Tanglawan, a new land that emerged from the ruins of what was once the Philippines, continues to flourish, as facilitated by the Exorbit, a government-owned microchip introduced to a person's body. Everyone feels safe and well taken care of, with th...
Trigger Warning: The chapter may present a scene that may be perceived to be hinting xenophobia and classism. Reader discretion is advised.
Line art within the text (c) Alessandra Francisco
A/N: The line art was drawn following the first draft of the story, so it may no longer match the characters' portrayal and actions as they were written now, but I still chose to include it because I believe that the artist's drawings are too good to be kept hidden.
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I let my eyelids flutter as I focus on the outlines of what could be a man before me. His face was blurry at first, but it eventually became clearer and more familiar, and I could see his eyebrows etched together while his lips were moving, saying words I cannot comprehend.
I felt like I lost my strength, including the ability to speak, but I knew I had to ease whatever was bothering him now. So, despite not knowing what he was saying, I cupped his face with both of my hands and pressed them as firmly as my nonexistent strength allows me. But just as I had done so, a wave of sharp pain from the back of my left hand woke me up from my trance, and I screamed my heart out in response.
"A-are you okay?" my nameless guy asked me as he pulled me into a hug and rubbed my back.
"Y-yeah, it's just that ... my hand hurts," I answered simply.
My nameless guy then let go of me and reached out for my hands, eager to know what was wrong. I followed his gaze, and I saw my blood coming up to the thin, transparent tube attached to what was a cannula as labeled by the words swimming by it. I followed the thin tube and further saw that it was connected to a bag of fluids, with volumes controlled by a drop chamber. An IV line, as what the labels swimming before my eyes again told me.
"Oh, that. That's an IV line," he said, following my gaze.
"Yeah, I had the labels tell me," I quipped.
"I guess you're feeling better now, seeing that you're already in a bad mood, just like how I first met you," he retorted with a playful smile.
"Is everything alright?" a man wearing a white coat on top of his collared white shirt and beige pants appeared from the doorway at the far end of my bed, at the very corner of the plain white walls. His hand brushed back his hair that had gone the other direction as his slicked-back hair, likely from running to where we were at.
"I'm afraid she has had her IV line dislodged and had an IV infiltration," answered my nameless guy as he moved a bit closer to the Healer and away from me.
The Healer raised his left eyebrow in response, then looked in my direction. He then inched towards me as my nameless guy followed him, checking the bag of fluids, then my hand that was connected to the bag through the thin tube and cannula.
