Nothingness to stark white walls, bright fluroscent lights, strong smell of antiseptic.
Combined with anxiety and waking up in an unknown place is the definition of pure fear and horror for Bethany Fairfield. Even more so than the state of the world right now.
Zombies are little in the grand scope compared to human emotions when they come into play.
Sitting up, tear stained face, puffy red eyes, dirty long blonde hair falling loose, her clothes are missing, replaced by hospital scrubs and grippy socks. She's alone in a small room, just a metal bed, small metal locker, metal sink in the corner.
Struggling off the bed, limbs aching and weak, she staggers over the door, pressing down on the handle and it comes open easily.
Peering out, the hallway is empty and just as bare and drab, strong lights and rows and rows of doors. She's look at her door, the #4892 on it.
That's a big number. Without a weapon and any other options, she slips down the vast empty hallway as quiet as she can be, looking for an exit sign.
Are the people here dangerous? How did she even get here? Wracking her brain for answers, nothing comes forward really other than a few sparse details. She was surving alone after Hope-Thorn that she was visiting went to chaos. She had left the city she moved to after high-school graduation as she couldn't be any more desprete to get out of her crappy country town and her artist friend, Slate reached out to her.
It had been six months since she'd taken off and he had moved to Hope-Thorn in the mean time.
There was a convention on over the course of the weekend, he wanted to just see her and they could catch up there maybe or just back at his apartment if she prefered.
He paid for her plane ticket and she went to see him. They went to the convention, him dressed as a knight and herself as... what did she goes as?
Then things went crazy some point during the convention, they got separated as people we're running everywhere and she never saw Slate again after that. Surviving in a zombie infested city for a year alone was dumb luck.
There was a girl in trouble, she needed Beth's help and... she starts to get a headache and can't bare to go on thinking, trying to work out the order of events.
Bethany passes a scratched up mirror on the outside of a door and looks closely at herself.
She's looks different slightly, worse for wear. I'm 18 she tells herself. I survived a year alone, I didn't celebrate my birthday as a party of one is no fun. Am I 19?
The headache gets worse and she clutches her head, falling to the floor and bangs against the hanging mirror on the door on her way down.
Her vision is going blurry and she starts hyperventilating when she feels the door behind her open and she falls backward, looking up at an older woman and two older men. Considerably older than Beth.
"I shoot you, you come out of surgery, in recovery for a few hours and you're walking?!" Says one of the older men sarcastically.
"You what?!" Beth responds confused.
"Mikey, shut it." Snaps the older woman. "Her last dose of pain meds was half an hour ago, I personally did it myself. That's why she's not screaming blue murder right now.
Although, being up and walking, I am surprised. I thought you would have been exhausted, Beth."
"Who are you? How did I get here? My memory is really patchy in places. Where are my friends? I-I... I wasn't alone during the convention." Beth's voice coming out shaking.
"Okay, let's get you back to recovery. While you are on pain meds, Beth that doesn't negate the fact we did perform surgery." The women says.
"Surgery for what?! I feel fine!" Beth argues, the older woman and the man who hasn't spoken a word picking her up off the ground.
"Mikey, you lock up the office." The woman scolds, tossing a set of keys at the snarky man, Mikey she now knows his name. She's taken back to her room and the woman is taking her vitals.
"Heart rythmn normal, blood press normal, breathing normal. No tempeature."
She goes through so many obs. "You'll make a full recovery, Beth." The women says.
"Who are you?" Beth asks.
"My name is Ester. I'm one of the doctors here..."
"And your friend who hasn't spoken a word?" She gestures to him standing in the corner silent.
"That is Grayson." Ester smiles back.
"He a Nurse?"
"No, I'm Military." Grayson finally speaks. "Um, you're other friend, Mikey... He said he shot me?" Beth asks worried.
Ester is kind of lost for words. "Do you want me to get Solayo for you? It might be best for him to explain things."
"Uh, I guess? But I don't know him."
"You just don't remember. Stay here, I'll fetch him for you. Grayson, stay with her." And Ester leaves the room.
"I don't need a sitter! I'm 18!" Beth yells after her peeved. "I mean 19!"
She leans back on the bed. "I'm 19..."
Grayson watches her closely and the two don't speak. Ester returns not long after with another man, considerbly older than her, Grayson and Mikey.
"Beth, this is Solayo. His a doctor too."
"Well, I'm actually a scientist right now. But I did used to practice as a doctor. So, how are you feeling, Beth?"
He picks up a clipboard that's hooked on the end of the bed. "Her vitals are normal and stable, but she has some memory loss and got her age wrong at first." Ester tells him.
"That Mikey guy said he shot me." Beth pushes.
"Yes. He gets trigger happy sometimes, I'm sorry. Can't be to careful these days though, we throught you we're bitten." Solayo responds lifting up the sleeve on Beth's right arm just above the wrist. She sees a bandage around it.
"What happened to my arm?"
"The female you we're with bit you. That's what you told us anyway. And that she was alive and human.
It's not infected, you're not going to turn. We just put some ointment on and bandaged it while we did your surgery."
"Where was I shot?"
And Solayo pulls her shirt up without warning to show her stomach, there is a massive gauze on it, covered by a bandage.
"Hey! You could at-least warn me!" Beth says angrily, pulling her shirt down as she doesn't have a bra on right now and he exposed her chest.
Other than him and Ester being doctors, there is Grayson present in the room who does only God knows what and he blushes, looking away.
"Relax, it never hit a vital organ and was not lodged very deeply. There will be some scar tissue, but you'll be fine. Can still eat, have bowel movements, get pregnant and carry to term." Solayo says back coldly and now looking disinterested.
"And my fucked up memory?" Beth hisses. He looks at her unimpressed. "You went through trauma outside, your memory will come back in time. There's nothing further we can do for you now.
Just stay here and recover from your surgery. Ester will provide you with pain medication and fluids." He goes to leave, hands in his pockets.
"Solayo! Where am I? Am I still in Hope-Thorn?"
He turns back around to focus on her. "Where doesn't matter, just know that you're safe here and no, you aren't in Hope-Thorn anymore. It is nearby though."
"And where is here?"
"Ester, can you please provide Beth with an anti-anxiety to just take the edge off? You should rest more, Beth and I'll see you in the morning."
Then he leaves. Ester gets a small capsule out of her coat pocket, a tablet falling out into her palm.
She holds it out to Beth, offering it.
"I don't want it." Beth challenges. "Beth, it will help take the edge off and you can get some sleep.
Ester and Solayo are both doctors with many years of training." Grayson tells her, standing up.
Beth looks at the tablet still in Ester's palm and then looks at the bed she's on. There's fixtures underneath the bed, she can just see them and it's like they are there for something to be attached to them.
She looks back at Ester and Grayson who's moved closer to join them. She takes the tablet from Ester's palm and pops it in her mouth.
"Okay, you get some rest, Beth. We'll see you in the morning and press that buzzer there if you need more pain meds and a nurse will come." Ester tells her, the two leaving, flicking the lights off and pulling the door closed behind them.
When she's confident their gone, she slips the tablet out of her mouth having never swallowed it and feels around the mattress, finding a slight rip in it. Stuffing the tablet in deep, she lays back down on the bed and pulls the covers up.
She wakes up to what is hopefully the next morning to find the lights on, and can hear talking outside the room. Well, one sided arguing actually.
"I want to see her!"
"I know you do, but you need to give her time to recover and also come to terms with what is happening. She has slightly memory loss and confusion."
'Please, I need to see with my own two eyes that she's okay. If I can at-least see she's okay I'll stop being a brat and go back to work!"
"Okay, fine. Only for a few minutes, Slate."
And the door opens. "Bethany, are you awake?"
It's Solayo and she turns to look at him. He steps aside to reveal her friend, Slate. His alive?!
But then her face drops, realizing that everything is different about him. He is wearing camo, really bulked up, has a dog tag and a shaved hairstyle.
His no longer skinny, with hair on the longside who liked to wear bright colors. "Beth?" Slate says stepping forward and taking a hand.
She looks at him not saying anything. "Beth, are you with us?" Solayo asks, stepping forward and he gently touches her chin, having her look up at him. She blinks saying nothing.
"Beth, it's me, Slate." Slate presses.
"Get out." Beth says softly, finally speaking.
"Beth? It's me, your best friend, Slate." Slate says, trying to get her a hug when she raises her foot, kicking him in the chin. She hears a minor crack.
"Ow." He says, clutching it.
"I said get out." Beth follows with, tears starting to well up. "Slate, you need to leave." Solayo tells him.
"Bethany, I-" Slate tries one last time and she sits up, yelling at him. Her hearing goes muffled and can hear a small ringing in her ear, continues yelling at him and starts to punch and kick her surroundings.
Solayo tries to stop her, holding her close and giving her a hug, but she can't hear a word his saying either and chokes back tears. It's hard to breathe.
Ester comes running in, followed by Grayson and Mikey and some other people she doesn't know.
They try and get her to calm down, have her lay down. She feels sick, weak, tired and dizzy all of a sudden. She lays down and they all back off a bit.
It's hard to keep her eyes open and she sees Ester give her some fluids. She's inserted a canula, she doesn't feel it at all and her hearing is still gone.
Solayo leans over her and takes her temperature. He shows it to Ester, saying something and then she feels them tuck her in slightly and they all leave, turning off the lights.
She relaxes, hearing gone still and struggles to stay awake. A few memories creep up, but it's to hard to process them when she's this tired.
---
"Uh, hey, so. Umm, you're being assigned to a shared dormitory now that Ester has discharged you from Medical." Grayson explains, leading Bethany down hallways that all look the same.
"I still don't have my memories."
He sighs. "I know, I know. They'll come back in time, Beth. You just have to be patient."
"I'm anything, but patient. Patient is not a quality of mine."
"Well, it will have to become one of your quality's because endless time is on your side." He responds, then he stops at a door.
"And this is your shared dormitory."
He hands her a key card attached, the door lock is electronic. She looks closely at the landyard.
Her security clearance level which is just #1, her picture. It was taken after discharge and only her first name is on it, Bethany.
"So, keep that on you at all times, Beth. It unlocks the door to your room and any of the shared bathrooms on this floor."
"Why isn't my last name on it?"
"Do you remember your last name?"
".... Fairfield."
"Okay. Well, we're not trying to be big on last names. It's..."
"I don't understand..."
"You know what, never mind. Let's go into your room, hey and we can put your stuff away." He smiles.
"It's not really my stuff. It's stuff you gave me."
He sighs. "I know, I'm sorry. Look, if you hate some of the clothes and things like soap or conditioner you we're given still in a while, come talk to me and I'll see what strings I can pull so you can have choice, okay?"
She nods and he holds his hand out. She shakes it and then he has the tap keycard, the door unlocking. They head inside, it's very small and quite dark and plain.
Two bunk beds, able to occupy up to four people and some small lockers stacked on top of one another. That's all that's in the room and the beds haven't been really personalized or anything as such, no posters or postcards, photos are on the walls and there is a small window that looks outside.
"Finally, a window." Bethany says, heading to it.
"Ah, Bethany-" Grayson starts, but doesn't get to finish. "It's just a carpark and I can see other non-specific buildings." She says.
"Yes..."
And she looks up to the sky where the world around means darkness, there is no stars or moon. The edges of the world can't even be seen.
"This place isn't outside is it?"
"Uh, no."
"Why? Where are we?"
"We can't discuss it, Beth. I'm sorry. Do you want to unpack?"
He helps her hang up some clothing and place basic hygeine products in her locker. Then roll out a mattress on the only bunk not occupied, placing rolled up blankets at the end and two pillows instead of one like everyone else has.
"Why two?"
"Ester wanted me to give you two."
"Okay..."
"So, what now?"
He checks his watch. "We still have some time, maybe we could talk? Get to know you a bit more.
You have room-mates, but they won't be back for a while so I can't introduce you to them yet."
She doesn't say anything and sits on her bed, the bottom bunk of the bunk beds closest and adjacent to the door. He closes the door and takes a seat across from her on her bed.
"So, because we don't know you very well, Bethany and you have some displaced my memories, is their anything you have remembered? No matter how small."
"I remember walking around a place, it was like a plaza? There was a glass dome building I never went into, something was going on inside it.
I remember people everywhere, some in costumes and there was smells of yummy food."
"Anything else?"
"Not really, don't know what I was wearing or if I was even with anyone. I flew out to Hope-Thorn to catch up with a friend..."
"Slate."
"Yeah... Does he hate me? I didn't mean to freak out on him in Medical."
"No, of course not. What you're describing was a convention that was on over the long weekend in Hope-Thorn a year ago. Zombie apocalypse happened around the same day or next few as it."
"Who hosted the convention?"
"I have no idea, I was busy at work that day..."
"What did you do?"
"I was an... accountant."
"Oh... boring. So, you're military now?"
"I guess?"
She looks at him, getting the impression his lying. She's not going to call him out it on though.
"So, it was a long weekend was it? Why was that?"
"I'm not sure. Public holiday I think?"
"For?"
"No clue, sorry, Beth."
"Damn it."
"So, other than what you told me so far. How did you survive alone for a year in a zombie infested city before Slate picked you up?"
"Slate picked me up?"
"Yes, you we're on the rooftop of a building. There was a female with you, she took off running when Slate was doing rounds for survivors. He said she was familiar, but you said you didn't know her and that her name was Callie.
Slate is still insisting it was someone you and him know, but he was flying pretty high so it's possible he got it wrong.
Is this Callie the one who supifically bit you? Do you know why she did that?"
"We got into argument over medicine or food. Then became friends maybe? I don't remember..."
"That's okay. I think we should stop here, don't want to overwhelm you. It'll come back in time and one of the most important things is you're here and safe."
"Grayson."
"Yes?"
"Where's my guitar? Was it with me?"
"You play?"
"I think?"
"You never had a guitar with you when picked up."
"Oh... Okay then."
"Uh, let me tell you what. We do have a small instrument music room, it has a guitar. I'll see if I can get you permission."
"Thank you."
"Cool. So, uh, settle in. Shower before 9 p.m at the latest and dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. I know it's late in the day, your discharge was quite late. It's about 5:30 now and I'll see you around?"
He waves and leaves Bethany alone in the dormitory. She lays down on the bed, exhausted and kind of sad, lonely even.
Outside the room in the hallway, Grayson swipes his card through the scanner for a side door that leads to a restricted area of the building.
" Mr Grayson." Says two voices. He turns around to look at a young man and woman who pack supply rates, Gideon and Lyla.
"Yes, what can I do for you both?"
"Where's Ester?" Lyla pouts.
"Busy. Sorry, Lyla. I'll let her know that you're looking for her though."
"Grayson." Gideon speaks up. "That was Bethany... I don't remember her last name. We went to school with her. Is our friend and Slate's. Though, Slate doesn't talk to us really anymore..."
"Uh, listen, I have to go. I'm sorry, don't crowd Bethany. Give her some space and maybe approach her later like in a month or two.
You both know the rules."
"We do..." Chorus Lyla and Gideon together. Then Grayson leaves them, heading through the restricted door leaving them standing alone in the empty corridor.
"Let's go to the dining hall, get in early before the rush. I'm so hungry."
"You're always hungry, Gideon."
"Take some food for Zekey to back to our room too."
"Yeah... I miss my sister. She's still out there, Gideon."
"Lyla, she's proably dead... Miracles don't always happen."
"Slate was saved by the Tommorow party, they took us in and saved us later and now they have bought Bethany in too. That's four people, plus our dog, Zekey. Five I guess?
Paisley will be found, I know it. I can feel she's still alive..."
"Okay, if you feel so."
---
Sometime later, three men and one woman enter their dorm room, Beth asleep and oblivious to them. "Are you fucking serious?" One of the men snaps, marching straight up to Beth and pulling one of the pillows from underneath her head, smacking her straight in the face with it.
"Ow, what the hell?!" Bethany yells, sitting up.
She then stiffens when she sees Slate standing behind the others she doesn't know infront of her.
"That's my bed." Hisses the man who smacked her.
"Tough, it's mine now. And who the hell do you think you are? You're not Grayson, you ain't in charge."
"Team leader for this unit, name is Murphy."
"Murphy, what?"
"....Listen here you little bitch." He says seizing what's left of her hair. "Slate, Slate, Slate." She begs looking at her friend she went to high school with.
"Murphy, that's enough! Leave her alone. The leaders obviously placed her here, and you know what the overcrowding situation is like here too.
And the girl you're calling a bitch, I actually went to school with. If you lay your hand on her again, I will not hesitate to drop kick your ass outside.
They can throw me in seclusion for all I care, but I will take you down with me." Slate threatens.
Murphy let's go of Beth's hair. "Fine. Elijah, move your shit. I'm taking your bed considering she took mine. You can either share with Hazel considering I know how much you love fucking when you think no one is watching or you can sleep on the floor till this overcrowding situation gets sorted."
And Elijah and Murphy walk over to Elijah's bed now arguing. "Uh...." Hazel says speechless. "Welcome, make yourself at home?" She adds on nervously, pulling open her locker and taking a bag of shower stuff and leaving the room.
Slate gently sits down beside Beth, placing her pillow back where it belongs. "I'm sorry." He says quietly.
"What for?" She responds, the two trying their best to block out Murphy and Elijah's commotion.
"For barging in and scaring you, upsetting you. You had surgery and I was pushy in wanting to see you. You weren't ready for visitors."
"Slate." She says.
"Yeah?" He responds looking at her.
"I don't know who I am exactly. It's patchy. I know my name, I remember my... parents. Where we went to school, why I left our hometown after school.
But I don't remember why I was in Hope-Thorn. That's not where I moved to... I'm not the biggest convention fan so why would I attend one?"
"It'll come back to you eventually..."
"Or you could tell me why as I think you know why."
"I think the bigger why question is why did you lie and about you and Paisley on the rooftop of the building I found you both on. You told the leaders her name was Callie and you didn't know her.
They weren't there so they don't know that Paisley is identical to Lyla, her twin sister."
"I lied?" Beth asks.
"Yeah, that was Paisley for sure. She took off running when I landed my helicopter on the rooftop. You stayed behind waiting for me.
So, why did you lie?"
"I don't know."
"Well, I hope you hurry up and remember why. Cause the truth is going to come out eventually and I lied for you, backing up that I didn't know that was. I'll get in trouble, and so will you."
"Oh, please. Solayo is not our dad, none of them are our parents. They won't punish us."
"You really wanna find out?" Murphy laughs, butting in. "And FYI, I don't care about your personal drama. Just whatever it is, keep me, Elijah and Hazel out of it.
And Slate? Do not throw away everything you have worked towards for this chick. Getting laid by her ain't worth it. There is dozens of blondes here and with less baggage."
"Murphy. I went to primary and highschool with her so shut up."
"Whatever, I'm out. Going for dinner. Coming, Elijah?"
"Uh, sure." Elijah responds following Murphy out the door. Now Slate and Beth are alone. "Ew, us banging eachother. Could you imagine?" Beth says.
"No way, we're just friends. Kiki purify the world before we ever thought to date eachother."
And now it's silent between the two.
"So... You wanna grab dinner?"
"No." Beth's reply short and snappy.
"How about I shower you we're the showrs are? Full disclaimer, their uni-sex."
"How about you let me go back to sleep? I'm tired and not interested in dealing with reality right now."
"Can I show you around tommorow?"
"Sure, fine. Whatever."
"Uh, their is a rec room here for everyone that we can visit. It doesn't have a TV, but there is some ping pong tables, books, chess and so fourth I can show you. It's open from 10 a.m to 8 p.m.
People hang out there when they aren't doing their assigned jobs."
"Slate."
"Sorry, sleep, right. I'll leave you to get some rest. I'm going to go grab dinner for myself..."
Beth curls up to sleep and Slate leaves the room. Slate and his roommates return close to curfew, fed, but not full from dinner. Murphy claims his ownership over Elijah's bed, Hazel takes hers, Eliaj rolls a sleeping bag out onto the floor. In the darkness, Slate bends down to Beth and pulls her blanket up more, tucking her in and gently moves a strand of hair aside out of her face, debating if he should gently kiss her forehead.
How's he supposed to tell her that he is in love with her... It was half the reason he invited her to Hope-Thorn for the weekend, but it would also be bad timing.
As the truth always comes out and she will find out what he was planning to do to her. Maybe what happened, the zombie apocalypse is better than what he had planned.
And she has repressed memories now to. He just has to hope she doesn't remember everything.
Having them give her that one small dose of Merge while she was out cold from Mikey shooting her as he mistook her for bitten no doubt will help in keeping her memories repressed. They did it to him, and his perfectly fine and happy so she will be to.
Merge is a miracle in the darkness of this new zombie infested world.
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIL1Q24seq
