Hemophobia (Feel free to participate.)

To read the previous posts, go here.


Lick your lips, shuddering under the delight of his life blood as it passes over your tongue.

Oh God, it’s delicious. It should definitely not be so delicious. Something’s wrong. Something’s really wrong.

You don’t care.

Wipe your mouth and tell Silas sorry for being a bit rough with the skrewdriver.

Your hand tightens on the screwdriver’s handle. You aren’t sorry. Why would you tell him you’re sorry? And why on Earth would you wipe your mouth off when you can just get it all with your tongue? No need in wasting it. So delicious.

You have him cornered now. He can’t get away and he knows it.

You’re so very hungry.

Approach, one foot after the other, muttering something like “Oooooh, Silas, you—”

Hold that thought.

Silas?



What Silas?

>:Frantically look around! You must've done something to him.

Wait.



What’s happening?



THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT NORMAL




…you’re actually kind of okay with passing out this time.

What a bad dream… or at least hope it was a dream. Wake up and look around. What do I remember?

You wake up a little feeble and a lot confused. You’re rather discombobulated— more so than usual— and you can’t feel your left hand. This is a sensation that you are rather used to, but it bothers you nonetheless.



You peer at the rectangular window in front of you but don’t look out of it, as its light is hurting your eyes a little bit. Instead you proceed to freak out because you just breathed and that was definitely liquid, not air.

Ow. Your neck really hurts.

I'm drowning! Or at least I should be. Pound on my container. Someone get me out!

This whole pounding thing isn't really working out for you. Having one hand is quite the disadvantage. Oddly enough, you don't feel like you're drowning. Well, you do, but in one sense. In the other sense, you don't. Because you're apparently still getting oxygen in your lungs.

Okay then. With the knowledge that you're probably not going to die from whatever this liquid is, you can calm down a little bit and feel around the rather claustrophobic confines of this... whatever it is you're in.

You find what feels like a handle a little way down and to the right of the window.

Your neck still hurts.

Rub my neck. Is something on it?

Not just on your neck; there’s something in your neck. Well, not your neck; the space between your shoulder and your neck. Same difference. The lights on the other side of the window go out just as you pull the object out of your neck.



Hm. It seems that Leland misplaced his screwdriver again. He really needs to be more careful with that thing.

Dear God! Check your wounds.

You shift the screwdriver to your mouth so your hand is free to check out that stab wound. It’s not all that wide, just really deep, but it doesn’t feel like it hit anything major. It’s not a big deal. You can stitch it up later, once you’re out of here.



And don’t leave the room! Maybe this stuff you’re floating in is keeping you alive!

It’s not a room, nor are you floating. You’re more propped upright in some sort of containment unit a square foot or so larger than a coffin. You do think that sticking around here a little while longer is probably a good idea, as it doesn’t seem to be hurting you. If anything, your neck actually hurts a little bit less than it did before, and the same was true from the other, less noticeable injuries that you sustained prior to awakening in here.

You really don’t like small spaces, though. They remind you of actually being in a coffin, of the incessant drum of dirt on the lid…

Look out the window while you wait. If the lights are out then no one will see you peeking through it.

You lean forward slightly to try and see what’s on the other side of the window. You can’t make out much. It’s dark out there and the room seems pretty bare from what you can tell.



WAIT WHAT WHOSE HAND IS THAT OH GOD OH GOD

Prepare your screwdriver incase you need it. Listen to see if there’s any sounds of a struggle outside.



You transfer the screwdriver from your mouth to your hand and hold it at the ready, shaking a little bit. You can’t hear a thing, although as the hand withdraws from the glass, you swear you heard someone say something.

Sounded like “Sorry.”

Say: “Where am I?”

Glub glub glub?



Did it sound like Silas?

Huh? That would be silly if Silas was out there because you’re in here. Unless they made a doppelganger. It could happen, you suppose.

Does the container feel like it’s beening transported? Wait a few minutes before pulling the handle by the window.

The container is definitely stationary. You know where you are now, but only vaguely. The stasis chamber always makes your head a little muddled. Apparently the lights weren’t cooperating today, because they suddenly flicker back on just as you return the screwdriver to your mouth and grab the handle.



Well at least you’ll be able to see, right?

You give the handle a hefty tug that drags on for several seconds until you realize that it needs to be turned, not pulled. Ah. The instant you start to turn the handle, the fluid you’re immersed in starts to drain.



The instant you breathe air instead of liquid, you start coughing violently. Wow, that was a lot of fluid in your lungs. This might take a while. Cough. Hack. Abluh.

Take the time while clearing your lungs to examine yourself for any oddities you didn’t already know about. Then see if the chamber will open now since it has been drained.

Good grief, where’s all of this stuff even coming from?

Everything seems to be in order, although you have a few bites, scratches, and bruises. They don’t hurt at all, though. Once the coughing has subsided to a manageable level, you heave open the door. It’s much heavier than you thought, but you’re plenty MANLY.

Oh my, but it’s very bright….



Whoa, that’s a lot of blood. Is it… is it yours?

You take a quick look around the room to orient yourself. To your right is another door. It has a sign on it that reads “Sector 2.” You don’t know what Sector 2 is. You’ve heard it mentioned once or twice, but you didn’t even know it was actually a thing until now. You wonder what’s in there.



Oh, and you’re pretty sure that’s a phone on the wall. You haven’t seen a phone in a long time, though, and there’s all sorts of weird tech junk around here, so you can’t be certain.

To your left is a bare wall. Nothing there.



You feel as though there’s something you’re not seeing, though.

Behind you are the stasis chambers.



Someone took the liberty of decorating yours, it seems.

Remeber what the chambers do exactly. Are they for treating wounds, giving medicine, or something else?

You actually aren’t entirely sure what the stasis chambers do. You and Leland used to discuss that all the time. You’ve surmised that they do do something to aid in the healing process, though. That’s about it.

Check the chamber with the red window.

A little apprehensively, you approach the fifth chamber. The window, evidently, is not red; the chamber is just full of blood. Or Kool-Aid. Or something. The plate has the number five printed on it with a symbol in the shape of round spectacles next to it.



You’ve never encountered even the mere mention of a fifth— or a sixth, for that matter— patient, nor have you even seen this number-symbol pairing. You know of the numbers— yours is two— but the symbols are new to you.

Who were numbers five and six, though? And where were they, too? There are only four patients that you know of, and there are no other rooms for five and six to be in.

Not to your knowledge, anyway, and your knowledge is limited but relatively extensive.

Try to open the door.

You grab the handle and try to open the door. It won't budge. The screwdriver is starting to taste kind of nasty in your mouth.

Does the doorhandle have screws?

The doorhandle is sunk into the door so it doesn’t get caught when the door slides open. You haven’t seen any uncovered, reachable screws in a long time. Last time you saw one, Lucy was throwing a few up along with quite a bit of blood. And some feathers, if you remember correctly.

Check the symbols on your stasis chamber and Lelands. Maybe those ones will have meaning. Heck look at Lucy’s too.





You have no idea what the hell is up with Lucy’s and Leland’s symbols, but you find your own to be quite appropriate, all things considered.

perhaps you could just randomly pick a door (maybe the Mickey Mouse one) and try to use your screwdriver to force it open.

You'd rather not. These are all full.

If you really want to check it out though then just look through the window as the screwdriver won't work on these.

Too dark in there to see anything but liquid. You're fairly certain that Lucy is in her room. Actually, recalling how you had kind of stabbed her in the face with a comically over-sized sewing needle (it all makes sense now), you're surprised she's not here.

You know you didn't kill her.

People don't die here.

On a random impulse, you go over the information you've gathered in your head. You like to keep things organized, because otherwise you can barely even wade through the convoluted thoughts enough to say more than simple phrases and make sense doing it.

1 - Leland - Triangle with a circle in it. Isn't that a warning sign?
2 - You - Sewing needle.
3 - Lucy - Three circles, evidently all joined at one point.
4 - Four - ???
5 - ??? - ???
6 - ??? - A pair of round spectacles.

The ones that you understand actually make sense. The other two do not. Well... really just Lucy's. Leland's does make sense, you just don't really want to admit it to yourself.

Try to think on what Lucy's symbol could possibly mean.

Hell, you're awful at this kind of shit. It's probably ridiculously obvious, but you honestly don't know all that much about her.

Your vision blurs a tiny bit and you suddenly remember that your eye is sewn shut.

You really need to do something about that. You're not going anywhere near your face with that screwdriver, though. Not again.

...

Huh?

What was that sound? Are you not alone?

Is the sound coming from a chamber? Behind the doors? The mystery wall?



You’re pretty sure it’s coming from a chamber. You take a few steps back and realize for the first time that the fourth chamber is slightly open. There is a faint rustling sound coming from within.

Four had pet birds if you recall from Leland’s notes. It’s likely one or both of them.

You glance at the floor in front of the stasis chamber.



Yeah, it’s probably a bird. What’s it doing in there, though?

Slowly open the door and peek inside.



You cautiously nudge open the door and a little light shines in, illuminating a large magpie holding something shiny in its beak. It freezes and stares up at you not in fear, but out of an innate curiosity which tells you right away that this bird is very intelligent.

Hold out your hand. “Can I see that please?”



The bird surveys you carefully, as if it is deciding whether or not to deem you worthy of possessing the object. The instant you say “please,” something seems to click and it bobs up and down twice as if nodding to you.

After a moment of staring at you, it drops a silver key in your hand and then resumes its staring.

Check out the symbols on chambers four and five.

You pull the door open again and look at Four’s symbol.



Somehow, you’re not surprised. You move to the chamber next to this one.



This symbol confuses you just as much as Lucy’s does. A heart? Really?