Wake Me Up ~One Shot~

Wake Me Up

Falling, falling, falling into darkness. I'm unable to move my body. I can't see. Everything hurts. I'm not alone. The voices of my parents and doctors are fading. I want to reach out and grab my mother's hand. So close, yet so far. My father's voice cracks and shakes.

Where am I? I'm surrounded by pitch darkness. Am I still in London? My senses are fading. Except for hearing. It seems like that's the only sense intact. I don't hear the voices of my parents anymore. All I hear is silence.

Please make the pain go away. I'm scared. I want to cry, but No tears fall. Someone save me. I want to wake up from this nightmare. I can't take the pain. Someone rescue me.

There are others like me. They're all my friends. While I was sick, I heard the adults talking about something called an epidemic. Other kids were falling asleep too. It's my turn. I want to wake up now. Why can't the doctors wake me up?

The monster is killing me. The monster laughs at my pain. He likes seeing my friends and I in pain. He brought us here. He won't let us go. We can't see him, but we can hear him. We hear his footsteps and his deep, smooth, evil laugh. Why does he do this? What did we ever do to deserve this? Someone save us! I'm begging! Please!

How long have I been here? How long have I been suffering? I can't count days, months, or years here. All I see is darkness. Someone save me. I don't like it here. I know my body is here but I can't move it. I'm drowning in blackness. There's no hope. What do I have to live for?

"Hello?" An unfamiliar voice rings through the room.

"Help me please!" I cry. "It hurts!"

"Don't worry. I'm here to save you," his voice was smooth and calm. His footsteps come closer to me.

"Who are you?" I ask. The footsteps stop.

"That's not important. What's important is that we get you out of here," the man says. In a strange way, his American accent is calming.

"I can't move," my voice cracks. "I want to go home."

Strong arms embrace me, "It's okay. I won't let anything hurt you." He picks me up and carries me into a different room. How can he see? Before I get the chance to ask, I hear a crash behind us.

"The monster!" I cry in fear. "He's gonna get me!"

"No he won't. We're gonna hide, okay? Don't be afraid. That's what makes the monster stronger. He's not going to hurt you anymore. Just stay quiet and he won't hurt us."

Footsteps enter the room before I can answer. I put my hand over my mouth and my rescuer puts his hand on top of mine. The monster taunts us. I begin to panic. I don't want to die. I want to go home. The monster calls my name. I begin to panic. My rescuer holds my hand. The monster yells in frustration and stomps away, thinking we were somewhere else.

Once he was gone, I sigh in relief, "The monster almost got us!"

"But he didn't. I told you that you'd be okay," I could hear the smile in his voice. The man picked me up and carried me up a spiral staircase. He stopped at a door. I could myself being pulled out of the darkness.

"Wait!" I yelled, trying to sink. "Can you tell me your name?"

I heard his voice for the last time, not being able to make out any words.

A tear falls down my cheek. I hear the beeping of a monitor and my panicked mother's voice, asking what's happening, if I'm in pain. No, Mother. I'm okay now. Memories of what happened seem to disappear from my head. I try to remember the man's voice but it was fading. Now it's not even a memory anymore. I slightly open my eyes to see hazy figures above me. I close my eyes. The light is too bright. I could move my body again! I wiggle my fingers and toes. It feels like an eternity since I've moved on my own. Bruises, cuts, and scars cover my arms and legs, but I couldn't feel the pain. I open my eyes and could see much clearer now. I glance at the weird things in my arm and wonder if there's medicine that's stopping the pain.

"It's a miracle!" Father smiles in disbelief. I can't help but smile too. All memory of what happened is gone now. The tear stays on the bottom of my chin.

"My baby girl. Oh, my baby," Mother cries happy tears.

"I'm not a baby, Mother. I'm 6 years old. I'm a big girl," I say.

"Yes you are," Father laughs. Mother squeezes my hand.

"Can we go home?" I ask.

"Soon," Father says. "Soon."

"How long was I asleep?" I ask.

"About 7 months. We were so worried about you," Mother says, looking at the floor.

"We came to visit you every day," Father says. I smile.

Parents in other rooms yell for doctors. I see white blurs of the doctors' coats rush outside the doorway.

"What's going on?" I ask.

A nurse I hadn't noticed before spoke up, "Many other children are waking up. We don't know how or why, but we think that this epidemic has finally come to an end."