The Valuable

Chapter 4

I awake from my slumber, but I am unable to open my eyes. Pain seizes my eyelids making them feel heavy and weak. I reach my hand to touch my forehead and feel stitches where someone must have sewn me up. It suddenly hits me that I'm not dead, or am I? After a few seconds of contemplation, I decide that I am very much alive and in terrible pain. I hear whispers from somewhere nearby. I strain my ears to hear what is being said, but I can't make anything out. I hear a door open and footsteps getting louder by the second.
"Joel, you're awake.", a voice croons.
I finally open my eyes, the light blinding me momentarily. I look down and notice that I'm lying on a cot in our city's makeshift care centre. Out the window I can see crowds surrounding the building, obviously curious about what is happening inside. For the first time I look up to see the person standing in front of me. She is a woman with beet-red hair and a slender torso. She's wearing the fanciest dress that I have ever seen and looks to be about forty.
"Congratulations, Joel. You've passed both parts of the test. However, the team of doctors must preform one more operation on you that has never been done before.", the woman crows.
I look at her, puzzled. I'm still groggy from my black out.
"Who are you exactly?", I ask.
"Oh, Joel. I thought you'd figure it out on your own. If I must do everything for you, I am your Leader.", she says.
I'm taken aback by this news. I always expected that The Leader would be a man, but there was never any way of knowing as she never showed her face and her voice had been masked in the metal room.
"Why aren't I dead?", I ask.
The Leader chuckles, "You're quite the character, Joel. Put two and two together, you're The Valuable."

With that, The Leader slams the door shut, and I am alone. The only window in my room is very small and as high as the roof. Luckily I spot a chair in the corner of my room and push it up to the wall, standing on it to see outside. The crowd doesn't see me at first, so I have just enough time to soak in everything. The whole city is outside this hospital, and it's all because of me. All because I have some stupid chip in my brain. I suddenly wonder if it's even there anymore. Has The Leader already removed it? I need more information so I yell out a crack in the tiny window. Every person in the crowd fixes their eyes on me and begins pushing to get their way towards me.
I ask the first person who meets me at the window, "Where is Anastasia Zalton?".
Confused, the man shrugs and starts asking everyone around him. I silently wonder if Anastasia is inside this same building as I am, because I know that her duty is a nurse attendant at this care centre. Then again, maybe all duties are on hold for the day.

Nobody has seen Anastasia, so I give up, stepping down from the chair. As the sun sets outside, the crowd clears up until there is nobody left. It isn't until I finally settle down after the day's craziness that I notice the gnawing hunger in my stomach. At that moment I spot a small tray with a piece of toast, an apple, and a cup of water on a little dresser across from the cot. As I'm just finishing up the last of my meal, I hear a small knock outside the window. I stand on the chair again and look outside. To my disbelief, I see Anastasia standing in front of me.
"Anastasia!", I whisper. "Can I just say that I'm sorry for our stupid fight and--" , Anastasia cuts me off.
"There is no time for that. I'm sure you already know that you're The Valuable, but The Leader hasn't taken the chip out of your brain yet. If you want to save yourself from death and save our country from whatever is in that chip, you need to escape very soon.", she says hurriedly.
"How do you know all of this?", I ask expectantly.
"I was preparing your surgery room on duty today. The head doctor told me that your operation is scheduled for tomorrow morning. You have to leave now.", she urges.
"Where am I supposed to go?", I yelp. "I can't do this."
"Yes you can.", Anastasia insists. "I believe in you. I'll be back in one hour with a pack of supplies and a plan of escape. Stay put."
With that she jogs off, leaving me to mentally prepare for what I'm about to do.