Tandem

Raechel Harchey

The first breath Raechel took after regaining consciousness was painful. She could feel the oxygen biting the inside of her lungs as they filled with air. Slowly, she moved her hand to her head and ran it gently over her face, desperate to ease the agony that consumed her.

'I've got to get out of here' she thought to herself.

She opened her eyes expecting to see daylight fill her vision, but instead it was filled by nothing more than flickers of black and white. It reminded her of the static on an old disconnected television screen.

Rubbing frantically at her eyes, she eased herself into a sitting position and draped her legs over the side of the hospital bed. The sheer volume of effort this small task took caught her off guard and she gasped for air.

She tore the oximeter off her index finger and let it fall against the metal side guard beside her bed. The scratching of the cannula in her nose was unbearable. She felt for the tube above her mouth and began to pull it away from her face, her nose burning in protest.

The little vision that had returned remained poor and there was no avoiding the groups of dark spots that travelled from one corner of her eyes to the other like swarms of angry wasps as she looked between each side of the room.

She could see just enough to recognise her surroundings and begin planning her exit. She noticed the clothes she had worn when she had first arrived at the Gauze neatly folded on a clear, acrylic stool opposite the bed.

'I have to get out of here' she told herself as she slid off the bed and staggered forward in the direction of the stool. She blinked furiously with each step she took in a desperate attempt to regain even a little more of her vision.

She slammed her head into the palms of her hands and screamed through gritted teeth. Until now she had not felt any pain in her eyes. It was the rest of her head that felt as though a boulder had fallen onto it, but now a piercing, puncturing, needle-like sensation had begun. Raechel had never known a pain like this before.

How she managed to get to the stool, remove the gown and dress herself she didn't know. All she knew was that her gut was telling her to leave this place.

She moved towards the door that was just to the left of the stool and felt for its handle. The feeling of the cold, metal giving way as she pushed down onto it and the sensation of the door sweeping open sent a wave of adrenaline coursing through her body. This corridor was lighter than the previous room.

Raechel was aware of the ultraviolet light that pulsated as she made her way along the hall. Suddenly there was a loud crackling overhead. It echoed down the corridor, bouncing off of every surface.

"Can IVS23 observe patient PRH18 in room 606 and report back to SZW48 in the Staff Quarters. Thank you." The speakers fizzed before falling silent.

'Move now' she told herself, forcing one foot in front of the other. Every agonising step brought her closer to the exit.

She'd thought the purpose of the Gauze was to help people, but the images of the violent attack had terrified her. 

At that moment Raechel knew that no matter how much it hurt to take one more step, she had to get out of the building. The distant sound of a door clicking as it was opened and then shut further down the hallway, confirmed that someone was on their way to check on patient PRH18. It wouldn't be long before whoever had shut that door would see Raechel stumbling towards her exit and the thought that she had gotten this far only to be forced back into the confines of the hospital bed, needles and wires dangling from her every limb was not an option.

With a sharp breath she darted into the first doorway she could find and felt for a handle. The sound of hurried footsteps got louder and louder as they came closer to her. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was even sure she could hear it.

The exaggerated clearing of a throat from behind startled her as she fumbled with the door handle.

"What are you doing Raechel?" A female voice asked.

Before she had the chance to turn and face her addresser, the door buckled inwards and Raechel fell into the room onto the cold, hard floor.