[i]Lights… why are there so many lights?[/i]

Aaron blinked several times as he awoke, trying desperately to block out the glow eminating from above him. Slowly, painfully, the white, sterile walls of a hospital operating room came into view. The memories crashed into him in waves, and his memory returned a little more each time his head throbbed.

[i]There were… like six guys. Seven? I can’t remember… Where am I?[/i]

Trying to pull himself up, Aaron quickly noticed the tight nylon straps binding him down and a sharp pain in his neck. With immense effort and nauseating pain, he was able to turn his head just enough to look around. The light overhead drew searing tears from his eyes, and he blinked even more frantically to try and clear his blurred vision.

[i]I got mugged… so why am I strapped down? This can’t be the hospital.[/i]

Wicked metal instruments sat on a table next to him, and soreness permeated every muscle in Aaron’s body. He could feel his light blonde hair matted to his head from sweat, and weariness hit him as though he had been running for miles. Straining to look down, he noticed his body seemed more muscular than usual. While in good shape, Aaron had never been ripped, but now, he could clearly see the outline of his abdomen and pectoral muscles. His arms and legs felt swollen, and he struggled to take a deep breath.

[i]Alright, so that’s new. I don’t see anyone around. Let’s figure something out.[/i]

Aaron closed his eyes to block out the light, and shifted his feet a little bit, as much as the restraints would allow. They seemed incredibly durable, and he tried in vain to wiggle his right arm free. His head pounded mercilessly, and his slow, deliberate breathing became more and more intense. Hot, intense panic tightened its grip on his chest, and he could feel himself losing control. Trying to yell out, Aaron found his tongue dry and thick, and only a labored grunt escaped his parched lips.

[i]Where am I? Someone help. Please, God, anyone! Why can’t I even talk?[/i]

As wave after wave of panic crashed into him, Aaron felt his skin start to crawl with the sensation of thousands of bugs. He started heaving from the feeling, struggling to keep his stomach from losing control. Opening his eyes, Aaron starting shaking and pulling against his restraints, and the violent rocking of the table knocked over a nearby set of medical instruments. The noise of surgical steel clattering against the linoleum drove him over the edge, and Aaron began to thrash violently.

[i]Get me the hell out of here![/i]

Aaron’s panic worsened as his skin began to glow a bright shade of blue mixed with purple - almost a periwinkle. His eyes widened, and with a sickening rip, he managed to free his left arm and topple sideways, pulling the table on top of him. Finally giving in to his panic, he lay on his side, puking onto the once-sterile white tile. In another fit of terrified rage, Aaron elbowed the surgical table as hard as he could, pulling the restraints straight off of him and sending the table flying into the wall with a force strong enough to shatter the wall. Now free, he stood and looked around, skin still glowing the same unsettling hue.

[i]How...how did I do that? What in God’s name is going on here?[/i]

Just then several men burst through the only door, clad in full riot gear and pointing assault rifles at him. Behind them, doctors in bright white lab coats scrambled to flee down the hall for safety. The security guard in front took aim and yelled. Looking down, Aaron noticed the red dots of half a dozen laser sights pointed directly at his chest.

“Hands up! Don’t move!” Aaron threw his hands in the air and stopped. As his hands rose, the periwinkle hue that surrounded his skin condensed itself into a ball and flew forward, directly into the chest of the foremost guard. The man was sent sprawling backwards, into a wall, and landed with a gruesome thud. Behind the slightly tinted visor of his riot helmet, Aaron saw the last bit of life fade from his eyes.

[i]What the hell?! What was that?[/i]

In a panic, the rest of the men opened fire, hundreds of bullets aimed directly at Aaron. The glowing energy around him expanded about an inch, and the bullets harmlessly bounced off of it. Aaron, seizing his opportunity, tried to dive behind the table. His legs, with their newfound muscle strength, sprung him too far forward, and he crashed into the wall behind the table. Springing to his feet, Aaron grabbed the table with both hands, lifted it, and threw it into the guards as hard as he could. The table connected with three men, instantly pushing them backwards and crushing them under the force of the throw. Blood pooled under the bodies, and Aaron began heaving again as the rain of bullets continued to ineffectively bounce away before hitting him.

[i]I… I killed them… I didn’t mean to![/i]

Aaron shoved forward, knocking aside another guard and bursting into the hallway. As he turned the corner and began running, he was met by another group of guards also aiming at him with assault rifles. They immediately opened fire, and as the bullets connected with Aaron’s mysterious periwinkle shield, they ricocheted back, catching several guards in the chest or neck, dropping them. Aaron, now fully aware of the bullets’ relative harmlessness, charged straight at them and threw a football tackle at one of the few still standing. The sounds of bones cracking as they collided turned Aaron’s stomach. Pushing off his left foot, he felt an eruption just under his feet, and he and the guard flew forward hard enough to shatter the walls of the building and send them hurtling outside.

With a horrific realization, Aaron found himself several stories in the air, hurtling towards the ground, clutching onto the body armor of the guard he had tackled. The pavement below was well lit by a combination of moonlight, streetlights, and signs from nearby buildings. Bracing himself, Aaron hardly had time to register the car directly in his trajectory before he and the man crashed through its roof. The car’s alarm blared in his ears and he struggled to disentangle himself from the wreckage, and he stood, but not before looking again into the lifeless, blue eyes of the security guard he had taken with him. 

[i]Oh God…[/i]

The constant blaring of the car’s alarm seemed to wail its accusations at him. Murderer. Criminal. Freak. Aaron clutched his hands to his ears, hot tears streaming down his face. The sudden cracks of gunfire from the window above and the sounds of bullets hitting the pavement and car wreckage around him pulled him quickly from his panic, and he ran, barefoot and shirtless, into the nearby alley.

Aaron woke in his bed, soaked in sweat and shivering, the sound of his cell phone alarm hauntingly reminiscent of the car alarm in his dream. With a sigh, he sat up and wiped the sweat from his eyes and struggled to catch his breath.

[i]Third time this month.[/i]