With a satisfied grunt, the man in black activated the device and stepped back. The device began to
flicker with tiny lights, while a deep, powerful rumble emanated somewhere within, rolled off, and vibrated my chair.
"Don't worry,” Peterson soothed as he slammed the door shut, “this will hurt—a lot." "That's very comforting.” I frowned.
Peterson and the man in black took guard positions on either side of the closed door. They kept their eyes focused directly on me, as if ready for a show. The cloaked being swept forward and placed both of his hands on the device. Gray, slender, and hairless, with long, black fingernails, they seemed almost more dangerous than the device. Looking up into the being's face, an intense wave of fear welled up somewhere deep in my brain and began to quickly cascade down my body. As I stared at the featureless head, I couldn't tear my gaze away from the black, almond-shaped eyes. They were like a doll's eyes, glossy, and seemingly lifeless. Dear Lord, Karlwasright.
I watched what I was certain was an alien smoothly operating the controls on the device. Looking just like the beings in the tubes in the warehouse, I knew this must also be a Maryut. I could certainly understand where the “wax people” reference came from. “So,” I breathed, “mutilate any cattle lately?” I was talking out of sheer terror.
The Maryut said nothing, but continued to work. I set my jaw. “You're gong to probe me, aren't you?" I wasn't sure, but I think the Maryut smiled at me. Lifting a silver, oval-shaped object from the table, the Maryut moved around in front of me and grabbed my jaw with a strength that surprised me. I tried to struggle, but its spindly fingers felt like steel clamps on my head. Forcefully opening my mouth, it then placed the silver oval on my lips. As the cold metal touched my flesh I smelled a quick stab of ozone then several lightning strikes of pain in my upper and lower jaws. Two more strikes hit my tongue, then something slick slithered down my throat. The urge to gag gripped my body like a fist, but I couldn't. Feeling an involuntary tear run down my cheek, I found I couldn't close my mouth, nor could I speak. The Maryut bobbed its head like a bird as it watched me. Emotionlessly ignoring my searing pain, it moved back to the device. Sliding a clear tube from the rear of the device, it snapped a silver tip on it and moved toward me. Pushing my head forward, there was a pinch at the base of my skull then the sound or air being forced out of the tube. Suddenly the pain receptors in my head lit up like a Christmas tree. It felt as if my flesh were on fire. Glancing to the right, I could see my blood being sucked down the tube into the device. Darkness began to encroach on the corners of my vision. I heard Peterson snicker in delight.
Moving back to the device, the Maryut monitored it for a moment, and apparently pleased, moved on to phase two. Swinging the arm with the triad of instruments around to my head, the Maryut pressed a button on the back of the arm. Two cylindrical instruments next to the drill bit snapped open and their
The Brimstone Betrayal
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