Machines of darkness part 1
The chamber was carved from the natural grey and green bedrock of the planet. The rock walls had been cut with a precision that only a high powered plasma beam could accomplish. All surfaces were smooth and flawless, with no trace of tool marks. The chamber was deep and narrow with an arched ceiling. Small, dim, lights were evenly spaced along the entire length of the room. Four rows of opaque, grey exam tables were separated by two aisles. Two were head to head in the center and one against each outer wall. There were hundreds of them in this chamber, all coated with a fine layer of dust. This was just one in perhaps thousands of similar chambers scattered across the planet. All designed for one dark purpose.
Waade Hyatch took all these straying thoughts into his pounding head. His mind lay on the edge of conscientiousness, trying to recall what was happening to him.
“I need to get up” he thought, as struggled to do so, but he was being held firmly in place.
“What is holding me down… the bed restraints, Ahhh yes! I remember, a fight, being hit on the head with a rifle butt, pain and blood. Then someone dragging me to one of the extraction tables and forcing me on it. The restraint bars set automatically when life energy is detected, my energy. It has started, I feel the machine siphoning my life all ready. I’m so tired now, an it’s hard to think. Once the siphon starts, no one can stop it.”
Waade continued to drift in and out of coherent thought as the metallic arms of the bed squeezed him in a deadly embrace. There was a slight vibration and soft electric humm in the air. The sound was almost comforting, it was warm and inviting like the builders of this abomination wanted their victims to be lulled like a child in his mother’s arms.
Waade was just about to let him-self slip into warm, dark oblivion when the pain came. This was a pain like he never could have imagined. Nothing in his past experience would compare to this. The pleasant warmth was replaced by searing heat over his entire body. Inside a thousand knives shredded organs, muscle and bone. No single part was spared from the agony.
He could hear a voice through the pain, “We are so sorry Waade”. Pain, heat, pain, on and on it went for what seemed like hours.
“It was not supposed to be like this. We are trying to shut the machine down.” The voice lies to him.
“I should already be dead.” Waade thought, through the red haze of pain. “Let it end please!”
Then he thought of Lynne and Jahy, his wife and son He knew that they were waiting for him to come home. Needing him home, Jahy didn't have much longer before...
Holding the image of his precious family in his mind, Waade was able to focus his thoughts. He realized that his right hand wasn't in the restraint. He had managed to keep it free somehow during his struggle onto the table. Pushing through the pain and numbness creeping through his mind and body, he forced his hand to move. Slowly, inch by agonizing inch he moved his fingers that felt like they were filled with lead. He touched the clasp of the plasma cutting tool on his belt. “For my family” he thought, “For them.”*thank you for reading my tale which is a work in progress, keep a look out for part 2. Come read other tuesdays tales:
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