Fever
January 12, 2026 at 1:25 PM
Curled into a ball on a sunken mattress, she felt nothing but the cold penetrating her bones. Her body shook with chills, and the thin blanket was of no help at all. Strong hands turned the girl over, and with a trembling hand, she brushed away the hair stuck to her sweaty face.
She was sat up on the mattress, a blanket thrown over her shoulders, and only then did she open her swollen eyes, struggling to focus on the metallic hand holding the blanket to keep it from slipping off. Kara, trying to curl up again, pulled the edges of the blanket around herself and leaned against the wall, feeling its cold through the fabric.
“Burning up,” the Soldier whispered under his breath, thinking the girl couldn’t hear him.
“What’s wrong with me?” she asked, licking her parched lips, her gaze fixed ahead. “Is there water?”
Instead of answering, he handed her an aluminum cup with a little water at the bottom, and Kara took it in her palm, afraid to spill it. After drinking it all, she looked into the cup, unsure if it had even been water. Her throat burned, and the water seemed to instantly heat up inside, absorbed by her mucous membranes. The Soldier poured more, then placed the bottle next to her on the bed.
“Eat,” he said, setting a bowl between the girl’s crossed legs; she couldn’t seem to quench her thirst. She looked at him, lifting her head with difficulty, and the Soldier could see that even keeping her eyelids open was a feat for her.
“Seaweed,” Kara smirked, trying to fish out a slippery strand in the semi-darkness. “Did they send you to check if I’d kicked the bucket?”
“You only came to after three days,” the Soldier said, blocking the only light source from the cloudy window in the door.
“Next you’ll tell me you were worried,” Kara said, catching the seaweed with her fingers, trying not to let it go, though the pulling joints in her fingers wanted to release it. Overcoming her disgust and reluctance to eat, she swallowed the wriggling cord whole.
“In a way, you’re lucky a memory-wiping machine wasn’t deemed necessary to bring here,” the man began, piquing the interest of the girl who, without lifting her head, continued to eat. “But something else awaits you. Since you managed to survive, they won’t allow even a shred of your personality to remain.”
“Turn me into you?” Kara shook her head, causing everything to swim before her eyes, and she pressed harder against the wall. “I won’t let them.”
“There is no choice,” he didn’t move at all, looming over the girl like a shadow, his sheer power palpable even at a distance.
“There’s always a choice,” Kara lifted her head again, and the Soldier saw that the girl had gained a bit more energy. He even thought something changed in her eyes, as if something green flashed within the extinguished darkness. “It’s just strange you never thought of it. Did they brainwash you that thoroughly?”
“They fried it,” he turned away, looking out the window to hide his face from the girl. “That’s what happens when they wipe your memory.”
“And they keep freezing you?” Kara touched her forehead, realizing the fever was subsiding. “I saw the cryo-chamber. My brother would have loved that—he’s into all sorts of conspiracy theories.”
“He’s gone,” the Soldier turned back to the girl, grabbing her shoulder, his voice turning into a guttural growl. “We checked all the caves! Everything around! Those creatures devoured him, just like the others!”
“Don’t say that!” Kara thrust her hand forward sharply, shoving the man away with a green flash so powerful that his weight tore the lock off and he flew out into the corridor. The girl got up, holding the door, which, having hit the wall, tried to swing shut again. Kara stepped out into the corridor, standing over the Soldier. “I know he’s there.”
They both looked toward the sound of running footsteps, and only then did Kara realize what she had done. She met the gaze of the man who had propped himself up on his elbows, watching as her arms were wrenched behind her back, forcing her to her knees. Working together, one of the soldiers tilted the girl’s head, pressing her chin to her chest. They lifted her, holding her arms, and dragged her down the corridor. Kara, stumbling with every step, knew nothing good would come of this.