She wakes again.
This time, consciousness returns slowly and suffocatingly, as though she is dragging herself through something thick that resists her at every step.
Awareness comes in fragments.
Her thoughts feel sluggish and disconnected, and her body is distant, heavy in a way that does not feel natural.
When she tries to move, nothing responds.
It is not merely weakness, but a complete absence of control, as though she has been locked out of her own body and left to observe from somewhere just behind it.
A faint unease stirs.
Why can't I move…?
A faint panic begins to build as her eyes open halfway, struggling to adjust to the dim, flickering light above.
The overhead fixture hums softly, bzzzt… bzzzt…, casting a dull yellow glow that gives the room a sickly, unnatural appearance.
The light stutters just enough to distort her perception, and in that unstable illumination, she realizes with growing certainty that this is not the same room as before.
This isn't right. This isn't where I was…
The thought settles heavily in her chest, followed by a sharper wave of unease.
She tries again to move, forcing her arms and legs to respond, but nothing happens.
Not even the slightest twitch answers her effort.
Move. Move…
Panic spikes, rising fast and uncontrollably as she becomes aware of the restraints.
Her wrists are bound tightly, her arms pulled apart, the rough material pressing painfully into her skin.
Her ankles are secured just as firmly, and a wide restraint across her chest restricts her breathing, forcing each inhale into a shallow, uneven rhythm.
Then she feels something pressed tightly across her mouth.
A gag.
It forces her jaw shut, swallowing any sound before it can fully form.
No, no, no…
Her breathing turns quick and erratic, her attempts to scream reduced to muffled bursts that barely escape the cloth.
She struggles harder, twisting against the restraints, but her strength is not enough.
Her body lags behind her intentions, slow and unresponsive, as though it no longer belongs to her.
Tighter… I can't breathe.
Tears blur her vision as the room seems to grow colder, the air heavier, pressing down on her with an almost physical weight.
Then the silence breaks.
The door begins to open slowly, the hinges dragging with a long, drawn-out creak, creeeak…, the sound echoing through the room and sending a sharp tension through her entire body.
Someone's there.
She freezes, every muscle tightening as figures step inside.
They wear the same uniforms as before, their movements controlled and deliberate, their faces partially obscured so that only their eyes are visible.
Those eyes remain distant and detached, showing no reaction to her struggle and no acknowledgment of her fear.
They do not speak.
They simply observe her, as though she is something to be studied rather than a person in distress.
Say something… Do something…
That absence of response makes the fear worse.
One of them steps forward, holding a syringe filled with a clear liquid that catches the dim light.
The sight of it causes her stomach to drop.
No… Not again.
She shakes her head frantically, her breathing breaking into desperate, uneven bursts as she tries to plead through the gag, but the sound that escapes is weak and ineffective.
They do not hesitate.
The needle presses into her arm with a soft, precise motion, followed by a muted sound.
SSSHK.
She flinches sharply, her body jerking against the restraints, but they hold her firmly in place.
For a brief moment, nothing happens, and that pause stretches unbearably, filled with dread.
Don't... Stop it.
Then the sensation begins.
A slow, unnatural heaviness spreads from the point of injection, moving through her arm and into the rest of her body as though something thick is seeping into her muscles.
Her vision begins to blur at the edges, and the room itself seems to shift, the walls bending slightly as if they are breathing.
Something's wrong…
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
Her heartbeat grows louder, pounding in her ears with a heavy rhythm until it drowns out everything else.
Another syringe appears.
Before she can react, the needle pierces her skin again.
SSSHK.
This time, the pain is immediate.
It begins as a sharp sting, then rapidly spreads into an intense burning sensation that races through her veins, growing stronger until it feels as though fire itself is moving beneath her skin.
Her body convulses violently, muscles locking and jerking without control, and a muffled scream forces its way through the gag as tears spill down her face.
It hurts... No, make it stop!
The room distorts further.
The walls ripple unnaturally, and the ceiling stretches upward, warping into something distant and unstable.
A flicker of movement catches her attention, drawing her focus despite the overwhelming pain.
At first, she cannot understand what she is seeing.
Then it becomes clear.
Butterflies begin to appear, forming gradually out of empty space as if materializing from nothing.
Their wings glow faintly, pulsing with a soft, unnatural light as they drift through the air, filling the room one by one.
What...?
Their movement is too smooth, too deliberate, completely out of place in the sterile environment.
Confusion mixes with her fear as she watches them.
Then she looks back at the figures surrounding her.
Something is wrong.
Their forms begin to blur, their outlines unstable, as though they are struggling to remain intact.
Their faces distort, stretching into unnatural shapes.
Their eyes darken into shadow, and their mouths widen into something inhuman.
No, that's not real.
Their bodies seem to grow, looming over her with a presence that feels oppressive and inescapable.
They are no longer human, but something else, and it is watching her.
Get away from me!
To her eyes, they transformed into what looked like Oblivrion beasts, creatures born from darkness and madness, enemies of both humans and Evolvers alike.
They move closer, closing the distance until she can feel their presence pressing in from all sides.
Panic consumes her completely, her body trembling as she tries to pull away, but the restraints only dig deeper into her skin.
Another injection follows.
SSSHK.
Then another.
SSSHK.
Each one comes faster than the last.
The pain builds rapidly, layering over itself until it becomes unbearable, as though her entire nervous system is being overwhelmed at once.
Make it stop already...
Her muffled screams grow louder, more desperate, but they change nothing.
The butterflies begin to change as well.
Their glow fades, their wings darken, and their movements become erratic, circling her in tightening patterns.
The room pulses around her, rising and falling in a slow, unnatural rhythm.
Sound, light, pain, and fear collapse into one overwhelming sensation.
There is no separation, no escape.
I can't...
Then, without warning, it all stops.
The pain disappears, and the movement ceases.
The figures step back, their forms stabilizing as they turn and leave the room without a word.
The door closes behind them with a quiet, final click.
Silence fills the space, heavy and suffocating.
She lies there trembling, small, broken sounds escaping through the gag as her mind struggles to hold itself together.
Reality feels unstable, slipping in and out of something she cannot understand.
One thought remains clear.
It's still inside me.
Whatever they injected into her, it wasn't meant to stop.