Trying to find home

33

TW: Gore

I woke up to the sound of beeping. My whole body felt so heavy and tired but something inside me told me to get up. It was like my whole body was screaming to go but I couldn't do it fast enough. Finally, I managed to open my eyes and I jolted up when I saw my surroundings. I was in a lab.

"Oh shit!" I whispered, throwing off the light sheet that covered me to see I was still in my suit from before. I glanced around again, looking more carefully, before sighing in relief. I knew this place. I was back at the tower. 

My heart was still beating a mile a minute as I pulled an IV out of my arms and the heart monitor off. God, I wanted a shower. I checked the clock to see it was the middle of the night. Good. Then no one would be around for a little while.

I quickly scribbled a note to leave on the bed, telling whoever found it where I was. Then, I wandered out of the room and headed for the shower.

The halls were quiet, allowing for me to slip into the bathroom unnoticed. I let my suit sink into my skin, revealing the clothes I had been wearing yesterday. I quickly pulled those off, glancing around my body to make sure there weren't any wounds left on myself. My extra limbs were still out, but I couldn't bring myself to make them go away just yet.

I turned on the shower and jumped in, letting the burning water soak through my feathers. I closed my eyes before sitting down, just letting the water burn away the dirt and darkness that had stuck to me from that place.

FLASHBACK

"Vicky!" A voice I barely recognized screamed from the darkness.

"Lexie?" I called back, confused on what was happening. Slowly, it came into focus.

Lexie was strapped to a table, tears rolling down from her deep brown eyes. She looked so scared. I was sitting in a dark room facing the lab she was in. We were separated by a large, thick plate of glass. 

"Don't let them do this!" She screamed, trying to thrash out of her restraints. I was so confused. What was happening? "Vicky! Make them stop! VICKY!"

I tried to do something, anything, but I felt so weak and dizzy. It was like everything was out of focus again. All I could do was stare.

"Oh god! Please don't! PLEASE!" I watched as doctors poured into the room, each looking eager and ready to go. Something inside of me was screaming at me to do something, to help her, but I couldn't. What were they doing?

They picked up large saws and small blades before descending upon her right arm. The screams she let out seemed to help snap me out of my stupor.

"Lexie?" I whispered, blinking rapidly. I still didn't know what was going on. What were they doing?

I had to listen to her scream for so long.

What felt like hours later, we were thrown back into our cell.

"Lexie?" I mumbled again, trying to get her blurry body to focus. I realized she was crying and rocking back and forth. "What's wrong?"

"They-they-" That was all she was able to say before dissolving into sobs again. After I minute, I saw what they had done.

Her right arm was completely gone. In it's place now sat a bloody stump covered in dark red bandages.

"Oh my god!" I screamed before rushing over to her. "Oh shit, Lexie! I'm so sorry! I didn't know! I would've done something! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" I was still weak from everything that had happened that day, but I knew what I had to do. I hadn't eaten in two days, but I was sure I could survive this.