Chapter 1: To the Extreme
Some time ago, something strange happened to me. It was the weirdest and most unbelievable experience I've ever had. I don't know why it happened to me rather than someone else and at first I was scared and confused.Today I'm glad that it did happen to me, although to this day, I can't explain it. I suppose there are things that can't or are not meant to be explained. If so, this story is probably one of them.
One night I was alone at home and there was a horrible thunder storm outside with heavy rain, which was pattering on the window. I was in the living room watching a DVD. I thought that I could need some potato chips and some juice. So I got up, walked into the kitchen and searched for a pack of potato chips and also got a glass of orange juice. On my way back the dog crossed my way. She looked at me a little shy.
"What's the matter, Annie?", I said.
Then she wagged her tail and followed me into the living room where I sat down again to continue watching the DVD. Annie jumped onto the sofa and lay down next to me. Outside, the thunder was getting louder and louder. I was just leaning forward to grab the remote control in order to turn up the volume, when a tremendously loud bang reached my ears. I covered them and looked up. Suddenly an awfully bright light appeared right in front of me. I remember that I tried to make out the source of the light. It seemed to come from somewhere near the TV or maybe even through the window behind it. For several seconds I just sat there covering my eyes. The dog barked nervously. What then happened I don't know. I just can't remember. As if this memory was taken away from me. The next thing I know is that I woke up in some sterile, white room with lots of people around me. I heard their voices but didn't understand what they were saying. I couldn't really see them either, since they wore some kind of dust masks and their white smocks seemed to merge with the white background. The whole scenario felt like a dream and it was an enormous strain to keep my eyes open and I felt exhausted and tired. So I finally gave in and closed my eyes. The voices began to fade.
I couldn't tell how much time had passed – an hour, a day? I heard the sound of a door being opened and closed. Then steps. I didn't want to open my eyes because I didn't know what to expect. But the steps came closer and so I slowly opened them to see what was going on.
"Oh, I see you're awake", said a man wearing a doctor's coat.
He was standing in front of my bed. My bed? I was in a hospital bed. How the hell did I get here?
"Where am I?" My voice must have sounded scared.
The man took a chair from a table in the corner of the room and sat down next to the bed. "You are in the Trinity Hospital."
I didn't react, but just stared unbelievingly at him.
"My name is Dr. Shaw. I took care of you when you got here."
I tried hard to remember. "Well, how did I get here?"
He furrowed his brow. "We are not really sure about that."
I waited for him to go on, but he didn't.
"How can you not know?", I asked.
"I'm sorry. I don't know. Everybody just claims that you were brought in, but nobody can tell by whom. I've already tried to find out myself."
I looked anxious at the doctor, who immediately added that I am in good health and that they didn't find anything wrong. I had been unconscious when I got here, but again they couldn't tell why or for how long. He told me that they suggested to keep me here for a few days to make sure everything is alright.
"We're still waiting for the results of the blood work", he said before he left the room.
So I was alone in here. Not knowing how I got here. I was afraid.
Later that day I decided to get out of that bed to get a picture of what was going on. I left my room and walked down the hall, but most doors were closed. Actually only one was open and a nurse was just going inside the room when I passed it. So I could just catch a glimpse of what was inside. I couldn't believe what I saw. But I didn't have a chance to take a closer look, since the door was closed right in front of me.