Ignite

Chapter Two - Paper Planes

Olly didn't visit me at all the next few days. It seems natural that he would avoid me because of the persistent questioning I did, but it really irritated me how much he loved to be away from me. That was probably just my imagination talking, but to me, with all the time by myself, I fully believed that no-one cared about me. Drastic, I know. Not even the sensitive nurse came to say hello. The hospital sent in another lady who just, every now and then, peaked over the edge of my door as if she was scared of me. No one else that I was shown in the pictures came to see me either. Not even Charity, my assumed sister who I thought would care about me, came to see me.

It was quite depressing really, alone by myself, with only with the company of the broken television which kept playing the same muted scene over and over again. However, this time by myself did me some good. It gave me time to think, to try and remember all the things I had forgotten.

I racked my brains pretty much every night trying to remember why I was even in an aeroplane crash. But I could only remember snippets of inanimate objects, and flashes of the red symbol etched in my brain.

When a week passed, I started flicking through Olly's discarded photo album for what felt like the millionth time. My eyes went in and out of focus thanks to pure boredom. I turned a coffee-stained page to reveal what I had not noticed before.

Written in blood-like ink was the V symbol, its features as distinctive as ever. I ran my finger down the page, wondering if I just missed the symbol the other million times I flicked through the album or if this was somehow written while I was here. My finger came away soaked with ink which smelled curiously like blood. Maybe it is written in blood?

I pushed the thought away, took a deep breath and turned the page, failing at convincing myself it was just a trick of my mind. The page I turned to was an absolute nightmare. It was littered with more symbols, painted over particular people's faces and lining the bottom of the page were 5 words I would never forget:

Prepare for death, we know.

I slammed the book shut and stared at the blank wall, searching for answers from the infinite trail of questions running through my head, my stomach doing nauseating somersaults. I swear I never saw this before... They must've done it while I was sleeping. But who? My heart felt as if it would explode out of my chest as I sorted through the pictures of the people's symbol-marked faces in my mind, naturally, none of which I remembered.

The unspoken words on the page echoed through my head: Prepare for death, we know. We know? They know what? What do they know that I don't? Probably everything. But death as a consequence? It must be one important piece of knowledge.

The television mounted on the wall creaked then its screen turned to static. A new image appeared this time in colour and full audio. The image was the face of a man in a mask, it's red lips were curved into an open-mouthed smile and its eyes were pure black and glistening.

'Harper Cornell, you have no secrets to hide,' a raspy voice came from the mask's mouth. 'Your precious alliance cannot save you now. War is coming. The world you know will end and will be replaced with a world ruled by us.'

'W-who are y-you?' I managed.

The man let out a wicked laugh which filled the room with hatred.

'You will find out soon enough. But for now, enjoy this dream you're caught in. It seems it is the safest you will ever be.'

The screen crackled with static then back to the silent black-and-white television show.

I gulped for air, my throat turning increasingly dry and my brain thumping from a building headache. I closed my eyes and began to sob. A memory stirred in my brain, only giving me the information that this man was a force to be reckoned with, and I had no power to stop him.