Felix shivered inside the cold, dark cell.
For some reason, it felt colder and darker than usual. The air felt damp and humid, almost like when he's inside a cave. He hugged his knees closer as he sat on that bed.
There was a piece of cotton on his nose. He has multiple scars after the warden got tired of him shouting at night from his nightmares.
He was hurt all over, the most he had been since he was a kid. Back when he was still bullied a lot.
He still had been during his latter years of high school and in college, but it's mostly verbal or in much more manipulative ways. Everyone tended to be too busy to beat up people during those years, even the dumbasses.
But he didn't pay attention to the pain at all. Sometimes, the beatings even served as a distraction for him. Because he knew that those aliens wouldn't kill him. Not in the brutal way that these idiot policemen do.
No. The aliens wanted his body intact.
He can already see their shadowy figures coming before him, taking a grip of his limbs using their tendrils. They would suck all the blood on his body, empty his insides, and make it a nice flesh jacket.
Then, they will integrate into society while wearing his face.
That was the first step to their world domination. He was sure of it. It's even likely that some of them had already existed long ago. Maybe during the invention of fire, maybe during the Egyptians building the pyramids. They were simply hiding, waiting for the right moment.
The moment when humanity became too secure in their own homes made of concrete. When they no longer hunt their food in the forest. When their brains were bigger and better… and more delectable.
He wept. The cell truly felt like a cave.
Was that how the cavemen felt? When they saw the aliens approaching from their ships that flew in the sky, did they cower in fear and hide in their caves?
Then, they must have drawn all these strange figures on the walls as a last message. They take the shape of animals, multiple of them, they burn their eyes, they kill thousands without moving….
A caveman waiting in the dark for it all to pass. All that unknown terror that awaits.
There were suddenly sounds of something approaching, and the paranoid Felix was sure that it was the aliens coming for him.
But it was just the jail warden, and he shot up to his feet. It's not time for food to be delivered directly to his maximum security jail cell, so that could only mean one thing.
"Papa? Mama?" He called out weakly like a child.
"Unless your 'Papa' is a blond stud, then you're mistaken, Piglet. You got 5 minutes. 5 minutes, you hear?" He said sternly as he dragged Felix.
"5 minutes for what…?" He asked in confusion.
He was led into the public bathrooms. Felix was only allowed to go inside with at least two wardens watching over him. But this time, this one warden just dragged him there and pushed him inside the door.
He locked it and yelled. "5 minutes!!! And I want an extra 100 after this!"
"Sure thing, Officer."
Felix turned around and felt relieved when he saw that it was just Roland Faust. But he suddenly became apprehensive when he realized the situation. Roland paid a warden to meet alone, inside this bathroom all to themselves.
"W-Why are we here?" He thought, trying to observe if it was really Roland or something else wearing his skin.
"I got the help that we needed, Felix. Don't worry. It will all be over soon." Roland coaxed him.
Soon, one of the bathroom stalls opened. Inside was a handsome man with tanned skin, pitch-black hair, and moony dark eyes.
"Heya, bud. You remember me?" Harker smiled amicably at him. "Long time no see."
"Harker Jones?" Felix frowned.
It's been a long while since he actually saw Harker Jones despite being neighbors. Like actually see his face up close.
He would spot him every day, of course. Or see him at their doorstep whenever he visits to bring back tupperwares of the food that their family gives away to the Jones. His siblings would also sometimes stay with them when he and their father had to go to the hospital. Harker had also babysitted him long ago, when he was 10 to 13.
But that was so long ago. Looking at him now, he truly changed so much.
Harker was this perfect, reliable big brother in Felix's eyes. He was one of the few people nice to him, but he won't say they were friends just because they played a bit when they were young.
Still, he was just that. A big brother. There was something still boyish and immature about him. But the man in front of him now….
He was too different. There was an unexplainable aura to him that he couldn't recognize. Something he couldn't recognize in any other human he ever met.
And that scared him.
Felix backed up against the door. He tried the handle, but it won't work.
Harker was just confused, drawing closer with a look of concern. "Hey, you alright, bud—"
"What are you!? Y-You're not Harker Jones, are you!?"
Roland also frowned. "But he is. I assure you, Felix, he's not an alien—"
"You're not human!"
Harker opened his mouth, then closed it. He sighed.
"I'm not here to be human anyway. We should just get this over with. You heard the guard, we only have 5 minutes."
Roland nodded, taking hold of Felix's hand. "It won't hurt. He will make sure you won't feel it as it was happening. After that, it does feel strange for a while, and your insides may hurt for a few days but…. He'll be gentle. I think."
"What!?" Felix exclaimed, still terrified.
Harker snapped his fingers to draw his attention.
"Look at me, bud." Harker said. "Sorry 'bout this."
And soon, he stopped moving. His eyes were blank, and with just one word, Harker had got him to fall asleep too.
He collapsed onto the floor with a thud. Roland adjusted his position into something a bit more comfortable, propping him over the door.
"Be careful. It will affect him afterwards. The mental strain, it's…. It's revolting." Roland said, furrowing his brows.
"I know." Harker said softly. "Just go inside the stalls. I know you don't want to watch this."
Roland stood up, but eventually stayed.
"I…. I want to be here to comfort him afterwards. To explain things." Roland said.
Harker sighed heavily once again. "Well. If you want to watch over your inhuman friend tormenting humans, be my guest."
He turned into black worms, and went inside Felix Garcia's mind.
It was a very dark, cold and damp place. Like a cave that he must explore to find the treasure that was the truth.
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