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S1 Week 1 EP 4

The world around me faded to a dull gray, and my surroundings slipped from my grasp.

Then darkness...

The faint smell of antiseptic pierced my senses, dragging me from the abyss of darkness. Colors popped in my peripheral, and a bright light burned behind my closed lids as if trying to break free from my skull.

Words, thousands of them, filled my head once again. But this time, none made sense.

The buzz of static filled my ears, followed by a high-pitched whine. And then I heard them—the voices, but this time, they were deep and methodical. Each syllable dripped with cold detachment, sending my soul into the deepest part of my being.

A new wave of smells hit me—sterile, chemical, almost fake. And with it came the sensation of movement, soft and fluid, like floating in a pool of thick water.

My eyelids cracked open, and a sea of white blinded me. Bright light filled my vision, and I squinted at the sudden onslaught.

Hands, dozens of them, held me tight, the grip firm but gentle as they moved me from one place to the next.

The hum of machinery filled the room, and I blinked, forcing the world to come into focus. My head darted to the left, then the right, taking in the surroundings.

Everything was alien.

The walls were a dull gray with no discerning marks. The faint outline of a door and window could be seen at one end of the room. But it felt off—sterile, cold, and clinical.

“Where am I?” The words came out in a garbled mess. “Hello?”

I tried to move, but my body felt heavy, as if weighed down by an invisible force. My arms and legs hung limp at my sides, held in place by unseen hands, and a deep-seated ache throbbed inside my pussy.

The world swayed, and I blinked, trying to focus on the figures around me.

At first, they were only outlines, thin and short in stature like the others. But then, my vision cleared, and I frowned, taking in the sight before me. The alien-like figures seemed out of place, almost surreal.

“What the hell...” I swallowed, trying to wet my parched throat.

Just as before, they were short, about three and a half feet tall, with large heads that dwarfed their tiny bodies.

How the fuck do they hold those things up?

Eyes, deep and black, sunk into their skulls, and small slits for noses and mouths made them look like something out of a bad sci-fi flick. Their skin, smooth, and the color of wet slate stone, glistened under the bright overhead lights.

“Is this real?” I licked my lips, taking in the sight of the eight Grays, whose inky-black orbs sparkled with a hue I couldn’t quite place.

Armless chairs lined the room, and the Grays shuffled about, preparing for what looked like a surgical procedure.

‘We have another one. This one is Subject 42—female, age twenty-eight, Earthling...’

Once again, the words echoed in my mind, not out loud as one would expect in a conversation.

No, it was as if they had bypassed my ears altogether and gone straight to my brain.

I blinked, stunned by the turn of events.

“Where am I?” The words were a hot mess in my mind.

The Grays continued about, oblivious to my questions. That or they just didn’t give a shit.

‘Subject’s vitals...’ One Gray pulled out a thin metal object and stuck it in my side. ‘Are...’

I winced, expecting pain. But there was none. Instead, a warm sensation filled my core, spreading to my form. My muscles relaxed, and the tension that filled me moments ago melted away, leaving behind a sense of euphoria.

‘...within normal parameters,’ a deep voice spoke up, and I glanced around the room, trying to place it. But there was only me and the Grays.

‘The other subject’s expiration occurred much sooner than expected during phase two.’ The Gray with the stick pulled it from my side, and I gasped. ‘This one...has potential.’

‘We should consider putting her in the environment tonight.’

Something about its tone gave me the creeps—cold, calculating, and detached.

‘The audience is growing restless.’ The Gray with the stick flicked his wrist, and the thin metal object disappeared into a fold in his skin.

‘We need to keep it engaged.’ Another voice crooned in my head.

‘Indeed...’ A Gray from across the room chimed in.

‘Then it’s official. Subject 42 will enter phase two,’ Stick Boy continued, ‘The Farm environment within twenty hours...’

Fuck, I didn’t want to know what phase two was, and I sure as hell didn’t want to find out where and what the environment was.

Shit. How many other humans had suffered this same fate?

‘...and will be accompanied by four NPCs.’

In the blink of an eye, the Grays gathered around me, their dark eyes reflecting the overhead light.

“What the fuck?” Panic set in as I tried to move. “Let me go.”

But my voice fell on deaf ears as they laid my limp body on an armless chair that had a high backrest and slanted at a forty-five-degree angle.

“I want to go home.” The words tumbled out. “Please.”

Fear and panic took hold, playing with my emotions.

“Just let me go,” I pleaded, my voice raw with emotion.

But the Grays ignored me, shuffling about as if on autopilot. They moved with the grace of ballerinas, spinning and twirling in a methodical display that would have been mesmerizing if not for the terrifying situation.

The room seemed to hum with life, almost as if the walls knew what the Grays were thinking. And then the mechanical hum returned, followed by the buzzing of static.

One of the little fuckers next to me, leaned in a few inches from my face. It tilted its head, its eyes sparkling with interest.

‘Subject 42 is now stable, we may proceed.’ Its voice was but a whisper, yet it rang in my ears.

The head of a syringe popped out of the fold in its skin, and I swallowed, glancing at the glowing white liquid that filled the barrel.

‘Gravity enhancements will be administered. Now.’ The Gray pulled back, and the needle followed, coming to rest above my left nipple. 'And then this phase will conclude.'

“No...” I turned my head, pressing my lids shut. “No, no, no... This isn’t happening.”

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