Flash Fiction: You Should Be Reading

Wake Up

I can't move. My arms and legs feel heavy, as if someone were sitting on them. I can't even wiggle a finger or toe. Why can't I move? My brain is starting to hurt from trying so hard to move something, anything. I can't move, but I do feel warm. I don't think I'm dead, dead bodies can't be warm for a long time, right? So, I'm not dead. My eyelids feel too heavy to open them but I can faintly tell a light is shining in my direction. My eyelids and vision are red and I can see the little blood vessels under my skin. Usually, this would be fascinating, except I can't hear or see anything and don't know where I am.

I think I am starting to feel something. The surface under my back feels smooth and cool to the touch. I wiggled a finger! Yes! Finally, I am making some progress, but still can't fully move nor can I see or hear. It almost feels like I am waking up from a heavily, deep sleep. Was I in a coma? No, I can distinctly remember I went to a doctors appointment yesterday morning, then to teach an afternoon class at the college, and later that night I went to a small bar. I met a girl there, what was her name? Jackie? No....Jenny! That was her name! Did she do something to me?

I can move my fingers but not my arms or legs, yet. I can hear something. It sounds like a fuzzy beeping. Could that be my alarm? Did I just drink too much last night and accidentally sleep in? Maybe. I can also hear some voices. Is that my tv? Maybe that is also why I'm sleeping in. I don't usually leave the tv on.....then again I also don't usually go to a bar to drink. Is Jenny still here? The surface under me is still cold to the touch. It reminds me of my bathroom floor. Could I have passed out after throwing up?

My hearing is coming to me a little more. I can hear multiple voices, but a male's standing out to me the most. It almost reminds me of one of my students, then again he has that generic announcer voice. I have to try harder to get up. I can't miss class today, and if I do, I need to call in for a substitute. My brain feels numb from trying so hard to get up. When I lift my finger slightly, I can feel some kind of cloth covering me. Did Jenny put a blanket over me before bed last night? That was very kind of her. I'll have to take her out to coffee sometime soon.

Finally! I can start opening my eyes. A bright light blinds me when I do. I need to get dimmer bathroom lights. However, I realize these aren't my bathroom lights. My stomach drops as I slowly scan the room I'm in. There is one primary, bright light above me and a big viewing window in the upper left side of the room, allowing another room to peer inside. Am I.....am I in an operation theater? These haven't been used for years. Did I have some freak accident last night? I can see a group of people huddled near the door, seemingly discussing something. Hey! I'm awake! No matter how hard I try to, I can't seem to get the words out. My lips and throat feel drier than a desert.

I can hear the group slap on latex gloves and make their way towards me. Familiar clinking sounds out as someone prepares what sounds like surgical equipment. Stop! Can't you see that I'm awake? I still can't move my arms and legs. I feel almost completely paralyzed. A young man, who appears to be the head doctor, stands to my right and a few nurses take their representative spots around me. The once smooth and cool surface that I welcomed did not feel welcoming anymore. I could only panic as I tried to get their attention. The doctor instructed a nurse to hand him a scalpel. That voice....it has to be my student. I can see his childhood scar on his temple. Stop! What are you doing?! I try even harder to get his attention. My pupils dilated from the bright light being adjusted to accommodate him, and I noticed a nurse noticing. Yes! Please help me! She walked over to me and adjusted her mask slightly to expose her mouth before bending down to my ear. Another one of my students! What she said, made my blood run cold.

"You think we don't know you're awake?"

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