I awoke with blurred vision, my head pounding. I almost felt like I was going to throw up before the room stopped spinning and my sight adjusted.
I was laying down again, but the room was different. There were no windows, and a pair of fluorescent lights shone above me. The walls surrounding me were a brittle grey, like bare concrete. I noticed there were markings etched into the wall, they looked like… claw marks.
I tried to jump up from my bed only to realize I had been restrained. I felt wide straps stretched across my shoulders, belly, waist, knees and ankles.
My heart was racing, I tried to focus my energy but nothing happened. It was like there something blocking that space in my mind where my power was sourced. Then I heard footsteps coming from my left. I turned my head and saw the metal door with its small glass windows.
This was it, I thought to myself. I can only pray now.
The door opened to reveal a man with a dark complexion wearing a white lab coat and sand trousers. The first human being I had seen since the start of this mess. As he walked in, a tall, broad-chested man with short blond hair wearing light blue scrubs followed him and closed the door.
The first man walked around my bed and looked at me. He was wearing glasses and had short black hair with a thin beard.
"Good morning, sir. I am Doctor Acharya." He said with a light Indian accent.
"Are you feeling better?" The doctor continued. He sat down in a small chair on my right whilst the other man stood on the other side of the bed.
"What were those things? Why am I strapped down?!" I asked indignantly.
The doctor put his hand to his chin and looked away for a second before answering.
"Those "things" are my staff. You have been restrained to prevent any further harm to yourself or others. Your psionic abilities have been subdued for the time being due to last night's incident." He said that last word with a hint of frustration.
"Psionic? You mean… But I-I don't understand. Those… I-Where..."
"Sir, I understand you have many questions. But first you have to help me help you. Can we start with your name and date of birth?" He pulled out a small tablet from his pocket.
I didn't like any of this. Not only did he acknowledge that I had witnessed monsters without question, he called them his staff?! Part of me hoped that he would call me mad or something but this, with the claws on the wall and subduing of my powers, it all spelled something much more sinister. I would not budge. How was I to trust him? How was I to trust anyone? I simply closed my eyes and mouthed a silent prayer, hoping that aid would come my way.
He sighed at my meek act of defiance.
"Sir, the longer you stall, the longer-"
A sudden knocking came from the door. I turned to see a large black eye peeking through the window before dashing behind the door. It was that creature.
The doctor groaned and rose up from his chair.
"Keep an eye on him please." He said to the man opposite. "I'll right back."
He walked to the door and quickly opened it and squeezed through.
"What are you doing here?" I heard him angrily say before the door closed.
I looked back up at the man above me. He was a tall, muscular man with fair skin and blue eyes. He looked down at me with an unamused expression.
"Its best you just accept it now." He said in a deep voice.
"What?" I said quietly.
"I believed for a long while that we could go back to normal. That we could fight for it. But this is life now. The sooner you accept it, the better."
I stilled myself, remaining unconvinced by this man's words.
"I won't let any of you hurt me." I said, trying to hide my nervousness.
His expression remained unchanged.
"Drop the act. No one is going to hurt you. You should be thankful that we found you first."
"And why is that?"
"Because there are those beyond the city limits that wouldn't be so hesitant."
It was then the door opened. The doctor walked in with an annoyed expression. He walked around my bed and sat down next to me again.
"Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to remove these straps and then all three of us will take a little walk around the hospital. After that, if you believe you are healthy, you are free to leave. How does that sound?"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing, surely they didn't think I would fall for this? But I weight my options, either be given a chance for freedom, or stay there in the chamber with the scratch marks.
"What caused that?" I pointed with my eyes to the claw marks.
The doctor turned his head and chuckled.
"Oh, that." He lifted his sleeve to reveal a nasty set of scars that went along his forearm.
"An aggressive patient from last year. But she's better now. I think she lives in riverside..." His eyes drifted away for second before coming back to reality.
"Anyway, hows that sound? Outside? Fresh Air?"
Better than staying in here, waiting for things to get better.
"Okay."
"Very good."
He released my straps and I sat up, giving myself a big stretch. I noticed a small metal device wrapped around my wrist. The doctor said this was the Psionic inhibitor. He said I could have it removed once I proved I wasn't a danger anymore. He pointed over to a plastic box that he said had clothes inside. They waited outside as I changed. There was a white t-shirt, grey sweatpants, underpants, socks, and some old, worn shoes. Better than just a hospital gown at least.
I stepped outside the room, entering a narrow corridor. The doctor and the other man were waiting at the bottom of a stairwell on the other side.
"Ready?" Said the doctor.
"Yeah."
"Alright then. By the way, this is Erik. He and the other nurses will help you out with whatever you need should you choose to stay."
Erik reached out his hand for me to shake, his grip was surprisingly gentle.
"Right, let's carry on then."
We walked up the stairwell. A window displayed a cloudy grey sky above a red brick wall. The sounds of people talking and working slowly growing. I was then led to a wide corridor. The smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils as we walked forward. The floor was being mopped by a woman in scrubs, whilst a man on a bed with a respirator was being pushed by another nurse went alongside us. Above us, some ceiling tiles were missing, some lights flickered, with half of them not being on at all.
We went further along the corridor, turning at a corner to reveal a large lobby. On the far side of the room, the wall had brown stains that revealed the outline of some large sign or symbol that had once stood there. Below that was stone basin. A fountain, perhaps? But I could hear no water.
There was a wide desk at the back of the lobby. As we passed, a young woman with short black hair turned away from her monitor and looked at me with wide eyes. She seemed worried. Dr. Acharya looked at her and gave her a thumbs up just as we turned to another corridor. I saw her quickly return to her monitor, but she still bore an anxious frown on her face.
We walked through this corridor for a brief moment before the doctor led me to a glass door leading outside. I walked through and felt the cool air brush against my skin.
The courtyard consisted of a dark tiled path leading to a circular plaza in the centre of the grounds. There were some benches along the path, with four arranged in a square in the central plaza. Most of the grass was dry and yellow, with patches of bare earth visible in some areas. The courtyard was in the middle of the structure, so it was surrounded on all sides by the hospital walls, with the tallest leading back to the main building behind me. The grey cloudy sky loomed over me, and the shapes of grey skyscrapers were seen the distance.
Some children were playing on the other side of the courtyard, running to and fro. In the plaza, A dark-haired woman held her son close as they sat on the bench.
I took a deep breath. The sight was both relaxing and anxious. Whilst it was good to be outside, I certainly wasn't in London. Those skyscrapers looked like something out of Dubai at best, and the sight of the mother with her son only made me worry about my own family. More and more questions seemed to race through my mind but I did my best to quell them. Panicking would not help me here.
"Have you made your decision?" The doctor asked me from behind.
I turned towards him.
"Can you help me?" I asked.
"With what?"
"Everything. I mean, There's just… I need to find my family."
"I will help you whatever way I can, sir. But you need to trust us." He put his hand out in front of me. I moved mine to shake it.
"George. My name is George."
"Welcome to Mercy Hospital, George." He said with a small smile.
"Now before I continue your examination there are a few people I want you to meet. You've already met them but if you're going to stay here you need to become used to their presence. I believe a proper introduction and apology should do the trick."
I knew what that meant. I felt hairs raise on the back of my neck as followed him and Erik back inside.