Enslaved By Grays In The Center Of The Earth (Part II)
He heard steps approaching. He fixed his eyes on the door, awaiting whoever would come in. The door slowly swung open and David caught a glimpse of the back of a woman as she pushed the door open with her back. Thick, raven-black hair cascaded down her back. She was clad in a simple muslin robe that went down just past her knees. David blinked several times once he looked below the robe. Pale yellow scaled legs, like that of a bird, except the knees bent the same as a human’s, came out of the bottom of the robe, terminating in the clawed feet of a bird. The tip of a feathery tail poked out from behind her, the feathers as black as the hair.
After swinging the door open further, the figure turned and faced David. Bright crimson eyes attached to the face of a beautiful woman met his gaze. A plain metal collar around her neck was the only thing marring the otherwise heavenly sight. In her hands was a large wooden bowl with a spoon made of the same material. Steam came off the top and it smelled delicious. She gently pulled the table and a chair near to the cot. Setting the bowl on the table, she rolled up her sleeves, exposing human forearms, except they were covered in black feathers. She smiled at him and simply said one word.
“Hnau?”
“What?” he said with a puzzled look on his face.
“Hnau!” she said excitedly. She carefully lifted his head up and moved his body into a sitting position, rearranging the pillows to prop him up. David endured this silently, still unable to move anything other than his head.
The woman mimed eating soup with a spoon, then scooped some of the soup and brought the spoon to David’s mouth. He opened wide and consumed the soup. It was warm and tasted like a blend of cream of mushroom and chicken noodle soup. She did this several more times, until the bowl was empty. She carefully laid him back down and left the room. As the soup worked its way through him, his eyes grew heavy and he fell asleep.
Later, he awoke and the process repeated itself. The strange woman would come with soup and feed him. Then, he would fall asleep for an indeterminate amount of time. The sleep was deeper than he had ever experienced before and David could not tell if it was hours or days between each feeding.
Finally, after one feeding, David could feel his limbs again. He wiggled his toes and fingers. Despite being bedridden for quite some time, he felt full of energy. He laughed as he was able to feel again below his neck. The woman looked at him strangely, then, for the first time, a frown came upon her face. David still could not communicate with her, so he simply tried the same word she had said to him earlier.
“Hnau.”
Tears began to form in her eyes. She walked over to the door and opened it. A gray, bulbous head peered into the room. Large black emotionless eyes stared at David. The rest of the figure came into the room. The spitting image of a stereotypical alien stood before him. Long skinny limbs, small torso, rubbery gray skin, it was all there. There were no sex characteristics or even clothing on the being. The large head was smooth and featureless except for massive scarring on the right side. No nose could be see, but David saw a small slit where a mouth would be. In one of its hands, a metal collar similar to the woman's was there.
With surprising quickness, the Gray attached the cold, metallic collar to David's neck. It was not too tight, nor was it too loose. The Gray backed away and stood near the doorway, next to the openly sobbing woman. It glared at her and she began to stifle her tears.
A single word appeared in David's mind, clear as day.
< SLAVE >.
The collar felt warm on his neck. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
< SLAVE > came the word again. An image of David following the Gray into a forest of giant mushrooms appeared in his head.
< SLAVE SLAVE SLAVE SLAVE SLAVE > came the words, again and again, assaulting his consciousness.
"No!" David shouted. He got out of the cot, ignoring modesty, because he was wearing nothing but a muslin loincloth, and rushed at the Gray. A right hook took the Gray off guard and it staggered back. The woman gasped and took a few steps outside the hut. David followed up by tackling the entity, its light frame falling to the ground easily. David pounced on the Gray and raised his fist for another blow, aimed directly between the thing’s blank eyes.
The metal collar around his neck heated rapidly. David’s eyes widened and he tried to grab at it, but it was too hot to touch.
< SLAVE SLAVE SLAVE SLAVE SLAVE SLAVE SLAVE > came the messages again into his head. Blood dripped from David’s nose and he fell off the Gray, holding his head as it throbbed and the veins in his forehead pulsed in an arrhythmic fashion.
The Gray stood up and stared at David as he thrashed on the floor. Finally, a question appeared in David’s mind. < SUBMIT? >
Picture Credit: "Lake Cave" by thinkrorbot is licensed under CC by 2.0