Cold Room

A sharp, relentless throb echoed in her skull, each beat of pain sending jolts through her body. Her abdomen burned. Ava groaned softly, her voice was barely audible as she struggled to make sense of her surroundings.

The air was cold and mixed with the scent of disinfectant. She shifted slightly, the cold bite of metal chains digging into her wrists and ankles. Her arms were stretched above her head, while her legs were shackled downward. The faint clink of chains rattled.

sluggishly, she tried to open her eyes, but a blinding light pierced through her eyes. wincing she shut her eyes tightly as it added pain to her already disoriented state. 

she forced herself to try again. The blinding light softened as the blurry outlines of her surroundings came into focus.

Looking around what looked like an operating room, though not the pristine, sterile kind. The walls were aged and cracked and paint peeling off in places. 

Above, surgical lights cast a cold glow lighting the room and illuminating tools laid out on a metal tray. The tools gleaned sharply. Rectangular crystalline lattices beeped faintly in the background while flickering with unfamiliar symbols and patterns.

Ava's eyes dropped to herself, her heart sinking. She was dressed in little more than tattered fabric that covered her chest and hips barely, and the rest was left open to the chill of the room. 

A steady ache emanated from her abdomen —drawing her gaze— a recently stitched wound marched across her side, raw and swollen at its edges. Small tubes protruded from her flesh, the faint sensation of movement beneath her skin making her stomach turn over. Whatever they had done to her, it was not yet complete.

She tried to move, to pull herself up, but her body refused to cooperate. Her muscles were so drained of strength which felt like her limbs were made of lead. The chains that clasped her arms and legs hardly budged as she struggled.

Her eyes darted around the room, desperately looking for a way out. Men in blue surgical attire surrounded her, their faces obscured by masks. They worked in silence as they adjusted equipment and inspected the wound on her abdomen.

The sound of her own breathing grew louder in her ears, each inhale felt like needles being pushed through her throat. The cold against her skin and the relentless ache in her body stretched out every second into an eternity.

While struggling to free herself, her gaze locked onto a figure standing apart from the others.

Standing on her right where the main surgical activity was happening, was a woman. She was stunning, though not in a traditional way. Her beauty was sharp, deliberate, and entirely captivating.

For some reason she wasn't wearing a facemask like the rest.

Her black lipstick was the first thing Ava noticed. Her eyes were striking—one a molten gold, gleaming with intensity, and the other a deep gray that seemed to hold secrets as vast as the sea. The mismatched irises gave her an almost otherworldly quality, one that demanded respect and attention.

Her hair was cut to a precise medium length, framing her angular face with razor-straight strands as black as midnight. A few streaks of muted silver ran through her hair.

She was clad in a fitted surgeon's coat that outlined her voluptuous figure and underneath a tight black tank top. A sterilized necklace in a small, thin chain glinted faintly against the neck, perhaps an indication of her rank.

Ava's gaze lingered on her, even as her body continued to ache from the dull throb of the ongoing procedure. 

Ava's body tensed against the excruciating pain, her breaths shallow and ragged. Summoning what little strength she had, she gritted her teeth and growled through her agony, "Who… are you?"

The woman paused mid-stitch, her gloved hands resting lightly against Ava's exposed abdomen. There was a slight curve at the corners of her lips hinted at a smirk.

"I'm Dana," she said, her tone smooth, almost melodic, but laced with something unsettling. "Head surgeon. And your current… caretaker."

As Dana returned to her work, Ava clenched her fists, testing the strength of the chains. Her muscles protested in weak rebellion, but she jerked her arm forward in frustration. The chains rattled violently, but the restraints held firm.

"Let me go!" Ava's voice was raw, trembling with pain and fury.

Dana sighed dramatically, pulling the thread through Ava's wound with a sharp tug. The motion sent a shockwave of pain through Ava's body, ripping a scream from her throat.

"Oh dear," Dana murmured, her mismatched eyes flicking up to meet Ava's tear-streaked face. "Did that hurt?" She feigned innocence, her gloved hands pausing over Ava's wound. "Must have forgotten to give you some anesthesia."

Dana reached for a small glass vial on the nearby table, holding it up to the dim light. She tilted it, letting the emptiness inside catch the faint glow. "Oops," she said with mock disappointment. "We ran out. Too bad… looks like we'll have to continue the old-fashioned way."

Ava's head lolled to the side, her strength fading rapidly as the pain surged back tearing through her skull. Her heartbeat thundered in her chest, each beat like a drum. Sweat poured from her brow, stinging her eyes as she struggled to breathe.

Silence fell as Dana continued stitching at an unhurried pace. When she finished, she set down her tools and stood over Ava, her figure backlit by the sterile glow of the room's overhead light.

Suddenly, Dana grabbed a fistful of Ava's hair, yanking her head back. Ava gasped weakly, her body too drained to offer more than a feeble protest.

"You're quite an amazing specimen," Dana said softly, her mismatched eyes studying Ava's face with a strange mixture of admiration and hunger. "If you weren't important, I'd have so much fun testing my babies on you…"

Her free hand brushed against Ava's cheek, her gloved fingers cold against Ava's fevered skin. "So beautiful," Dana whispered, her voice dropping to an almost reverent murmur. Then, as if a switch had flipped, her demeanor changed. A faint blush crept across her cheeks, and her breathing grew heavier and erratic.

"And what a perfect body," she said, her voice trembling with a mix of longing and madness. "Such a waste… No, I can't let it go to waste!".

Dana released Ava's hair abruptly, her arms wrapping around her own torso as she shivered. She let out a breathless giggle before clutching Ava's hair again, pulling her closer until their faces were mere inches apart.

"Be mine," Dana begged, her voice breaking with desperation. "I'll take care of you. Feed you. Three meals a day… I'll even pet you nicely."

Ava's vision swam, the relentless pain blurring her senses. With the last shred of defiance she could muster, she spat in Dana's face.

"Fuck off, i would rather go down to hell then be your pet you horny bitch", ava said while giving a wry smile.

The room was silent for a moment. Dana was frozen in place, her face unreadable as the warm spit oozed down from her face to her lips. She wiped it away slowly with the back of her gloved hand, her eyes narrowing on ava.

Without a word, Dana tightened her grip on Ava's hair and began dragging her across the cold floor. Ava's body jolted with every movement, the chains clattering loudly as her weakened form struggled against the relentless pull.

The chains that bound her wrists and ankles were removed, but before Ava could even register, a heavy iron collar was clamped around her neck. Her wrists and ankles were cuffed once more.

Dana dragged her through a series of dim corridors, the air growing colder with each step. The faint hum of machinery echoed faintly in the distance, but Ava could make out little else. Her vision blurred as her head lolled weakly, her mind teetering on the edge of consciousness.

They finally stopped in front of a small, square room. The air inside was damp and bitterly cold. Dana flung Ava inside; the force of the motion sent her sprawling onto the hard floor causing Ava to let out a shrill scream.

The door slammed shut, and Ava was left alone with the dim light of one flickering bulb overhead. She tried to curl into herself in an attempt to preserve what little warmth she could, but the stabbing pain in her abdomen forced her to remain still.

Shivering uncontrollably, her ragged breaths forming faint puffs of mist in the freezing air, Ava's body finally gave in to exhaustion. As her vision darkened, a single tear slipped down her cheek.

The cold and pain faded as unconsciousness claimed her.