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Setting: Alien Worlds Geez, her back hurt. It felt like she was lying on a block of steel! Sarah opened her eyes. A glare of light assaulted her. She quickly squeezed her eyes shut again. Wherever the light had come from, it wasn't the sun. It had been artificial. She could tell that. She almost hated to see where she'd ended up this time. Something metallic clanged, and her eyes popped back open. She squinted, searching the room for the odd sound. It looked like she was in a hospital, but it seemed more sterile than she'd ever remembered seeing one. She sighed in relief, though. All of this had indeed been a dream, and she'd finally woken up. It must have been one heck of a car accident. Where was the doctor? She turned her head and came eyeball to eyeball with a small gray creature. "Ack!" She pushed away from it and tumbled off the opposite side of the table. Two more Grays came up on either side of her. They helped her to her feet. For their size, they were extremely strong. Their large black eyes seemed to bore right through her. Sarah shivered. "Steven Spielberg better be hiding around here somewhere, or I'm in real trouble," she muttered, glancing around the room. This definitely wasn't a hospital. She was still in whatever fantasy world she'd tumbled into after her accident. Her brow furrowed. Where was D.K.? At least his had always been a familiar face in all this craziness. The Grays pulled her out of the room and down a long corridor. Chambers with see-through doors lined each side. Sarah's eyes widened as they passed each one. Two "creatures" inhabited a chamber. Different creatures occupied each chamber. It reminded her of a zoo. They stopped before an empty chamber, or at least it looked empty from her vantage point. One of the Grays punched in something on a control panel, and the light surrounding the portal faded. The other Gray shoved her inside. "Hey!" She protested the rough behavior. The light appeared around the door again, then the Grays disappeared from her sight. "Why did you put me in here?" she shouted after them. "To mate with me," a deep voice answered. "Welcome to the menagerie." Sarah spun toward the male sound. "D.K.!" She hesitated a moment, then flung herself into his arms. "I'm so glad to see you." "Whoa, honey." He pushed her back. "You know me? How?" Sighing, Sarah shook her head. "You don't remember." A glint around his neck caught her eye. Her necklace! He was wearing it! She grabbed onto the small silver heart. "Where did you get this?" His hand closed over hers, and his brow furrowed. "I--I'm not sure." The warmth of his skin against hers felt so comforting. The ever-present tattoo, his deep green eyes, his mere presence--all made her feel safer. "Think, D.K., you have to remember. Someone gave it to you. Do you remember that?" "Yeah. A woman, I think." "That's right!" Sarah exclaimed with excitement. "Who was the woman?" He shook his head. "It's fuzzy. It was someone I cared about, I think. Someone special to me." Sarah's heart pounded at his words, and her face flushed. She could tell him it was her, but maybe if he remembered on his own, he'd know her the next time they met. "Look at the inscription on the back." It had her name on it. But had she ever told him her name? She couldn't remember. Before he could look, the light around the chamber door faded, drawing their attention. Two Grays entered. The same ones? No. These were taller. She scooted closer to D.K., uneasiness building inside her. The Grays grabbed her arms and dragged her away from him. "No! Let me go. D.K., don't let them take me! Please." She struggled against them, but it was useless. They were too strong for her. D.K. moved forward. "Hey! Let her go." He lunged for one of the Grays, but then froze in his tracks, unable to move. What had they done to him? He looked paralyzed. Sarah screeched as they dragged her from the chamber and back down to the sterile room she'd been in earlier. They strapped her to the table. "What are you going to do to me? What did you do to D.K.?" Her eyes widened as the longest needle she'd ever seen came at her. "Nooooo!!!!!!" |