The Manipulator

Chapter 1

Long fiery red locks flew wildly behind her as she ran towards me with a knife clutched in her dainty hand. A deep masculine voice whispered something in my ear causing a change in my demeanor. My hands balled tightly into fists and my nails dug deep into my palms. Every fiber of my being protested against what was about to happen.

I watched her as her steps faltered. My heart throbbed painfully in my chest as her will broke and she dropped to her knees. Her sobs echoed through the air as dusk approached. Fear was evident in her eyes but there was also something else in those green orbs, defeat. The knife she held rose slowly from her lap to her chest. I felt a tear stray down my cheek as our eyes locked on each other for one last time. She smiled as she brought the knife down, plunging it deep into her heart, ending her life and embracing death.

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I heard a loud gasp and my body jerked. My eyes shot open only to close back in pain. I could see nothing. My eyes were blinded by the brightness that surrounded me. I moved my arm and it smashed against something. I howled in pain as my right arm felt like it was on fire. "Stop moving around so much, sir." said a feminine voice from next to me. I tried to speak but my voice sounded so weak and raspy that even I could barely hear myself. "It will take awhile to adjust to the lights, sir. Do be calm." I relaxed and when my vision was finally clear, everything that I saw made no sense to me.

A light blue ceiling greeted me. The entire room was of the same shade. I looked down at myself and there were bandages almost everywhere I could see and numerous tubes running across my body. How did I end up here?

" You are in a hospital. How do you feel?" she asked, holding out a glass of water. I gulped it down greedily. It felt like ages since I last had a drop. " I don't exactly know. Why am I here?" I asked the nurse.I eyed the mess on the floor when a doctor barged in through the door and began checking my vitals.

There were a couple of nurses in the room now and I could see that one held an injection in his hand. The look in his face clearly told me what I had in mind. They were ready to sedate me if I retaliated." What is wrong with me doctor?" I asked the middle aged man before me. " You have been unconscious for almost two weeks now. We don't exactly know what had happened to you. A family brought you to the hospital all bloodied and wounded. All your wounds indicate that you were mauled by an animal. Your scars are very deep and the worst ones are the claw marks on your right arm. " My head immediately turned towards the cloth covering my scars. " I'd advise you to not look at it until I explain all your injuries to you." I merely nodded at what he said as the word mauled played in my mind. I didn't remember anything. " Before that, what is your name?" he asked. I opened my mouth to answer him but I couldn't. I rummaged my brain for the answer to the simplest question that one could have ever been asked but I didn't know.

How old was I? I didn't know.

Where do I live? I didn't know.

What was my favorite colour? I didn't know.

The more questions I asked myself, the more I realized that I had no answers to them. My heart started pounding against my chest. My breathing turned shallow " Calm down." I heard. My eyes darted to the doctor but I was in no state to calm down. My breaths got shallower. I could feel my lungs ache and it felt like I was suffocating. There were so many voices around me but I could focus on none. I felt a sudden prick in my arm and turned my head just in time to see a needle being pulled out of it. My eyelids struggled to stay open and the moment I gave in, sleep consumed me.

I woke up to the sound of a child's laughter. " He's awake" said a voice and I turned to see a tall, dark-haired man with a child in his arms. The boy's hair seemed to have a mind of its own as it stood up in all directions.I could not help but to smile at him but grimaced when I felt a stinging pain. I looked back at the man trying to remember if I knew him. " I do not recognize you. As a matter of fact, I recognize nothing. I don't even remember my own name" I said, more to myself than him. " I'm the one who brought you to the hospital. My name is Robert Harrison. This is Matthew, my son. I will go get the doctor" he said and the both of them left the room.

When they returned with the doctor, I was informed of my injuries. As I had guessed, I had lost my memories. My condition could last for days, weeks or even years. Since I had been attacked by an animal, I had open wounds from all the clawing and biting and they had all been stitched up. My right arm had the largest wounds and my right wrist was broken. " When can he be discharged?" asked Robert " I will still have to run some tests on him and it's for the best if he stays in the hospital for some time."

When I saw myself for the first time, I was revolting even to my own eyes. I was red, purple, blue and yellow with scars and stitches everywhere. Robert had constantly visited me. Sometimes, he brought Matthew and even his mother, Rebeca had visited me. They were the only people I knew apart from the doctors and nurses around. My condition improved physically every day but that was not the case for my memory. I began wondering if I had anyone to call my own. All this while, no one had even looked for me. Robert had tried his best to ask around but no one knew me. We even had multiple conversations with the police wondering if anyone had come in to look for me but there was none.

I sat on the bed thinking about the day I would be discharged. Where would I go? What would I do?

I had no one.

I had no job.

I had no money.

I had nowhere to go.