"Be quiet!" He erased the kid's mouth, filling the room with silence. His expressions hinted that he was screaming, but no noise came out. Parquatz wore a psychotic grin, he leaned in close to the kids ear "You will be an example that I'll enjoy."
After seeing how his face looked, he erased his ears.
Then he did the other ear.
Then a leg.
The other arm...
He continued on for minutes, one by one erasing the limbs and parts that make a person until there was nothing left but an eyeball.
Still moving, the iris dotting around. It looked extremely irritating, just imagining the dirt that was on the floor touching the eye. "Alright, now let's go into further detail on exactly what you guys will be doing from now on."
Parquatz moved on with his explanation, but Pheo couldn't focus, he continued to stare at the eyeball. Questions about its existence filled his mind. How is it still alive? Could it still feel? If so, what DID it feel like?
As someone who has spent countless hours reading, everything about it is an anomaly. The eyeball kept trying to make eye contact with the people around it, trying to get anyone to help. They say that eyes are a way of communication, at least nonverbally.
Sadly, it was only met with pity or the same helplessness it had. In the end, they were all sent to their chambers. Pheo looked back just before they left, seeing Parquatz pick up the eyeball.
"You served us well" He told the eyeball as he squished it with his fingers. He took out an ice pick, slowly moving it towards its iris.
Pheo looked away before he thrusted it through. The laughter that echoed throughout the underground caverns would stay in his mind for the night. A prime example of the powerlessness they had against their three captors.
He shook the iron bars that kept all of them in a room, it was all still as strong as if it were brand new. Even if he found some chips or rust in the bars, there was Warhound who kept checking up on them every few hours or so. After all, it wasn't just his group that was there.
Across the room were others like him, another group of kids that were trapped. He wasn't interested in all of them however, but a group of them that huddled together.
If only I was with them instead…
He saw how unlike those in his group, they still had glimmer in their eyes. Thinking of how tomorrow would probably be worse, Pheo found himself in a decent position to sleep in and succumbed to slumber.
He dreamt of roaming around the caverns. He moved stealthily, like he wasn't supposed to be there.
I can't move...
Pheo was watching someone else through their eyes, what they see and what they do. He stopped and ran for cover as soon as he caught sight of Warhound. Or at least, his shadow.
His snout was raised up, "Little piggy, this won't end like it would in the fairy tales."
Warhound turned towards his direction, prompting him to run the opposite direction. Taking random turns on the many crossroads presented to him, he eventually found himself in a dimly lit place.
What is this?
He inspected the area. The path led him to a large holding cell, one with multiple rows of bars. They looked brand new, yet already worn down. On top was a name engraved in the walls.
B E A M
A deep growl could be heard within the darkness. It made him back off instinctively. He noticed that right outside were human remains.
"Where am I?"
Bright red eyes shone from the back of the cell, it looked like it came from a scared creature.
"Don't be scared." He blurted out, his arm reaching out to comfort the creature. Slowly, it went towards the light.
A small figure appeared, one of which looked colorful. It looked like a snake, long without any arms or legs. It looked mesmerizing, the way it moved. The thing slowly inched closer, then touched its arm.
It felt metallic, in some places smooth while in others rustic. "What exactly are you?" He continued touching the creature, interested in its peculiarity.
But curiosity killed the cat.
Within seconds, the creature grabbed its arm tightly. "Agh!" He felt needles pierce his body, preventing him from pulling his arm out.
His arm slowly turned blue from the pressure, it felt like he was being drained. He tried to pull his arm away despite the needles, but it wouldn't budge at all. He looked around for help, managing to find Warhound looking at him.
"Help me!"
The kid cried out to his captor before being pulled through the tiny gap between the bars, crushing him to fit as he disappeared into the darkness of the cell.
Pheo woke from his sleep in a cold sweat, he quickly patted himself to find that he was still in one piece.
It felt so real.
He took a moment to calm himself down, looking around to find Warhound sneaking inside the cell. Taking extra measures to stay quiet, Warhound snuck himself to the middle of the room.
He found himself right in front of Pheo. He smiled at him, gesturing to close his ears before he began to transform.
Oh no
Pheo quickly realized what was about to happen, backing off and covering both of his ears right before Warhound howled. "Good Morning Sunshine!" Warhound shouted out while everyone else was squirming around the room from the sudden noise.
Good thing I was prepared.
Pheo went out early to see that the others got the same treatment, still trying to fully wake up. "Are you feeling okay?" One of the kids from the same cell asked Pheo. He looked at him surprised, "Yeah…"
How is he fine?
Unlike the others, he looked perfectly fine after Warhound's howl. Even if he had his ears covered, he should've still been dizzy.
Warhound pushed the both of them away, "Alright, follow me now!" He began leading them through the complex tunnels. There were only a few light sources to help them through the darkness, most of the time it was only Warhound's lantern that guided them forward.
"Pst!" One of the kids from a group called out to Pheo. He looked to see it was a group from another cell. He went up to him, "What do you want?"
They looked older than him. They dressed ragged, as if they haven't seen a shower for months. One of them went up to him, "I'm Jim." He extended his hand to Pheo.
Slap!
Pheo slapped his hand away. It only made Jim laugh, however, "Don't be too hasty."
"Your name?" The person next to him asked. He looked at him, noticing the obvious hostility he showed, "Pheo"
Jim pointed at the person next to him, "That's Tom, he was from the recent batch. The one before yours" He leaned in closer and whispered, "He's a bit tight if you know what I mean"
Pheo backed off, making distance between them. "Batch, what do you mean by that?" Jim smiled at the question, "You aren't the first ones who came here" He told him, "Well, pretty obvious seeing how you saw us on the other cell last night. Right?"
"So there were others who went through the same thing as well?" Pheo asked, curious to know more about their situation. "As far as we know? Hundreds of other kids, all delivered in 'batches' like yours." He pointed at someone else, "Its better if you ask him"
Pheo looked at the tallest of them all. He was lanky, but he also had the demeanor of a leader. Beside him was another kid, this time the smallest of the bunch. Jim leaned in, "Little hint, it's not who you think it is"
The tall person pushed him off Pheo, "I'm Mark." He introduced himself, then pointed at the small one, "And he's Jug." Mark lifted Jug up, making sure that he was at the same eye level as Pheo.
"I'm the earliest who's been here, and so far this whole thing has been going on for months now since I arrived."
"Has there been any plans to escape yet?" Pheo went closer to Jug, but got pushed back by a girl.
Jug shaked his head, "Jen, it's fine" She then moved away from Pheo. He noticed that she was still glaring at him, "Quite a community you got going on."
"It was hard, gathering people who could still stay strong in such a depressing place." Jug told him, "That's why when we see people like you still standing strong after a day of being here, we approach them"
Jug patted Mark, making Mark lower him so that he could step down on the ground. "If you want to group up and work with us, all you have to do is tell me." He reached out his hand to Pheo, "We need like-minded people like you after all."
Jim went behind him, "This is when you decide, you know?" This time, Mark pulled him away. Pheo thought about it for a while, "Not yet." He looked at Tom while saying so, noticing his face swell with anger.
Jim also noticed Tom's face, making him laugh hysterically. "Alright." Jug went back to Mark, asking him to carry him again. "Just tell me when then." He raised his hand, making the group move elsewhere.
Pheo really liked the proposal, but he never experienced working with others. He had always accomplished his own achievements.
I'll try my own thing first.