Disclaimer see Part 1.
After the Explosion
Part 2
Jarod had no idea where he was. It was dark in what might have been a room. But he couldn't recognise anything. He felt, like he had missed something, something important.
Trying to push himself to a sitting position, he moaned in pain. His back was burning and he felt like his skin was being ripped of his bones. Holding his breath he slowly shifted onto his back again. After the pain had faded he allowed himself to breath again. What had happened to him?
"Oh, your awake!"
Jarod turned his head to the spot of light, where the door to the room had been opened. A young man had stuck his head in, displaying a shy grin on his face.
"Cassie said, you would get to, soon...."
With that he left, the door staying open. Jarod wondered if he suffered from hallucination. The boy had just called someone Cassie....the only Cassie he knew wasn't likely to show up without an army of sweepers to catch him.
"Good, I already began to think I was alone on this!"
He knew that voice and he knew the face belonging to it. But he couldn't process the thought. First was his reflex. Escape, running.
He was half on to his feet until the pain came through his panic. Suddenly everything he saw was double, the room began to spin around him and he felt his knees weaken. The two, no, three Miss Parkers in front of him lunged forward, to keep him from falling. Before it had sunken in to him, what was going on, he sat on the floor. Miss Parker was kneeling next to him.
"Jarod, are you okay?"
Worry was in her voice and eyes, as she steadied him. He sighed. Sometimes following instincts could be quite embarrassing...
"I'm fine...."
He managed a tiny smile, glad that he had gotten the words out without stumbling over his tongue. Which felt pretty much like a towel right now. And it seemed to have sounded likewise, because Miss Parker asked the young man to fetch a glass of liquid something....
Jarod concentrated on Miss Parker. She was not herself. Well not the Miss Parker he had tried to help for the last four years. She made an relaxed impression, seemingly at peace with herself. He hardly knew her in her oversize wool-pullover and jeans. But she looked lovely. She looked free.
"You look good!"
He didn't realise he had spoken out loud his thoughts until Miss Parker smiled at him. It was a warm smile. The smile he remembered from their childhood. She pulled a strand of hair out of her face.
"You look better...well, at least than you did a week ago...."
He looked down, only now realising that he was nearly naked. Embarrassment clear on his face, he tried to get back into the bed. Miss Parker realized, how defenseless he had to feel and helped him up.
"We had to cut your clothes of your body....and we thought it best to keep your skin uncovered, so there wouldn't be an infection."
She pointed to the sheets, which were bloodstained. Jarod look down at his body again, but couldn't find anything wrong. Miss Parker followed his gaze, then raised her brows.
"It's your back, in case you didn't figure that out already, boy genius..."
A smile eased the edge in her words. Jarod now remembered the pain on his back.
"Fire?"
He asked, trying to remember anything. Miss Parker nodded sadly.
"I'm so sorry, Jarod. If I hadn't been babbling all along, we'd had enough time to escape the explosion..."
"Explosion?"
Jarod looked stunned.
"What explosion?"
Miss Parker stiffened.
"This is not the time to play little games, Jarod. I think, the blow should have left a staying memory in your head..."
He shook his head. There were images in his mind. Fire, the cracking noise of metal. And he heard someone scream.
"No, really, Miss Parker, at the moment I can't put the pieces together. Give me some time."
It's the shock, know, she thought. Would the explosion have let him loose his memory? That could be fatal at the moment....
"But you do remember who I am, don't you?"
He nodded, irritated.
"Of course, Miss Parker...remember, I just tried to run from you..."
There it was again. The mocking in his voice.
"Seems you're going to be fine..."
She turned on what earlier would have been her heels but now had changed into sneakers.
"Wait!"
Jarod softened his voice, knowing he had hurt her. He just couldn't resist teasing her.
"I'm sorry, Miss Parker. I remember receiving a call from my dad, concerning Emily. Then finding her crushed on the pavement, dying. That's all. I don't know what happened afterwards..."
He raised himself on one elbow and she could see in his eyes, that the memory loss scared him. Defenses ....she thought – I should be a specialist for that matter....
Tbc
After the Explosion
Part 2
Jarod had no idea where he was. It was dark in what might have been a room. But he couldn't recognise anything. He felt, like he had missed something, something important.
Trying to push himself to a sitting position, he moaned in pain. His back was burning and he felt like his skin was being ripped of his bones. Holding his breath he slowly shifted onto his back again. After the pain had faded he allowed himself to breath again. What had happened to him?
"Oh, your awake!"
Jarod turned his head to the spot of light, where the door to the room had been opened. A young man had stuck his head in, displaying a shy grin on his face.
"Cassie said, you would get to, soon...."
With that he left, the door staying open. Jarod wondered if he suffered from hallucination. The boy had just called someone Cassie....the only Cassie he knew wasn't likely to show up without an army of sweepers to catch him.
"Good, I already began to think I was alone on this!"
He knew that voice and he knew the face belonging to it. But he couldn't process the thought. First was his reflex. Escape, running.
He was half on to his feet until the pain came through his panic. Suddenly everything he saw was double, the room began to spin around him and he felt his knees weaken. The two, no, three Miss Parkers in front of him lunged forward, to keep him from falling. Before it had sunken in to him, what was going on, he sat on the floor. Miss Parker was kneeling next to him.
"Jarod, are you okay?"
Worry was in her voice and eyes, as she steadied him. He sighed. Sometimes following instincts could be quite embarrassing...
"I'm fine...."
He managed a tiny smile, glad that he had gotten the words out without stumbling over his tongue. Which felt pretty much like a towel right now. And it seemed to have sounded likewise, because Miss Parker asked the young man to fetch a glass of liquid something....
Jarod concentrated on Miss Parker. She was not herself. Well not the Miss Parker he had tried to help for the last four years. She made an relaxed impression, seemingly at peace with herself. He hardly knew her in her oversize wool-pullover and jeans. But she looked lovely. She looked free.
"You look good!"
He didn't realise he had spoken out loud his thoughts until Miss Parker smiled at him. It was a warm smile. The smile he remembered from their childhood. She pulled a strand of hair out of her face.
"You look better...well, at least than you did a week ago...."
He looked down, only now realising that he was nearly naked. Embarrassment clear on his face, he tried to get back into the bed. Miss Parker realized, how defenseless he had to feel and helped him up.
"We had to cut your clothes of your body....and we thought it best to keep your skin uncovered, so there wouldn't be an infection."
She pointed to the sheets, which were bloodstained. Jarod look down at his body again, but couldn't find anything wrong. Miss Parker followed his gaze, then raised her brows.
"It's your back, in case you didn't figure that out already, boy genius..."
A smile eased the edge in her words. Jarod now remembered the pain on his back.
"Fire?"
He asked, trying to remember anything. Miss Parker nodded sadly.
"I'm so sorry, Jarod. If I hadn't been babbling all along, we'd had enough time to escape the explosion..."
"Explosion?"
Jarod looked stunned.
"What explosion?"
Miss Parker stiffened.
"This is not the time to play little games, Jarod. I think, the blow should have left a staying memory in your head..."
He shook his head. There were images in his mind. Fire, the cracking noise of metal. And he heard someone scream.
"No, really, Miss Parker, at the moment I can't put the pieces together. Give me some time."
It's the shock, know, she thought. Would the explosion have let him loose his memory? That could be fatal at the moment....
"But you do remember who I am, don't you?"
He nodded, irritated.
"Of course, Miss Parker...remember, I just tried to run from you..."
There it was again. The mocking in his voice.
"Seems you're going to be fine..."
She turned on what earlier would have been her heels but now had changed into sneakers.
"Wait!"
Jarod softened his voice, knowing he had hurt her. He just couldn't resist teasing her.
"I'm sorry, Miss Parker. I remember receiving a call from my dad, concerning Emily. Then finding her crushed on the pavement, dying. That's all. I don't know what happened afterwards..."
He raised himself on one elbow and she could see in his eyes, that the memory loss scared him. Defenses ....she thought – I should be a specialist for that matter....
Tbc