After the Wars

3

My eyes open. The dim light that shines around the bottom bunk shows rows and rows of beds. I move my fingers, slightly caressing the brown blanket that protects me from the unknown room surrounding my bunk.

A leak drips in a quiet patter to the concrete floor. The walls are covered in stains of grease and green spots where water constantly seeps in. A distant hum gives me a sense of calmness and for the first time in a while... I feel at home.

It's something about how the smells collide and the noises sing me to sleep. I look over the edge of the thin cot and spot my boots along with my clothes. Wait... my clothes.

I peek under the blanket and find I'm in a brown t-shirt 4 sizes to big and black, athletic shorts with the strings drawn to the max. My hair is down and smells like honey. With eyes wide I stare at the empty room and ponder this. Questions immediately flood my brain. Where am I? How did I get here? And who in the world dressed me?!

I throw the covers off and put my things on the bed after I finish making it. I don't change out of the strangers clothes but put on my ankle socks and black shoes. I walk towards what seems like an exit but turns out to be a supply closet.

I make my way to the other side of the room and listen as a clutter of sound gets louder. I press my ear against the cold, metal door. The sounds are like banging, clashing, and yelling but they all come to stop with a single whack of... a gong, maybe? It's loud and close enough to vibrate my teeth.

The door opens toward me and I couldn't move away in time. I find myself on the floor, propped on my right elbow, and rubbing a knot on my head. "Careful there, sleeping beauty. We don't want you knocked unconscious for another four days."

I stare up at the voice and find it to be a brown haired, green eyed boy around my age. "Four days?" I half say half whisper.

"Yeah, glad to see you up and around though. You feel ok, right? You don't feel sick or anything like that?"

"No..." I shake my head after a pause. My stomach begins to beg so loudly for food he can hear. Another boy followed by a crowd of them push past the one in front of me.

"Stop holding up the line, Redge!" A black haired boy spits in our direction. Redge glares at him and stretches out a hand to me. "Come on, let's get you something to settle that beast you call a stomach."

_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_

After twisting down halls and climbing a few stairs, Redge knocks on a door that has "NURSE" written in white letters. A blond haired, brown eyed lady around 20 opens it. "Ah! You're awake! Good, good, good, come in!"

She opens the door wider and I see a desk against the left wall, a cot to the right of the desk, and clothes scattered on the floor. "So," her bright eyes beam, "what's your name?"

     I give her a slight smile, "Ammer..." "And your last name?" I smile a little wider as no last name comes to me. "Uh... Ammer is all I can remember..."

     She nods, sitting at her desk and write. "Well, it's to be expected. Can you tell me all you do remember?"

     I drift off trying to remember the slightest thing about my family, my school, my friends, or anything about my past life. "I can try... but I can't promise anything useful." She smiles and looks up from her pad. "We'll work with what you know."