11:52 p.m. November, 29, 2003.
Taiia ran a nervous hand through her long auburn hair, worrying away at her scalp with chipped nails at the end of her fingertips. Destructive habits which often bled profusely. She tapped a foot, while sitting in a proned position, patiently awaiting the return of her boyfriend, Mike. He'd fallen ill lately, and was filling in for a routien check-up. Nothing new, she reflected. He get's sick all of the time.
The door swung open and a glum faced doctor stepped out into the sterile Waiting Room, sighing as he shut the door behind him. "Ms. Dalle? I presume?"
She nodded. "You sound like you've got bad news, Doc."
"No, no. Of course not." He looked her over. She was a very beautiful girl. Young. But beautiful. Blue eyes. Creamy white skin. He extended an aging hand out towards her. "But. Before we dive into anything important. I do believe a formal introduction is in order. Dr. Gerald, at your service."
She took his hand in her own, noticing how old he was. Probably in his 60's, she supposed. Yet regardless of his age, she realized how strong his hands remained.
Releasing eachother's grip after a semi-formal handshake, he motioned towards the door leading into the main hallway. Encouragingly, "After you, miss."
Taiia threw a confused glance towards his face. "You don't want to know my name?
"Oh, don't you worry about that. We've already have all the information that we need about you."
Something about the statement sent a chill down her spine, and she questioned this man's akward introductory. Reluctantly, she followed.
Stepping into the bright hallway, she looked behind her to hear, and see, the door being closed, shut tight, behind her. "What the hell? Dr. Gerald?" she called out in the direction of the door.
No answer.
What's going on here? Where's Mike? Where's anybody?
Confused, she wandered cluelessly down the hallway. All around her the white doors, matching the white walls, white tiling, and white ceiling, we're shut. And locked.
Stopping outside door number 12, she looked through the window. Empty. Then knocked briskly on the wooden surface, banging her knuckles painfully. "Hello? Is anybody in there?"
Still no answer.
"Hello?" She turned away from the door, yelling, "Hello? Can anybody hear me?"
Nothing.
She was beginning to panic, so she turned back the way she'd come, and headed for the door leading back to the Waiting Room. Running. And more running. Where is it? She continued until the point that her flarred lungs halted her. She was getting nowhere, and fast.
This isn't getiing me anywhere, she mused. But, where the hell is that damn door?
She screamed, although it brought pain to her chest,"Dr. Gerald! I want out! Somebody, help me!" And bashed up against a door, bruising her arm in the process.
Half expecting, or, hoping, to rejoice at the anger she'd hopefully caused in a sickly patient when that person'd come bursting out the door, shaking their head and yelling for the nurse, bringing the woman in white gown for aid, Taiia's wishes were denied. She furiously beat her head against the door she'd slammed into, a pounding head-ache creeping up her spine, pushed along with each impact.
She slumped to the floor. Grief stricken and sick to the stomach with fear. "Why me?" She felt the salty tears begin to form in the back of her eyes. Yet she hurridly wiped them away. No. Big girl's don't cry, she ordered herself. And stood up.
As if the tears of fear and panic were a purifying elixer, she, once again, found the adrenaline to continue. She began to run, hopelessly...
"Wha...?" She lifted her eyelids, taking in a long and powerful blast of light. It flooded her pupils, and she recoiled in shock, lifting her hand defensively to shield her face from the attack of the blinding light.
What happened? Where am I?
All around her, surrounded white. The walls. The ceiling. The floor. She sat up, and took in the atmosphere.
White.
"Hello?" she squeaked, her voice nothing more than a rasped whisper. She knocked on her throat, massaging it shortly to start the fluid flowing, in order to redeem her voice's vitality. Once again she called out, "Hello?" the volume to her voice improving. "Is anybody-?" She fell silent. She couldn't pin-point the location. But from somewhere, she was positive, emitted the destinct sound of a toddler's weeping.
She clambered to her feet, realizing just now that she'd been sitting. Before, lying down.
Had I been sitting?
She followed the sound. And although the room was square in shape, the strange noise led her towards the western wall. She hesitated as she approached. Then, stepping cautiously towards it, she place both hands against the hard surface of plastered walls.
Just makin' sure they're real, she mocked her own actions.
The sound filling her ears altered, twisting into a strange and paralel ambience.
What the fuck is going on?
"Hello? Dr. Gerald?" she yelled, her voice full and outspoken once again.
Nothing. Why is it nothing? Why isn't anybody answering me?
She shuddered. The ambience broke off. Dying down.
Silence.
Ithappened. She turned around, and saw it. The door.
Quietly, slowly, she inched her way toward it. It held an awful close resemblence to the doors lining the hallway she'd wandered through.
She tried the doorknob. Locked.
Peeking through the window, an empty white hallway, another door of the exact same likeness opposite her's. She bashed on the door, slamming her fists into the wooden frame, screaming, "Help! Somebody, help me!" With all her might she kicked and screamed and charged and yelled. With all of her might she tried to pry the door open. With all of her might she tried to sustain hope.
A young man, she then noticed, walked past.
He absentmindedly asked nobody, "Where the hell am I?" She screamed and kicked at the door, yet he ignored her.
What an idiot! I'm right here, you moron!
He wandered the oppostie direction, passing her room again.
He came back, scratched his head. And stepped up toward her door. He looked it over, she could tell. Yet he didn't notice her staring at him through the window. She voiciferated, "I'm right here!"
He didn't seem to hear her.
What the fuck? Why can't you hear me? Help me!
Slowly he backed away, observed the frame of the door again, called out, "Hello? Is anybody in there?"
She raged, "YES! I AM!"
He simply shrugged, and moved on, continuing his aimless wandering.
Leaving Taiia behind to bask maddeningly inthe silence.