text: There is a room. There is a scream. I can hear it on the other side of the door, a big wail of a scream that can only come from someone who would rather put each of their limbs through a meat grinder, attached, than endure that kind of pain. I know what is coming; I have seen it before. People would be rescued from the Square and come here to be mentally evaluated and physically examined before being released back to society; or so they thought. I know this because I have been here so long I have named the specks of dirt on the wall - Becky is my favourite because she has nice hair. The scream doesn’t dissipate but instead grows more intense. *Damn, she’s really getting the full treatment.* Most people that are returned from the Square don’t have many limbs to speak of because they are torn off by the Reapers. You’d think that if they wanted to keep the entertainment going they would try to keep the remaining Nephilim fodder alive. I'm jealous of the source of the screams though - not many Nephilim still have mouths because they are deemed “vestigial”. All my room has is an IV drip; inhuman beings don’t need human niceties and besides, who misses cheeseburgers anyway? Totally not me, of course. As soon as I start up my usual conversation about cheeseburgers with Becky I can hear the click clack of heels. *She’s baaack*, I trill in my mind. I think today I’ll be a tiger. As she nears my cell I crouch and stalk towards the door. When the clicks stop I launch myself at the window as I feel my well worn muscles spring and she collapses to the floor; best part of the day. Stiff and sentry-like, the guards enter and chain me to the spot on the wall covered in claw marks - sometimes I get too much into my cat act. I nod a hello to them as per usual but of course no mouth equals no response. I still think I’m going to get a nod back. The heeled woman follows them in through the small doorway and now comes the worst part of my day. “Good morning, Seraphina. I hope you’re well because, as you know, we have the eight-hour marathon starting at 10 and I cannot have my champion going off to Heaven now can we?” She laughs an I-own-you-but-you-should-laugh-anyway kind of laugh - she says the same derogatory joke daily. I’d rather die than listen to her dribble but the fact that she’s talking means I’m closer to my opportunity. This marathon will guarantee my death - my ticket to release. I hate that joke but today it becomes ironic - I will finally be rid of her. She’s still talking but I've tuned out her shrill voice as I’m being dragged down the hall by the guards - why would I want to make it easier for them? I float down the river lazily, hearing the gushes of water crashing into the rocks and the glacial water permeating my back until I shiver in pain and pleasure. The river twists and turns and now I hear the buzz of bees as they bounce from lily to lily - gathering sweet nectar for the honey I ache to taste on my tongue. Buzz, buzz, buzz. There’s a voice that tells me to shut up and suddenly there’s a much louder buzz as I float gently away. My river dries up momentarily and now I stand in the launch room, shuffling my feet and bouncing on them; anxious to kill and anxious to die. I can see the remains of my fallen Nephilim brethren and all I can be is envious. I’m too strong for my own good. The screen above the loading bay displays the last of the commercials for the Alliance and a timer with only five minutes remaining. As I feel the familiar grip and weight of my signature double bladed staff I cannot help that my eyes light up with a fury. I will kill all the Reapers today; I will not hold back anymore. My grip tightens on the staff until my claws break my skin. “Remember Seraphina, you will not die. I do not care if I have to hybridize you like a mutt.” Heel Lady sneers at me and I am placed behind the gate too soon - the tiger in me roars with disgust and I have to agree.