EARTH: The White Room

All I heard today were screams.

    I huddled on the far corner, holding my legs to my chest. My white robe crumpled as I grabbed ahold of it to keep me steady from the loud shrieks of my roommate—now shaking violently in the ground.

    His shouts were a mix of profanities and a call to his god. I surrendered—trying to cover my ears to muffle the sounds, but it never worked. It never did. And so, I let my hands fall down to my sides and watch the horror ensue.

    Levy's chest heaved upwards, his back forming a curve, and gulped air that took almost a minute. After it, he fell back to the ground—laying steadily like the past hour never happened.

    His eyelids shut his gaze, and his breath was steady. Gold locks moistened by sweat, sticking to his forehead. He breathes slowly with his mouth.

    Inhale.

    Exhale. I followed the pattern, trying to calm myself.

    The four walls abruptly turned transparent like glass. Men and women surrounded us longingly. One was holding a metal gadget, his spectacle inching close to the tip of his nose. A woman who looked like she was the youngest of them all, tiptoed on his back to see the notes on the gadget.

    Levy shook again and my gaze fell back to the moving figure. His eyes were now closed and mouth zipped, muffling the sounds of utter pain. Groaning and moaning filled the air.

    His eyes flew open to meet mine. He grinned widely, showing his pearly whites. He looked away slowly opened his mouth. The usual.

    He had been like this ever since he arrived to my all-white room weeks ago and his shakings had become normal to me. Some time after lunch is delivered, he does this, without any warning nor triggers to prompt him to do it. The men clad in white told me to not do anything as it is his "Illness".

    I, too, have this thing called an "Illness" but far different from his. My skin turns pale white when in complete anger. The men gave me a capsule to drink regularly to suppress my emotions.

    There are no more reasons to stay in this world. And I still wonder why I still take my meds as prescribed.

    Maybe you're clinging on to some false hope that you'd be salvaged out of here, I always say to my self.

    My parents?

    Can't be. They gave me away to this institution on my 5th birthday, remember?

    My friends?

    Right. I don't have any.

    My attention was then redirected to Levy who resumed hyperventilating. Weird. He usually stops at this time. Then, out of nowhere, on his opened mouth, hands came out of it—grabbing the upper and lower parts of it.

    I screamed at the horrific sight as the sides of his mouth got torn, and a humanoid figure came into view.

    The being inside is trying to hoist itself up, no matter how much damage it costed the body. My voice gut cut off and the room was filled with the sounds of skin tearing and bones breaking.

    I tried to push the wall as a feeble attempt to move farther from the monster that came from my roommate's mouth. Its raven black hair covered the majority of it face. It too shook violently as the upper portion of its scaly body escaped from Levy. The being stopped abruptly as it locked its sight on mine. Its eyes were stark black, and white mist-like dot floated on it. Its lips matched the skin's sickly yellow.

    The being's mouth curved into a smile as it dragged its thin body, and the limp body of Levy—whose face is completely obliterated as I cannot decipher which is which anymore. Blood painted the floor as it continued to move towards me.

    I shielded my eyes from the sight of it and when silence fell, I can fell its breaths on my cheek. I slowly propped my eyes open and was greeted by a hiss.

    I frantically tried to claw it but it backed away. It shook violently, mimicking Levy's episode, to let its bottom part to loosen. And when it finally freed itself from the bloody mess that was once Levy's body, it leaped towards me on all fours. Its sharp claws dug deep to my shoulders and legs. I winced from the pain and tried to claw it too but to no avail.

    White-clad men threw the door open and frantically shot a gun that instantly immobilized the being. My tears then flowed down as I tried to comprehend what had happened. I let my hands wipe the tears.

    The being unlocked its grip on me and fell to the floor with loud thud. The men first dragged Levy's lifeless body out towards the door. His metal necklace with the name branded him as Leviathan dangled on the sides, miraculously free from blood. I slid down to a sit and bawled my eyes out on the horror that almost costed my life.

    As the men dragged the unmoving body, I took a peek and I saw its pitch dark eyes lingering at mine. And surely, I found its mouth twitch again into a smile.