There’s a subaudible hum behind his words that makes my skin crawl, but I can’t resist his instructions. Distantly, I hear one of the techs calling out a reading, but it doesn’t make any sense to me.
“Now, let’s go back. I want you to go back to your old home. Imagine how it looked, how it smelled, your favorite places in it, picture it as clearly as you can. Once you have that in your head, say ‘yes, Alpha.’”
Behind my closed eyes, I can see every detail of my pack’s home. The one we built together, decorated together, the place we were going to build a family together. The cedar walls of the log cabin always made it smell amazing, and ourscents seeped into the wood, letting me smell my alphas when they were gone. I remember the way the wall clock would tick above the fireplace, a stunning piece of metal work Isaac welded together for us, his mating present to the pack. The way the stuffing in our well-worn couch would create the perfect cocoon around me when I curled up on it.
“Yes, Alpha.”
The words come out of my mouth, robotic and entirely against my will.
“Very good. Now just relax. I’m going to ask you questions and you’re going to just say whatever crosses your mind. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“Then let’s begin.”
~~Transcript of Omega D. Montgomery Advanced Memory Recovery Program - Session 1~~
Dr. Lawrence Richards: In your mind, return to the day of the incident. You were coming home from grocery shopping. What did you do?
Omega Montgomery: I parked in the driveway, and I saw their cars were there. All four of them.
LR: Four cars?
Omega shows signs of mental distress, increased heart rate, brain activity spike in the amygdala.
LR: Relax, Omega. Let’s move from outside to inside. Imagine you have a remote control in your hand. You can fast forward and rewind and pause what you see whenever you want. When you enter the house, let’s press pause in the living room. What do you see?
OM: There’s a pan on the stove, still turned on. It’s burning. Why would they leave it unattended? That’s not like them.
LR: Anything else out of the ordinary? Any detail at all.
OM: The table is knocked over. There’s a broken chair, a knife on the floor.
Further spikes of activity across the limbic system noted. Hippocampus activity is normal.
LR: Picture your remote, and press play. Where did you go next?
OM: I heard a noise upstairs. I tried to call out to them,and—
Omega displaying signs of physical pain, brain activity in amygdala spiking beyond normal ranges. Thalamus activation noted, as well as a drop in activity in the hippocampus
LR: Focus, Omega. What happened next?
OM: They were in my nest. My nest. Ruined. So much blood. Too much blood. Their faces. Oh, God. No! No! NO! They’re dead.
LR: Who else was there, Omega? Remember!
Notes reflect use of designation-specific persuasion method
OM: No! I can’t! I can’t! I won’t! Please! Don’t! Why? Why would you do this to them? We loved you! I love you! Why? Please–
LR: Tell me his name! What is his name!
Omega unresponsive to further questioning. Session suspended due to dangerous levels of brain activity.
~~End Of Session~~
The moment I have control over my body, I turn over the side of the chair and vomit my breakfast all over the pristine floor. There are groans and sighs from around me, but I don’t care. I can still see them behind my eyes, my head pounding with the new images forced back into my head against my will. The acrid smell of burning onions and garlic haunt me even as someone comes along with a warm washcloth to wipe away the remaining dribble on my chin.