Shadow's First Life

Chapter VI

The Three Men

My new makeover did not help me very much. Everyone noticed it, and I felt terrible. As if they would believe that an alien did that to me! I did not want to lie, but I braced myself and lied to them about what really happened. Reactions varied greatly; anything from an awkward smirk to snickering was what I received.

Some of them asked my grandfather, and they stayed silent about the ordeal when he told them the same thing. The reactions settled down, but there always was that handful of individuals that mocked my story and my ridiculous appearance. I know now that some might have believed me, if Grandpa and I told the truth. Red hair dye is pretty tacky on ebony fur!

Of those that decided to smite me Jimmy was the worst. He found my red fur a true reason that justified his resentment for me. True, I did look frightening and I fear I still do. Being black and red is not a very comforting characteristic! I hate that. I did not mind my appearance before I gained my red stripes. Will this curse ever be lifted from my shoulders is for me to search for. Will the stains of blood on my fur leave me for good?

A whole new chapter in my life had just started, and I was in my final year in elementary school. Although that chapter brought some good changes, it brought one that was bad. That change is one of an intensity that would burn through stone. During a vacation, I believe it was Labor Day, I was changed forever.

Once when I was by myself, I enjoyed my time alone and stared at the Earth. I stared at it often, and quite a few times I watched it with my sister. We would anticipate what the Earth would be like, how it would feel, what it would look like, and other such things. In spite of the suffering people bring upon themselves and the additional torment of plagues, the Earth seems quite harmonious from a distance. It is serene, and a complete deception of an inconvenient truth. Other than the moon, meteor showers, and an occasional comet, nothing was out for us to watch. The sun is too bright and hot to observe, the stars are uninteresting specks that do not flicker, and planets are too small to see.

On that particular day I was in a remote part of the colony. I was on a storage level, far from main hallways and activity in an effort to find peace. I was in a somewhat large room of steel and glass, watching the planet far below my feet. I pressed my black hand against the glass and rubbed it.

It was smooth and cold. In space the temperature can be hot or incredibly cold. Either way, it feels cold, because there is no heat. No substance is present to hold heat, so even when it is thousands of degrees, the heat is so dilute it feels freezing. The warmth of the sun can burn something up, but that is heat from radiation, not through touch.

The door to the room startled me with a quick swish and I glanced behind myself to see what was happening. Three large men marched up to me and stood there. They were carrying equipment in toolboxes and were there for a reason. I walked around them and started to leave and said, "Excuse me. I do not mean to bother you, so I will leave now." The first one, who was a burly white human with brown hair and brown eyes, said back, "Wait a minute." I stopped and watched him. I did not want to cause them any trouble. "You are that experiment, aren't ya? The artificial life form, that is you?"

My heart became cold. My throat constricted and I felt pained. Why are you calling me that? You could be more polite to me. The second man, also a white human but with red hair, added, "Yeah! That is the Project. I never thought I would see it, though." My heart started to ache. My heart is very soft. I ignored some people, but they always were foolish children. They were adults! They called me... experiment. Like I am... My eyes burned, wishing to spill tears down my face.

The first man said with a smirk, "The Project was started because the lead scientist wanted to find a cure to help his granddaughter. She has a bad immune system." The second man responded. "Wow. I did not know that." The brown haired man retorted harshly. "You don't know anything that is going on around here!" The wolf said nothing.

"Whatever you know, I do know one thing; this thing is broken, we need to fix it," the redhead replied with a sneer. "The Project is black. It has red eyes and red fur. This thing is a demon! It is evil!" The first two men pulled tools out of their boxes, the redhead got a monkey wrench, and the other man produced a crowbar. I whimpered and turned to leave.

Something slammed into my back with terrific force, easily knocking me down. "Get ready for a fixing, Project!" the redhead roared. "You are useless, little monster. Nothing good will ever come from you," the brown haired man said flatly. Tears flew from my eyes. I started to whimper and choked on my own breath. My back burned without ending. Another object struck me, and I saw it before it hit my face. My head lurched back from the impact of the crowbar. My teeth shocked me with pain and I cried out in fear. "No one cares about you, Project! No one likes you!"

I cried through my tears and agony, and that only made both of the men laugh. Why are they hurting me!? Why!? I cried out in pain and anger. The monkey wrench slammed into my leg, causing even more pain. "Worthless!" A fist collided with my arm. "Pathetic!" "Stupid!" I did not have an idea about the pain that was to follow.

"Do us all a favor and die!" They roared. I screamed as tears spilled onto the cold metal floor. I felt a hard weight settle on my back, pinning me to the floor. NO!!! It hurts! It hurts! Make it stop! "Is my boot too heavy for you?"

I gritted my teeth and glanced up through my eyes as they spilled tears on my face. "Please... let... me go," I pleaded. The men chuckled. The man stood his weight on my spine, causing it to pop. The pop was the loudest pop I have ever heard. White hot pain surged from my back and slammed into my skull. "AAAUUUGHHH!!! STOP IT! STOP IT NOW!" I screamed.

The crowbar returned for more, and it got just that. After it collided with my arm, my arm snapped. The collision caused my entire body to lurch forward. The pain came in overwhelming waves a moment later as the back of my hand landed limply on the floor! I screamed louder than I could imagine. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"

A boot connected with my head, knocking the breath out of me and ending my scream. Only two of the men hurt me. The third man, the wolf, did not harm me at all. He spoke up to them. "Leave the kid alone." Both of them were laughing. My heart was shattered. I felt agony all across my body and my heart.

I was unable to move under the weight of pain I felt. The men laughed. They found my pain to be amusing. My eyes continued to produce ever more tears that wandered to the floor. I tasted copper in my mouth, and I realized my mouth was bleeding. The pain was excruciating! Only twice did I feel pain in my body with such strength and potency! My spine felt as if it had been cut open. Pain convinced me my arm was literally on fire. I experienced the beautiful mercy of peace as I fell unconscious...

My eyelids lifted slightly, granting me a small crescent of sight. I saw smudges and a familiar, light green color. I blinked and tried to focus my eyes, blurs sharpened into familiar objects. I must be in my room. Pain returned to my mind like clockwork, and my arm burned harshly. Looking at it, I noticed that my arm was in a cast. My back felt stiff and that pulled my attention to my torso. My chest was in a plastic tube that pressed firmly on my back and its white surface shined in the light that came from my open doorway.

I turned to see the clock on my nightstand next to the bed. The time was 11:30. The darkness and silence gave me the impression that it was nighttime. I looked down at my arm as it throbbed with pain. Tears glided down my cheeks and my eyes watered when I realized my arm was broken...