CHAPTER 4: LOST AND FOUND
The fog was so thick it left nothing but ice crystals on the window. The room was just as cold as it was outside, and everything inside of this room felt the cold feelings, even Cole himself. He shivered, and it shook his whole body uncontrollably. He felt his legs shake the most, and his hands were shaking while his arms were shaking. Cole felt the shakes, causing him to shake more from the cold, and realized his eyes weren't opening. Then, slowly, he opened them. He looked down at his body. It was indeed shaking, but he also felt numb. He felt the numb feeling near his chest. He looked.
Only one of his arms was shaking.
Cole felt no emotion of this, but, once he realized he was under a white blanket, he pulled back the sheet. His right arm was folded, somewhat towards his chest. He saw his hand touching his chest, but felt nothing. He tried to move his hand. He succeeded, but no feelings except the numb feeling were present. The right arm was not deformed, but not right. It was normal, but then it wasn't. Blood trickled among white sheets covering his right arm. He couldn't get the numb feeling to go away, no matter how much he rubbed his hand against his chest. Cole saw the blood and the white sheets and felt fear. No. Hate.
He felt somewhat of pain when he tried to move his arm. Sharp pain that came from his elbow, which wasn't numb at all. Cole let his feeling of hate pass, but it didn't stop the feeling when he looked around the room.
He saw a bright light shining in the window, where it was drawn with curtains of blue color. Dark shadows formed around the room, and it almost blinded Cole to look at the only light in the room for so long. He saw the darkness in the room, and saw figures on the ground at his feet. He looked downward, and realized one of the figures was close to his feet. It was hard to see in the darkness, but Cole could see, the best he could, that the figure was filled with gaps in the middle and it stretched from one end of the bed to another.
A bed. Cole looked around with his eyes. He was on a bed. He heard noises close to his head.
He turned his head sharply, and saw a figure on the other side. It contained a light which shone at every corner, and it portrayed lines of shape and size. The lines were green, and they went up and down at every sound heard in the room. The figure stood upon another, which, as Cole could see, was its support. Cole saw, from the corner of his eye, that another figure, like that of the figure at the end of the bed, was above him as well. Cole looked back at the figure with the green lines, and could see a long tube upon it, and a bag with a water-like substance. Cole followed the tube, and realized it was coming towards him. Closer and closer to himself, Cole found the tube sticking into his arm. He kept hearing the noises, but they were too faint at this point. He looked back at the lines, and saw they were lower, yet higher. In the middle.
Cole saw the tube on his arm, and could see blood on the patch covering it. He tried to move the tube, and it stung. A sharp pain.
"Ow." Cole whispered.
He let the tube go, and the sharp pain remained, but it was weak now. Cole realized he was weak as well.
He barely kept up his body on the bed, no matter how much he wanted to sit up. He looked back at his right arm, and didn't feel the sheets covering his arm. They were numb as well. Cole saw that the sheets made way to his shoulder. restricting material. Something he hated.
Without warning, or thinking of what could come next, Cole grabbed the sheets and, with a grip of his left hand, pulled the sheets away...but a sharp pain, sharper than before, hit Cole hard. He tried to straighten out his arm in the pull.
Cole screamed, and felt the sharp pain get more painful as he tried to yank the sheets from his arm. He now let his numb right arm fall back into the place where he found it, and let his grip on the sheets fade. It was useless now, and Cole took deep breaths to ease the pain in his elbow, possibly covering his right arm as well. He panted when the pain finally eased off.
Then, another light came into the room. It came from the corner, and a figure stood in the midst of the light. The figure closed something behind him, and Cole knew it was a door. A door to the unknown.
The Figure moved closer and closer to Cole, then to the window. He opened the blue curtains a little, the light brighter than before. It blinded Cole for a second. He groaned. He tried to opened his eyes, but the blind feeling betrayed him.
"Blink, young man." The figure said.
Cole knew what he was talking about. He knew it was a human, but what human would be here. Cole knew he wasn't in the forest.
This has to be a dream, Cole thought. This is not the forest.
Cole blinked four times, and the blind feeling eased away. He was able to see again, and the figure was clear now. The figure was a man, and he had a shade of white on his clothing, for he was dressed in full white, and had a little object and a flat object in his hands. He was smiling when he looked at Cole, but Cole didn't smile back. He looked at the figure in confusion, yet fear. But the feeling of hate was back as well.
"How are you feeling, young man?" The man said, approaching Cole, who tried to move. Back away.
"No need to be scared, I'm here to take care of you," The man said, almost backing away himself. "Is it okay if I check your temperature?"
Cole was confused, stronger than before. He wasn't sure what to make of this man. This human.
"Or I could use my hand to check your forehead. May I do that?"
Cole continued to look at the man. The man approached Cole, and Cole now saw the man's eyes. They were the shade of blue. His face was that of a sculpture, pale and old. He lifted his hand towards Cole, and Cole eased back until he felt the bed under him. Nowhere else to go.
The man's hand was on Cole's forehead before Cole could spring away. It was cold. It was a feeling Cole had felt before, a long time ago. The cold feelings of a hand, curing him of a sickness.
Cole took deep breaths, and remembered where those cold hands had gone with its body. Down a cliff.
"Excellent. Your not fevered now, but you were when the ambulance got you here. You were as red as a snake."
Cole smiled a little, remembering his own color was red. But the word ambulance kept Cole pondering. The man was laughing, but not as much.
"Alright, let's check that arm," The man said, then, he didn't look happy. "You've been moving your arm. Son, you can't do that. Now we've got to fix these bandages again."
The man reached for them, and Cole jerked away. He didn't want to be touched, but it was already too late when the man touched his forehead. Cole jerked away again when the man tried to touch his shoulder. The man gripped Cole's shoulder above his numb right arm.
"You need to be still, son."
Cole looked the man in the eyes. "Where am I?"
"The hospital, son. Don't you remember what happened?"
Cole jerked away before the man could touch his other shoulder, but the grip on his right shoulder was in-tact.
"Son, please-"
"I don't want to be here."
Cole felt anger. Pain in his heart. He wanted to get rid of the feeling, but it kept coming. It pained him to think of anger.
"If you could just hold still, I'll-"
"I don't want to be here!"
"Son, don't make me use force-"
"Let go of me!"
Cole screamed so loud, he didn't realize he attacked the man with his free arm. He had hit him square across the face, and Cole could see, with the light in the room, blood marks on the man's fingers that seeped through the cheek. Cole began to move, to sit up, and he succeeded. He began to grip the bed, but realized he had only one hand to do so. He moved, and saw the floor beneath him. Everything in this room was white.
Cole managed to get his feet on the ground...but felt himself falling.
The man across the room was still gripping his face, and he grabbed something on his shoulder and pushed his injured face next to it.
"I need...back up...in room 303. Now!"
Cole caught the man's voice, but was too busy trying to get back up onto his feet. He wanted to free his numb right arm, but it seemed hopeless with the pain coming from his elbow. It was sharper than before. Cole could hear footsteps in the room, and could feel something on his back. A hand of sorts. Cole jerked away, and the hand grabbed onto him again. Then, Cole felt another pain. In his shoulder.
The world around Cole, the world he hated so much, was spinning before him. Then, darkness.
Elsewhere. City.
"Thank you, Mr. Dansworth, these flowers will go good for my parent's anniversary."
Taylor Earnhardt set the flowers on the table in the dining room. She smiled at there beautiful presence, the yellow mixing in with blue.
"Yes, they will, and thank you for getting me this new job since my old one was tiring." Mr. Dansworth said, laughing.
Taylor laughed. "Well, working with me and the crew was tiring."
Mr. Dansworth was a chief commanding most of the recruits at the Air Force center. He started out as a Lieutenant himself, but he soon became a popular figure among the chiefs and was given a role. He wasn't so popular with the recruits when he was one himself. He would also take part in flying the planes and helping the injured, but now he wanted to do more than help people. He wanted to do nice things for people, such as giving people flowers or candy.
"I think your parents will be so proud," Mr. Dansworth said. "And I'll be proud, too."
"Indeed. Things you did at the Air Force weren't up to the standards of the recruits." Tayor said.
"Yep, and I think this new job will help me become a better person." Mr. Dansforth said, adjusting his glasses.
"It's getting late, Jimmy." Taylor said, looking at the clock.
"Oh, well, my apartment isn't too far away, but I'll miss the news if I leave now."
Taylor looked at the clock. It was already five 'o clock, and Jimmy Dansworth already had the television on the news.
"I love the news." Jimmy said, adjusting his glasses again.
Taylor sighed and moved over to the dining room table. She sat down, and began to look at the mail.
She smiled when the first envelope was a postcard. It read:
To: Taylor Earnhardt, 226 Hickory Drive, Turtle Cove.
From: Max Cooper, 119 Seven highway, Rome, Italy
Taylor smiled when she cut open the postcard with a nearby knife. She opened the card.
Dear Taylor, me and Danny have seen the world! Our Never Give Up tour is finally coming to an end! However, we have decided to see one more place, and that's home. See you soon.
P.S. (From Danny) We'll be at your doorstep in three weeks.
The picture in the corner was of Danny and Max at the Treve Fountain. They were wearing italian clothing and posing in the picture. Taylor smiled. She looked over at Jimmy, who was staring at the news with a smile on his face.
He always smiles, Taylor thought. He can't help it.
"Danny and Max are coming home!" Taylor yelled.
"That's good news, them being your friends and all."
"I should call Alyssa." Taylor said to herself. She grabbed her phone.
Then, a noise filled the room. A scream.
"Jimmy, what's wrong?" Taylor asked, moving her head to see the living room.
"Uh, somebody on the news says there's gonna be snow. Millions of snow."
Taylor's eyes widened. Snow in Turtle Cove was rare. "Really?"
Taylor got up and went over to the couch were Jimmy was sitting, bouncing his knees uncontrollably.
"Too late. The weather's gone."
Taylor sighed. "Well, I guess-"
Our top story tonight: A mysterious car crash has led a man that emerged from the woods in critical condition, while the driver is also in critical condition. Police say the driver of the vehicle who hit the man had no idea that there was someone on the road because of the thick fog. Police did not press charges because of the many accidents that have occurred due to the thick fog that has grown stronger each day. When will the fog end? The real question is: Is the man that emerged from the forest hurt in any way? And just who is he? Channel four eye-witness news.
Taylor's heart jumped in her chest. She caught sight on the car shown on the television. It was her father's. But something else troubled her.
"A man emerged from the forest?" Taylor asked.
"That's what the news said. Poor man. They didn't even show him."
"But they showed my father's car, Jimmy."
Jimmy looked at Taylor, his eyes wide. "Then we better get to that hospital."
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Taylor got up, the best she could, taking in all that she had heard, and kept hearing the doorbell ring. Taylor opened the door, carefully not stumbling on her own carpet, and got a good look at the person in the doorway.
"Alyssa! What are you doing her?" Taylor screamed, but not too loud.
Alyssa Enrile breathed deeply and let a noise come out of her mouth. It was a sob. She had been crying.
"Taylor..." Alyssa began, more sobs coming. She took a deep breath. "Cole's in the hospital."
Elsewhere. Forest.
Dayu walked along the forest path, holding the Furry Wart and her harmonium in her hands. She was tired of walking, her knees about to give in. She saw nothing but lush green and fog around this place. It was the place Serrator had told her to go, but it looked the same as she kept looking around the clearing. Everything, from the trees to the plants, looked the same.
"There's no way Deker is in this forest. Serrator must have been lying to me."
Dayu stopped walking, and set the Furry Wart on a tree stump. Whatever happened to this tree was of no concern to Dayu, she just wanted to be alone. Her harmonium was in her left hand, and Deker's broken sword was in her right.
When she saw the sword, its broken shape and bloodied appearance, Dayu felt tears in her eyes. Heavy and promising.
"Oh, Deker, I loved you."
Dayu wanted to give in to the cold forest floor, but she knew she wouldn't be heard by anyone. Not ever again.
Then, a noise. It came from the corner of the clearing. Dayu shifted her head, and saw, her eyes getting a good look, her tears streaking down her face, and her heart thumping harder and louder, the angel in front of her.
Weak. Bruised. Damaged. Alone. Alive.