Don't own a thing. Yep...not a thing. Nothing at all in fact.

That Old, Familar Feeling

by

DarkSpade

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Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts.

-Leonard Shelby, Memento

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Darkness. It's so dark. I can't see a thing. Dizzy too. I...I...can't...think straight. Am I falling? No...no. I'm lying on the ground. I can feel it beneath me, cold and hard. Some type of stone, marble mabye. My head is throbbing, my mouth is dry... I can feel a small puddle of my saliva wetting my cheek as I lie face down on the floor.

Wait! Where am I? I spin myself onto my back to try and get a better view of the room. Big mistake. The second I move my head a sharp bolt of pain shoots through my skull. The pain subsides after a few seconds. I gingerly move my hand up to my head. I can feel the wetness of my blood on my fingertips.

It doesn't seem that dark now. There is a faint light coming in the glass windows high above. This room is pretty big. Actually it's more like a corridor, the glass stretches out in both directions. Okay, now, slowly I lift my head up and move into a sitting position.

I'm in a shopping mall. At least, that's what it must have been before this happened. The place looks like it's been hit by a hurricane. Almost every shop window is broken, there are shards of glass everywhere. The place reeks with a disgusting smell.It could have been that there was a massive riot here. Mabye that's how I hurt my head, although I dont remember being in a riot. Actually I'm not even sure how I got here. I even don't remember coming in here. Wait! I don't even know where I live.

Or, what...my name is! No. I know my name, it's...it's... Oh shit! Okay, I really need to get to a hospital now. I need to find a phone to call an ambulance. Without even thinking about it, I reach into my pocket and pull out a cellphone. Yes! The battery is still half full. I dial 911 and wait for an answer. It's ringing. Still ringing. Come on, damnit! I press cancel after hearing the ringing tone for the hundreth time. Something is seriously wrong here, I'm getting a good signal. Why won't anyone answer?

Okay, relax. I have to concentrate on what I _do_ know. I know in in a wrecked shopping mall, but not sure exactly where. I know I'm an American and I know who the president is although I kinda wish I didn't. I know I'm a girl and if remember correctly I think I'm nineteen. I can remember the stuff I learned in school even if I don't know what school I went to. I can remember...well that's pretty much it but there are still a few bits and pieces that I can also recall.

Now that I've established that I know next to nothing, I think I should probably get the hell out of here. After a few seconds to balance myself, I slowly stand up, stumbling a little. Now that I have a better view of the mall I can see just how much damage has been done. I can still get the smell. It's almost like rotting meat mixed with dogshit with a stinkbomb thrown in for good measure. It's vile. And strangely, the whole thing seems familiar. The smell, the destruction, the whole situation was like something I had been through before. I still don't know why but my life is in danger here. I need a weapon, I don't know why, I just know that I do.

Wait. That looks like a sports equipment store over there. It's as good a place as any to look for weapons. I begin to walk over, peering into the darkness of the shop, trying to ignore the pounding ache in my head and the fatigue I feel throughout the rest of my body. I can still barely see inside through the darkened entrance. The moon must be covered by the clouds again. I feel the wall next to the door for any light switches. There! I switch them on.

Fuck. There must be no power. Wait. There's another switch further down. There's a light red glow coming from it. I press it and a few low watt bulbs flicker to life throughout the shop. Well, emergency lighting still works, at least. Oh my God! There's...blood everywhere in here. The floors, the walls, even some splatters of it on the ceiling. It looks like a slaughterhouse. This place reeks of death...but there are no bodies. There...should be bodies. Why does this _still_ feel so familiar?! Why can't I remember?!

No! I have to concentrate. There should at least be some hunting rifles in here....Damn. The gun racks behind the counter are empty. I walk over trying not to step in the puddles of blood. There's nothing left under the counter except a few boxes of shotgun ammo. Still, they could be useful. I grab a backpack off one of the shelves and stuff a couple boxes in. I take another look around to see if there's anything else I can use. The place has practically been cleaned out but there's still one baseball bat left in a pool of blood. I guess I can't afford to be picky right now. I grab a football jersey from a rack and pick up the bat, wiping most of the blood off of it.

Not much of an arsenal yet, a few shotgun shells and a bloodied bat but I'll need anything I can get to get past those things. Wait! What things!? Why am I collecting weapons to fight something I can't even remember? This doesn't make any sense! Fuck! What the hell is going on?! My head still hurts. I need to get something for the pain. I think I saw a drugstore outside somewhere. I put the backpack over my shoulder and grab the bat in my other hand and walk out.

Then I notice something that can really help me. It looks like a map of the mall on a large sign next to a bench. 'Liffey Valley Shopping Mall' is where I am, apparently. It doesn't say where this is though. According to the map there are several exits to the mall. There is one not too far from the drugstore. I think I'll take that exit out of here after I get something for my head.

I walk slowly down the hall to the drugstore listening for something, anything but the place is still deathly silent. The emergency lightning is still on in the drugstore. The doors are locked but luckily the windows have already been smashed. Judging from the blood here, it looks like someone was thrown through it. There's plenty of blood here too. Not as much as in the sports store but it still looks like a small massacre took place here. The place looks like it didn't get raided too badly either. There are plenty of painkillers strewn around the store. I take a few from a bottle and throw the rest of the bottles into the bag. There are some bandages here as well. I softly touch my head wound again. It's still wet. I should probably bandage it until I can get to the hospital or at least until I see a doctor.

I am able to bandage my head without barely thinking about it. I must know some first aid or something. That actually feels a lot better now. Wait, what was that sound? I look over to the door at the back of the store which is slightly ajar. There is a faint sound coming from inside but I can't make it out. As I make my way over to the door the sound becomes clearer, it's sort of like a wet, ripping noise. I've heard it before. It makes me want to turn and flee in terror but I don't know why. Against every instinct I inch the door open, baseball bat firmly gripped in my right hand.

Lying on the ground, dead, is an old man with a large part of his torso missing. Kneeling over the corpse, with his back to me was another younger man...a zombie. I didn't even have to see his face to know it, I had seen many before even if I don't remember exactly where or when. Without even giving it a chance to react I grab the bat in both hands and swing it as hard as I can at it's head. The blow sends a spray of blood across the wall and with a sharp crack causes the zombie's neck to break. It slumps down onto the other corpse with an empty groan. I stare at it for a few seconds before turning around and walking out the door.

I have to get the fuck out of here. I have to find out what's going on with me.

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Okay, I know amnesia isn't very original but I've been thinking about doing something like this for a while now.

I should have the next chapter up soon.

Please R&R. I'll give you money....a shiny new penny for each review.