Imprisoned

Every night is the same. I scramble to my chamber, close my eyes so tight my ears rattle, and I wait. I hear the shuffling of their giant feet as they deliver my cell mate to the bunk above me. I fear the pounding of my heart as it slams against my sternum will draw their attention to my location, as is my dread every night at this time. The smaller one knows I’m here, and it will eventually eradicate me if given the chance. They call it J’es Seigh. I listen for the shrieks of J’es Seigh as they fight to imprison it within this hellscape of a cell with me. While I know we are both certainly captive, it will only ever see me as another enemy.

I will never forget the night we first arrived. I remember its face so vividly, the way it snarled at me with white drool oozing down its red, spotted chin. Fluids seemed to leak from every facial orifice as it snarled at me with bloodshot eyes. And the stench from above, oh that fucking smell. Like the miasma of a thousand corpses seeping through the fibers above and wafting deliberately into my nose, my lungs, until I can no longer breathe. Surely no sin could be worth the torture of being forced to live in fear of the nightly return of this foul, pale thing. Next time it approaches, I will not hide, next time I will fight with everything I have.

Anxiety builds in my chest as panic grips my throat when I see its dirty, white ungula fall to the floor beside me, followed immediately by the crash of the second one landing next to it. I smell its breath as it beams its hideous blue eyes at my trembling body. As I watch it creep on all fours to find the best angle to reach me, I slither as close to the wall as I can, using my wings in a desperate attempt to protect myself. This fucking thing is easily 10 of me, if not more. And this is the smaller one, our wardens must stand as tall as the ancient monoliths of my home, reaching unfathomable heights that kiss the firmament. Panic turns to anger as the disgusting creature’s gaze penetrates my very essence.

And here it comes, the goddamn screaming.

“Mahhhhh ‘n s’torrr!” it bellows, sending me writhing to the farthest corner of my dwelling.

I search deep within myself to find the strength of my ancestors, and I recall the teachings of the Elders. These are the trials we must endure to ascend to the next plane of our existence. We are assigned a cell at the time of the Elders’ choosing, in a dimension ruled by giants and governed by laws of physics that neither exist nor can be described where I am from. And this is why we come here. To learn their ways, to study them, and gather as much information as we can before we are retrieved.

Nothing could have prepared me for the prison planet that this has turned out to be. I take a deep breath, and envision my homeland. I feel a calmness wash over me as I visualize the light of my ancestors surging through my body. I will destroy this beast and make my escape. And I will accept my fate upon my return. Anything is better than the madness taking control of me as I await my certain demise. I must get out of this wretched realm of horrors. Elders be damned. This mission was a bust, plain and simple.

It extends a damp, crusty claw towards me and I take my first shot. Extending my wings to their full breadth, I extend my jaw to reveal three rows of razor sharp fangs. Charging at the miniature colossus, I clamp down on its decrepit paw severing it from its soft, fleshy arm.

“Get off of my baby!” One bellows.

I am only able to make out certain sounds as the wardens bludgeon their way into our cell. I waste no time as I dig the talons of my lower extremities into the eyes of the taller, short-haired one, using my wings to protect myself from the blows of the other. Flying back to J’es Seigh, I grab it by its fleshy neck and make quick work of removing its head, if for no other reason than to cease the incessant screeching.

As it’s head drops to the floor I hear a squelching behind me as I realize the wardens have gripped me by my wings. I feel blow after blow as my body drops to the floor. I scramble to free myself from their grasp, as one of my talon’s slices across the long-haired giant’s painted arm. My mind reels as I watch the carnage collect around me. I feel nothing but the promise of release as the now eyeless giant lands blow after blow against my face. I struggle to move, to flee by any means as I feel my wings being slowly dislocated from my mangled body.

I accept each blow that comes crashing down on my face and chest as I lose myself in the sensation of every bone in my body crushing beneath the impact of the giants. I look to my right and stare deeply into J’es Seigh’s lifeless eyes, and await my descent into freedom.