When I woke up, everything was blurry.
It took a few minutes of drowsy, disoriented blinking before the world finally began to come back into focus. Pain rolled through my body in soft waves, gentle enough that I hadn't noticed them while I was worrying over my eyes. Now that I could see properly, I was aware of the ache ebbing and flowing, licking at my body like the ocean's waves every few seconds.
Goosebumps riddled my arms and legs. Shivering, I rolled over onto my side, biting my lip against the strengthening of the pain that came with movement. My fingers grappled clumsily with a blanket, tugging it up to my chin only for it to expose my feet.
Shit, I was so cold.
Taking a deep breath, I pressed myself into a sitting position. The cot I lied on moaned as I moved, protesting the shift in weight. The scratchy wool blanket I had been fighting with slipped onto my lap in a heap. Blearily, I squinted at the room I had found myself in, trying to jog memories of where I was.
It was a long, narrow space crowded with a dozen cot-like beds along the walls. No windows existed to let any light in, but on one of the walls, a digital clock was projected, displaying the time. As my vision cleared, I realized that each of the other beds was filled with a young girl or woman, some sleeping soundlessly while others softly sniffed and whimpered.
Fighting against the rolling ache in my body, I pressed myself off of my bed. When I turned in the direction I presumed the door was in, though, I found a figure standing in the threshold.
The young woman smiled at me and beckoned me closer.
Although it took some time to get my legs working properly, I quietly crossed the room to join her, arms wrapped around myself to ward out the cold. The young woman watched me, her eyes flickering down to my arms. There was such a softness in her dark eyes, and when she glanced up at me, I immediately felt understood. Nodding toward the door, she led the two of us out of the dark room.
Outside, the hall looked no different than the many nondescript corridors I had come across during my investigations. Without really thinking, I followed the woman down the hall, my bare feet padding softly on the cold metal. It took a few minutes, but eventually, the end of the hall came into view. There was a window at the dead end, looking out at the dome just outside.
When we reached the window, the woman let out a soft exhale, looking back toward me as she leaned against the wall. "Cold?"
I nodded, not knowing what else to say. I still felt fuzzy, like I was half asleep, and the strange waves of pain combined with how cold the building was left me disoriented.
She smiled wearily. "That's the fever. It'll go away by tomorrow. But..." She paused, offering me an apologetic look. "It's not very comfortable for now."
I leaned against the wall next to her, happy for the support. "What is going on?"
My voice was grating. Scratchy and unfamiliar. When swallowed, hoping to moisten my dry throat, there was almost no saliva.
"Your body is just recovering. Don't worry, it'll get better," the woman said. "Losing so much life force... it puts a lot of stress on your body. It just needs time to rest and recalibrate."
Memories of the day before suddenly began slotting in like missing pieces of the puzzle. Meeting Dr. Paletov, getting strapped down to that chair, having my consciousness fade slowly in and out as hallucinations wracked my brain. The rest of the day was a jumbled mess—just flashes of unbearable heat and pain, punctuated by darkness.
The assessment of my life force levels had robbed me of almost the entire day.
"Who are you?" I asked without thinking.
