Amnesia

Numb

Last night was rough. I barely was able to sleep with all the noises going on outside. It terrified me just as much as being in a room full of people I didn't know. Or did know. But somewhere in the hours of the night I was able to get some rest.

Anne notices I'm awake and smiles at me from a few feet away. She's huddled in some blankets in a small ball, just as I am. "Good morning," she whispers.

I smile back. "Good morning."

Anne sits up and looks around. Everyone else is still asleep. I count the bodies and notice one is missing. Anne does the same. She looks over at me and points upwards. "I think he's on the roof for lookout."

I nod. It's of course Chris who's gone. Probably still dealing with the shock. A wave of frustration goes over me. Not being able to remember who anyone is, including myself, is something that is almost unbearable.

"Should I go talk to him?" I ask quietly, trying to not wake up the others.

Anne shrugs. "Are you up for that?"

I don't have an answer for that question because I really have no clue. But I might as well. "How do I get up there?"

She sighs and then gets up, stretching out her arms. She points at the latter at the edge of the room. "Go up the ladder and open the latch. It'll lead right into the hot morning sun. Maybe we'll get a nice breeze this morning." She shrugs and sits back down.

I hurry over to the ladder and climb it. It squeaks and clatters at every step, but luckily I dont wake anyone as I open the latch and go up through the roof. Up here, I'm met with bright sunlight and a nice breeze. But also with the face of Chris.

He looks at me for a moment, but soon notices I'm struggling to pull myself up and helps me onto the roof. He closes it and then looks at me. "I'm so sorry for last night. I didn't know-"

"It's okay," I interrupt. "I'm sorry too. I wish I could remember, but I don't know. I don't know anything. And I don't know if I should trust you. Or anyone else down there. But I don't have much else."

"Did Anne explain to you what's going on? Or who I am?"

I shake my head. "I've gotten absolutely no explanation whatsoever. And I'd like you to explain. Please."

He looks away, down towards the streets. He then points to two people who look like they're limping. "Those aren't people, Alice. Those are what we called the infected. And we don't know how many are out there, but we do know they are everywhere."

He then looks back to me, as if expecting me to have all the knowledge of everything now. I look at him, giving him the eyes that say 'go on'.

"I guess I should start from the top," he says. "You and your family were going on a trip to the community park. It was summer break, no school. It was just a nice little family outing for the day. On the way there, your van was hit while you were going through the intersection. You were in the middle section with your baby sister. Your younger brother and sister were in the way back. A truck ran the red and hit your van on the side you were on. You got hit so hard . . ."

I watch him as he explains, his face contorting in pain at the memory.

"It was a horrible accident. You, your mom, and your sister got the worst. But especially you and your baby sister. She didn't make it, Alice. She was too young and it was too bad. Sent you into the hospital. After a while in the coma, it was hard for your family to afford keeping you in the hospital. So they took you home. Not too long after that, there started to be reportings on the news of the spread of rabies."

He pauses, as if he's unsure he should continue.

"A few days after that, half of our population was wiped out. It wasn't just rabies, it was like it mutated into something even more dangerous. It spread like wildfire. We got information over the news that other countries were suffering the same things. Soon the news stopped reporting. Then the electricity went down. Radios told us to go to the closest Safe Haven for shelter and food. My family knew that was a bad idea."