Summary: Rose has been in a coma for seven years. When she wakes up in an old, abandoned hospital on the outskirts of Edge, she can't remember anything but her first name. Now she is determined to unravel the mystery behind her amnesia. But when her quest to recovering her lost memories uncovers a dangerous plot, Rose will have to decide which is more important; Learning the truth about who she is or saving the Planet.
Everything was quiet when Rose opened her eyes. She was lying in a bed, in what seemed to be a hospital room. Bright sunlight filtered in through tattered curtains and bathed the room in its blotchy, golden glow. Rose struggled to prop herself up and get a better look at the room she was in. The wallpaper was faded and peeling, and everything was covered in a thin layer of dust. There was s rusted, metal bar protruding from the wall- presumably to assist patients with getting out of bed- while a large, gaping hole in the ceiling let in more light and the cheerful sound of bird's chirping.
She raised her hand to her forehead, which was burning with fever. Her head was pounding, and her vision was blurry. Rose started to pull out the different needles and tubes from her arms and legs, letting out little gasps of pain each time one tore free from her skin. She expected the machines around her to start going off when they detected that they were no longer connected to her, but they were all dead, their screens blank and erie. How long have I been here? She tried to remember something, anything, from before she woke up, but nothing came to her. The only thing she knew was that her name was Rose. But Rose what? What was her last name? Where was she from? And, most importantly, how had she gotten there?
Rose shifted her body around and dropped her feet to the floor, clenching the edge of the mattress tightly, and stood up on shaky legs. Her knees buckled, and she grasped the rusty metal bar on the wall to keep herself steady. The muscles in her legs screamed with protest as she slowly shuffled forward. She nearly fell several more times, succeeding in banging her hip against a small rolling table. Her foot snagged on a cord to one of the machines and she went down, yanking the device off of its table and sending it crashing to the floor beside her. Rose tried to call for one of the nurses, but the only sound that came out was a dry croak. If she couldn't call for help, and the machines were dead, then that meant the nurses didn't know that she needed help. Which meant that she had to figure out a why to get up on her own.
She grasped the leg of the bed and pulled herself into a sitting position, while also dragging herself closer to the bed. The strain left her gasping for breath, and she had to stop to rest before she could do anything else. When the ache in her muscles finally faded enough for her to move again, Rose grabbed the edge of the bed and hauled herself up, collapsing onto the stiff mattress, gasping again. She waited for the weakness to subside, then attempted to stand up again. It was easier this time, but just in case, Rose wrapped her left hand around the IV for support, and pulled it alongside her as she stumbled over to the window and pushed aside the curtains to peer out. Her view was obscured by trees, but Rose thought she caught glimpses of cars in the distance.
Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she looked to find a chair that had been shoved into the corner by the window. Someone had draped clothes over the arm and set a pair of combat boots on the ground next to it. Rose reached down and picked up a red tank-top, taking note of how low-cut it was- though that didn't really bother her. The cargo pants and black combat boots that had been under the shirt were even more to her liking. She had no idea if they were her size, or if they were even her clothes, but anything was better than the paper robe that she was already wearing.
After gathering up the clothes and shoes, Rose went into the bathroom. The small room wasn't in much better shape than the main room, so she was surprised to find that the water was working. She turned on the sink and cupped her hands to fill them with water, raising them to her mouth and sipping at the cool liquid. There was a small, cramped shower in the corner, and Rose hunted around in the cabinet above the sink for soap and shampoo before stepping under the cold water. She washed herself quickly, then stepped back out and pulled on her new clothes. They fit so perfectly, Rose decided that they must have been hers. She gazed at herself in the mirror, staring at her face. It was the oddest sensation, looking at herself and feeling as if she were looking at a stranger. Her chocolate brown hair fell halfway down her back, slightly tangled from lying down for such a long period of time, and her bright green eyes shined with something she didn't quite understand... Staring at her reflection, Rose felt as if she could almost start remembering who she was, or at least how she had gotten into the hospital. There was something there, just out of reach, but no matter how far Rose stretched, she couldn't grasp it.
She shook her head and turned away from the mirror, switching off the light as she walked back into the main room and tossed the paper robe onto the bed. She looked around the room one last time, trying to see if there was anything else of hers that may have been brought in there by the nurses. Not finding anything, she turned to leave the room. She started to take a step towards the door, but, as she raised her foot, she was overcome with such a large wave of dizziness that she had to sit down on the bed to keep from passing out. The familiar out of reach feeling which she had felt in the bathroom had returned, only this time, four numbers flashed in front of her eyes, over and over again.
0924...
Rose blinked the image away, taking a deep breath. What was that? She frowned. The dizziness had worn off shortly after the image vanished, but she was still so surprised that she couldn't stand up. The numbers had come out of no where. She hadn't done anything to spark the vision, so what had happened?
She tried to force herself to figure out what the numbers meant. It could have been something from her memory, but she didn't know whether or not the numbers had been in a specific sequence or a random one.
Could the numbers have been a combination for something? A lot of safes and locks had four-number combinations. Or, maybe they were a passcode. Rose sighed heavily and stood up slowly. None of her guesses sounded right to her, and they certainly didn't bring up any memories.
Her knees didn't give out as she stood up this time, giving Rose courage to turn towards the door once more, and attempt to walk over to it. She twisted the doorknob, and was relieved to find that it wasn't locked, though she wasn't sure why she had thought that it would be. The hallway was empty, and so were the rooms across from and beside her own.
"Hello?" Rose called out, her voice echoing. It was rough and scratchy sounding, most likely from going so long without speaking. A flock of birds shot up from where they had been resting, swarming up and out of another large hole in the ceiling, and there seemed to be quite a few. This hole had ivy and many other plants growing into it, reaching for the warmth of the sun. She tried each door that she passed, searching for anyone that could help her. A pair of large double doors at the end of the hallway caught her eye, and Rose rushed over to them. She shoved it open, finding herself in another, larger hallway. There was a flight of stairs leading down to the lobby on the first floor. Rose took the stairs slowly, placing her feet carefully. The steps were crumbling, and little bits of concrete broke apart each time she put her foot down.
There was no one at the front desk, and when Rose tried the phones, she didn't even get a dial tone. "Hello?" She called again, but got the same result that she had before. Nothing. Rose kicked the side of the counter in frustration, knocking off a chunk of the rotted wood. She looked around at the lobby, her eyes falling on the door that led outside. There was obviously no one in the hospital, so what was she still doing there? Frowning thoughtfully, she trudged through the debris and dust towards the door, flinging it open eagerly.
When she emerged outside, she was bathed in warm sunlight. She was standing on the top of a lush, green hill, overgrown with plantlife. There was a town a mile or two away, and even from this distance, Rose could hear the sounds of civilization. If she could get to that town, she could start trying to figure out who she was. Determined, Rose set off down the hill, stepping over roots and stones that seemed the reach up and grab the hems over her pants. Her boots made the trek easier because the heels dug into the soft dirt, but she still had to focus to keep from tripping over objects jutting out of the ground. When she finally reached the bottom of the hill, her muscles were already beginning to ache, and she felt as if she had been walking for at least an hour.
She could no longer see the town, but she still had an idea as to which direction it was in. It wasn't long before she found a road going in the same direction she must have been where she had seen the cars. There were no vehicles going in either direction now, but all that meant was that no one was going to be in her way.
Now that she was walking on the road the town was within view again, and Rose quickened her pace, desperate to be in the presence of other people. She hadn't seen a singal person since she had woken up, and she was beginning to feel panic swell in her chest. So far, she had done a good job of supressing it, but it would get the best of her eventually.
When she finally reached the town, she was exhausted. Her muscles ached terribly, and she felt the beginnings of a sunburn on her shoulders. She had become aware of how pale she was, which gave her an idea of how long she had been in the hospital. There was also the fact that the building had been run down and abandoned, as well as falling apart. She would have to remember to ask someone about it.
No one noticed her as she walked through the gates. Rose didn't know what she had expected to find, but it wasn't this.
Several of the buildings were under construction, with holes or entire sections missing from them. A large sign sitting beside the gate into the town read "Welcome to Edge!", but it was so old and rusted that it seemed more sinister than cheerful. Despite the dreary appearance of the town, the people that lived there seemed to be happy. Everywhere Rose looked, there were people laughing, and children playing.
Rose headed for the center of town, where men were working on a large, strange-looking statue. She had no idea where to start looking. She gazed around in curiousity, looking at the different buildings and signs that surrounded her. Her eyes fell on a sign reading "7th Heaven", and she shrugged, walking towards it. She had to start somewhere. Why not a bar? There were so many people, surely someone would know something. At the very least, she would be able to rest.
Hope you liked it! Sorry it was short. Then again, it is the first chapter...
Anywho!
Are any of you guys Doctor Who fans? I just finished the first season (with Christopher Eccleston) a little while ago, and it's now one of my favorite shows. I named the main character of this story after Rose Tyler, because she will forever be my favorite companion.
Review, please!