Beware of Dog

Surprisingly, the eight headed monster wasn't the weirdest part of my day. I woke up with a searing headache in a room that resembled a hospital. The lights on the ceiling were blinding. I squinted to look around as my eyes adjusted. Other than the bed I was lying on, there was no other furniture. A solitary door stood in the corner, opposite a crude toilet and sink. After a few moments the sharp pounding in my head lessened into a dull throb. I sat up.

Immediately I could tell something was wrong: the left half of my body felt heavier, more clunky than usual. A cursory glance revealed that my arm and leg had been replaced with limbs made of metal. My throat clenched and my stomach dropped, rebelling at the sight of their metallic sheen. I managed to stumble towards the toilet before vomit came racing up my esophagus. I clenched the side of the basin as shudders wracked my body. The spasms passed and I realized I had been retching bile—my stomach was completely empty. With a sour taste in my mouth, I breathed deep despite the stale air. I mustered up the courage to take a closer look at my new limbs.

The entirety of my left arm was constructed of a strange metal, fusing into the skin at my shoulder. I poked where they melded together. While there was no pain, the sensation left a trail of goosebumps on my skin. The hem of the hospital gown I was clad in stopped just above my knees, showcasing my new leg. I leaned in to inspect the knee joint, bending and unbending my left leg with fascination. Though sickening, I couldn't help but feel fascinated by the craftsmanship of the arm and leg. The metal appendages moved and rotated just as fluidly as their flesh counterparts.

Flexing my metal fingers, I stood and crossed over to the door. It was shut, but not locked, and opened with ease. Behind it was a long hallway that stretched in either direction. The hallway looked deserted, so I stepped out and closed the door behind me. As soon as the latch clicked shut, an alarm blared to life and the lights above turned to an angry, flashing red.

"Damn," I muttered, instinctively darting down the right-hand hallway. I wasn't used to my new leg; it lagged behind me as I ran, clunk-step-clunk-step, on the linoleum. The alarm was deafening—I couldn't hear anything over it save for my mismatched stride.

The monster came out of nowhere as I rounded a corner, its bronze jaws snapping. I dodged to the left with a shout, jumping out of its way. Rolling into a crouch, I looked around, desperate for a weapon. The never ending hallway was devoid of anything I could use to protect myself. The beast lunged again, eight sets of deadly teeth grazing my side as I struggled to dodge it in the confining space. I glanced towards the nearest doorway, which lay right behind the mechanical hydra.

A hasty plan formed in my mind. It was insane and would most likely get me killed, but it was my only option. Without dwelling on it for too long, I leapt into action. Pushing off the ground with my stronger robotic leg, I vaulted over the hydra heads that shot towards me. My hand reached for a sconce embedded into the wall. As soon as my fingers closed on it, I swung around to the door, grabbing and twisting the handle as I landed. I thrust it open without looking back, but I could feel the hydra's hot, steamy breath on the nape of my neck. I slammed the door shut behind me.

The room I entered looked like a dining hall. Most of it was occupied with a long table draped with an elegant cloth and set for a party of two. As I leaned against the shaking door, I spied something that I might be able to use to defend myself. I twisted the lock and crossed the room at a sprint. The door frame shuddered as I reached the table. As soon as I seized the object, the hydra burst into the dining area with ferocity. Each pair of its jaws dripped with an acerbic substance. The broken edges of the wall behind it were smoking. Before I could react, all eight heads swiveled towards me and sprayed acid.

The large silver platter I had grabbed functioned nicely as a makeshift shield. I hoped it would take longer to corrode than wood, maybe enough time to figure out how to shut down the machine. The torrent of acid spluttered to a stop. Glancing over the platter, I saw that the beast had withdrawn, glaring in my direction. Its heads were dancing and bobbing, a hypnotizing display.

Wary, I studied the hydra for the first time. Its exterior was bronze, constructed with overlapping pieces of metal that resembled scales. Around each neck there was different colored collar, which struck me as odd. The monster looked impenetrable and there didn't seem to be a kill-switch; though whoever constructed it would have hidden it somewhere out of sight.

With my attention concentrated on the beast in front of me, I didn't notice that someone had entered the room behind me until it was too late.

"Ah, I see you're awake," the man said, stepping up to the hydra and laying a hand on its side. At his touch, it backed off with a low whine. The man gestured at the chair next to me. "Please, sit."

Lowering the platter, I complied, keeping him in my line of sight as I did so. Walking around the room, he sat across from me, unfolding the napkin and placing it in his lap. He continued to speak.

"I am glad to see you are unharmed. I apologize for my, ah, pet. You see, he gets a little excited about visitors."

I nodded, though I stayed quiet. The man seemed harmless, but I didn't want to get caught off guard if my assumption turned out to be wrong.

"Forgive me, I've been impolite. My name is Dr. Valence.”

As he paused, I opened my mouth to introduce myself, but realized with a jolt that I did not remember my own name. I clamped my jaw shut and waited for the doctor to continue, uneasy.

“You might be wondering where you are, why you are here, what is going on, etcetera. But yet, as eager as I know you must be to ask questions, you must refrain from doing so.”

I clenched my fists underneath the table, my brow furrowing. I had no idea what Dr. Valence was talking about, but every word from his mouth set me on the edge.

“Alas, while I would like to explain everything to you, I cannot. You see, you have become a valuable asset to myself and my partner. If you knew what was going on, you might try to escape."

Every hair on my body stood up and my blood pounded in my ears. I vaguely heard the chair clatter to the floor as I leaped from it. Before I could run, Valence appeared in front of me, a syringe in hand. He grabbed my real arm and plunged the needle into it. Darkness clouded my vision. Valence’s voice echoed in my ears as I slipped into unconsciousness.

"And we simply can't have that."