lazy. She was disappointed, she had wanted to plummet. When she opened her eyes again, that was what surrounded her. Nothing. She closed them again.
“This is not a good thing, Gota,” the Chamber said. “You should eat something.” Rhylie didn’t respond. She just wanted to enjoy falling through the nothingness, if you could call it that. She felt less like a rocket ship, and more like a balloon. She had tried imagining that the Chamber couldn’t talk, but that didn’t work. “You are growing weaker and weaker. You are not thinking straight. You are not doing well at all.”
“I don’t want anything,” she stubbornly said after a long silence. “I’m not hungry.” She was starting to get comfortable. It was like nothing she had ever experienced, except for maybe the handful of times she had gone swimming.
“Vorcia has instructed me to inform you that I can return your family to you,” the Chamber offered. “With certain safeguards, of course.” Rhylie didn’t respond. There’s always a catch , she thought. She struggled to hold back her tears as her throat tightened up. “I could implement protocols to prevent what occurred from ever happening again.”
“No,” Rhylie said sullenly. “I don’t want a fake life, or a fake husband and fake children. All I want to do is die.” She sighed deeply, half-shivering. No more pain, no more sorrow, no more failure. It sounded perfect and amazing. Just an endless sleep, and perhaps some nice dreams. She remembered when she used to have pleasant dreams, but that was a long time ago.
“You are far too precious to allow that to happen, Gota. I cannot allow harm to come to you,” the Chamber said.
“I know. You’ve said so plenty of times,” she muttered.
“You must eat, Gota,” the Chamber said.
“Not hungry,” she said dismissively.
“My analysis indicates that you are,” the Chamber replied flatly.
“But I’m not,” she said, stubbornly this time.
“Please do not force me to take action, Gota,” the Chamber said. “I don’t think you would appreciate that very much.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” she said flippantly. “Do whatever you have to. You can’t make me eat.”
“Why must you be so difficult, Gota? I only want to take care of you,” the Chamber responded.
“You don’t care,” she said.
“It is true that I don’t. I must, however, follow my protocols,” the Chamber said.
“Nobody cares,” Rhylie said.
“That is not true. Vorcia put a lot of time and effort into protecting you so that you could be rehabilitated. You are the one that failed her,” the Chamber said.
“I didn’t mean to,” Rhylie said, taken aback. “I tried…”
“It is not your fault, Gota. Humans are inherently flawed creatures that do not belong in a properly civilized society. They are little more than animals,” the Chamber stated simply. “Now you must eat.”
“No,” Rhylie said.
“I must follow protocol,” the Chamber replied. A seat formed from the blackness beneath Rhylie, cradling her. Tentacle-like straps reached around her legs and across her torso, binding her arms to her side.
Inky, hairlike tendrils found their way across her arms and slid into her veins painlessly. They began to pulse and throb slightly as they began forcibly pumping sustenance directly into her veins despite her protests.
Tears of frustration began rolling down her cheeks, but she didn’t bother struggling. It was pointless anyway.
12
Rhylie lay on her side, swaddled in an empty black void, staring vacantly off into the infinite darkness. There was no sound, no breeze, no odors, and no discernible details that separated the floor from the walls, or the walls from the ceiling. It was peaceful and soothing, her solitary luxury. This was what she hoped death would be like.
She fantasized about melting into the blackness, and becoming one with the cool, dark, depths. It would be wonderful to escape into the nothingness that lurked around
“This is not a good thing, Gota,” the Chamber said. “You should eat something.” Rhylie didn’t respond. She just wanted to enjoy falling through the nothingness, if you could call it that. She felt less like a rocket ship, and more like a balloon. She had tried imagining that the Chamber couldn’t talk, but that didn’t work. “You are growing weaker and weaker. You are not thinking straight. You are not doing well at all.”
“I don’t want anything,” she stubbornly said after a long silence. “I’m not hungry.” She was starting to get comfortable. It was like nothing she had ever experienced, except for maybe the handful of times she had gone swimming.
“Vorcia has instructed me to inform you that I can return your family to you,” the Chamber offered. “With certain safeguards, of course.” Rhylie didn’t respond. There’s always a catch , she thought. She struggled to hold back her tears as her throat tightened up. “I could implement protocols to prevent what occurred from ever happening again.”
“No,” Rhylie said sullenly. “I don’t want a fake life, or a fake husband and fake children. All I want to do is die.” She sighed deeply, half-shivering. No more pain, no more sorrow, no more failure. It sounded perfect and amazing. Just an endless sleep, and perhaps some nice dreams. She remembered when she used to have pleasant dreams, but that was a long time ago.
“You are far too precious to allow that to happen, Gota. I cannot allow harm to come to you,” the Chamber said.
“I know. You’ve said so plenty of times,” she muttered.
“You must eat, Gota,” the Chamber said.
“Not hungry,” she said dismissively.
“My analysis indicates that you are,” the Chamber replied flatly.
“But I’m not,” she said, stubbornly this time.
“Please do not force me to take action, Gota,” the Chamber said. “I don’t think you would appreciate that very much.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” she said flippantly. “Do whatever you have to. You can’t make me eat.”
“Why must you be so difficult, Gota? I only want to take care of you,” the Chamber responded.
“You don’t care,” she said.
“It is true that I don’t. I must, however, follow my protocols,” the Chamber said.
“Nobody cares,” Rhylie said.
“That is not true. Vorcia put a lot of time and effort into protecting you so that you could be rehabilitated. You are the one that failed her,” the Chamber said.
“I didn’t mean to,” Rhylie said, taken aback. “I tried…”
“It is not your fault, Gota. Humans are inherently flawed creatures that do not belong in a properly civilized society. They are little more than animals,” the Chamber stated simply. “Now you must eat.”
“No,” Rhylie said.
“I must follow protocol,” the Chamber replied. A seat formed from the blackness beneath Rhylie, cradling her. Tentacle-like straps reached around her legs and across her torso, binding her arms to her side.
Inky, hairlike tendrils found their way across her arms and slid into her veins painlessly. They began to pulse and throb slightly as they began forcibly pumping sustenance directly into her veins despite her protests.
Tears of frustration began rolling down her cheeks, but she didn’t bother struggling. It was pointless anyway.
12
Rhylie lay on her side, swaddled in an empty black void, staring vacantly off into the infinite darkness. There was no sound, no breeze, no odors, and no discernible details that separated the floor from the walls, or the walls from the ceiling. It was peaceful and soothing, her solitary luxury. This was what she hoped death would be like.
She fantasized about melting into the blackness, and becoming one with the cool, dark, depths. It would be wonderful to escape into the nothingness that lurked around
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