After Death

[WARNING!! CONTAINS GORE AND MALTREATMENT. PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!]

Today is going to be their first day of training. Since yesterday, the two can hardly sleep in anticipation. They are dreading the fact that they haven't even thought of learning self-defense in their earlier loops. Currently in their third loop, but what exactly happened after they died the first time?

After two weeks exactly of going through agonizing torture and torment, leaving the couple almost crippled, barely moving. Even breathing requires painstaking effort. If anything, they would most probably be the happiest to just die. Their throats dry and painful for not being able to drink water for the last three days. Half alive half dead, that's their current condition.

They didn't know when exactly did they die. Everything was hazy after they were taken into what looked like an operating room. The first to lie down on the operating table was Odette, separated by the white curtain, Zach laid on the bed with a caster wheel just beside where she was.

On the cold and narrow operating table, Odette was then strapped in her arms, thighs, and lower abdomen. Zach, on the other hand, was shackled instead of the safety straps. Perhaps to avoid him from charging straight to where Odette was while the operation continues. Not that he can even if he wanted to, he can barely move an inch. For the next few minutes which felt like an eternity, all he can hear were the clanking sound of the surgical instruments and Odette's guttural screams, almost coerced due to her already parched throat. He shivered unwillingly at the wild ideas he's having of what might be happening behind the white curtain. 'If only, if only I can go back to the past before we were abducted, I will definitely make these devil incarnate pay.'

For what seems like forever, they finally feel their vision grow dim till everything is pitch black. The last thing they remember was the sound of what seemed to be camera shutters.

Drenched in sweat as she flails on top of her bed. Her nails dug deep in her palm making it bleed. Gnashing her teeth while letting out a frightened scream in irregular intervals. You can see her arch her back as she curled her toes, looking like she's suffering from a tormenting pain.

Beside her are her two penguin alarm clocks that had been ringing loudly for a while now but it doesn't seem to wake her up either. Probably disturbing her neighbors, the landlord knocked at her door. Obviously, no one answered but he can hear her screams, the faint sound of her vigorous breathing, and alarm clocks. He started to get alarmed, 'What if something happened inside?' As the landlord, it was his responsibility. So he hurriedly called the police.

When Odette finally woke up wide-eyed, trembling, and disoriented, she noticed the presence of people inside her bedroom making her become aggressive. Leaving the police with no choice but to restrain her. When she's finally calmed down for who knows how long, the police started questioning her.

"Okay, miss. Are you aware of where you are?" no answer.

"Do you know your name?" still no answer.

"Did you see something scary in your dreams?" the police asked, probably thinking that she is having an episode of night terror. It's different from a nightmare. As it is also called sleep terror or parasomnia condition, making the person react to the foreboding sense of fear or terror in her sleep by screaming, thrashing around, or crying. In worst cases, the subject might even perform a violent act. And the thing is, it's very hard to wake up a person having an episode of night terrors, and if they do, they're oftentimes disoriented just like Odette. Most of the time, they have little to no memory of the event the next morning.

As unresponsive as she is, the police offered to bring her to a psychiatrist. Turned out that she was only having a normal episode of a sleep terror. It usually happens for children but there were some adults who suffer from it every now and then too. It's not a deadly disease but the psychiatrist still advised her to practice good sleep hygiene and limit her stimulant intake. After that, she was discharged.

Her head felt light as a balloon, having no strength at all to even go to the kitchen to eat. She's confused. She felt like she is forgetting something she cannot afford to forget. Moments later, she heard the doorbell rang. She stood up unwillingly to see who it was.

In the front door stood a young man wearing a simple pair of shorts and a tee. Her boyfriend since middle school, Zachary. Looking at his disheveled state and the desperate look in his eyes, it seems like he came here in a hurry.