Stunned

Roxanne’s harsh words came with a demented edge. Before Mia could reply, her eyes settled on the device. She watched the alien blue light spring to life at the end of the aperture like a magic wand.

“What are you doing?”

Her eyes flickered with a mad glint as she stepped across the threshold, still twenty feet away from Mia.

“You… think you can strip me?” asked Roxanne rhetorically. “You thought you could humiliate me?”

Mia took an awkward step back.

“No, no, no…”

Roxanne advanced on her as if she were circling prey; the device pointed at her like a gun. Mia contemplated charging her for a weird moment, but she didn’t trust whatever was in her hands. Should she flee?

“Jesus, chill out,” said Mia. “You need help.”

With a flick of her thumb, Roxanne activated something. Immediately, a high-pitched whine filled the space between them, reverberating throughout the room. The noise unsettled Mia, making her teeth itch.

“You’ll be the one who’ll need help after this.” Roxanne continued to close the distance. “But nobody’s going to hear you.”

Mia’s breath caught in her throat as Roxanne flicked her thumb again, and the whine’s intensity grew. She winched and clutched her ears as the whine started to pierce her senses. Her vision began to blur, and the world appeared to shake as her balance deserted her.

“What… is that?”

“Sonic distortion.” Roxanne’s voice was barely discernible through the **** on her senses. “There’s nothing you can do.”

Mia’s muddled thoughts couldn’t form into anything coherent. She sank to her knees as she just wanted the sensation to end. Mercifully, Roxanne turned down the intensity again. Mia breathed, feeling the perspiration beading on her forehead.