Among The Wolves

Vae'Lee

When I opened my eyes again it was because there was a chill disturbing my comfort. Goosebumps littered my arms making me shiver slightly.

I immediately noticed that my wrists were no longer bound. Rather, they both rested on my abdomen with gentle white bandages wrapped around them like a splint. The metal bars next to me were wiped clean and my sheets were new. I could not see one speck of my dried blood anywhere.

I was propped up higher than last time and even the light above me was clearer and brighter. It made me doubt what I had seen in my half-conscious delirium.

I lifted my arm, it felt so heavy and so stiff, I could not hold it up long. I tried again, only lifting it up five inches before it trembled considerably. I let my arms rest before taking in my surroundings.  Not much was different about the room, cement walls and floors. I spotted a small rug in the middle of the floor on my left side. A wooden stool sat in the middle of it. The ceiling was high up, estimated ten feet from my face. It looked like two sets of floorboards on top of and crossways with each other. The floorboards reminded me of old barn wood, without the chipping, red paint.

A tall, single-legged, metal stand stood several feet away from me, on my left, with a portable laptop set on it. I could not see the screen as it was turned away toward the only exit this room had.

I turned my gaze back to my arms. I was still cold. With my movements being clumsy I managed to get both arms underneath the cotton sheet. I noted that already my arms felt less stiff.

I sat there comfortably for a while, not thinking about anything in particular. I stared at the ceiling boards and memorized the grain work of the wood.

I squinted my eyes to see the details better and deep within my chest a small hum started. Yet, I could see the wood very well now.

At the same time, I began to detect something I hadn't noticed before. It was a faint smell that triggered a memory. Not a visual memory, a different memory that came from my olfactory senses. Ethyl alcohol, or as most would call it, hand sanitizer. I knew something. It was small but the fact gave me more resolve. I paid more mind to the sterile smell. It was getting stronger. Next came with it, the sounds of gentle shuffling. Someone painting with a rhythm, soon became the steps of an oncoming visitor. It grew louder as the person loomed closer. I was startled when a character entered the room. A woman… not young but not old either. She had a light purple t-shirt with the words HOWL IT OUT printed in white on it. She also wore wrinkled, grey sweatpants. Her black hair was in a messy bun and she was holding a mug in one hand and what looked like a smartphone in the other. Now that she was so close the scent of hand sanitizer was strongly potent.

With a  wrinkle of my nose the smell faded and the small hum in my chest disappeared. Uncertain what that was all about I set the worry aside. I simply watched her with eager curiosity as she closed the door with her foot, not taking her eyes off her electronic box. I did not remember her at all but seeing her sparking purple eyes brought to me an odd form of happiness.

Thinking about not knowing made me look back into my mind. What do I remember?

I knew that there were memories, I could almost recall them but at the same time, no matter how I probed my memory I came up with blank slates as if my mind had been washed with bleach on a white board.

I pushed the exhausting task aside, I would try later. Right now, I wanted to watch this woman and see why she looked so tired and fatigued. Seeing the dark circles under her eyes made me want to reach out and rub them away.

This woman was definitely an enchanting and puzzling sight. It didn't seem like she belonged in a place like this and in clothes like those. I imagined that she belonged in a place of higher stature. Maybe not as far as having a crown like a princess but she definitely had the aura of someone who exercised authority. Why? I wondered, does this person seem so out of place?