Page 37 of Pet: Genesis

The emotions I had stuffed down out of fear slowly become lost in the rage that barrels to the forefront as they move on to another human, grabbing a different weapon this time. My mind shifts to Margot’s expressionless face and lack of willpower just as another tortured soul’s cries echo over the room. It’s the woman this time. Her arm has been forced in front of her by her chains as the Leviathan places something under her skin. It once again illuminates her arm, seeming to cause her more pain. But Remus is irritated with the sound of her pain, gripping her face roughly in his grip to cut off the sound of her screams. His eyes narrow, and he steps back, releasing her.

Seconds after, however, her body plunges into the ground flat.

My anger slowly outweighs my fear as I find the will to move. I slowly rise from where I once knelt, my heart beating rapidly in my chest. I can’t sit here and cower out of fear. My eyes shift to the humans who have yet to receive torture. They pull uselessly at their bonds, panic on their expressions. And the humans in attendance, who are slaves to their Leviathan, stand with the same expression I had, unable to move due to their fear. But I can. And I can show them that the Leviathan can’t beat us without our permission. We can’t just roll over and take it out of fear. I can show them that there is still hope.

My gaze shifts to the guards who are watching the display, their attention drawn by the entertainment with their weapons sheathed. My face is wet with tears as my emotions wash over me.My people, my girls, everyone who is now at the mercy of this barbaric race thinks this is the end. I take one last look at Remus, who stands with a grin on his lips before hastily wiping my tears.

I take off through the crowd, no one suspecting my approach, as they are all enamored by what they’re watching. As I near the hostages, I reach for the nearest guard, using my momentum to throw myself on his back. I wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, forcing both of us to fall to the ground as I use my weight again to pull him down, simultaneously pulling the weapon strapped to his back from its harness.

The gun is foreign in my hands and doesn’t have a trigger like human weapons. I feel around as Leviathan guards approach me, screaming until my finger finally brushes over the side of the weapon. It makes a high-pitched ring as a beam of light rips from it, the force propelling me back. The Leviathan closest to me barely has time to move as it rips through his side, and he collapses in pain. I let my scream fill the room, my rage becoming audible as I continue to fire the weapon. I only get three shots out before it no longer works for me. I immediately toss it to the side, my eyes falling on the weapon that Remus was using earlier.

I throw the gun I was using with all my strength at the approaching guards, making my way to the weapon. It’s right between the humans and Remus. My adrenaline is pumping as I lunge for it, snatching it up from the ground. It’s sickeningly light in my hand, and I grip it tight, swinging as I saw Remus do. The beam of light erupts from it, but instead of colliding with a Leviathan, it wraps around Remus’s forearm as he stands a few feet directly before me.

His gaze narrows as irritation forms on his features, and suddenly, agonizing pain rips through me. I’m paralyzed. I open my mouth to release a scream, but I can’t. My eyes are wide as I look at the ceiling, praying for the pain to stop. The excitement has died down as silence fills the room. The only sound is the slow and deliberate approach of footsteps. The pain stops, but not before I am pulled up from the ground by my hair to meet a familiar set of purple eyes. The black of Remus’s pupil violently dilates, and for the first time in a long time, I see no amusement in his features.

Remus huffs in irritation, dropping me once again. But I can’t move, and I recognize it as the bracelet he put on me—my own special inhibitor. I want to fight or crawl away, but I can’t. I have no control over myself. The pressure that held me down disappears for a moment, and I can move again. My hands press into the floor as I try and lift myself when suddenly a loud snap fills the room, followed by shooting pain from my left leg. I cry out in agony, looking down to find my left leg bent at an unnatural angle.

Fingers are in my hair, dragging me in line with the humans who were originally bound. They watch me with terror as I’m dragged by each of them, pleading for the same mercy they did only minutes ago. Remus throws me forward, but instead of binding me using the cuffs the humans have, the floor’s makeup begins to change, the hard material of the marble shifting into a liquid that swallows my arms and legs. As soon as my limbs sink into the shifted material, it hardens, holding me captive. I gasp as my dress is ripped from my skin, exposing my back, the horror of what’s about to happen dawning on me.

I pull and struggle, but it’s as if the floor has molded itself around my limbs. I can’t move. At this point, I’m hyperventilating, trying to calm myself down, but I know it’s useless. The room is silent, and my screams eventually die down to whimpers at the approach of Remus’s footsteps. He stands in front of me, kneeling to be at eye level with me. He looks at his arm, and I follow the motion, my eyes widening. The sleeve of his shirt is tattered and hanging in threads, but his skin is unharmed. As if the weapon never touched his flesh.

I shift my attention to what he holds in his hands, blood draining from my face when I see the weapon. It looks innocent in his hand, like a rod with a mechanical interior. But I’ve seen what it does.

“I’m more than happy to test this on you as well, Pet. Maybe I was too soft in only giving you mental torture. Maybe this will instill obedience,” he says.

I slowly lift my head, looking Remus in the eyes. I know that I’m already in a deep enough hole as it is, but I open my mouth anyway, sobbing my hopeless belief.

“I... will never.... be obedient if it means.... watching... innocents suffer... at the hands of a monster...” Remus is silent, his eyes searching my face as he finally grasps his own internal control. He smiles, and it’s chilling on his face, revealing his sharp canines. I flinch away as he reaches for my cheek, but he grabs my face anyway, rubbing his thumb along my jaw.

“That was very profound.”

His smile drops as he stands, moving away from me. My heart beats loudly in my ears as silence remains thick over the room. I can hear myself gasping for breath as I try and anticipate what is to come. But I don’t hear it. I suddenly feel a sharp pain digging into one area on my back. It suddenly expands as if fire is burning every vein and nerve I own. I can’t move as it wraps over my entire body, the pain so much that it blinds me, the room growing white.

“AAAAHHH!”

1. Translated: "Continue"

Chapter Thirteen

Iris

Warmth slowly molds itself to my wounds, finding its way into each crevice to give it a comforting massage. It feels like the water is alive, purposely coming to my aid as I slowly regain consciousness. I blink rapidly to sharpen my blurry surroundings. It takes me a moment to realize I am in a tub, my lower body submerged with only a clear cover between my neck and body. A warm purple glow emanates from the baseboards of the room, illuminating it ever so slightly. I shift my attention to the clear cover, noticing that it’s foggy, blocking my view from my body. But the water is warm, and my limbs feel refreshed.

Before my mind can wander any further, the door to the room opens, and a Leviathan walks in. She’s as stunning as the rest of her race, her physical features softer than Yura’s. Her hair is short and black, cut into an edgy bob with braids on one side. She’s alsobarefoot as she steps in, with loose pants and a tank top. She looks up from the illuminated tablet in her hands, her eyes meeting mine. A smile forms when she sees I’m awake.

“You’re awake.” She makes her way to a chair that floats on its own, plopping down in it. She then pushes her legs as if the chair has wheels, and sure enough, she floats in my direction with her atop it. She’s next to my tub, her eyes roaming over me in fascination.

“Well, Remus really did a number on your body. The tools he used were still in the testing phase. They temporarily disrupted your nerves and released them all in one moment, creating an excruciating experience, seeing as your body overcompensates to calibrate. All the while, more currents of electricity were moving through your system. It did a lot of damage to you internally.” She lightly taps the tub, her smile widening. “But thanks to our rapid healing technology, I was able to fix you up good as new,” she says.

I stare at her in shock, my body trembling out of instinct. Her smile drops as she notices my mood, and she places her hand against my cheek, rubbing her thumb in a soothing gesture.

“Calm yourself. Don’t get worked up.” Her smile is strangely comforting, and I find myself wanting to follow her command. “You’ve been in a rapid healing tank for a few hours now. The liquid in it is combined with nanotechnology and the proper minerals from your planet. You should return to normal after a few more hours of soaking.” She looks back to the tablet, using her finger to scroll as she reads something. I take notethat her nails aren’t painted, and I find myself wondering more and more about the Leviathan society and its norms.

“It’s a good thing Remus brought you in when he did. If he had waited any longer, you may have gained some irreversible scarring,” she frowns.

“But don’t worry. I specialize in all things human. I am the equivalent of what your planet refers to as a doctor. Or specialist, to be more specific. I know everything there is to know about your people and your planet’s resourcefulness to you. That’s how I was able to come up with such advanced and compatible treatments for you and any others there may be. You’ll be fine,” she adds. Irritation simmers up within me as images of the humans who were beaten only hours earlier flash into my mind. They won’t be fine. They will be irreversibly damaged.

“Why would you need medical advances for humans when all you want to do is wipe us out and enslave us?” I hiss.

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