It's Not Just a Memory

Chapter 5 Everything is Fine

I walk into the hospital for my appointment. The familiar clean smell overtakes my nose. It has been awhile since I was here about my subconscious mental activity. That sense of familiarity turns into a sharp dagger.
"Hello Michi, what brings you in today". There is only one person I know who is physically youthful yet has a combination of a young sounding voice and the lingo of the elderly.

Right on que I see her head towards my direction after I finish signing in at the front desk.
"Hello doc, I'm in because I have an appointment here". I really don't like talking very much. Although I don't like to talk very often, it doesn't mean I don't want to make a joke.  She gives me a soul piercing look to compensate.
"You know my name, kid so use it". She used to help Mom out when she worked in the mornings after Dad passed.

"Sorry, sorry. Eve, I am here to talk to you about recent events in my life I'm concerned about". She looks at me and smiles.
"See, was it that hard for you to use my name?" Heavily laying into sarcasm.
"No, I just don't like small talk, you know that".  She gives another smile. This time followed up with a giggle.

"I know, now follow me we have room ready to run some tests". I follow her as double doors close behind me forcing me to continue following her.  We turn a few corners leading us to an elevator. We step in and Eve hits the second floor button. The doors slide shut invoking the rules of the elevator. No talking, my favorite rule ever.

"Bing!" The metal door slides open to the second floor. We make our way down the hall and to my room. Eve opens the door and I'm introduced to a blinding blue light. I let my eyes adjust to the room.  Eve walks towards the new looking machine and starts calibrating it.
"Alright Michi, have a seat". Patting on the device. I sit down and wait for the next instruction.

"Okay, are you ready Michi?" I nod my head. "Then lay down. Okay I'm going to knock you out in three, two, one". My vision fades to black. It's an odd feeling I'm out for over an hour yet it only feels like I blinked. I regain my sight to see Eve sitting in a chair filling out a sheet.
My zombie-like growns alert her to me waking up. "Welcome back to the living". She says smiling cheekily.

"Yeah, yeah, thank you". I would say something whittier but I'm too tired to think. My eyes are able to fully register what my surroundings are. I face her curious about the results. "So, what news do you have for me?" Her cheeky smile swiftly fades to a frown.
"Sorry Michi, your activity levels are still the same".
"What!" Frustrated, I shout at her and I feel bad about it.

I'm upset that I didn't get any answers. That isn't her fault though. "Sorry Eve I'm just a little angry that I still don't know what is wrong with me". She seems to accept my apology. I'm glad she did.
"I'm sorry too Michi, but we found nothing while you were under". Once again a frown adorns her face.

"There is only one conclusion we can come to. That being a slim possibility you were hallucinating". A frown now adorns my lips while my eyes radiate concern. I don't want to agree with her but that is the only thing that I can think of that makes sense.
"Is there anything else that it might have been?"
"No, sorry, Michi". Thrusting the words at me in a slightly annoyed voice.

It seems like she knows something. Although without solid evidence I make any accusations on her. I stand there for a moment letting her words sink in. I finally ask one last question.
"Are we done with the tests? If so, may I leave?" I hope she says yes because I'm getting a little tired.

She looks at her clipboard and then at her watch before responding to me.
"Yes Michi, we are done and you may leave". Even shortly after getting annoyed with my arguably annoying question she was able to quickly shift back to her more professional tone.

I get in the elevator and realize that no one else is in it with me. So, taking out my phone I go and call Mom. The phone only rings for a moment before I get an answer.
"Yes Michi?" Her voice pierces my ears, calming down what is left of my still slightly tense nerves.
"Hey Mom, my appointment is over.  Can you get me?"

I ask the question in a significantly nicer tone compared to how I feel.
"Of course I can. In fact I'm only a few minutes away. I'm just now passing the national park down the road".
"Thank you Mom, I love you bye".
"Bye, I love you too". Almost instantaneously I hit the end call button and my vision goes black.

What I see this time is vastly different from what I saw last time when I blacked out. Instead of seeing Haruko I am introduced to my mom and I standing in front of a monstrous fire. As a tall shadowy man runs into the building. Before I could find out what happens to him the sight of the events slips away.

Even after the events fully fade from my eyes I don't wake up. Instead I receive another dream of events. I hear a crying child's voice. To only see an even younger version of myself. Even younger than the version of me in my last two dreams.
"M...Mo...Mommy is Daddy coming back?"

Hearing those words makes me immediately realize what I'm looking at. This is my dad's funeral! I see around twenty other people dressed in black. Finally I regain consciousness, waking just in time to hear the softly sharp ding of the elevator. I shoot up off the floor just before the door slides open. I suddenly feel a large pit form in my stomach.
Going with my gut I start bolting down the halls. Pissing off all of the facility. I reach the front doors of the starkly white building. I get disoriented after exiting the building. The whining sirens of an ambulance speed past my now pail skin. I hear my consensus telling me to follow it. And so I follow the ambulance tailing it with my dwindling speed.

When I reached where the ambulance stopped I noticed the national park sign. I draw my attention away from the sign. When I do I see a sight that I wish I hadn't. The horrifying sight of a car embedded into the park playground is devastating. Five more ambulances show up to help out with the mind numbing view. Some parents are weeping at their injured children. The few children that made it unscathed are in a shielding embrace by their parents.

The parents who didn't get so lucky are holding their childrens' lifeless bodies in their arms. My eyes spot at least ten children dead and fourteen injured. My peripheral vision makes the death toll increase to eleven. I close and open my eyes ten or so times before I can believe them. I feel nothing but heartbreaking for the kid's parents. The swings had its chains wrapped around him.

He hung there as if he were sentenced to death by nous. Finally I see the person that was behind the wheel of this tragedy. I am fueled with rage as I watch the paramedics pull the driver out of the car. I want to see this person's face so I can...
"No!" I can't believe my eyes, I won't believe them. I refuse, there is no way on earth that this could be possible.
My mom was the driver and had an arrow driven into her chest .