The feeling of being frozen in time is something that I cannot fully explain. I can dimly perceive that things happen around me, I can see a delayed blur of those aliens crowding around me, but when I attempt to focus on it, everything blurs and slips away from me. It feels as if I'm falling into dark water, ears covered by it, sound muffled by the roaring of my own blood and heartbeat. It seems as if I should be able to move, but each time I think to do so, I simply don't.
I don't know if it's because I'm unable to move, or because every time I focus on the attempt my attention slips away. It's a horrible feeling, but I didn't need to experience it firsthand to know that.
Colored lights pass by my eyes. I don't know what they are, and I truly don't know how long they last, or how long it's been since that moment where everything froze. My consciousness is fragmented. A moment above the surface and then an interminable time underneath it.
I feel myself sinking.
Sinking deeper.
If I fall deep enough, I don't think I'll ever be able to escape. I'll fall into this darkness forever, drown in it, lose everything that I am. All consciousness, no more gasps for air. And that isn't so bad, because whatever these monsters have planned for me - torture, execution - it'd be easier to simply let myself fall into this darkness and never come back, just to spite them.
It's cool in here. Gentle, the dark water cradles me. It soothes me. I haven't been in water for so long. It reminds me of Summers years ago, when I was younger. When I had nothing important to worry about at all. I would go to a family member's house. They have a pool in the ground and would often have barbecues in the summer. And I would lay down underwater, on the ground, and let the water surround me. But in those times... I would naturally float upward once I relaxed, face breaking the surface long before my lungs could burn.
I'm not floating now, though. The watery arms around me are holding me close in an embrace like my mother's. It would let me up. It drags me deeper into the coolness, the calm comfort.
I've done it now. I succeeded.
They made it home. There's not a single person left who will ever remember me anymore. No one is going to come for me. No one will return and rescue me. No one will talk to me, no one will understand me. This water understands me, though. This coolness, this darkness understands and wants me, and it will never let me leave,
A raspy voice whispers in my ear.
"No matter how long it takes, I'll come back to you,"
Who is that voice?
The voice is unpleasant. I don't like it. It makes my heart ache and disturbs the peaceful stillness of the water.
"I'll come back to you."
Who the hell is talking in my ear? I would swat it away if I could.
"I swear it. No matter how long it takes, I'll come back to you. So you… damn well. Better survive."
Alistair.
His name is Alistair, and I-
My eyes snap open and I draw a desperate, harsh gasp, even as the water fills my lungs. The gentle arms around me become claws, iron bars, dragging me down, cutting into my flesh, my face, my eyes.
My hands thrash and claw at the water.
I will not sink.
I will not die.
I will not give up.
I...
I...!
"I AM SARAH!" I scream it. I scream my name and kick, claw, bite, and fight against the darkness, the emptiness, and the stillness.
I snap awake with a harsh, violent gasp, sitting up so quickly that I become dizzy and immediately fall out of bed onto a plush, carpeted floor.
My vision is spinning and my stomach is churning and I...
Carpet?
I slowly blink down at the deep reddish purple carpet beneath my face. It's not a flat, cheap sort of carpet. It's soft, luxurious. The sort that has little feelers of soft fabric that sprout up and cradle anything that touches it. Which include my fingers and cheek.
There's no strength in my arms. But I struggle to push myself up anyway. The air around me is cool, but in a different manner than the 'water' had been. It's just cool enough to be crisp. The floor smells like cinnamon. And there's a soft, tinkling sound that might be distant music coming from...somewhere.
My arms shake like they're gelatinous as I push myself up. I turn my head and look upon...a bunk bed? It's something like one, anyway, but more luxurious than any I've ever seen. The bed isn't a simple cot, but a full twin-sized mattress, adorned with blue-and-gold sheets and some kind of thick gold embroidered duvet, as well as... a frankly unnecessary number of pillows. The upper bed, which I fortunately did not fall out of, is similar from what I can tell lying on my face, but green.
Still in... something of a daze, I turn my head and look to my right, only to see another similar set of bunk beds. The room isn't particularly large, but it's quite dimly lit, so I can't make out much of the details of where I am.
Well, that, and I can't quite parse where the hell I am, because absolutely nothing I've seen is like this.
I hear a soft sound behind me and with all my nerves frayed to breaking, I summon a burst of energy and roll onto my back - or I attempt to, at least. What I actually manage to do is roll over and slam my back into the bed next to me hard enough that the sound rattles through my bones and my ears at the same time.
I...
Still manage to point a small blade at the person in the doorway, though.
It's a doorway. That's what I heard. Someone opening the door.
And then I blink several times and squint at what I'm seeing, because instead of a person, what I see is...
An emerald. Statue? A being that looks like one giant cut emerald is standing, both of her hands holding the edges of the door, looking down at me with an expression that's slowly morphing from curiosity to alarm.
"Tskhshlkk!!" She says. And then "Skkysskktt!" She looks over her shoulder, and the gems that form her hair move in a dizzyingly smooth manor. She shouts, "Kkkttkk! Kttkskk!!"
There's the sound of footsteps, and then...a blue skinned man appears over her shoulder. His features are mostly obscured by the shadow of his own silhouette. "Auuhn. Hhueeio."
"Kshk?" She tilts her head. "Ksshks?"
After a moment, I realize...
She's... trying to speak to me...?
I blink and lift the hand not - uselessly - pointing a knife at her, and press it to my forehead. "I...don't know what you're saying. I can't understand you."
"Kst-?"
"Iauanha." The man snaps suddenly.
"Kssk!" She skips over to me and completely ignores the knife pointed right at her. She just brushes it aside. A little silver device appears in her hand - I don't know how - and she reaches out toward me.
I slap at her hand, recoiling, but I'm trapped in a cage of my own making, and it turns out a woman made of stone is quite strong indeed. I can't even make her budge. Cool metal presses to my forehead, and something briefly stings.
I wince, and turn my face away, clenching my teeth.
"--you understand now?" A soft female voice says, and I realize it came from the jewel-woman.
I blink. "What?"
"Ah!" She pulls her hands away from me and claps. The strange tinkling sound of this gesture makes me flinch, and she pauses, before speaking again. "You do understand, don't you? Can you understand me?"
"Y-yeah." My eyes narrow. "I guess."
"Oh! Good! I am glad. Hehe." She looks over her shoulder at the man. "See? I told you she would wake up."
"Yes, well. Fire still burns when it's stupid." He sighs, and crosses his arms.
She sticks out her tongue at him and then turns back to me. "Are you okay?"
I don't... sense any sort of malice from any of them. I don't understand. "Where... am I?" My hands lower, shaking, to the carpet, and I clench them around the fabric.
"Uhhhm..." She tilts her head. "I suppose it's my Master's manor? Or... moon? I suppose both."
"I- what?!"
"Our master." The man interjects, "He's your master too, now, Girlie. So... welcome home."