For a full, entire beat, my body, mind and soul are not my own.   I…I…   My breath dissipates with startling ease, my lungs collapsing on themselves as oxygen exits my brain. I find myself actually suffocating inside my own body while a synthetic penis stares back at me.   It happens so quickly but, somehow, plays out in slow motion; like hitting fast-forward and pause at the same time.   It’s only a second and, yet, it’s enough time for my mind’s lens to… Read More

        The passenger’s door comes alive again at the silent command of its owner, withdrawing to reattach itself to its body, sealing me in.   My stomach drops as Zane locks me inside his possession, my nostrils flaring in their struggle to take in treated air. I watch his colossal frame through the extended windshield, making a swift loop around the front to the other side. I try not to freak out as a sense of finality mauls me to the ground.   I’m about to be… Read More

        I register a distinct ringing in my ears, loud enough to supersede the continuous hum of ventilation and interjecting keyboard strokes in the background. Like all the thoughts in my head are literally crashing into each other. But the staggered wheezing inside my chest is even more prominent.   Molecules of oxygen evacuate my lungs in hordes, sputtering out of me like I’m chock full of puncture holes. Almost mechanically, I behold eyes that bore into mine, not quite looking at them as much as struggling… Read More

        My mother often said, “Speak of the devil and he’ll appear.”   Always pedantic.   Consistently annoying.   Unfailingly exhausting.   I never thought I’d see the day where I’d wholeheartedly agree.   All airflow to and from my lungs instantly ceases, my eyes inflating in their stead, as if trying to accommodate the large, imposing figure approaching them. I watch in muted stupor as Zane closes in, his body filling my entire line of vision, his own gilded stare spectacular against the interior, fluorescent lighting,… Read More

        I slog through the uniquely dome-shaped entrance of the Core complex, morose and anxious when I should feel relieved it’s the end of the workweek.   A normal person would be happy to get a break from the constant bustle and hectic agenda. Instead, I’d rather take on the stress of a taxing job than that of what I’m contending with right now:   The utterly perplexing and increasingly-unclear prospect of a date with Atlas Zane.   A part of me hopes he’s forgotten about it…. Read More

        My steps are wooden as I plod away from my office. Clunky. Lumbering. Like I’m walking on century-old stilts.   My heart thrashes violently as I come to stand in front of the chief transporter, its sharp echo colliding with the countless thoughts sprinting through my head. I have to pause briefly before summoning it, trying to steel my nerves with a deep breath.   But my respiratory skills are further tested when its doors suddenly slide open, revealing a polished, stunning Renée, her expression serious… Read More

        With my second work week on its final leg, things seem to slow down just a tad and I feel like I can finally catch my breath. But there isn’t the slightest inkling of the usual “TGIF” sentimentality you find in other workplaces. At least, not that I can see. The atmosphere is as sober and demanding as a typical Monday morning when I step into my office. I exhale, genuinely wishing it was as the weight of a day I’ve come to dread hinges on… Read More

        Week Two   My lungs are already smoldering when I clear the final security checkpoint, my head thrashing like there’s a separate heart lodged inside it. I practically skid across the massive hallway, almost tripping over my own feet as I stumble into the transporter, damn near spilling the overpriced cup of coffee that almost made me late. No. That’s not true. The “smedium” cappuccino is not to blame for my tardiness. An acute lack of sleep and a consequential, belated rousing is what would have… Read More

        Loosely, I register the voices of complete strangers and a comrade alike, as if they’re far away instead of just a few feet ahead.   My head is spinning, an utterly jumbled mess in its entirety, incapable of correct perception as I look absently over the shoulders of the pair in front of me.   Participant number six—Corey, I think her name is—superficially returns the gleeful smile of the dark blond man next to her, clearly overjoyed by his procurement of a Valentine’s Day date with… Read More

        Overwhelm. Anxiety. Unease. Discomfort.   All things I’ve dealt with at one point or another in life.   All negative emotions I’ve somehow managed to work through and eventually get a handle on over time. Like most people.   All sensations we don’t like to feel but accept as a normal part of existence.   There is no word for the sensation that currently exists within me.   Incapacitating, crippling, dread.   Bottled-up, loosely-capped hysteria.   U-tter. Pa-nic.   All fused into a single amplified, uncontainable… Read More