Panic Attack

Untitled Part 2

Rocket wasn’t exactly sure what had happened after that, but he did recall being suddenly dropped quite unceremoniously onto the hard pavement and his lungs suddenly filling with air. A shiver racked his body, making his hair stand up on end when he heard his attacker shouting at him. “Nothing can save you… find you again freak… you’re dea-“ He flinched violently when the man’s words were cut off by the sound of electricity. Rocket could feel himself shaking now and he was back in the lab, cowering in the corner of his cage. The bars were thick and so close together so that he could hardly reach through them even with his small hands.

There were sounds of screaming animals, some with human vocal chords such as himself and others completely animalistic. But they still screamed nonetheless. The bottom of the cage was cold and the room he and about a dozen more subjects were in was lit with a harsh white light that made him cringe.

Rocket heard someone in the brightly lit hallway, walking by the cages that lined the walls, coming closer, closer, until the footsteps stopped at the shivering raccoon’s cage. The figure opened the cage door and Rocket pressed himself back against the wall, trying to disappear into the corner, but the figure’s hands reached into the cage, grabbing him harshly by the shoulders. Rocket lashed out instantly, scraping the figure’s wrist.

The figure pulled back shouting angrily something that Rocket couldn’t understand, only making the quivering creature cower further into the cage. The figure leaned down again, reaching its hands in more slowly this time, grasping him by the arms so the experiment couldn’t escape.

No escape no escape no escape…

The words ran over and over again through Rocket’s mind. He had heard that phrase so many times before. Every time he tried to run, every time he tried to get out of this prison. There was no escape.

               Rocket clutched his head in his hands, running his small fingers through his fur as the memory faded away. “I got out.” He assured himself. “I’m fine, I’m okay.” He kept whispering these phrases, his arms wrapped around his chest as he paced about the room. “I escaped. I escaped.”

               The words twisted in his mind as another memory trying to force its way upon his sanity. “No no no.” He pulled on his fur trying to keep himself sane and in reality. Another flash.

               Cages lined the walls.

               “No.” He began to shake.

               He couldn’t move.

               “No no!”

               All he knew was that his back hurt immensely as the metallic implants were attached to some type of machine.

               “No no no.”

               His hands and feet were pinned down and a harsh light was shining in his eyes making him cringe. He let out a yelp of pain when he felt something prodding at his implants. Over the years of being in the laboratory as an experiment, he had been put through a lot of pain and had learned to block it out until it had passed. But this was different, the implants that were surgically placed into his shoulders had left scars and infection making that spot especially sensitive.

               He tried to turn his head toward where he knew someone was standing. He gasped when a sharp pain ran up his spine and Rocket struggled to escape his restraints as something was attached to his back. He felt a hand grab him and roughly shove him back to his original position while the other hand prodded at his back.