Part III
Voices.
Deep, distant voices seemed to echo right into the center of Jack's brain, becoming louder. He felt his arms being tucked in tightly around his waist, a foreign warmness around his shoulders.
His mother. Her familiar silky black hair, and defined lines of age and wisdom on her face made him feel at home. Her arms were wrapped tightly around him, cheek pressed against his. The simple-mindedness of youth returned to his younger self, engulfing him in complete happiness.
No...
He looked around. His mother was gone.
Something warm and fuzzy brushed against his face. The familiar tightness around his head returned.
No, not now...
He could remember the legs; those horrible, hair-covered legs that reached out from him in the darkness. The same, red eyes stood out from the dark, staring at him. Inspecting him. Watching his dreams. More, fuzzy legs surrounded him, pressing him against its warm, damp underside. Whatever it was was pulling him closer, feeling sharp tips on either side of his head; sharper than in the last dream...
NO! He didn't want to sleep! He didn't want this creature to watch his closest memories, only to pervert them; rob them of their innocence.
He shoved desperately at the creatures, separating himself from the warmth once more. A bright, red light danced in the back of his mind. His eyes fluttered as the image faded away, back to the creature. A deafening roar shook Jack's body as the creature slammed him into a hard, cold surface, squealing horribly.
Jack kicked, sending the creature tumbling back into the darkness. The determined samurai forced his eyes open; the smell of burning quickly awakened his senses.
"Jack..." Raven sat on her chest in the corner of the room, a small flame rising on the collar of her jacket. Jack quickly slid over towards her, noticing the newly-placed straight-jacket around him, and fell to his side.
Raven's green eyes opened, freckles bright, and screamed.
What seemed to be hours of later, after the great darkness had passed, Jack was awake.
"Pleeeease take your pill, Mr. Jack."
Jack sat quietly against the soft wall, face turned away from the young nurse. She ruffled the tuft of red hair on her head, looking displeased. A small tray sat between her thumb and forefinger, a small blue pill and a glass of water sat in the middle. Jack's stiff, yet weary face made her stand upright.
"Come on. I'm actually trying to be nice to you. You don't want me to give you a suppository, do you?"
Jack didn't like the sound of that. He eyed the tray suspiciously and slightly shifted in his straight-jacket.
"Oh!" The nurse gently picked up the pill, and pressed it through Jack's pursed lips. He closed his eyes, and felt the cold water trickle down his dry throat.
"See! That wasn't so hard, wasn't it? I mean, your friend doesn't mind taking it--do you?" Jack looked up at the happy worker, who was looking off into a corner of the room.
Raven looked over her shoulder and glared at the woman. The nurse smiled, and began to waltz out. The door slid closed with a loud lock behind her.
"We're doomed."
Jack looked at Raven, who was sitting with her knees up to her chin. Her once long, matted braid was gone; thick, short locks covered her head, reaching down to her chin. The ends were slightly dark and jagged. Being the scowling mess of anger she was, she huffed under her breath.
"I told you...not to tell them anything."
Jack's expression showed he was slightly offended. "Well--I shall tell you about my dream--but what about yours?"
Raven's head drooped suddenly, the locks hiding her face from Jack's view. "In my dream, I was in a great fire. I had fallen, right into the flames," she lifted her head slightly, "And then, I saw this big...THING. It was holding me down, right in the middle of my back. I couldn't get up, yet I could feel the heat."
"You called out for me."
"What?"
"You called out for me, in your dream," Jack said sternly. "I could hear you before I woke up."
Raven completely ignored him. "So, I woke up, and as you remember, they took me away."
Jack closed his eyes, remembering the scene. The rusty, metal sprinkler that sat high above the room had went off, dousing the flames on Raven, but had gotten everything, including himself--drenched in water. The door had swung open, and the same, tall guards that had attacked Jack had rushed in, grabbing Raven, and dragging her out slowly. Raven's blank, soul-less eyes were all Jack could see before the door closed. The sprinkler slowly began to shut off, forming small drops that splattered heavily on Jack's head.'
"They took me to this room. A lot of other people were there; I knew some of them. But...they were different. I don't know how. They had taken off the jacket, and instead, strapped me to a bed." Raven suddenly raised her head, eyes eerily wide. "They had these scissors--HUGE SCISSORS. And they just began to hack off my hair. The place was filled with really bright lights, and someone was crying in the background. They gave me a shot. Then, something really bad happened"
'A tall, looming figure walked in front of the door and stopped, blocking the flow of light. Jack continued to listen to Raven, not noticing the spying figure.
"I didn't remember anything. About myself. 'I had been in this place for such a long time...I remembered my name, Raven...But that's what they've always called me I didn't remember my middle...Last name, how old I was...." She smiled sadly. "I didn't even remember what I looked like."
An odd, sort of shocking realization shook Jack's soul. He'd only been in the quarantine for about three days. They'd let him out to eat, or course, and under strong and disturbing supervision, let him shower. But when was the last time he'd seen himself? His own reflection? He hadn't seen a mirror in ages--
"Jack, this disease is going to destroy us before we die."
Racked with confusion, Jack spoke. "Do you mean that another symptom is...loss of memory?"
"Oh, more than that! I hadn't even realized it before." She paused. "I took it seriously, but now...It's different. I don't remember anything before I came to this place. It does something to you. The dream you had last night--and the night before--were they all formed from memories?"
"Yes..."
"Well, do you remember them well?"
"Yes, how could I forget?!" Jack growled. "The horrible beast come down on me--and there was Aku--"
"NO, JACK! Not the dream! The memories. Do you remember the memories well? Before you came here?"
He stayed silent. Raven nodded."That's what I thought. You remember the dream, but you don't remember the memories. They were good memories, weren't they?"
Jack turned his head. "My mother..."
The figure by the door finally walked past, allowing light to enter the room again.
"Jack, I remembered the night you had your first nightmare. You were mad. Have you ever felt mad after that dream?"
Jack was definitely confused by now. "What?"
"'What I mean is, have you ever felt really mad after having a dream, and you wake up, and you don't quite feel like yourself?""
Jack shook his head slowly. Raven's eyebrows arched in a sort of disbelief; she hissed slowly under her breath.
"Shhh. I hate this. Jack--WAIT!" Jack's eyes widened as Raven sneered.
"Jack--That's not even your real name, is it?!" Raven's features glowed from the light shining from the small opening above the door.
"No. The people of this land called me by this name."
"Jack, do you remember your real name?"
This was getting out of hand. "Of course I do. It's--"
Jack fell silent. A horrible, creeping feeling rose in Jack's chest; Raven's eyes fluttered. Jack bit his lip.
"See? You don't remember your own name. All you know is Jack. All you know is what people call you. Jack, Jack, JACK." Jack shook slightly as Raven balanced herself on the soles of her bare feet, and pushed herself up.
"What does this all mean?"
"It means that eventually, we won't even know who we are. Or, maybe even turn into someone else."
"...Someone else?"
"I shit you not! The things I saw in there..." She leaned against the wall. "Were not normal carriers of a disease. Those were completely different people, with completely different minds, and completely different memories." She walked towards the door, eying the opening.
"Aku's evil has even effected...the deepest part of a person's soul. I must escape from this place, and find the cure."
"Well, you better think of something quick. Did you see that guy hanging around--?" Raven stood on her toes and peered through the barred opening.
"I assure you--I will find the cure."
Raven sighed. "I hope so. I sure do hope so..."