𝖲𝗁𝗈𝗈𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗌 -𝖱𝗈𝖼𝗄𝖾𝗍 𝗑 𝖥𝖾𝗆! 𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋-

【 N I G H T M A R E S 】

CHAPTER 1

• • •

OMNISCIENT

  Lights flashed overhead. White coats and people wearing masks that concealed the lower part of their face. Their eyes watched with intent, like a predator stalking its prey. 

  ''It seems stable.'' One piped from the side of the room. An overhead light reduced her peripheral vision. All she could see was the stone ceiling and the occasional finger lifted towards her face. A part of her small figure so numb that she couldn't feel it. 

  ''Are you sure?'' A female voice inquired back to the out-of-sight male. ''She seems... out of it.''

  ''She will for a while. Procedures such as these usually take a lot of their consciousness.''

  The closest one had sighed. Her hand fell from the mammals face and back down to the table. [Y/n]'s vision was still hazy. The overhead lights giving her nothing but a splitting headache. Her skull felt demolished. Like someone had just tried to rob her of her own mind. What a ridiculous thought. 

  ''Should we run a test?'' The female questioned again. The male signed this time, slamming down something against a steel table. [Y/n] couldn't move her head to look. It hurt far too much. ''I'm just saying,'' She stuttered. ''I don't want to be out of a job. It's just a bit unorthodox to be working on such an irrelevant creature.''

  [Y/n] felt her features furrow. Her nose scrunched at the word irrelevant. She was far more needed than the blonde that continued to loom over her. Her shadow was highly annoying. It kept interrupting [Y/n]'s counting of how many cracks were in the ceiling. 

  Another doctor walked up to the side. ''I get why you're being cautious.'' He sympathized. ''But it's better to let him look at it first before anything else. We can run tests later when he's approved of the recent improvements.'' 

  Until now, [Y/n] had been oblivious to the wires hooked to mechanical devices around the room. Different wires led to different devices. Her limbs ached terribly, and her breathing was hard. Almost stuttering without the words. When she tried to move her arm, it was numbness. She couldn't tell if she was threatening the doctors or not with a simple move of her arm. 

  Neither of the doctors had taken notice of the risky raccoon. 

  ''When will he be here?'' The lady doctor questioned. Blonde hair bouncing over the shoulder of her white lab coat. 

  The man shrugged. A fuzzy shrug. ''Soon. He said he didn't want to be kept waiting.''

  ''And here we are.''

  They both shared a short laugh before the door was thrown open. Both the doctors and [Y/n] had jumped from their spots. [Y/n] being more restricted than the doctors had tried to scramble off the bone-chilling surface she was held on before the wires pulled her back down. 

  ''Sir!'' The male doctor chirped. His previous tone of sympathy with a twinge of harshness had dialed down to a high-pitched squeal at the sight of the man. The woman hasn't said anything, fumbling with her hands before moving to the wall.

  The newcomer smiled. ''Clarke.'' Gloves outlined his hand and fingers, the same white coat shrugged over his shoulders. Unlike the others, he refused to wear a mask. 

  Clarke, as [Y/n] now knew, stepped forward, a hand displaying her small figure at the table. ''Here it is. It was difficult to meet the standards you had given us, but we found a way to incorporate them into the final model.'' 

  The doctors continued to showcase her. Like famous art, something rather kept in a museum. She wasn't. She was held down against a table with wires and thin ropes that her muscles were too weak to tear apart. Her mind was still fuzzy. As if reconnecting with her nervous system entirely. 

  What had happened was beyond her knowledge. 

  The boss stepped forward with a satisfied hum. His face came into view, blocking the harsh light from the overhead lamp. His brows furrowed inward, bringing wrinkles to his forehead. A small amount of facial hair covered his chin and below his nose. Black slowly fading into an ageing gray. 

  For a moment, the two stared at one another. Innocent pitch iris' meeting his. 

  ''Was it awake the whole time?'' 

  ''For the most part, no. We just got done with the stitches when it came back to us.''

  The man looming over her gave a slow nod, standing straight once more to address the people around the room. His words drowned out from the sound of the beeping monitor beside her. This time, she moved her head and ignored the searing pain. Her ears began to ring, echoing about into her skull. 

  When the ringing and beeping got louder, the lights went dimmer. [Y/n] screwed her eyes shut, hoping to get rid of the sights and sounds. But the sounds were consistent. 

  Beep..

  Beep..

Beep..

  After a harshly delivered thud against the ground, [Y/n] groaned. Her forehead flat against the ground and her eyelids closed tightly. The lights were off, and the ringing sounded nearer. Less of an echo. The ringing was a different story. 

  ''Woah! Hey, hey.'' 

  A panicked voice rushed down beside her, kneeling at the females side. Small touches of the opposites palm had dotted her back and shoulders, checking for injuries of any sorts. After none was found, he crouched down lower and grabbed her shoulders once more. 

  ''Hey, wake up. C'mon.'' 

  [Y/n] came back to reality. The darkness turned into a vast expanse of the room she stayed in. A shelf with gadgets, books, and other random papers littered all over the top. The floor was covered with blankets and pillows. Beside her, Rocket showed worry. His hands placed appropriately at her back and shoulder before prodding her to sit up. 

  She groaned even further with the movements of her limbs. The ones that ached. ''What happened?'' 

  Rocket's hold on her shoulder tightened as she lifted a paw to scratch at her skull. ''Can't really tell ya. We were asleep, and then you fell off the bed. Simple as that.''

  The beeping continued. The ringing did not. 

  ''Make it stop..'' She begged pathetically. 

  Rocket complied, pivoting around to shut off the alarm clock for the day. Set to go off at 7:30, thanks to Quill. He wanted them to be up and ready for the day instead of sleeping in. They had things to do. 

  When he returned back to his opposite, she had grabbed onto his shoulder and started to stand. ''Are you sure you're all right?''

  ''Yes.''

  ''Was it about...''

  There was a short silence between them. Rocket had an idea of what she was dreaming about to make her squirm and fall off the bed. The floor had been harsh to her. When on her feet, Rocket helped lead her back to the bed. 

  ''I- I'm tired. Let's just go back to sleep.''

  Per her request, Rocket reluctantly stood by and watched as she climbed back onto the couch she had passed out on. This has been a normal for her. Sleeping on the couch, having nightmares, and refusing to talk about them. Talking about them would make her feel worse than she already is. 

  It broke him to see her like this. 

  And Quill wasn't any different. 

  Rocket walked over to the stairs, turning at the bottom step. ''Goodnight, [Y/n].'' 

  Halfway up the stairs, Rocket smiled to himself. Her voice wasn't strained, but exhausted. Breathless words reached his sensitive ears. 

  ''Goodnight.'' 

• • •

a/n: this chapter is so bad, HELP. my math teacher isn't helping either.