow. Yes, I was being a brat, but at the moment, I didn’t care.