NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS

CH12

The other prisoner—to my surprise—Changed too as we leapt at each other. And to my dread he turned into a big-ass lion. We reared back on our hind legs, our front paws up and our claws unsheathed. And that was all I saw before my vision went a complete and deep red—it was almost as if I was forced into a blackout. The next thing I knew, my razor sharp teeth were buried in the fur and flesh of the other prisoner—right through the collar.

My jaw was locked and I had a moment of pure panic before I got my jaw to go slack. I scrambled backward, transforming back into myself in my fear. My eyes were glued to the lion lying in the blood soaked sand. He gurgled for a moment, bloody bubbles forming at his lips before his eyes slowly slipped closed and he stopped breathing completely. He was dead . . . and I was the one that had killed him. He didn't transform back into a Human—for which I was grateful. It was hard enough to look at the dead, torn and bloody lion at my feet—I couldn't even comprehend what it would have been like if I was staring at a dead Human at my feet.

One of the doors was shoved open and Bill and Bob showed up. I didn't even try to scramble to my feet as they came towards us—me—or as it turned out, him. Bill kept a watchful eye on me as Bob took a hold of the lion's hind legs and started to drag him toward the door. He was through and Bob pulled him out of sight and down the hall to god knows where.

I knew that now was probably the best time to make my move; Bob was nowhere in sight and Bill had his back turned towards me. But I couldn't seem to move, my eyes glued to the spot where the lion had laid dead—where I had killed him, where the blood was soaked into the ground and mixed with the drag marks that lead to the steal door. This was my chance—probably my only chance—to escape, saving my life as well as SG-1's, yet here I was in shock.

Bill gave me a glance before he too, went through the door. I thought that I was home free, but a few seconds later another shape was tossed through the door and Bill and Bob dragged the door shut. I stared at the crumpled figure on the ground, their long brown hair hiding their face from sight. Slowly they raised their head, their hair moving from their face.

I stare at . . . her, as it turned out. She was about my age, if not younger with golden brown eyes to go with her hair. She was covered in dirt and grim, but I could still tell that her skin was porcelain-like underneath that. I could also detect the scent coming off of her that she hadn't bathed for a while—I didn't blame her, going off of my experience in those cells. She had on a collar like mine—and to my sudden realization; I noticed that she was also naked.

She was pretty—beautiful even—someone that I would consider to go out with if it weren't for that fact that I wasn't into that kind of thing. I looked at her again and she looked back, her eyes—I now noticed— were hooded and looked dead, just like the other Quatonian that I had just killed. And as that thought filtered through my mind, I realized that I was in the same situation with her as I had been with him.

Dread filled my as I felt an electrical charge run through the back of my neck again, and travel down and up my spine before searing into my brain and every nerve in my body. I yelled out through clenched teeth and from the corner of my eye I saw her tense. I again felt that need to defend and protect myself, as if the girl next to me was dangerous and a threat to my life. In this arena and with these collars, I knew that to be true. But if we were on Earth or another Planet, that might not be the situation.

Though now was not the time to think about the what-if's, because I blacked-out for a second again and when I came to my vision was tinted red. All my muscles bunched as I readied to leap at the slightest twitch from girl. She moved, jumping at me and so I moved—both of us against our will.

I may have been stronger, but she was actually, surprisingly quicker than I had suspected. Before I could Change, I felt her nails raked down the side of my face—just barely avoiding my left eye. I shoved her away, fully Changed at last. My vision went that complete and dark red. The next thing I knew, my claws were raking across her stomach and her organs fell out—she gasped for a moment before what life she had left, left her.

I sat back, a sob escaping my lips. I killed a Quatonian, and now I just killed some poor girl, her guts splayed around her still body like a thing of confetti. I gagged, doubling over as I puked up whatever was left of the food that I had eaten during my lunch with Jack. I spit, trying to get the taste from my mouth when one of the steel doors was shoved open. Bill and Bob came in, doing the same system as they did with the man, but this time when Bob dragged out the girl, some of her stayed behind in the sand.

I gagged again, turned away from the sight and put a hand over my mouth and nose, squeezing my eyes shut tight for a moment. I could taste their blood in my mouth, the iron like a penny. It was mixed along with my blood, but I couldn't tell the difference. Their flesh was between my teeth and the taste of it was on my tongue.

I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. I wanted out of this place. I wanted to stop killing people against my will and I wanted them to not to attack me just the same. But none of that was happening; I had to stay on guard if I wanted to survive. I had to keep the adrenaline running through me or else I knew that I would be able to feel the wounds inflicted on me and pass out. I was sure I was close to that from blood loss any way, but I had to stay alive if SG -1 and I were ever going to get out of here.

Someone else was shoved in again, and the steel door was pulled shut again.

"Daniel?" at the moment I was dumbfounded.