Tentacles

DESCRIPTION:
Helga was a research assistant in a lab that nurtured an alien plant that survived on a returning space shuttle. Her job was to take care of the plant and discover what it needed. One day she was late feeding the plant and it decided to punish her, over and over while her collogues watched.

EXCERPT:
On a Monday, she never expected to be captured by the plant's tentacles. Helga was late for work and as a result, late feeding her alien charge. The plant seemed agitated as Helga entered the isolation chamber and several of the scientists were watching intently. As usual she dressed in her isolation suit and entered the chamber to feed and water the plant, but something was different.

The tentacles especially seemed more agitated and were moving faster than she had ever seen. As she added water to the plant's base, tentacles wrapped around both her legs and around her waist. She wasn't worried, because she loved her plant, but they began to squeeze, and she felt trapped. She began to get frightened as more tentacles joined in wrapping around her.

Suction cups on the tentacles began to enlarge on the tentacles, as well as little hooks and the combination started tearing at her isolation suit. Helga frantically looked at the observation window and pleaded with them to rescue her, but the other scientists only stared, with a couple of her fellow scientists taking notes.

By the time she felt tentacles wrapping around her legs, it was too late. The tentacles latched on to her with an unbreakable grip and when she felt her isolation suit rip, she was open to the alien's environment. The tentacles strength astounded her as she fought and struggled against the seemingly unending swarm of tentacles. While multiple tentacles lifted her above the floor, spread and held her arms and legs captive, other tentacles began shredding and stripping her isolation suit and clothes from her.

The alien plant could have been exploring her and maybe was just as curious about her as she was about the plant. The plant seemed to have an intelligence that had not been previously known. Apparently, the tentacles wanted her naked, vulnerable and available to whatever it had in mind. So far Helga had not been hurt, but only exposed to the alien environment. Still, she was scared and had no idea what the future held for her, but to her fellow scientists she was a sacrifice to the altar of science.

Fear raced through her struggling form. She fought with everything she had, but it had very little effect. The alien plant seemed intent on exploring her and it considered her an alien species that needed investigation. Once she was caught, the fear of how she was going to survive overruled all her other senses. Helga tried to regain her wits and think of a way out, but terror gripped her, and she couldn't think. A jolt of adrenaline made her heart pound in her chest and cleared her mind for a second, but it didn't make any difference.

Dettagli