bruises are pretty imo

Day 10: Dislocation

Alfie hesitated, breath stuttering in his chest. “One more thing. Nothing is off limits. Do what you need to do.” The Reaper’s commands were usually so simple and easy to follow, so unlike what she was saying now. Get on the table. Hold still, little bird. Alfie didn’t dare look up, only showing his dread in the slight furrow of his brow, which was mostly hidden under his hair anyway. “Well?” He heard the Reaper’s voice behind him, more firm now. “What are you waiting for?” Right. He had to kill the avian that stood ahead of him. If he hesitated any longer, he would be hurt more later. At least, that’s what he thought the Reaper had in mind. 

The harpy took a step forward, eyeing his opponent. They circled each other like two cats hunting, then, unexpectedly, the other avian rose into the air, spreading his wings. Alfie could only look up and wish he had practice flying as the person above him slammed down into him, his shoulder taking most of the force.

Kill him. Those had been his orders, just like anything else that came out of the Reaper’s mouth. Get on the table. Hold still. Don’t talk. Kill him. It was all the same. They were all just orders that he needed to follow. Even though he heard a pop as shoulder exploded in pain, even though he was disoriented and scared and unsure, they were still orders. His right arm was virtually useless, so he just held it to his body loosely, the wing fluttering as he moved. He needed to kill his attacker. He just didn’t know how. 

Alfie just had to get home. A relatively simple task for humans, but a dangerous and possibly life-threatening one for his kind. Glancing up every few seconds, his fingers grasped at the cloak that was already wrapped tightly around him. Even so, the tips of his wings still showed from some angles.  

Turning a corner, he almost ran into someone, but Alfie didn’t stick around to see who it was. He tried to continue walking at his pace, but his nerves made it hard. Through the fog in his head, he just hoped the man wasn’t one of them. The harpy was out of luck, however. The man turned. 

“Knew you’d be out here. Goddamn animals like you shouldn’t exist.” In two steps, the man had closed the gap between them and grabbed Alfie’s shirt, yanking it up. With a sharp intake of breath, Alfie felt for the wall behind him, his fingers brushing against cold stone. The man wasn’t done yet. Something reflected the moonlight, and Alfie jerked in his grasp as a knife slid into his abdomen. “That should teach you.” The man let go and walked away the way he had come, leaving Alfie to crumple on the ground in a bloody heap. 

Note: This is old and I have changed parts of the world/characters so it is no longer canon.

Alfie slumped down against the wall as far as he could. His arms still chained high above him, he could only manage to sit upright, with his back against the wall. Some knife wounds were still oozing blood on the walls that would probably stain it, but Alfie was too tired to care. He just wanted to sleep. Just wanted the day to be over.

The door opened, and he flinched, expecting the Reaper to drag him out. Instead, it was Valen. The Reaper mostly kept them apart, but every now and then Alfie caught a glance of her assistant. He never retaliated, and Alfie always wondered why he didn’t just leave. Maybe it was the threat of the Reaper coming after him that he was scared of. That’s why Alfie didn’t try to escape, anyway.

Quiet footsteps sounded, and Valen stepped closer. Under Alfie’s watchful eye, he took out a roll of gauze. “For your back, okay?” Alfie didn’t give any signal to whether he was okay with it, but he was chained up anyhow, so he couldn’t move. Valen started unwrapping the gauze, and placed a hand on Alfie’s shoulder to separate his back from the wall. Alfie flinched, his feathers shaking, not used to such gentle contact. Valen’s purple eyes flitted quickly to Alfie’s silently asking for permission once again. The muscles in Alfie’s jaw tensed before he gave a single nod, and Valen moved his hand to in between Alfie’s shoulders, wrapping the gauze around the worst of the injuries. The contact with the bandages stung, but it was bearable at least. At last, Valen was finished, and he sat against the wall next to Alfie, who briefly wondered why he was sticking around. They sat in silence for a long time.

“You doing okay in here?” Alfie turned his head, confused. Okay? How could I possibly be okay with this? “Yeah, I know, it kinda sucks here. But, relatively.” Valen continued. Sucks is an understatement. Alfie continued to stare at him. “You can talk, you know. She’s not here right now.” No. You’re wrong. She’s always watching. That’s what she told me, and she’s right. “It’s okay.” No. It’s not okay. It’ll never be okay. Valen shifted so he was facing Alfie. “I know your vocal chords work.” Alfie ducked his head in embarrassment. He’s heard me screaming. “If you don’t want to talk, can you listen?” Alfie glanced back up at Valen suspiciously. Valen seemed to take that as a yes, so he went on. “Most people, she just hurts for a little while, and throws them out on the streets. She’s never kept someone as long as you.” Yep, I knew that already. Got anything new to say? “But then again, you’re not most people. I’m… really sorry. That she’s doing this to you, I mean. You don’t get a choice in being a harpy, why should she hurt you for it?” Alfie’s head snapped up, and he glared into Valen’s eyes. Because I deserve it. Because I can’t even be good enough for her. Because without her, I’m nothing. The thoughts whirled around in his head, bouncing around the walls and echoing in the emptiness.

“I just… I wish I could do something. But I can’t. She’s said multiple times that she would hunt me, and I… my whole life is here.” Okay. I don’t need your sob story. You can kindly fuck off. Valen stared back at Alfie again. “Don’t you think it’s unfair?” Unfair. I used to think that. God, I was so naive back then. “Because it is.” Alfie’s brow furrowed. There was a small part of him that rejoiced at hearing that someone else thought the same way he did, and he hated it. “I mean, you didn’t really do anything to hurt her.” Nonono he’s wrong he’s so wrong you deserve it you deserve everything you disgusting piece of shit. He swallowed thickly, his throat blocked by… what? Anger? Relief? Sadness? Alfie couldn’t tell. “So, I just wanted to apologize. For not doing anything. And… I know you’re going to get out someday.” Alfie continued to stare at him silently as Valen got up and left him alone once more.

Note: This is old and I have changed parts of the world/characters so it is no longer canon.

See you in the morning. The Reaper’s voice echoed in Alfie’s head, and he curled up into a ball in the corner, rocking back and forth. His chest ached, and his shoulders were sore from being in the same position too long. His body was tired enough that his eyelids slid closed every now and then, but his mind wouldn’t let him sleep. It wasn’t the pain, which certainly didn’t help. It wasn’t really the fear, either. He knew that he would be hurt for what he said, or didn’t say, that was certain. What kept him awake was the waiting and the dread. It was going to happen, no matter what he did. When the sun came up, he was going to be punished.

Sometime in the early hours of the night, Alfie’s head lolled forward into his lap, his mind finally letting him sleep

“Wakey wakey.” A hand was shoved into his hair as his eyes snapped open. His breathing quickened, not used to pure panic this close to waking up. The hand gripped his brown locks and pulled, snapping his neck up. He blinked, trying to focus despite the blurriness in his head and vision.

It was the Reaper. Her hand gripped tighter and slammed his head into the wall behind him. Alfie gasped as the air was knocked out of his lungs, his head pounding from the impact. His hair was wrenched away once more, and he stumbled across the room, barely able to stay standing. He sniffed, blood slowly dribbling from his nose.

He was shoved onto the table once more, his collar replaced with handcuffs. He didn’t look around or move, too weak and tired to care. “Actually, hold on. We’re not going to be in here today.” The Reaper quipped, and led him into one of the side rooms, where a giant tub was waiting. “Get in.” she commanded. Alfie was never one to like water, as his wings got heavy easily when wet. His captor seemed to know this, as she shoved him forward into the ice-cold water.

“You just passed out for a bit. Can you hear me?” Alfie blinked wearily up at Valen, who was hovering over him. “...wha… yeah?” He mumbled. As the room stopped going fuzzy around him, he was uncomfortably aware of Valen’s hand supporting his neck. “Do-don’t t-t-t…” he gave up on the word and scrambled away to a corner of the room. Valen held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Okay, I won’t. As she likes to be known, the Reaper doesn’t like infected wounds. So I need to patch you up. So… I need you to come over here.” Alfie continued to stare at him blankly from across the room. Valen hesitated. “If you don’t want to clean your wound there, I can just go.” Alfie briefly nodded once, and Valen stood up and left the cell, taking his bandages with him. The harpy wrapped his wings around his legs, resting his forehead on his knees.

It was all becoming too much for him. His capture was only a couple of weeks ago, and since then he had been transferred to multiple people, all of them only wanting to hurt him. He hadn’t even bothered to remember their names; he would only be shipped off somewhere else later. Even though he hadn’t had the best life before, at least it wasn’t this. Trapped in a small room, with nothing to occupy him but pain and dread.

The dull shine of light through the bars told him it was still daytime. His captor turned off the lights and left for a period of time every day, so he assumed that was night. He didn’t really have any idea. She could have been nocturnal, for all he knew.

He shifted his gaze to the barred door, where the Reaper was barely visible behind a corner. She neatly wiped the bloody blade and slid it into its drawer with a clink. She turned, and must have noticed him looking at her, because she slowly walked over. “How’s my little bird doing? Is that induction healing up okay?” Her voice held a hint of sarcasm. Allie didn’t answer. Silence was becoming a new norm for him, as he was learning that she didn’t like that. He was learning lots of new things here. Don’t talk without permission, don’t struggle, don’t fight back. Escape had crossed his mind once or twice, but he figured he would be caught in his weakened state anyway.

“Anyways, I think you should be grateful that you’re not in more pain. Hm? I think you should thank me.” It wasn’t a suggestion. The Reaper’s voice brought Alfie to the present, but he continued to stare at her silently. She entered his cell and stepped towards the small corner he had shoved himself into. With a hand on his forehead, she tipped his head up to force eye contact. “Thank me.” She paused, her face becoming stern. “I won’t ask again. What are your greatest fears hm? Waterboarding? Drowning? Being burned alive? What about,” she reached her other hand to his wings. “Having those pretty things cut off?” Alfie’s glare turned defensive, and he shifted under her heavy hand. “So thank me. Thank me for not doing any of that.” Alfie kept his mouth shut and his eyes down. “Very well.” A hint of anger crept into the Reaper’s voice, and she shoved him away. “See you in the morning.”

Note: This is old and I have changed parts of the world/characters so it is no longer canon.

Zap. Alfie’s hands flew to his neck, tightly wrapping around the metal shock collar that had been placed there before. The pressure did nothing to stop or lessen the pain. Zap. He tried to focus on his breathing, something that he had to do too much in the past few days. Alfie inhaled a shaky breath. Zap. He let it all out with a quiet wheeze, only to frantically suck in as the pain became unbearable.

“Oh good. It’s working.” The voice of the woman he had only briefly met announced her presence. The door to his cell was opened, and he looked up to see her walking towards him, shoes clicking on the cold floor. Alfie kept his eyes on the floor and his mouth shut. It would only have ended up in stuttering and more punishment anyway. “Come on. I’ll see if you can be better today.” She took the rope that was strapped to his collar and tugged him out of the room. Alfie trailed along reluctantly, really not wanting to see what torture method she had in mind, but more afraid to rebel.

The harpy was shoved onto a metal table with another pair of hands. His captor hummed happily as she prepared the handcuffs and syringes out of a nearby drawer.

“Valen, get these on. I can’t have him flailing around.” A pair of handcuffs that glinted in the too-bright lights were handed to the assistant. Alfie rolled over and pushed himself up with his arms, only to be shoved back down again, the handcuffs slid and locked over his wrists. He tipped his head back, trying to block out the glare of the bright lights above him. His collar was removed, and he tensed up, trying to prepare for whatever was coming next. 

“Alright. Now, if you’ll just stay still for a moment…” Alfie tensed as a syringe was shoved into his wrist, whatever liquid inside burning as it entered his bloodstream. He bit his tongue, trying to focus on something, anything else. All of a sudden, his heart started hammering in his chest. He looked up frantically, trying to make sense of what was happening. “Feel that? It’ll keep you awake.” the lady said.

The shine of a freshly-cleaned knife caught his attention as the woman drew closer to his wings. The tip was pressed into his flesh gently, before being whisked away. “Ooh! I almost forgot!” She carded her hand through his feathers, making Alfie tense with the anticipation of pain. All at once, she grabbed a fistful and pulled hard, a couple feathers coming away in her grasp. Alfie inhaled sharply, trying to stay quiet in spite of the pain. Gentle fingers scratched through his wings again, and before she could yank out all her feathers, Alfie spoke. “Wh-why? Why are you d-doing th...is? I don’t have any in-information that you want, don’t have anything you c...could want...” He trailed off, out of breath and afraid. “I think the reason’s clear don’t you? You’re an animal with those wings.” The knife came down, erupting pain in Alfie’s chest. A small whimper escaped from Alfie’s lips, and he gasped, trying to pass it off as a wheeze. “Finally, you’re coming around.” Damn it, she heard. His eyes burned in shame and embarrassment.

“Crying, are you now?” Fierce blue eyes stared down into Alfie’s yellow ones. “You got tame faster than I thought. Alright, I’ll stop now. Leave you to your feelings bullshit.” With a wave of her hand, her assistant was summoned. “Valen, take him to his cell. Leave the cuffs on.” The purple-eyed human dipped his head. “Come on,” Valen’s gentle tone was a breath of fresh air for Alfie. “Can you stand?” he continued. Alfie nodded and grimaced, holding his hands to his chest, where the blood still oozed from the cut. Valen didn’t offer help and Alfie didn’t ask for it, not wanting to sink lower into submissiveness than he already had. The cell wasn’t very far away, so Alfie was able to attempt the slow trip on his own. The drugs were still running rampant his system, but in spite of them he began to feel a little dizzy. Valen caught his limp body just as he reached the door.

Note: This is old and I have changed parts of the world/characters so it is no longer canon.

“He’s conscious.” Two purple eyes started down at Alfie as his eyes slid open. He blinked, trying to get a sense of his surroundings, but the room or wherever he was in was too blurry to make anything out. He let his eyes fall closed again, wishing the dull pounding in his head would stop. “Hey. I didn’t say you could fall asleep.” A different voice this time, rougher, and more… female. A hand reached over to his shoulder and shook him, aggravating all the new bruises and scrapes that the harpy had acquired. “Valen, you can go. I don’t think he’ll need more restraining.” a woman’s voice said. “‘Kay,” the man muttered, and Alfie heard quiet footsteps retreat and a door close. He was just about to give in to the darkness when a slap to the face made him jerk his head up and his eyes fly open.

With a sharp inhale, Alfie noticed that his arms and legs were tied down. He pulled at the restraints, the rough rope already digging into his wrists and ankles. He stared up at the woman who circled around his spot on the floor. “It’s alright to give up, you know. The drugs in you are strong enough to knock anyone out,” she said, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Alfie’s eyes went wide with surprise and anger. “Y-you d-dr...dr-dr…” He raised himself off the floor with pure willpower, the edges of his vision going dark. A shove on the center of his chest made him fall back the few inches to the floor, and he bit his tongue as the various scrapes on his back touched the cold cement. Her smile grew. “Yes, my little bird. I drugged you. Go to sleep now. It won’t do you any good if you’re struggling.” Eyes closed, Alfie muttered, “...n-not you-your little p-pet.”

“Oh yes, that’s what they all say. In the beginning, anyways. Good night,” the woman shut the door and left Alfie to fumble around in the dark.

“Did you sleep well?” The Doctor’s voice and the banging of the door made Alfie flinch involuntarily. He said the only thing he could think with his mind still foggy from pain and lack of sleep. “Fu… Fuck you.” The Doctor only smiled. “Well, I don’t exactly care. I happen to also not think very highly of you either. And besides, you won’t be seeing much of me. Kind of a regret for me, I was hoping to do many more tests on you.”

Alfie pulled himself to a standing position with some difficulty. He had only been in the cell for a couple of days, but he didn’t want to imagine what other people could do to him in his weakened state. “No.” he said, hoping the calm facade he put on masked his fear. “I’ll escape. You’ll see. Might even come back to kill you.” The Doctor reached into a drawer out of Alfie’s sight and came back with a strap of leather. As he got closer, Alfie could recognize it as a muzzle. “I’ll pr...pr-robably even en-enjoy it,” he started again, but the sight of the muzzle made his heart pound like a caged bird.

“Come here, you freak.” The Doctor’s demeanor could change in a moment, it seemed. All of a sudden, he had one hand lightly tracing Alfie’s jawline, and the other roughly securing the muzzle around his chin. The harpy inhaled sharply as the leather was wrapped around his nose and mouth. It was the last full breath he would get in a while. His hot breath got trapped in the muzzle, and he found himself gasping for oxygen within a few minutes. “They’ll be shipping you off, oh, right about now.” the Doctor said, and he unhooked the cuffs from the wall. With Alfie’s wings leading the way, he was led through the door, up a flight of stairs, and out into the bright sunlight. Tears flooded his eyes, and he jerked on his cuffs trying to block it out with a wing. In response, the Doctor only tugged harder, sending a jolt of pain up his shoulder. Alfie gritted his teeth, trying to not to gasp. He glanced up into the eyes of his new captor. A blur of blonde hair swept past him, and he was pulled into the back of a dirty cart, cuffs tied to a hook. The latch was locked behind him, and he began moving. In the darkness, Alfie wrapped his arms around him as far as they would go with the cuffs and leaned back against one of the sides, his back and sides throbbing. He kept his head down and his breaths quick and shallow as he bumped against the hard walls. For once in his life, he had no idea what to do.

Weighed down by the chains, Alfie could only flutter his wings uselessly. “Hold on, don’t move them. They need to be pretty.” his captor reminded him. Placing his hands over the newly formed bruises, Alfie gave his wings one final flap before daring to open his mouth. “If I r-r… ruin them, will y-you let me… go?” His captor smiled. “Well, I do have a lot more tests and experiments to do with you. But some of them… let’s just say you won’t need your wings for. So, no.” He reached for Alfie’s chin. The harpy was exhausted and in pain, and barely had enough energy to shift his head to the left a couple of inches. His captor chuckled. “You’ll learn. For now, why don’t you call me Doctor? I will be running tests on you, after all.” Alfie’s breathing picked up. “N… not g-gonna call you… anything…” he panted out. The Doctor’s smile disappeared. “All right, it was cute the first few times you did it, but now you need to obey me.” A pair of shiny handcuffs were tied to his wrists. The Doctor gave them a rough tug to make sure no feathers got stuck in it, then hooked them to a metal ring in the wall.

Alfie jerked his wrists, once, twice, and a third time, trying to keep the whimpers balling up in his throat from surfacing. The Doctor got up to leave, his hand in the doorway. “Don’t… do that to yourself. It’s only going to get worse.” Alfie gasped violently, suddenly feeling the pain from the cuffs. The Doctor paused and turned back, his piercing blue eyes fixed on Alfie. “I would have asked you to thank me, but it looks like you’re tired out already.” The harpy glared at the Doctor’s retreating back as he shut and locked the door behind him.

Left to deal with his own thoughts, Alfie tipped his head back and tried to shift himself into a comfortable position. The metal ring he was hooked to was wide enough that he could stand or sit with his arms and wings held above him. He gingerly lowered himself to the ground, trying not to strain his sore shoulders. He didn’t know what he was in there for, but he would be getting out at his first chance.

A light, feathery hand brushes over Alfie’s wings. “It’s good that they’re still intact, huh little bird?” He glared at his captor, and opened his mouth to let out a swift retort, but was cut off by a swift punch to the jaw. What little strength he had left in him ebbed away and he crumpled to the ground. “Still haven’t learned? You obey me. You are mine, pretty bird.” Alfie raised his head, still reeling from the punch. “N-never.” His captor grinned. “Hey, you’re getting better. No one but me will want anyone with a stutter.” He continued on, reaching a hand toward the harpy’s neck. “And you’ve only been here for a few days. See how much progress you’ll make when you’ve been here for longer.”

The hand reached his neck and grasped it, getting tighter by the second. Alfie coughed, black spots clouding his vision. His wings fluttered weakly, and his lungs ached. His captor tilted his head, and suddenly let go of the harpy’s throat. Alfie inhaled sharply, hands flying to his throat. “Hold on, I almost forgot something. You’ll be good and stay here while I go get it, won’t you?” his captor said. Alfie’s arms burned, and as much as he wanted to run across the room and kill his captor, he still couldn’t get enough air. He was reduced to a coughing, gasping brown and white mass on the floor.

His captor came back in through the barred door a few moments later. Alfie didn’t look up. “Look what I have for you, pretty bird!” He held out two metal weights and a length of chain. “We need to stop you from using your wings so they don’t get damaged. You wouldn’t want that, would you? No, I need your wings to be in tip-top shape!” His captor chattered to himself as he made the two lengthy strides across the small room. At the last moment, Alfie brought his chin up, and stared his captor in the eyes. He raised his fist, arm burning.

He wasn’t fast enough. In a flash, he was kicked in the head and ribs, again and again, bruises spreading on his skin. “Ngghh, stop, st… going t… to fucking k-kill y… you…” Alfie gasped, the boot opening up old wounds. His captor’s cheeriness quickly turned to anger. “You little shit! I captured you for a reason, don’t make me ruin those wings! Once they’re ruined, you’re worthless. Without your wings, your nothing. You hear me? Nothing.” With a hand on his back, his captor tied the weights around his wings, and tightly wrapped the chains around it. “You see? You’ve lost the privilege of freedom. You’re mine.”