" Austin, tape five. "
["Where was I cut off last time?.... Oh, you're a lot of help!" ]
" Um... Soon enough, I found myself in that stupid bed again, wondering how I had gotten there. Well, of course my new "friend" had something to do with it, but my head hurt, like I'd blacked out or something. I was a little confused, since I had just been by the window what seemed like only a second ago. I sat up and looked around to ensure it was the same room as before- after all it was much darker. Everything was shrouded in grey, the floor darkest, and the window's closed shades provided an even darker strip across the room. I traced the way from the window to the door with my eyes, which I had assumed to be the exit, and saw a chair draped in a still, dark figure. It seemed comfortable, leaning forward.
And watching.
His quiet lack of movement attributed to the expectant, dreadful atmosphere, like a bear trap waiting for the bear. Deadly, patient steel could snap at any moment unto it's victim, killing it slowly. Beautiful picture, isn't it?
Watching.
I stood up beside the bed, the sight of the still figure sending shivers up my spine.
Waiting.
Waiting for me to make the first move, to place a pawn in the wrong place: checkmate.
Waiting and watching.
Fully creeped out, I decided to be the white player, the one who moves first, and my first move would be a peace treaty: an offer for a draw. I walked over to it, and was relieved that at least it was the same person I had meet earlier,
waiting.
I offered my hand with a smile, "Hello, my name is Austin. You don't by any chance speak English do you?" I asked hopefully.
The humanoid stood up and cleared his throat patiently. Pointing to himself, he explained, "Staliarn. Staliarn."
"Oh, well... Hi... Staliarn?" the only problem was that he said his S's funny, something I'd never heard before and couldn't possibly pronounce.
He repeated his name for me.
"Uh... Staliarn."
He looked undecided for a moment, and I had to wonder if I had insulted him somehow.
"Right, so anyhow; I'm Austin."
He looked confused, the beginnings of a smile forming.
I cleared my throat. "Alright, Austin. Austin," I pointed, feeling foolish.
He waited, as if afraid I'd say more, but then said, "Austin?"
I nodded helpfully. "Yeah, that's my name, Starliarn."
He laughed at me unreservedly.
"So I can't pronounce it, that's not my fault...."
"...........Austin."
I could swear he'd said something besides my name, but I couldn't even distinguish the words, he spoke so fast. I took it as a greeting when he shook my hand.
"Pleased to meet you, too." At least I hope that's what he said.
"...," he urged me, guiding me to the bed.
"Don't you think I've been there long enough?"
".................................."
He covered me up with the sheets. I was beginning to see a pattern here, what with him always putting me to bed. A hint perhaps? He made sure I was tucked in, then made to leave. One thing I was sure of; he was not going to leave me locked up in that small room. When he tried to lock the door behind him, I was quick enough to be outside the room, the door as well.
"............." He held my wrist gently with a gloved hand (his definition of a leash I suppose) and led me to a wholly different room.
It was still off-white. *What in this house isn't that color,* I wanted to know, and sighed. So, instead of locking me in my room, he locked me in this one. In a very blank, not-all-that-big room. And off-white. This promised to get very annoying. Was there some reason for the consistent lack of color? Did the dude actually like off-white? It was probably a complete coincidence, considering how my luck was going so far.
I looked over the room as I waited for him to return, and was surprised to see a squirrel-like creature scuttle into the room after as he did. "
["A 'squirrel-like creature'?" Laurence asks. Austin answers, "Yeah, only bigger than one. What? Just because it's a different planet it's not allowed to have cute little furry things eat our gardens?" "Actually I was laughing at your um, detailed... description." "Oh, shut up."]
" Anyway, cute or not I was fully unamused when the thing climbed unto my shoulder, but concented to stroke it absentmindedly.
My companion (not the squirrel) opened a childproof-cabinet and retrieved a few medical tools, medicines, and a small foldup table which he set the rest on top of. Gently, he handled the squirrel in some sort of typical vetenary checkup, leaving me only to watch as he used the same procedure on a few more animals in turn. More squirrels, some cat-like and dog-like, and even monkey-like animals, but all of them small, until he came back without one.
He approached me as if walking through an atmosphere of molasses, not even breathing hardly, until he was close enough to check *me* over. Ears, eyes, reflexes. Drawing confidence from my bored expression, he put most of the normal checkup tools away and brought out a needle.
For me? I freaked: went totally berserk. The last time I'd seen a needle it had been a life threatening experience, a life threatening object. An evil smirk holding it over me or... well, I couldn't really remember, but at any rate for a year previous I'd been taught mind and soul that needles were like rats, disease carrying, sharp biting rats. Somehow I just hadn't seen him take a needle out earlier, in the other checkups.
You know how I said he was big? Well, that volume held a lot of weight and strength in it. He had me pinned in seconds- forget that, I couldn't breath! I struggled against him for what seemed at least a few eternities, in other words, minutes, or maybe seconds- then passed out from a combination of fear, exhaustion, and possibly whatever was in that needle.
I woke up alone, which was a relief to be certain! I was getting tired of dealing with someone I couldn't talk to, especially if something like that happened again; I hadn't felt able to control myself... These types of thoughts drained out of me slow enough, and me with nothing to do.
I walked around a little but couldn't find the catch for the cabinet, got bored and picked the lock on the door.
Well, ok, the hallways were slightly grey, not off-white.
And I saw one or two bedrooms that were multicolored, but they were obviously bedrooms and I didn't want to intrude. There was an end-table right outside an empty kitchen, so, alone, I surveyed the table's contents: a switch-blade that looked well worn and three pictures. The pictures seemed to be of the man's family, all of them standing straight and tall and a few with genuine, content smiles, and the knife perhaps a herloom. "
["Dude, is that coffee? Alriiiiiight, bring it here. Aw, shut the stupid tape off."[]
~~~Staliarn, medical journal~~~
I was walking along the halls, thinking everything was in order, when I saw 'Austin' standing in front of the kitchen. This in of itself made me stop: I'd locked him up, with no easy way of getting out, and I had no idea what he would act like towards me after our more disruptive last encounter, when I had been forced to sedate him.
He was leaning over to look at our family pictures, a closed knife of my daughter's the only thing close by on the table. My eldest daughter and aforementioned owner of this knife, Senla, walked by softly and stood behind him, watching. She tapped him on the shoulder. Austin flinched and had the knife at Senla's throat before she could react. He paused, just long enough that she knocked him unconscious: he crashed to the floor as if his bones had been liquefied.
"You shouldn't have hit him so hard, Senla, he's not that strong..."
She looked worried, and apologetic. He was, after all, merely a frightened creature, however dangerous. "What should we do? He'll wake in a few minutes..."
She had hit him on a pressure point, and he was expected to wake in one or possibly two minutes.
I said nothing: we did nothing.
Austin stirred and struggled to his shaking feet, the knife still in his hands, limp. He closed the blade and set the knife on the table, eyeing Senla. She took a step forward, too fast for a wild, frightened creature like Austin in my opinion. Luckily, he stood still in surrender, right up until his knees buckled.
Senla caught him, and without the least bit of a struggle, carried him all the way back to his bed, which he had previously showed a strong dislike for.
When I was sure I wouldn't frighten the poor animal any further, I whispered to my daughter, "You did well handling him,... after you nearly scared the soul from his body! What did you think-" I had to lower my voice again, "What did you think you were doing, sneaking behind a loose animal like that? What if he had *wanted* to kill you?"
"I knocked him out."
I looked back over to Austin, who seemed to be listening to us fight from the relative safety of his bed. He was possibly only half conscious, and was cowering back slightly under the covers.
"He hesitated. He had the knife AT YOU'RE THROAT and he hesitated. That's the only reason you're not in the hospital RIGHT NOW!"
"You're scaring him!" Senla warned.
I looked back to Austin, who was yawning.
"Keeping him awake you mean. Let's let him calm down for awhile," I suggested, tugging her abruptly out of the room.