Children's Games: A Story of Modern Punishment

Chapter 12 - Emilia

~Emilia~

"I can't tell if you're really awake yet, love... you awake?"

Jonny sat on the edge of the bed. Emilia looked around the room, the same hospital-styled suite except it appeared cleaner as the sky turned into the early morning. It was clearer to see the extent of the large room, piled high with boxes of files and shelves of medical literature of every colour and topic. In the corner, there was even a strange model of a human skeleton beside a small bench with children's playing blocks. But there were also random items around the room such as a pile of canned goods, a sink with dishes drying on a rack, and the walls were blue instead of white. It looked like a hospital, but also not.

"...What?" she stumbled, trying to move. Her eyes focused on his face as he helped her to sit up. The last time she had seen him, he had a spray of blood texturing his wise face as he nodded at her approvingly.

"Oh, don't mind me... just yappin'."

He had a smile that lifted more onto his right cheek and a smirk that matched hers at his awkward and off-guard words. He was British in accent, but his word choices seemed to be even more obvious of his foreign heritage than the funny accent. To her, the accent always seemed to fade away, and it was instead the deepness of his voice that made her listen to his serious words.

"So, I heard that you've finally broken through your fever and Samuel now says you'll be ready to leave this depressing place," he sighed, looking over to the children's corner.

"Samuel? I thought it was Sam... uh-well... like Samwell."

"That's just his bloody accent," he chuckled as he sat up and started rummaging through the bedside table draws to bring out warm clothes. "He's Mexican. It's spelt S-A-M-U-E-L. Just pronounce it how you would normally. I think it pisses him off if you try to imitate his accent."

He placed the clothes on the bed in front of her and brought his attention back to her, watching the marks the tubes and needles had left behind.

"He said you'd be fine as soon as you woke up, but he'll check on you later today to catch you up to speed on everything. But for now, I want to show you something if you're feeling up to it."

He gestured to the window, the sun only minutes from crowning the horizon and washing everything in gold. She nodded and he waited outside the room while she dressed.

The baby blue hospital gown almost had to be peeled from her body. Some places on her skin felt sticky from dried sweat while other places smelled of baby wipes. Nonetheless, she used the sink to clean herself up, then hoisted up the loose jeans, threw on the black shirt and waterproof jacket and met Jonny in the empty hallway. He briefly looked her up and down, refreshed and out of the horrid hospital gown, before taking her through the building.

Most of the windows were blacked out or boarded up, but over them were galleries and galleries of children's artwork becoming progressively defined and beautiful. The few floors they descended were inhabited by people in apartments, their names posted on the doors to proudly announce their existence and to welcome guests. In corners, along hallways, and across stairwells were continuous crates of resources. They were placed neatly but also looked as if they had been rummaged through multiple times in search of something valuable. All the lights were dim but warm, and it became a very comfortable and peaceful place to be.

They arrived in the front foyer which extended multiple floors above them, and with a ginormous undecorated fake Christmas tree in the centre demanding her attention. It could have been well over fifteen metres tall, shedding withered plastic leaves that were scattered over the white tiles underneath them. The sound of their boots gliding across the floor was the only disruption in the entire building.