Pissing Off The Universe

2- Psychos and Abandoned Horror'spitals

My head is throbbing. I could hear the quiet and steady hum of my pulse in my ears, washing over me, rocking me. It takes over my aching body, blurring my senses as I stir.

As soon as I open my eyes, I freeze. My surroundings are not at all familiar to me. There is a clutter of suspect objects on the floor. Everything is covered in a thin layer of dust and dirt. On the far side of the room, two filthy leaning beds are aligned against the wall.

There is a fourth beside me. Well, the ghost of one. All that is left is its metal structure and a torn curtain shielding half of the bedstead. There are red spots on the floor and I don't try to fathom what they are made of or where they come from. This place makes me queasy. I don't want to be here. I don't feel safe and this place is very unsanitary. It looks as if I've just landed in the abandoned Hospital of a horror movie. Places like these only exist in stories. They can't exist. They don't. How did I get here?

Taking it all in, I start to breath harder. Faster. I had been in a lot of various and bizarre places before, but this one is giving off a weirder vibe than usual. I feel like a rat in a cage, observed and in danger. Come on Ava, losing it is not an option. I can't go bananas on myself now. Stay cool. Stay cool—Oh, who am I kidding!? How long have I been here? I couldn't tell if I had been here for minutes or for days. I don't feel much older. Can't have been here for years. At least I don't think. I can't seem to be able to wrap my head around how I got here. I have no memory of anything. My mind is blank. It's black. It's white. Confusion washes over me. Come ON... I start to remember an aroma. Sweat. I smell sweat and liquor. An image flashes through my psyche: a pub. Calming myself down, I try to evoke what happened before the bar, what came to pass after. Uuuurrgg how much did I drink yesterday? I try sitting up but I only succeed in moving my upper half up a bit. My legs are killing me. What did I d—walking! I remember walking a lot, like a lot. Confused, I smash back on my bed. A halo of dust rose around my slim figure and I sneeze. Then dread washes over me. I need to be quiet! Muddled about my own reaction, I stay still listening intently to every sound around me.

Surely enough, I hear footsteps coming my way. Panicking, I close my eyes and pull the blankets around me hurriedly, faking a deep sleep. As the footfall gets louder, as do some voices. I seem to be eavesdropping on quite an intense discussion. I would even go as far as say it is an argument, a very passionate one:

"I swear I'm going to kill that b—" snaps a deep voice. A very angry male voice.

I know that voice... Where have I heard it before? Suddenly, the memories of the previous events came surging back to me: the walking from Hemlock Valley to Burnaby, the pub, the fight, the guy. A sharp pain beginning from my head spread through my body, shoot through my spine and paralyze me in fear. What the hell did the guy do to me?

"Calm down. Geez. She's done way worse. Remember that one time when she buried us in an underground cave where we couldn't jump out and there was no food so we had to—" recalls another aesthetically pleasing voice.

I stay in the same position frozen, afraid that they would discover I am awake. I am trying to wrap my brain around it all. They kidnapped me! They seem to be in a deep conversation, not looking at me. Maybe my noise brought them here...

"Would you just stop arguing for a moment so we can figure out what to do with that girl," an authoritative female voice interrupts the boys heated exchange, "Plus, Hayden, you still haven't told us what were you thinking taking this random aurin in a jump. You know the risks it imposes. Remember that one guy you jumped? His brains turn to smush for Your sake!" the smooth voice hisses.