Sleep State

Chapter 4

- Ana - 

"How is it possible that we can't remember anything?"

Ana bowed her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Next to her, Christian took long strides with his hands shoved into the pockets of his black pants. The demanding enforcer he portrayed back in the diner had casually left. Now, he kept his eyes and ears open as she asked the questions they were both thinking out loud.

Leaving the diner and their cars behind them, they walked down the middle of the four-lane street in the middle of the night. Only the light from lamps above illuminated their path bringing out the eerie feeling of being alone from the towering buildings that surrounded them. So small in such a large space, it could swallow you whole.

With no destination in mind, they aimlessly strolled side by side trying to wrap their minds around the possibilities of what ifs.

A soft chuckle escaped the reserved man that accompanied her and she peered at him not finding the humor in her question.

"Says the girl dressed in hospital scrubs." He teased and continued to look straight ahead. "You'd think you know a thing or two about memory loss."

"You'd think." She smirked seeing the irony in the situation.

Even if she worked in hospital judging by her attire, any knowledge that came along with the position was lost with the rest of her memory. How was it possible though to wake up one day and not remember a damn thing? The vulnerability that tagged along with it was terrifying.

Was this how a baby felt after it entered the world? Only alert to what was around he or she, but clueless about everything else?

Ana bit her lip and continued to travel down the path of long of the unknown and the curious.

"And where the hell is everyone?" Her haunting observation made her shiver. "It's like they all just disappeared." Ana remarked and her stomach sank at the next thought. "Or they don't exist."

The way the city remained so still and quiet like it was hiding a secret made the hairs on her arms stand up. Around every corner and behind every door lurked the possibility of maybe another soul or a clue. But would they find what they were looking for? Something told her this was it. Life as she once knew it, that is if she would ever remember the life she had before this, was gone.

"Why us?" He asked the real question that they both had been thinking. Why them?

Out of all the curiosity that filled her scattered brained head, she wanted to know why her? Why Christian? Life had seemed to fall off the face of the Earth, and yet here they were just the two of them.

Her gaze slowly shifted from her feet to his and climbed up his muscular body as he proceeded on his silent quest with her. There was nothing subtle about his beauty. He was the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. In fact, he was the only man she had ever laid her eyes on that she could remember.

The street light caught the reflection of his silver watch on his left wrist and sparkled under the moonlight. His once unkempt appearance was now polished and cleaner. Impeccably dressed from head to toe, she felt like she was wearing a garbage bag next to him. She needed out of these dirty clothes.

As he continued to make his strides look effortless with each step, she noticed how he carried himself well keeping his chin held high. She wondered if his demeanor came naturally to him or if he was fulfilling the role he felt he needed to portray. Was he the man he appeared to be in the flesh or was there something more deep beneath the surface?

Unable to complete her mental observations, Ana winced as the pain from hitting her head throbbed. The intensity halted her in her tracks and she bent over clutching her hair and applying pressure to the knot.