Bursters

The Awakening

I woke up to the sound of running water. I took a moment to figure out my surroundings. My eyes told me I was in a hospital room, but the chilly damp air and the musty smell that wafted around me said otherwise. The usual blinding white lights of a hospital were gone, leaving me in the complete darkness. I sat up in bed and stared at my bedside mirror. My Zombie-like reflection was added to the list of things I didn't recognize.

  My fingers were noticeably weak as I untangled the excessive amount of IVs that were poked into the veins of my limbs. Most of the liquid being pumped through me was unfamiliar. The biggest pouch was labeled "benzodigzepines" and it was nearly empty. My stomach flipped with indecision. Do I keep the medicine that I may need running or do I pull the IVs out? This medicine might be keeping me alive but can or really trust someone who was involved in putting me in this position? For all I know any more of this stuff could kill me... I peeled the tape off my limbs, which left a sticky grey residue stamped to my arms, and yanked each IV out with little grace. Each IV caused me to cringe. My shaky fingers weren't very proficient and very unsteady and created bigger wounds than I had. I pressed my arm against my dress to stop the blood flow and increase the healing speed.  

  I dragged both legs out over the side of my bed. I slowly slid off the edge and the soft padding on my feet press against the ground. The floor was like dry ice against my warm feet which were just recently encased and protected under the sheets. Two twin babies, pleasantly heated and protected, were being exposed to the harsh reality of the world outside the womb. The tiles' chill started at the base of my foot and crawled up my calves. I shambled towards the doorway that I predicted would lead to the hall, moving already becoming easier although still proving difficult. I stepped outside to ask a nurse what was happening. The carpet outside my room squished under my foot. Warm, thick liquid that looked and smelled of thick sewage stuck between my iced-blue toes. My foot jolted back. I used the door frame that I rested on to scrape off the brown liquid sock that had formed on me.

  A desperately urgent thought occurred to me instantaneously. I want to get out of here. The halls were covered in a brown shiny glaze as far as my adjusting eyes could see in the dark. A red "EXIT" sign reflects like a beacon, calling me, aiding me in my escape. I decided to leave that option for the time being despite the uneasiness I felt about staying there. Should I go back and search the hospital room? I didn't spend much time searching the room when I first awoke. Maybe there's a window. Something to climb down.

   My eyes, now used to the dark, surveyed the room I recently woke up in. I saw the bed that I had been lying on. A wet spot in the shape of my body was stamped on the pale grey-blue sheets. How long was I out? I wondered. The whole room was fairly monochromatic except for some orange marigolds that were stuffed in a slender blue vase on my bedside table. The smell was offensive to my sensitive nose, like weeds, but appealed to my eyes. A tag peaked out from behind the cluster of petals. My fingers reached out, grabbed the paper greedily, and unfolded the thin, crinkling paper. Two words "To Isla" were written on the paper. Isla. "Isla" I tested the name on my tongue. I liked it. Now I just needed to figure everything else out.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————    I found a window in my hospital room. I pulled back the short, pink, flowery curtains to reveal the square window behind them. The harsh light hurt my eyes, which had been adjusting to the dark. It looked as if only the bottom half of the already small window opened. I looked down at my body. I was far from what one might call plump, but I knew that there was no way I'd be fitting through that gap. The sun shone through the window. I figured some warmth could do me good and twisted the knob to allow the summer air to enter the room. The knob's insides were rusty and kind of stuck but I eventually got the bottom half of the window open.