Shadow's First Life

Chapter VII

The Return of the Two Men

My road to recovery was long and arduous. Having endured the ordeals of the colonel, Black Doom, and the first assault of the men, I was dangling over the maw of a cruel delusion, a delusion of melancholy. I soon grew to believe that I was dross. I felt that I was worthless. My mind was embittered with hatred and agony. My family was there to comfort me, but I felt hopeless at first. My tangible pain would not end for a very long time. It would only worsen...

Returning to school after two weeks of convalescence, I was in a state of dreaminess when my friends approached me for the first time in nearly a month. All of them were anxious and carried tense nerves. All of us were in the sixth grade, and the change in our schooldays was something in which I had little trouble adapting. As I fumbled through my backpack for a pen, I realized one small convenience about my arm's disability. My left arm was broken, so I could still write unhindered.

Alex was the first familiar face I saw. His sharp green eyes focused upon me as I looked back at him, his eyes asked a question for me without a word uttered. "I am alright now. Thanks Alex, but I will be okay. I do not feel like talking about it now." Alex and I returned our attention to the teacher as we proofread sentences on the blackboard and copied them to paper.

Lunchtime that day was the first time I could talk to them. I realized how much and in how many ways I used my left arm in ways I never noticed before. I managed to carry my tray with a little luck, but I considered how much I missed my arm. I used to hold my paper with my left arm when I wrote, I would carry things in both of my arms, I held my knife with my left hand as I cut food. Now my arm was in a sling as a useless extension of my body that hurt dully. I feel empathy for others that must endure the burden of a broken bone. Broken bones hurt far worse than other wounds! The only exception is a bad burn.

I decided to tell the others about my misfortune after I finished lunch, because I knew that after I thought about the men I would lose what little appetite I had. It was Mark who asked about the event. "Shadow? What happened to you? Are you feeling sick?" Mark watched me with his amber eyes. John and Alex stayed silent as they expected an answer.

I looked down at my crippled arm and sighed. "I was alone in the colony sometime on Labor Day weekend. I was just killing time by thinking about life when..." I paused and took a breath. "Three men walked up to where I was sitting. The men were huge, and they were carrying toolboxes full of stuff. I thought I was in their way, so I got up and started to leave the room." My face was somber. "What happened?" John urged me on.

"Two of the men got wrenches from their toolboxes and beat me with them. I was knocked over..." My friends had shocked expressions. "They smashed me in the back, and even hit my face. I was... so scared." My voice broke as I sighed, trying to gather my thoughts. "One of the men then stomped on my back. He broke my spine. I am amazed that I am not crippled. My back hurt so much! And as if that was not enough, the other man smashed his wrench into my elbow and broke my arm." Alex gasped as the others let their mouths gape open.

"My arm... the pain... was terrible. I screamed. I do not like to admit that I screamed like a baby, but I know that anyone who had an arm broken like I did would. The only thing I can compare the pain to is putting my arm in a pile of burning coals. I had burned my arm before when I was little, but it was for an instant. This burn did not go away!"

A tear slipped from my eye as I shuddered. "I sometimes have nightmares about that. I will never feel safe like I used to again. I hate it." Alex and the others spoke up. "We are here for you, Shadow. Do not forget us," Alex stated. Mark and John nodded. Their comforting words made me feel better. I miss them...

That day was just a Monday. It would be weeks more before I could use my arm again.

I remember a particular night when I had a nightmare. The men returned to me in my dreams. I have been suffering with nightmares for a long time. Because of these nightmares, I am reluctant to try resting because I risk encountering another nightmare...

I opened my eyes, or at least I thought I did. I saw nothing. Black. Darkness. A void. I tried vainly to look around, only to see nothing. It was as if my eyes were still closed. An area before me was shining in the darkness. Desperately, I stood up and rushed to the doorway to escape, but the door stayed still. I got not an inch closer to it, so I ran faster. On the other side of the door, I saw light. The light was peaceful, and I wanted it so badly. My lungs pumped air into my body as I continued running.

The door hovered just meters ahead of me, mocking my feeble efforts as it stayed out of reach. Soon the gate of light started to drift away, so I panicked and sprinted for it. I could feel wind gust through my fur and my feet shuffle rapidly, but the door drifted farther and farther from me. I tripped as the door became a speck of light in the darkness. I felt my body jolt as I flopped onto the invisible ground beneath me.

As I staggered back up, I saw three red eyes. My breath froze. The eyes loomed over me as I trembled in fear. The eyes smashed into me and knocked me down as I cried out. I looked back at the light, only to discover that it was gone. What do I do now? How will I escape? The three eyes stared at me as two more large shadows appeared. I fell down under the impact of something one of the shadows was holding as my mind filled with terror. Something else slammed into me and I flew through the darkness.

I screamed. Laughing seemed to echo in the void of black. I tried to scream again, only to realize that I could not. I then heard the two men talking. "You are that experiment, aren't ya? The artificial life form, that is you?" I started to cry in a torrent of tears. "This thing is a demon! It is evil!" "I am not evil..." I said back softly.

"Yes you are!!" The voices snapped fiercely. "Get ready for a fixing, Project!" I emitted a shuddering sob. "You are useless, little monster, nothing good will ever come from you." "No one cares about you, Project! No one likes you!" I shrieked as I was struck by one of the shadows.

My heart filled with terror. I could not feel physical pain because I was dreaming, but my heart alone ached with agony. I sobbed as the voices composed more insults. "Worthless!" "Pathetic!" "Stupid!" The colonel's voice sounded out. "This thing is stupid, it will not talk." I shuddered with each sob from my chest and gave up to the voices and fears I felt. "I am sorry," I whispered to the haunting echoes.

The voices of the colonel, the two men, and Black Doom bellowed in chorus. "Do us all a favor and die!" I realized that I could not breathe. In panic, I clutched my throat and tried to gasp, only to find that I could not. "Do us all a favor and DIE!!!"

Tears rolled off my face and down my chest as I fell down on my face, still fighting for life. I choked as I heard the voices again. "DO US ALL A FAVOR AND DIE!!!!!" I could feel warmth leaving my body as my heart grew cold. I heard someone speak one last time. "You are useless, little monster. Nothing good will ever come from you." The seemingly impossibly dark gloom became even darker as I heard my heartbeat slow to a stop... "Do us all a favor and die..."

I bolted up with a yell as tears slid down my face and cold sweat clung to my trembling body. Someone stepped into my room a moment later. I could not see the person's face, because the only light was from a nightlight in the hallway. The figure approached me and wrapped its arms around me. I heard a gentle voice as I shuddered in its embrace. "Hush, you are alright. I am here, Shadow. It is all over now." I clung desperately onto Maria and emitted sobs as she stroked my head...