Introduction
It's been one year since all this crazy shit began. Since I
woke up from a coma. I'm writing this in case I don't make it. Because even
though every day I wake up and I'm so afraid that it physically hurts to move,
I'll admit sometimes I really want to give up. And maybe it won't hurt so bad
and death might just be better than trying to survive day in and day out. What
does it matter when I'm probably never becoming an adult? I mean, can we win
against these monsters? That I do not know; but I just have this gnawing fear
of being forgotten, like a leaf that's fallen to the ground. And now it's part
of the carpet of other leaves, waiting to be stepped on until it's- I'm nothing
more than the dust beneath their feet. If only I knew then what I know now. No,
I'm getting ahead of myself. If I'm going to share my story. I need to start
further back Let's start at my new beginning.
Chapter One: A Rude
Awakening
My eyes fluttered
open and I groggily took in my surroundings. Nothing made sense. I was in what
appeared to be a hospital room. My body was slick with sweat. When I looked
down at my arms, I was met with dark brown skin. I tentatively reached up to
touch my face and lips, feeling their texture. It felt as dry as parchment,
skin stretched tight around my bones and that made me feel itchy and
uncomfortable. My fingers grazed my plump lips, which were chapped, and in dire
need of some Vaseline. Still, my clumsy, bewildered hands moved to my hair, and
I ran my fingers over its soft, but brittle texture, my fingers tracing the
mass of kinky, tight black curls. I realised that my hair was styled in two
thick pigtails that hung down almost to my waist, and I noticed that the ends
were secured with pink elastic bands. I sat up, still feeling disoriented. I
lifted one of the pigtails in awe, watching as it fell back against my body,
the tips brushing the covers of the bed. The hair was so long, it was as if it
had a life of its own. Strange...
And my head, Heavens! It felt as if it was filled with
cotton. Everything seemed so muffled, and far away, like a baby soul that was
accidentally placed into this shell of a person. Nothing felt familiar.
'Where am I?' I croaked, the words coming out as an
inaudible whisper.
I cleared my throat and spoke once more. 'How did I get
here?' Is that my voice? It sounded strange like it belonged to someone else
and by the sound of it, that someone hasn't spoken in a very long time. I
didn't even know my own name or what I looked like. All I knew was that I
needed to get out of this bed and find someone. But my body felt stiff and
sore. I had no idea how I'd ended up here, my surroundings a blur of white
walls and medical equipment. All I knew was that something was terribly wrong.
My throat was dry and raw as I called out for help as loudly as I could, but
what came out was barely above a whisper. "Hello? Is anyone there?
"Can anyone hear me?"
But my cries fell short; the room was dreadfully quiet if
it weren't for my own beating heart and quick panicked breaths. I'm completely
alone. I thought to myself. And I don't
know why but in that moment that simply... terrified me. I didn't want to be
alone.
As I struggled to sit up, the weakness in my muscles and
the ache in my joints told me that I had not moved in some time. But as I tried
to stand up, my legs trembled beneath me, and a wave of dizziness washed over
me. I clutched at the hospital bed for support, but it was no use. I stumbled
forward, my vision blurring as I struggled to keep my balance; and just as I
thought that I had caught myself, I fell to my knees. Bile rose in my throat, and the sickly taste
filled my mouth. I tried to swallow it down, but it was no use. I could feel
the vomit rising and burning my throat as it escaped my lips 'AHHH!' and
splattered onto the hospital floor. my
whole body heaved as I retched and vomited again and again, the brown bile
staining the once-pristine white tiles. Helpless to my body's urges, I groaned
in agony as I struggled to simply stand. I have to find out what is going on!
There must be someone around that can help. A doctor a nurse, somebody has to
be around. But all the light are off, and the machine that was hooked up next
to the bed was not beeping my vitals it was
off...I don't know who I am but I know that isn't normal. I tried once
more to rise, gritting my teeth against the pain. My eyes filled with unshed
tears. I managed to shuffle over to the window, as my eyes fixed on the faint
light filtering through the blinds. My fingertips fumbled for the blinds feebly
twisting with my finger tips to reveal outside but before I could take a proper
look my legs gave way and I fell to the floor once again. I picked myself up
once more. My head spun as I stood up straight. I could not make sense of my
situation. A stack of get-well-soon cards on the bedside table caught my eye. I
feebly walked over and I picked one up to find it was from my mother, her
handwriting shaky and full of love and concern. But as I read the card, I
realised with a start that I had no memories of my mother or anyone else in my
life. I had no idea who I was or where I belonged. As I scanned the room again,
something else caught my attention - a collection of postcards and photos
strung up on a brown noticeboard. One photo stood out, a handsome young man
with golden skin, his sandy brown hair cropped short and honey-coloured eyes
sad despite his sweet smile. On the back of the photo was a message from
someone named Roy, my "not so gay best friend", wishing me a happy 16th
birthday and letting me know he had enlisted in the army. The date on the
corner of the photo showed it had been taken over a
year ago. I was Wendy, I had a name! Like the girl from Peter Pan, and I had a
birthday. But as I glanced at the calendar on the wall, my heart sank. The last
"X" marked was from June 14, 2023, meaning I had lost more than a
year of my life with no memory of what had happened.
Panic took root as the reality of my situation slammed into
me. I was alone and lost, with no way of knowing what was going on! or what was
to come for that matter. but I have no choice, I have to find a way out of
this- this nightmare!
With a renewed sense of determination, I pulled myself to
together and looked to the door. Cautiously I approached it, my hands shook as
I reached for the handle. But it was locked tight, no matter how hard I twisted
and turned.
My fist pounded on the door, all the while shouting for
help. "What's going on? Help! Can anyone hear me? Please, can someone open
the door?"
I stopped to listen, there was no nothing- apart from the
echoing silence. I'm trapped, with no way of escaping. So I rested my head to
the door sighing with great frustration. But then something caught my eye as I
looked to the floor. What is that? A blood stained envelope was tucked just
halfway between the door as if it had been kicked
back under possibility by me. So, I
reached down and took the envelope between my fingers and gripped it tightly as
if to make sure it was real. walked to
the bed to take a seat before I tore it open too desperate to be careful. A key!
Finally I can get some answers. oh inside was a small note folded in half…