Juliet's Tryst

Chapter 35: He Smelled of Blood and Death

TW: Needles, graphic violence- rated M!

The next few hours were spent in a stupor. There were so many questions, every detail of her life examined. To her horror, much of it was already known. They knew about her troubled relationship with her father. They knew about her mental health issue (because of the hospital stay, post-attempt). Even her childhood cat,  Annie, wasn't sacred. Every time she hesitated to answer something, torture was threatened in increasingly elaborate ways. The questions left her in tears, shaking with panic. Was this really how she was going to end her life? 

Then, a nurse came in rolling a cart with tools. Juliet was so panicked at this point that the mere sight of metal implements made her wail in pain.

"Relax," her captor said. "Just taking some blood and swabbing DNA. The rest of the procedure will be done on your cadaver." 

The world was blurry with tears. Each breath shallow and belabored. Her hands shook acutely. Her skin, pale from shock. There were even patches of green and blue where her veins became visible. The large man, who was called the Sarge, simply pressed her shoulder in the wall behind her and insterted the needle into her well exposed veins. He didn't sterilize it. It was thick. She screamed as it opened her arm. 

Her necklace vibrated against both her and the Sarge's skin. He leaned back and took a second look at the delicate piece of jewelry.

"There something you hiding from me?" This time, the tone was different, a sadistic excitement instead of a professional blandness. Instinctually, Juliet understood he finally found a legitimate reason to hurt her. 

"No," Juliet whispered. He was still holding her shoulder, smelling of blood and death. She hoped he didn't have a wife and kids to come home to. 

"Pieces of jewelry don't just vibrate when other metal is inserted into their wearer, huh?" He simply took out the needle and pierced a different part of her arm. Juliet screamed as she felt felt it go deep. She struggled against the larger man, but now he had pushed his whole weight against her- effectively pinning her shoulder vertically to the wall. Is this how butterflies felt when they were pinned? The necklace vibrated with more intensity. 

Juliet, Juliet, Juliet, Juliet.The voice of the Kulon pierced her brain. 

He took the needle out. 

"I'm going to need that," he sat back in his chair, and placing a bloody needle down. Juliet didn't look, but she could feel that her arm was no longer dry. Wooziness permeated her thoughts, as she watched a pair of pliers be brought to her neck. He wasn't careful, and nicked and bit her with them at any chance he could. 

Juliet, let me go. You must let me go. 

Go, then, go then.She replied with her thoughts, gritting her teeth at each instance of sharp pain. The world was starting to look odd. Her elbows and knees were starting to seriously swell, making it hard to bend them. Was this all it took? Was she going to die? 

Juliet, listen. I will protect you. You must let me go. 

I don't know what you want! Go! 

Take a deep breath out. 

She obeyed, the moment that Dee left her for the first time three years ago flashing through her brain. Parting, in all its bitterness. As a viewer of her own memory, now she knew that it  was goodbye. Goodbye for her own safety. Goodbye, just in case Dee didn't come home from the war. 

"Aha, there it is. Fucking Kyrion technology." 

The Kulon pooled out of the necklace and onto his hands. The Sarge screamed. His skin started to peel and wither in each spot it touched. He frantically tried to brush it off, but it continued a brutal march up his arms. It seemed to spread, get larger. 

It was feeding off of him. Once it reached his shoulder, he collapsed. Silent. 

"Stop!" Juliet screamed, reaching out to him. She could hear the marching towards the room. They were going to kill her. They were heading here with guns... and more guns. She slumped down to the ground, not being able to stand from all the pain she was in. She crawled towards the man, and checked for a pulse. 

There was none. It must have reached his heart. The substance pooled beside him, a good five times larger than before. She stuck her hand in it. 

"Stop," she said. "No more killing." She was going to pay the price for it. 

Killing to protect you is not killing. 

"I am but one life-form on this planet, how could I matter?" There were so many other 'Juliets' on the planet. Helpless, broken and utterly useless. "Why are you protecting me?" 

Not useless.Love.

The door swung open. The Kulon vanished from under her hand. It morphed into a barrier, filling the open doorway, exactly like the doors at home. Juliet crawled back into a corner as the men took one look at the Kulon and opened fire. She closed her eyes, waiting for the first shock.

It absorbed the bullets, just like it had with the human skin. It grew thicker, reaching out towards the soldiers. They fired all of their rounds, and backed away from it. They learned quickly not to touch it. Finally she looked down at the gash on her arm. She could barely rip her shirt because the swelling in her joints rendered her muscles useless. A pitiful little strip came off. She weakly placed a hand on her arm, putting as much pressure as she could.

There was no more pain, as the shock set in. There were so many unbelievable things about the situation- there was no more capacity inside her process much more. The gunfire finally stopped. 

Juliet coughed violently. As she looked down, there was a spray of blood around her.

The guns go skrrra, pow pow pow pow pow.