
Table of Contents
Alone
by SeanPaul Thomas Cairns
© Copyright 2012 Seanpaul Thomas Cairns
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author. Cover design by Andrew Cairns.
I awoke to find a blanket of steam engulfing my entire vision. I think I was lying down inside some kind of tight, narrow but comfortable for sleeping, sealed box of which the roof had just been lifted fully open from above me. Where the hell was I and what the hell was I doing inside this box? I couldn't think, not one bit. My mind was tangled in a web of throbbing darkness and I had no idea of how I'd ended up inside this little coffin. The steam finally evaporated up and out of my comfortable cage. Up and out into a much larger and darker room above me and finally up into some kind of strange sucking device situated on top of the dim ceiling above which drew all of the remaining steam deep inside its flapping machine like jaws. I attempted to sit up now with great difficulty. Wow, my head was hurting and thumping wildly like something far too big to fit inside was trying desperately to burst out. I tried to stand up onto my feet with even greater difficulty and when I finally did, I realised that I was naked from the waist up and my only item of clothing was a white pair of trouser bottoms. Oddly enough I didn't feel cold.
I staggered out of the strange peapod shaped box and balanced myself against the front length of it feeling more and more disorientated by the second I was finding it very hard to balance myself. Jesus, I felt like I'd been asleep for a whole entire dark eternity. I raised my hands to my head and held it in great discomfort, wincing out in pain before steadying myself. As the pain began to subside I took a slow and bewildered glance all around the dim room with its faint flashing lights and screens which now surrounded me. I hazily noticed another five long and narrowly shaped peapod boxes all in a row beside me, but unlike my own pod, their roofs were still sealed tightly shut. Right now though I paid very little attention to them. It was the light seeping in from the corridor beyond the room that caught my eye now and like a moth to a flame I moved towards the exit doorway. The corridor outside seemed to be a strange series of two continuing brightly lit corridors which were covered all over, floors, walls and ceiling, with a decoration of plain and simple white tiles. Where I had exited the dim pod room it seemed to be at a right angled point in the corridor which stretched out in front of me leading towards a black window in the distance. While the second corridor stretched even further down to my left. My mind though was completely blank. Nothing came to me to remind me of where the hell I was or how the hell I had ended up here... Jesus Christ I couldn't even recall my own damn name. I stepped out into the first corridor in front of me. I took a few seconds to shield my eyes from the bright ceiling lights so that my eyes could gradually adjust. Man, my eyes were hurting so bad. I began to make my way along the corridor, still trying desperately to remember exactly where the hell I was, but it was no good. The harder I tried to remember the more my head pounded insanely from inside. I tried my best to stop thinking about anything and just concentrated on what was in front of me. Along this corridor I noticed there were four closed doorways on my right which I instinctively tried to push open one at a time, but they were all sealed tightly shut and from what I could see there didn't seem to be any kind of handles or indeed any simplistic way for my primitive imagination to open them. Eventually I approached the end of this corridor where I was confronted by the black, rectangular window and a new corridor which continued along and down to my left before seemingly branching off sharply to another left. Suddenly my attention was caught by a reflection of myself moving towards the black window and I took a few seconds to study this image as if it were the first time I had ever seen myself in person. I glanced strangely and curiously at the alien being reflected back at me. The naked upper body looking fit and toned before my eyes glanced up to a face which I did not recognise. It was the face of a ruggedly handsome man, but looking very pale and tired, hidden behind a scraggily old beard. I moved my face closer towards the reflection, trying to get a more up, close and personal view. I was right up against the window now trying to focus on this strange being in front of me. Then something caught my eye! Something beyond my reflection and the reflection of the lighted corridor behind me... It was something behind the black window, something in the blackness, something behind it. Oh my! It wasn't the window that was black. The window was clear, clear as my breath. The blackness was coming from outside, beyond the window, everywhere behind the window. A whole entire massive area of darkness outside, top to bottom, left to right and as far and as wide as my eye could see. It was just a vast enormous void of emptiness. I stared harder, trying to make something out, anything... And then my eyes adjusted and something else caught my eye. A tiny little pin prick of twinkling white light, almost appearing out of nowhere like someone had just stuck a tiny little pin in the very back of the black blanket to let in the smallest and faintest pin hole of light. Then as my eyes focused more another pin hole appeared, followed by another and another then another. What kind of trickery was this. Suddenly there were hundreds and then thousands and thousands of dotted little pin prick holes of twinkling little lights decorated all over the black blanket of endlessness, leaping out at me from every possible angle imaginable. My eyes widened with fear and dread and I backed away quite suddenly from the window feeling horrified at this new sight and revelation. This chaotic twinkling darkness that had just sprung to life before my very eyes. I had no idea what the hell was out there. I was scared, and my blank imagination gave me no clues either. I took some deep breaths trying to calm myself down before turning my attention to my left and glancing along at the next descending corridor leading towards the front end of wherever the hell I was. I peeled my eyes and thoughts away from the blackness and started walking towards the end of this corridor, keeping my head and eyes focussed straight ahead of me, but still aware of the trailing window of blackness following me down the corridor on my right. I reached the end and made a sharp left turn with a great thankful relief to be away from the window and continued my jaunt down this new corridor which led me towards another darkened doorway right in the very centre of it. I slowed down my pace and came to a gradual halt outside the new doorway and peered long and hard into the eerie and unfamiliar room, taking an overly long moment to study the large vast and wide area inside. This dark room seemed to be filled with flashing screens and buttons. I think I kind of recognised them as a type of advanced computer system, but I didn't have the first clue about how or where to begin using them in the slightest. The largest of all these computer systems appeared halfway down the room on the left and seemed to stand tall and proud all by itself. I noticed six small lights on this main computer, one flickered out green, while the five other lights beside it flickered out wildly in a flashing red. I finished studying the room and cautiously stepped inside approaching the first row of inactive computer systems. A closer glance at these bizarre digital screens revealed that they had been very badly damaged at some point in the past, but by whom or by what was an unanswered question to me right now. I turned my attention towards another huge spanning window situated right at the very front of this room. This massive front window was many times the size of the one in the previous corridor and seemed to take up the entire front wall like some kind of viewing gallery, but behind the crystal clear screen there still remained that horrifying but sadistically peaceful twinkling darkness that was beginning to give me an even greater feeling of dread and despair deep inside my gut, every time I glanced upon it. In fact the word hopelessness was the first word that flashed throughout my mind every time I thought about just what the hell could be out there.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness I began to make out a row of three large chairs at the far end, just lying in front and below the large viewing window. Here I studied the three seats from behind, one by one until suddenly my eyes widened in shock as I gradually made out a shadowy outline of a very dark and faint figure slumped over the side of the third seat. It was a shocking sight and coming to me completely out of nowhere. I remained where I was for an overly long moment, frozen in shock at the sight of this eerie figure just sitting there. Was this somebody who could perhaps help me, was my first thought. Perhaps even tell me who I am and where I was. I called out to the figure without thinking.
'Hello!' Wow my voice sounded horse, dry and croaky, like I hadn't spoken for a thousand years. So I tried again. 'Hello.' This time it sounded much clearer and audible for the figure to hear, if indeed it was listening to me, but there was no reply. So I edged closer towards the row of seats, moving slowly and cautiously towards the back of the dark seated figure until I was standing almost directly behind it now, but it was still so dark that I could barely make out the outline of its upper body and head. 'Hello.' I said again, but once more there was no reply. So I pushed on the back of the chair which to my surprise easily swivelled, swinging the slumping figure around to face me... I gasped in terror as I was suddenly confronted by an old and hideous looking frail, decayed skeleton. I couldn't stop myself from jumping back in fright. At the same time and across the room behind me, a small fiery spark spurted out from one of the damaged computer screens. Quickly I turned for a brief moment, distracted, to glance anxiously over to where the spark had came from... but it was gone now. I turned back to face the hideous skeleton creature, but with the speed of which I turned I swung my knee hard into the side of the chair with a crunch and the skeleton crumpled down into itself, collapsing into a broken heap upon the floor below. I hurriedly stepped backwards in fright at its sudden collapse and turned fast to rush back over towards the corridor doorway just wanting to get the hell out of here now, but instead I clumsily tripped over a small step upon the floor in my panicky state and fell down harshly. Anxiously I scrambled back up onto my feet and hurried back towards the exit where I stopped right in the middle of the doorway. I glanced back towards the dark computer room's row of chairs which had faded now, back into the eerie darkness. Quick as a flash and from behind me, a blurry and darkened shadow passed by the doorway back out in the corridor. It caught the corner of my eye for a brief second, but as soon as I turned swiftly around to face the lighted corridor there was nothing and no one there at all... Shit, I had definitely seen something. In a split second I rushed, adrenaline pumping through my veins, out of the dim computer room and back out into the main corridor. I looked left then right, but the corridor was empty in both directions, so I turned sharply to my right and without a second thought started running down the rest of the corridor as if giving chase to an invisible assailant which seemed to have disappeared into thin air, but more than likely I thought, down into the next turn. I quickly ran down this next corridor noticing two more open doorways leading into another two new lighted rooms. I sped past them and finally came to the entrance of the dim pod room where I had first entered into this strange series of continuous turning corridors. Still though I ran, turning sharp left and back down the very first corridor leading back towards the long black window with more of the twinkling darkness behind it. Finally I re-emerged back into the third corridor with the dim doorway leading into the dark room with the broken computers, viewing window and broken skeleton remains lying inside. I came to a breathless halt outside the doorway from where I began my ghostly chase. I gasped and wheezed for my breath back. Whatever it was, a trick of the eye perhaps or perhaps not... it had gotten away from me.
I finally caught my breath and glanced back down the corridor, left then right, just to be sure that there really was nothing there. I continued to make my way down towards the very end of this corridor before turning another sharp left onto the next, which of course would eventually lead all the way back up towards the first dim room with the pod beds where I had begun my random wanderings.
As I had noticed on my recent spontaneous run around the corridors there were another two opened doorways along this final stretch of corridor, although both seemed to be a part of the same lighted room. The first door led into a small shiny room with solid metallic cupboards at chest height scattered all around two walls while shiny metallic worktops lay underneath them. Was this maybe some kind of kitchen area I thought. This room then connected openly with a larger area next door containing two metallic tables surrounded by four chairs on each table. At the far end of this room was the second doorway which led back out into the final corridor. I left these rooms for now and continued back up the final corridor towards the dim pod room as I had a slight itch to investigate the other sealed pods lying inside.
I entered the room and curiously approached the row of six pod beds. My pod remained opened and the computer screens and buttons surrounding it looked dead and inactive while the other five pod's computers and screens all flashed away wildly, but there was one particular overly large flashing button that stood out from the other buttons on each pod. On my pod it was no longer active, but on the remaining five pods it flashed a faint red upon three of them and a faint green upon the other two which rested side by side next to mine. I was very confused and approached the nearest green flashing pod. Here I took a closer look at the pod's active and numerical filled computer screen. The numbers on the screen read: 10 11 03 02 23 16 23. The last number 23 seemed to be counting down in seconds. I approached the second green flashing pod's computer screen which read exactly the same as the previous. I was very confused and felt a sudden frustrated urge to touch or slam a couple of buttons on the pods and their digital screens just to see what would happen but I managed to refrain myself. I turned and scanned all around me looking for something, anything else which caught my eye that I could perhaps make sense of. Finally my eyes settled upon another active but larger looking computer system standing all by itself and situated right against the back corner wall of the pod room, almost hidden away from my view. I walked towards it. There were various buttons and keypads decorated all over this large computer system. Nothing made any sense here. I studied a series of six buttons that stood out, three of which were flashing red, two flashing green and one not flashing at all. This made a little more sense to me and resembled a similar pattern to the flashing lights on the pods across the room. Right beside the top flashing button was a small digital screen with writing. The writing read EMERGENCY DE-HIBERNATION. I hovered my hand over the third and fourth flashing buttons, the green flashing ones, and pushed down upon the fourth. One of the pods behind me made a beeping noise and I turned around to face it. I noticed that the fourth flashing pod, the first of the two remaining green ones had begun to flash orange while bleeping out. After a thirty second delay the pod lid began lifting open as if by magic and a vast amount of steam began seeping out into the surrounding air, just as it had done from my pod earlier. Suddenly the sleeping machine on the ceiling sprang back to life and opened up its sucking jaws to the room, drawing all of the new wafting steam deep inside it. I remained where I was, watching curiously as the remaining patches of steam evaporated into the ceiling, and then, quite suddenly, a young and pretty brunette woman, groggily sat upright from inside the pod like a frightened and fragile little animal. The woman wiped the sleep away from her eyes as she began scanning around the dim room looking just as nervous and confused as I did. Her eyes hadn't fully adjusted yet and she didn't see me standing at the back of the room and away from the pods. The woman took a deep breath and with a great effort, began pulling herself up and fully out of the pod. As she stood to her feet I could see that she was wearing a thin white gown which fell down to her lower thighs, fitting her body snugly. I watched the woman with a great fascination as she, looking even more disorientated by the second, stepped fully out from the pod. She scanned the room again and as she turned in my direction I could see that she was looking even more scared and nervous and like me I could also sense that she had no idea where she was too. She then crossed her arms over her breasts and shoulders, like she was trying to hide her vulnerability, while continuing to make darting and confused glances all around the room. Suddenly the woman's gaze finally fell upon mine and there was a long silence as we both stared curiously at one another. I looked the woman up and down. She was pretty, pale and thin, but even though she had a very slim outline to her body there were still some nice curves there particularly on her hips and breasts. I let my gaze linger for an overly long second where the woman's gown came to a smooth end halfway down her pale thighs and I felt the slightest stir in my loins. The woman, feeling uncomfortable from my lingering stare, moved her hands away from covering her chest and began tugging at the lower end of her gown. Feeling her discomfort reflected back at me I immediately broke my stare and returned my gaze to the woman's pretty but pale face.
'Who... who are you?' Said the woman nervously. I paused, more in shock at hearing her talk and hearing another voice speak in this strange, isolated place and I struggled to think of a reasonable answer to her question. Nothing would come to my blank mind.
'I... I don't know...' I said meekly. 'I was hoping you might be able to tell me. Do you know who I am?' But the woman ignored my question.
'Where am I? Where is this place?' She continued.
'I really don't know.' I could see tears forming in the woman's eyes and I could sense that she was almost ready to break down in a fit of sobs as she began shaking her head in despair. Finally she glanced nervously around at the sleeping pods again and soon her eyes settled back down upon her own.
'I have one too.' I said, blurting out the first thing that came to my mind. Like I was trying to somehow make her trust me by relating this fact to her. I moved closer towards her and pointed down towards my own fully opened sleeping pod lying two down from hers. She glanced over at it before raising her hands to her head, distressed.
'My head... It hurts so much.'
'Mine too.' I said. 'But it goes away... eventually, well, once you start moving around.' I let out a half hearted smile which made the muscles around my mouth ache a little. When was the last time I had ever smiled I thought. To my relief the woman let out her own faint smile back at me and it felt good to see it. Then, without thinking, I reached my hand out towards the woman and beckoned her to take it.
'Come with me.' I said 'I want to show you something.' The woman's smile faded and was replaced with a look of confused curiosity, but without words she trustingly took my hand. Wow, it felt good to feel her skin against mine. Her hand was so soft and warm to touch, it was another good feeling that flowed through out my entire body. I clasped her hand even tighter and led her out of the dim pod room and out into the bright main corridor. Like me, the woman took a few moments to shield her eyes from the brighter lights on the ceiling as they adjusted.
'What is this place? Where are we?' She asked.
'I told you I don't know, I really don't.' I then led her down the first corridor and directly towards the large black window at the far end. The window which gave such an intense feeling of dread, deep inside the pit of my stomach every time I thought about it.
'Where are we going?' Said the woman, but I ignored her, and she continued to glance all around at the lit up corridor in awe. We reached the large black window and I brought us to an abrupt standstill just a yard or two away. The woman focussed all of her attention onto the window as her eyes widened and she stared hard, right at it and in great fascination.
'What is it?' She asked.
'Look.' I said, motioning her past me with my hand and urging her to move right up next to the window to get a closer look. She let go of my hand and approached the window and just as I had done myself previously she began gazing at her own reflection in great wonderment. She let out a little burst of childlike laughter as she pointed at both of our reflections in the black window, turning to me for approval and to check if I could also see this wondrous apparition. She turned back and moved closer, touching at her face and hair as if checking to see if this reflected image would mimic her own movements and then seemed shocked and baffled when the image did. She moved closer and eventually pressed her face right up close to the window, looking past her own reflection and eventually out into the deep and never ending regions of darkness outside. Suddenly the woman backed away from the window frightened, just like I had done before her, after realising that there was something out there, something beyond the window. The massive blanket of twinkling darkness.
'What is that? What is that out there?' She said turning to me anxiously. I smiled back to her, also baffled.
'I have no idea.' Suddenly the woman's facial expressions changed and she began to sob gently, immediately placing her hands up to cover her face and eyes as she did so. I felt very uncomfortable and couldn't think of anything to say or do. My instincts took over though and I moved closer towards her, raising my arms as if a little unsure about what to do next. And then without thinking I raised my hands and arms uncomfortably higher and wrapped them around this strange and mysterious woman, bringing her into me tightly while she buried her head deep into my chest.
\*\*\*
It took the woman some time to compose herself and when she was ready I led her by the hand again back down the corridor from where we came and into the small immaculate kitchen room which I had briefly came upon before. The woman was quiet the whole time I led her like some frightened, sad child. The black window revelation had really taken its toll on her. We entered into the kitchen and I let go of her hand so that I could study the large metallic and sealed cupboards more closely. The woman's attention though drifted over towards the other open room beside the kitchen where the row of two tables and chairs were situated. I began to explore the kitchen counter and cupboards, frustratingly pushing, pulling and pressing at all of them one by one, but they just would not open. The woman then focussed upon a fountain shaped pedestal and bowl with a small metallic tap on top which stood beside the kitchen counter on the dining room side. She began pressing, pulling and pushing at the metallic little tap, but nothing happened, nothing at all. I glanced at the woman with a look of defeat and turned towards the first set of tables and chairs in the next room and motioned for us both to sit down. The woman followed me to the table and I watched her closely as she sat down opposite looking a little unstable. I waited for her to get comfortable before speaking.
'What is the last thing that you remember?' I said. The woman paused for a long moment and stared at me with weary and tearful eyes.
'I don't remember anything else but you... Just you, here and now.' I ran my hands through my hair and sighed, I was annoyed that neither of us could remember anything prior to waking up.
'I don't understand any of this.' The woman muttered. 'And my head... It hurts so much. You said it would stop. But it won't stop.' The woman sobbed out again as she lowered her head down and away from me. I continued to stare at her with curious eyes as I fell deep in thought, suddenly feeling a sense of familiarity about all of this, about this place, about this woman in front of me. Something was happening inside my mind right now and a small piece of memory triggered off inside... And then I could remember something... It came to me in a flash and blurry haze, but it was something. In my mind I could see an attractive looking blonde woman, older than the woman sitting in front of me by about ten years, perhaps in her late thirties, but very attractive still as she made my loins stir immensely. Her face was right in front of me now, filling up my mind as she smiled warmly. And then she spoke, well it was more like a loving whisper.
'Ian...' She said. And then in a flash of pure instant terror her face was screaming and screaming and screaming at me and her warm smile had disappeared. Her screams were horrific. I shook my head violently to shake these terrifying images from my head... They stopped, but still I continued to shake my head in distress. Trying to shake away those startling, shocking images. What an horrendous memory. And then I placed my hands on my head and covered my eyes. Suddenly I felt a tight hand grip upon my wrist and stopped shaking my head. I opened my eyes and glanced out in front of me. The brunette woman had ceased sobbing and was now holding my wrist, but staring at me with great concern.
'Are you okay? What's wrong?' She asked. I looked deep and hard at the woman, staring into her pale blue eyes that looked so dull and soulless.
'I think...' I said struggling to find the words. 'I think my name... is Ian.' The woman let go of my wrist and started to wipe away at the remains of her streaming trail of tears which had stained her cheeks.
'Ian?' She said.
'Yeah.'
'But how do you know this?'
'Just some thoughts.' I quickly replied. 'Some new bursts of thoughts inside my head that just don't make any sense at all.' The woman continued to stare at me curiously, still wiping away her tears.
Eventually I led the woman towards the dark computer room with the massive viewing window and the broken skeleton somewhere inside. The woman was rightly cautious at first about this new dark and eerie place and from the comfort of the lighted corridor she was a little reluctant to go in any further as she glanced around at the lingering darkness inside, desperately trying to let her eyes adjust to the dim light. I edged myself further into the room though, walking beside the first row of broken computers while tugging at the woman to follow me as I continued to lead her by the hand. A loose wire from one of the damaged computers sparked out suddenly beside us and the woman's attention was drawn wildly to it and like a fascinated child she let go of my hand and reached down to examine the source of the spark. She edged closer to the loose wire and reached out her hands and fingers to touch it. I watched her curiously as she did this. Not feeling any urge in the slightest to stop or discourage her. She touched the small sparking wire with her finger tip and quickly jumped back in fright at the electric shock she received. I continued to watch her as she tried to compose herself. She then giggled out in awe before sticking her shocked finger inside her mouth, nursing and numbing the tingling sensation. I turned my attention back towards the huge viewing window at the far end of the room and continued to make my way towards it. As I got closer I paused for a second near the row of three chairs where the crumpled old skeleton remains still lay in a heap upon the floor. The woman also paused behind me and quickly followed my gaze down towards the rubble of broken bones. She looked a little distressed but equally fascinated when her eyes finally met the pile of bones and in particular the still intact decayed skull.
'It was just sitting in the chair when I first came in here... I knocked it over by accident onto the floor.' I said to the woman as I turned my attention away from the skeleton remains and glanced over at the huge front glass screen and out at the vast crystal clear glittering blackness outside. The woman peeled her focus away from the skeleton remains also and turned towards the large glass window with me. Suddenly, as if hypnotised by the twinkling beauty, she left my side and made her way right up towards the huge window, moving right up close to the clear glass screen, like she was approaching something fantastical and awesome. She then placed her hands onto the glass as if somehow trying to reach out and grab a handful of the millions and millions of pinholes of lights outside. It really was a breathtaking spectacle out there even though it still filled me with such feelings of dread and hopelessness.
'What is out there?' She said almost whispering.
'I don't know... But it's like, it's like... just nothing...! Nothing at all. A whole massive, never ending room of darkness filled with all those tiny glittering white lights.'
'What do you think they are?' She said in wonderment, but I remained silent. I had no more answers for her right now, but she didn't seem to mind.
'It looks so beautiful and so peaceful out there.' She continued in a dream like state. All of a sudden she stepped back looking distressed as she began to hold her stomach.
'Are you okay?' I said. The woman winced out, holding her belly in more pain like she would vomit out at any second.
'It hurts. First my head and now this.' The woman eased up on her stomach looking a little better as the brief wave of pain seemed to have passed her by.
'How is your head?'
'It's better.' Said the woman half smiling back at me.
Out of nowhere my attention was quickly distracted by the faint reflection of light from the bright lights of the exit doorway and corridor which was faintly reflecting upon a small part of the huge viewing window. In the reflection I could make out the faint and ghost like figure of a woman, dressed in a white gown, just like the brunette woman in front of me, but this woman had dark blonde shoulder length hair, very similar to the woman who had smiled at me and whispered my name to me, before screaming out horrifically in my recently new memories. But I couldn't make out her face one bit as she stood eerily watching me and lurking beside the exit doorway in the reflection. It was just too dark. In a flash I turned to face the doorway... but there was no one there. No one there at all. What the hell was going on with my mind. Was I really seeing these things or were they just some trick from my weak imagination. The brunette woman, also distracted by my sudden panicky movement, turned to face the doorway too.
'What's wrong?' She asked.
'Did you see that?' I said distant.
'See what?'
'There was... There was someone over there by the doorway I'm sure.'
'Someone else.' The woman said looking very scared and confused. But I didn't want to comfort her this time in her distress. Instead I had a huge urge to investigate this further.
'Stay here.' I said bluntly. I then rushed over towards the exit doorway before slowing my pace down and cautiously stepping out into the main corridor. To my left was nothing of interest at all but on the right I began to hear a faint scratching coming from around the next corner where the kitchen and dining area were both situated. I cautiously approached the left turn in the corridor. As I approached my breathing deepened and my gut clenched up real tight as I nervously poked my head around the corner, not quite sure what the hell I was going to find around there or just who or what the hell was going to confront me... When I finally turned my head into the corridor it was completely empty and so very quiet. I took a deep breath and composed myself and slowly stepped fully out into the corridor. Then I heard that faint sound of scratching once more but this time from way up and along the next corridor. I followed the scratching sound and made my way towards the end, passing the two open doorways to the kitchen and dining area on my right until I reached the next corridor directly opposite the dark pod room. As I approached the sharp turn I once again carefully and cautiously moved towards the edge. My heart pumped furiously, pounding around my chest like it was trying to find a way out of my body through my throat and a feeling of great intensity surged through my entire body. I slowly glanced around the next corner. My breathing deepened and my face turned to white as I glanced over at the ghostly figure at the very end of the corridor where the stretching black window was situated. It seemed to be the figure of the blonde woman, she had her back to me, but I could clearly see her dirty blonde hair. She was dressed in a white gown, just like I saw in the reflection earlier, but what I didn't see in the reflection was that her white gown was covered in blotches of thick red blood stains. She was crouching down now with her front side facing the far corner of the next corridor wall, where the stretching black window began. When I looked more closely she seemed to be scratching hideously at the tiled floor in the corner with her finger nails. It was a horrible sound. A disgusting sound. I took another deep breath and finally stepped out into the corridor.
'Hello.' I said raising my voice.
The blonde woman did not answer or even flinch. She just continued to scratch away, so I decided to walk slowly towards her. Then something strange happened... The blonde woman stopped scratching all together and began sobbing out. I was only a few feet away from her.
'Are you... okay?' I asked. But again she did not answer and continued to sob. I got closer to her, close enough to reach out my hand and touch her on the shoulder. My finger tips were close, so close, within millimetres of touching the shoulders of the crouching woman when... She stopped crying instantly and was completely silent. I froze where I was, not moving my fingertips any closer towards her nor pulling them away either. My heart skipped a beat as an eerie silence filled the air. Then as I studied the lower part of her crouching body I noticed a trickle of blood dribbling down from inside the woman's gown and inner thigh which then trickled down to her lower knee before dribbling onto the corridor tiled floor below. Suddenly a voice called out to me from behind, scaring the life out of me. It was the young brunette woman who I'd told to stay in the computer room. She was behind me now at the opposite end of this corridor, outside the pod room.
'Ian.' She called out. 'Ian.'
Distracted, I turned around to face the brunette woman whose face was full of both fear and concern as she stared at me looking so confused and drilling those dull blue eyes right into me. I said nothing and quickly turned back towards the crouching blonde woman... but she was gone. I was startled. Where the hell did she go? I quickly turned every way I could, but every which way was empty. The whole corridor was empty apart from the brunette woman, still staring at me. I glanced down at the corridor below where I spotted the small droplets of blood which had spilt from her thigh. Curiously I bent down to touch and inspect them with my fingertip, then I noticed that the large corner tile where the blood had spilt onto was very loose, almost acting like a cover for something underneath. I continued to stare at the blood on my finger tip and then at the large loose corner tile contemplating what to do next. Suddenly I jumped out of my skin as a small pale hand placed itself down upon my shoulder. Startled, I turned to face the source... Of course it was the young and pretty brunette woman looking even more scared and confused beside me.
'I'm scared Ian... I don't want to be left alone here anymore.'
I took a deep breath, stood back up onto my feet again and turned to face her. I then took a hold of her hand and rubbed it gently, trying my best to comfort her.
'It's okay. I won't leave you alone anymore.'
The woman glanced curiously at the blood on my fingertips and then down at the corridor tile below.
'What happened to you?'
'Did you see any of that?'
'See any of what?'
'The other woman who was here... Crouching down right there. It's her blood.'
The brunette woman glanced all around at the two adjourning corridors looking a little anxious and very confused.
'I didn't see anybody else. But your nose is bleeding.'
I quickly raised my hand to my nose and felt a tiny smear of blood on the tip. What the hell is going on here I said to myself, so confused. Did I just imagine all that. Was that really my blood on the floor and not the blonde woman's? And just who the hell was that blonde woman? Surely she must exist if I just damn well saw her right in front of me with my own eyes ... But then this dark haired woman never saw her, even when she was crouching down in the corner in front of me in full view... Oh my mind was in knots and twists. I couldn't think straight anymore. I felt so frustrated. It's like I was living in some mad nightmare, some limbo reality from which I could not awaken. I wiped at my nose which was only bleeding a little. I then let go of the woman's hand and crouched back down to take a closer look at the loose tile below me. The woman remained where she was, watching curiously as I began to feel my way around the large square tile. The tile moved, wobbling freely underneath my touch. I noticed a small finger sized gap at the back of the tile and wedged in against the corner wall. The gap was big enough for me to place my finger inside and grip the tile. So I gripped the small hole with my finger and gently lifted the tile up, placing it to one side to reveal a narrow black hole with a ladder attached leading deep down inside. Both the hole and ladder looked big enough for me to climb down quite easily. But I didn't know what to do or think right at this very moment. Should I climb down right now. I wanted too, but what about the dark haired woman. I'd have to take her with me as she didn't want to be left alone, but in her state of mind I don't think I could get her to come down there with me either. I took a few moments to stare down into the pitch black hole, then without thinking I positioned my feet and lower legs inside, just to see if they would fit as I imagined they would. Behind me, the anxious looking brunette woman reached out and touched my shoulder again as if beckoning me not to go down. I turned to face her with a blank look.
'Please... don't go down there... Please!' She said. I turned back to face the hole once more. The urges inside me were so big, I just had to go down. I mean what else was there for me to do.
'Please...' She pleaded some more. 'Please don't.' I turned to face her again. Damn she looked so pale and pretty in this light and my loins began stirring once more as I sneaked a quick glance at her soft, pale and smooth lower thighs which were still showing from underneath her white gown. Also her touch on my shoulder had felt so good that in this moment I wanted to please her and make her happy, so I let out a deep sigh and pulled my feet and lower legs back out from the hole and pushed myself backwards and over against the corridor wall, right underneath the black window. The woman remained silent but moved closer towards me, finally sitting herself down right beside me and underneath the window. I could feel the warmth from her body immediately and it did feel good. It felt really good in fact. She then took a hold of my hand and unexpectedly cuddled into me like a frightened child. I was a little taken back by this gesture of intimacy, but after a long moment I relaxed a little and began wrapping my arm also tightly around her shoulders and upper body, returning the intimate gesture.
I was awoken by the sound of a continuous faint beeping noise coming from somewhere along the opposite corridor. The one leading up towards the pod room. The brunette woman was still sleeping peacefully against the wall beside me and hugging into me for dear life.
I noticed that my mouth was feeling really dry and although I wasn't desperate for a taste of water just yet, I had a gut feeling that if we didn't get some within the next few hours... well that prospect didn't seem worth thinking about. The beeping noise continued and then suddenly the corridor lights began flickering on and off, on and off, on and off. But only for a few moments as they quickly restored themselves back to normality. The beeping noise stopped and then unexpectedly one of the four sealed doorways situated along the pod room corridor slid open. Feeling a little excited about this new event I turned towards the brunette woman and gently began to awaken her.
'Hey, wake up... Wake up.'
The woman stirred and opened her eyes, staring up at me curiously a little disorientated as if trying to figure out exactly where the hell she was. After a short moment she finally spoke.
'What... what is it? What's wrong?' She said wearily stretching. I directed her glance over towards the newly opened doorway in the next corridor.
'Over there. That doorway, it just opened.'
The brunette woman was silent as she stared over at the new opened doorway with a blank expression on her face. Slowly I began to rise up onto my feet. I was feeling stiff and weak and much more tired than before I'd slept. I bent down a little and took the brunette woman by her hand, pulling her up onto her feet with me. I was surprised that she let me do it with such ease too like she was acting more subdued and submissive than before. Maybe she was just tired and weak. I led her towards the newly opened doorway until we were both standing outside and glancing in at the new room. I don't know what I was expecting to see inside, but I felt a slight pinch of disappointment even though it was a nice surprise to see two sets of reasonably comfortable beds on opposite sides of the room. But in all honesty water and food were beginning to occupy my mind more and more and this is what I wanted to see and feel more than a comfortable bed. The brunette woman then surprised me by making the first move as she let go of my hand and automatically entered into the twin bedroom, approaching the first bed on the left and laying herself down facing the wall with her back turned towards me. I glanced over at the bed on the right and eventually made my own way towards it, climbed on top of the naked mattress and lay down upon my back. I was feeling too tired and dehydrated to think straight and surprised myself at just how quickly I fell back to sleep.
\*\*\*
I awoke for the second time in as many hours as I felt the creaking presence of someone sitting down upon the edge of my bed. I was lying with my front side against the wall with my back turned towards the open doorway and the brunette woman's bed so I just assumed right away that she had awoken feeling scared and alone and wanted to cuddle up. I turned slowly over onto my opposite side to face her sitting on the bed next to me and boy did I get a shock when I was confronted by a medium build, middle aged man with cold, piercing grey eyes, a greyish black beard and moustache and greyish black hair. I hardly had time to collect what little and confusing thoughts I had left as I jerked upright, completely startled.
'Who the hell are you? Where did you come from?'
The bearded man continued to stare at me with those cold and piercing grey eyes like he was deliberately delaying his answer. He then gently put his finger to his lips and finally spoke out in a very well spoken tone of voice.
'Shush.' He said ever so quietly. 'You'll wake up sleeping beauty over there.'
I glanced over at the brunette woman who was still fast asleep on the opposite bed, but now with her front side facing towards me and with her back turned against the wall rather than away from it just like it had been when she first went to sleep. I looked back at the bearded man again.
'Who the hell are you?' I said in an angry whisper, lowering my tone. The man let out a sly grin like he was toying with me before replying.
'I'm Ian.' He said still grinning.
Immediately my thoughts filled with the blonde woman and how she had called me Ian or had she just whispered a name to me, someone else's name.
'Where did you come from?' I said asking the next question that sprung to my mind. Maybe he came from one of those other sealed pods. Maybe he came up from that laddered hole or maybe he even came in from the blackness outside. Perhaps he might even be able to tell me something about myself.
'...I came in from the corridor out there.' Replied the man with another playful smile.
'But before that... before the corridor. Did you come from outside, from the blackness?' I said desperately.
The man chuckled out at that, but still did not answer. 'Do you know what I'm doing here? Or how the hell I got here? Where is here?' I continued with a sudden barrage of questions that just came to me in my frustration, but the man didn't reply and only let out another smug little smile and playful chuckle which annoyed the hell out of me even more. I took a deep breath and tried to compose my growing anger, giving the man a chance to finish his laughter.
'Do you know who I am? Or who she is?' I said more calmly and clearer.
'Why you are just full of a hundred and one damn little questions now aren't you?' Said the man finally.
'Please tell me something if you can... anything! Who am I... Please?' I said hopeful and dejected at the same time. The man just glared at me once more with those cold eyes. He wasn't smiling now and I couldn't tell if this was a good or bad thing.
'Well...' The man finally said. '...I'm fairly certain that my name is Ian... And your name, young man, is David.' He paused and turned his attention towards the sleeping brunette. I wanted to speak so much. David, my name is David... but I also didn't want to interrupt him. I wanted to hear what else he had to say since he was so reluctant to give out information. He continued to leer over at the woman, staring at her for uncomfortably longer than I had ever dared. 'And the sleeping little vixen over there...' He continued. '...Why her name is the lovely Anna.'
'Anna... David.' I said almost under my breath. I then glanced back up at the bearded man who now called himself Ian. 'So do you know what I'm doing here? Or what is this place all bout?'
Ian finally broke his lingering stare away from Anna, turning back to meet my own gaze once more as I prepared myself for his answer which I desperately wanted to hear so bad.
'She's a fine looking lass that one isn't she?' Said Ian completely ignoring my question. I went along with it though and turned my attention back to face the woman, Anna.
'But who is she? And why are we both here? Please tell me.' I asked getting even more desperate for answers.
'I told you already she's Anna and she... well she's just here...! Here because you awoke her from a long, deep and dark sleep. One that she was never even meant to awaken from. A sleep you both weren't meant to awaken from.'
'This is just crazy.' I said out of complete frustration. 'Don't you have anything useful to say. At least tell me who you are? What you're doing here?'
'I told you... I'm Ian... and like you and that delicious little creature over there... I'm just here.' Ian smiled out that annoying little sly, coy smile of his before getting up off the edge of my bed to make his way over towards the sleeping Anna, crouching softly down beside her. I didn't know what to make of this, but it felt wrong and uncomfortable.
'What the hell are you doing?' I said raising my tone.
'She's a pretty girl this one no? A little vixen as you say.' Said Ian leering over her pale and pretty face. 'What a beauty.' He then lifted his hand over and down towards Anna's ankles and ever so gently began running his finger tips all the way up and along the bottom of Anna's naked legs, from her ankles, calves and knees all the way up towards her mid thighs, stopping at the rim of her white gown. I felt a rage building inside me like no other. This was wrong! What Ian was doing to Anna without her permission was wrong. I didn't know too many things right now, but I knew that you couldn't touch people in that way without their say so.
'Stop that.' I finally blurted out. Ian though kept his hand firmly upon Anna's thigh, like he just knew the feelings of rage I was feeling deep down inside me right now and wanted them to erupt. Without words he was playfully taunting me.
'Legs so soft... Just like silk.'
'Stop touching her.'
'This is how a woman longs to be touched David.' Continued Ian. 'A light touch brushing softly against her silky smooth skin... like a delicate little feather.'
'I said stop touching her like that.' I blurted out louder and with more conviction as I sat upright, right on the edge of my bed. But still Ian kept on rubbing his hand gently along her thighs, up and down, up and down. He then turned to face me as he continued stroking.
'Tell me you haven't thought about these glorious silky smooth thighs and legs wrapped tightly around your naked body David, grasping you with a vice like grip of passion, as the rest of her naked body rubs against your skin.'
'No... I haven't. Why the hell are you saying this?'
Suddenly Anna stirred in her sleep but did not awaken. Ian never flinched though, not one bit and kept his hand firmly upon her thigh.
'You know David... I think she likes you.'
'What are you talking about?'
'Look at the way she's turned her body towards you as she sleeps, away from the wall now... to face you David. I'll tell you this for nothing my boy, the subconscious mind never lies. She likes you.'
I let out a deep sigh and held my head in frustration before lying back down upon the bed again and facing up towards the ceiling. Why was this strange man talking this way. It was too much for me. These new conflicting feelings and emotions triggering off inside my head all at the same time. I felt dizzy and tired and then another urge for water and food began aching throughout my entire body again to add more logs to my unstable emotional fire.
'This is just too much.' I sighed out. But suddenly Ian was standing over me. How did he get to me so fast it was startling. I never even heard him move from Anna's bedside.
'Come.' He said boldly. He then reached out his hand.
'You must be thirsty and hungry?' Without words I reached out and took Ian's firm hand. He had a strong grip as he helped pull me up to my feet with a scary ease. In a blurry daze I let him lead me out of the bedroom, along the next two corridors and finally into the kitchen area.
Ian left me in the middle of the kitchen while he approached the left side of the first row of cupboards and I watched curiously as he gave a gentle double little tap to a small flat panel on the side of the cupboard. Suddenly all of the cupboard doors unlocked inside the kitchen and opened a few inches, springing to life. Ian double tapped the panel again and they all closed over, locking automatically. It looked so simple yet so mind boggling.
'Now you try.' Said Ian grinning.
'I'm sure I pressed and pushed at everything, all around those cupboards last time and nothing happened.'
'Ah! But did you double tap?' Said Ian smugly as I gave out a confused stare.
'Come on then.' He continued beckoning me over towards the small thin panel on the side of the first cupboard. I approached and just like I'd watched Ian do before me, I double tapped the cupboard panel. All the cupboards unlocked and opened once more and a feeling of great pride and accomplishment washed over me. I had learned something new. So if I couldn't get any of my old memories back then I would just have to make new ones.
Ian grinned out and beckoned me over to look inside one of the cupboards. When he opened it fully I could feel the coolness inside. It was some kind of cooling cupboard and it was full to the brim of many different liquid packages.
'Take a clear one.' Said Ian. 'It's water and the dark ones are food.' I quickly took one out and desperately tried to open the bizarrely sealed package with a soft white bottle neck head at one end. Ian watched amused as I struggled to open the water package.
'Put the head into your mouth and pull it off with your teeth.' Said Ian. So I inserted the small plastic head of the package into my mouth and pulled on the head.
'Harder.' Said Ian, and with much more ferocious force I pulled the head off, squirting water all over myself. The cool water in my mouth felt so good that I didn't care one bit for the spilt water all over my face neck and chest. I then sucked out the remaining water from the package, before greedily grabbing another one from the cooling cupboard, ripping off the plastic head with my teeth and quickly draining it. Ian suddenly burst out laughing at my primitive and animal like antics.
'You are a thirsty boy aren't you?'
Suddenly, from outside the corridor, a sleepy looking Anna walked wearily through the kitchen doorway taking me by surprise.
'What are you doing?' She said with an expression that was neither joyful nor sad. I just smiled wildly back at her while gulping down the remainder of my water.
'We have water... and food.' I blurted out in between mouthfuls and swallows. Anna's eyes widened with delight and she looked so damn pretty now smiling away happily for the first time since I'd met her.
'You opened the cupboards?' Said Anna in utter joy as she rushed over towards me. 'Let me have some? Please, let me have some?' She playfully begged and pleaded out like a young child, and as I pulled the half empty water package from my mouth to give to her I didn't feel it strange just yet that she had completely ignored our new arrival behind me and was more concerned with getting some water inside her.
'Squirt her.' Said Ian suddenly from behind me.
'What?' I replied a little confused.
'Squirt her with the water. Everywhere! It will be fun. It's what the old, playful David would do.'
For a split second I looked at Anna, her eyes were closed and her jaws were wide open as she waited for me to put some water into her mouth, but instead of squirting it into her mouth I squeezed the package with all my strength, squirting the water all over Anna's face, mouth, nose, neck, eyes and hair and all over her night gown too. Anna giddily squealed and playfully screamed out like an overly excited little girl as the cool water washed all over her beautiful pale skin and upper body. She was enjoying it. She really was enjoying it.
'It's so cold and wet. Give me more... I want more.'
I quickly pulled out another water package from the cupboard, tore it open and squirted it hard into Anna's mouth before squirting the rest over Anna's hair. She continued to scream out playfully before running over and grabbing her own water package from the cooling cupboard. She was a little unsure at first about how to open it, but I motioned her to put the plastic head into her mouth and tear it off. She did, then started squirting me with the water. It felt good! What we were doing felt so good and everything about our unusual and grim situation was forgotten for a few fun and playful moments. I squirted her back again and she ducked out of the way before squirting more water back at me. I laughed out for the first time since I could even remember, then finally I shouted out giddily.
'This is Ian by the way.' Anna looked greatly confused though as I turned around to face Ian standing at the cupboards behind me, who was now just a casual observer of our playful antics together. But to my shock and dismay Ian was gone... What the hell?
'What's that? Who? You're Ian.' Said Anna still smiling.
I started to glance anxiously all around the kitchen and dining area.
'No... Ian was just...' I said in a daze. Just then Anna slyly squirted me with her water package once again and right in the face too making me really annoyed.
'Anna, stop it!' I shouted out angrily. 'There was someone just...'
'You started it.' Replied Anna playfully. She then squirted me once more and giggled out. I couldn't believe her cheekiness, and where the hell was Ian?
'Anna, stop it, please!' I said with more anger. Anna paused for a second and gave me a bewildered look.
'Who's... Anna?' She said.
'You're Anna.' I replied still trying desperately to find any sign of Ian.
'Oh... So how do you know I'm Anna?'
'Because... I just know all right.' I said sighing out annoyed and frustrated. 'You're Anna and I'm David. I just know.'
'So... Who is Ian?' Replied Anna looking even more confused than ever. I remained silent myself for a few seconds, not quite sure how to answer that one.
'I... I'm not sure just yet, all right. Look, just grab some food okay. Take one of the dark ones.'
'Okay.' Said Anna moodily. She then took a bundle of food and water packages and proceeded to leave the kitchen area. I couldn't help but watch her do this now, particularly watching her wet and shiny legs moving back and fourth. They really did catch my eye for some reason. They looked good. And then for the first time I noticed her small but firm little breasts and now very pointed and erect nipples. The cool water had soaked thoroughly through the front side of her gown revealing her small naked breasts underneath and most noticeably of all, her hardened nipples, probably made hard I thought by the cold water on her skin. I found it hard to take my eyes from them. They were fascinating. They made my loins stir again and much more than before. They were beginning to ache for something, something that she had and something that I couldn't quite understand or put my mind to. Anna plonked herself down in silence at the first dining table she came to in the next room. I broke my lingering gaze away from her and began scratching my head. Too many thoughts and emotions were racing through my mind again. I approached the cooling cupboard and took a handful of my own food and water packages and when I turned back to face the dining area I was suddenly confronted by Ian.
'So tell me young David? Would you give her one?' Said Ian instantly and still wearing that annoying, ridiculous grin.
'One what?' I replied very confused, but feeling that there was some kind of hidden sinister agenda to his meaning. Of course he never answered me directly though.
'You know she really does like you David.' Said Ian.
I glanced over towards Anna as she turned and smiled giddily back at me, her playful mood returning. I then turned back to face Ian with a stern look.
'Look, if you don't have anything useful to say then please... just leave us alone, all right.' I said harshly. I was grateful for everything Ian had showed me so far regarding the food and water, but he was really beginning to get on my nerves and was beginning to feel very uncomfortable to be around. Ian was silent and just smiled out smugly at my rant. But I was in no mood to hear his reply anyway and quickly walked away from him to sit down opposite Anna in the dining area. Anna smiled as I sat, but said nothing as she was too busy occupying herself sucking and devouring her way through her liquid food and water packages. I bit off the top of my own food package and took a quick slurp. It was a thick substance that had a strange smell to it, like bad breath, but it tasted okay and was strangely filling. I turned my attention back towards the kitchen area only to see if I was still under the watchful eye of Ian, but once again he had vanished.
I was alone for the first time since Anna had awoken and found myself now curiously making my way around the main square corridor once more but this time double tapping all of the small, sealed door panels that I could find. Behind most of these sealed doors were just storage rooms filled with various weird and advanced equipment, Rubber suits that could fit a man inside, strange looking pipes, tanks, wires! It was never ending. I could only guess badly what these odd devices could be used for. I also found another two bedrooms and then eventually a strange little room with one single flat high bed directly in the middle and surrounded by lots of sharp objects, like knives, scalpels, needles and jars of different liquid substances and pills of various sizes and colour. Consume these liquids and pills at your own risk I was guessing.
Back along the kitchen corridor I double tapped another door panel. The door opened to reveal a dark square box room inside containing a couple of oddly shaped buttons and a leaver which read up/down. Looking around the small space I gathered that you could probably fit around four to six men inside at a push. I entered and began pressing and double tapping at the different array of buttons inside, but nothing happened. I pressed the up and down lever but still nothing happened. I then left the strange box room and continued further along up the corridor towards the next doorway, which I again double tapped.
Inside this dim but fairly large room I found a toilet which I could remember how to use no problems... I think. There was a couple of showers too right against the back wall with a draining area close by, so I guessed again that the entire tiled floor inside was to be used as one giant big drain. I made my way inside to take a closer look and took a brief moment to scan around. Then as I stepped further inside, the lights suddenly switched themselves on. I approached the first of the three showers at the back and found a small silver thin panel to the left side and double tapped it. The first shower came to life immediately and began spraying water out at an incredible rate. It looked amazing and when I ran my hands underneath the water it felt nice and warm too. For a long moment I just stared hard into the running water, hypnotized as I watched the shower water disappear down the nearby drain hole, and then suddenly, as if something triggered in the far back regions of my mind, another full blown memory returned to me. I was hiding inside the dark shower room, over by the open doorway and I was wearing a casual grey uniform, top and bottoms. I could hear footsteps coming along the corridor when all of a sudden I quickly pulled a woman walking by outside into the shower room with me while locking the door shut with a series of taps. The woman was the blonde woman from my previous memory and she let out a playful yelp as I pinned her to the wall.
'David, stop it, What are you doing?' Said the Blonde woman playfully resisting. I began tickling her up against the wet room door as she tried to resist me even more in a fit of giggles.
'David. Stop it, please.'
I paid no attention to her pleas and continued to tickle her, playfully pulling at her hair too until she slapped me softly on the side of my face.
'David, you're hurting my ribs, stop it.' She giggled louder. Finally I stopped tickling and she smiled wildly.
'I need to get back to work.' Said the woman as she tried to open the exit door but quickly I placed my hand hard up against the panel, keeping it from her grasp.
'David! Come on. Stop messing about. Let me out.'
I looked her in the eyes with the most serious of stares.
'Close your eyes.' I said firmly.
'Why?'
'Just close your eyes? I want to give you something.'
I rustled my free hand deep inside my trouser pocket, pretending to have some kind of gift inside.
'No. I don't want it.'
'Come on.' I insisted. 'Just close your eyes and I'll give you this gift.'
'What gift? What is it?'
'Just close your eyes and you'll see.' The woman tried for the door panel once more, but even with just one hand hovering over it, I was still too damn strong for her. She let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes over, finally giving in.
'Okay, but make it quick, Ian's expecting me with the landing sample results.' She said and with her eyes still closed she held out her hand. I grinned out as I gently moved my face towards hers and kissed her with a cheeky kiss right on her lips. The blonde woman smiled and opened her eyes immediately while trying to resist for as long as she could before finally kissing me back, but after a few seconds she broke away.
'You sly bastard.' She said grinning wildly.
'I think I'm falling in Love with you Steffi.' I said bluntly. 'I think about you all the time. You're on my mind every waking hour.'
The blonde woman, Steffi, turned sadly away from me looking deep in thought.
'Please don't say that David. You know my situation.'
Trying to be spontaneous now I pushed Steffi back up against the door and began kissing her neck, chin, cheeks and luscious juicy red lips with a fiery passion. She tried to resist me again, but even though her mind wasn't there yet, I could feel that her body was as her thighs rubbed gently against my own inner thigh and throbbing groin.
'David... David we can't do this anymore.' Steffi said trying to push me away again. I continued to kiss and caress her face and neck with my lips and darting tongue as I ran my hands and fingertips all over her gorgeous, tight, toned body, finally slipping my free hand underneath her blouse to caress her stomach before taking a pinching hold of her goose bumped skin around her hips.
'David... we can't.' She continued, kissing me back and sticking her wriggling tongue further into the back of my throat with such lustful passion that I throbbed even harder against her. Suddenly I let my wild animal instincts take over and lifted her up into my arms as my swelling hardness dug even more against her own trouser covered groin. Finally I carried her over to the showers.
'...You animal!' She whispered into my ear as she playfully bit my ear lobe and scratched at my neck with her sharp fingernails.
Back in the present I was brought crashing out of my hypnotic state by someone shouting my name. Their voice was barely audible through the sound of the ferociously running shower water against the tiled floor below. For a moment I just stared at the water running into the nearby drain as I gently shook my head, trying to process these new memories and emotional thoughts. Then a hand grabbed my right shoulder and in a knee jerk reaction I finally broke free of my trance and turned in a flash, grabbing the mysterious figure with their hand on my shoulder by the throat and forcing them with great strength and rage, right up against the shower wall. Anna screamed out wildly from in front of me and for the first time I was able to see who this person was who had just snuck up on me. Anna struggled wildly, desperately trying to gasp for breath as I continued to grasp her in a choke hold up against the wall with an insane rage in my eyes. For some reason I was still caught up in my trance like state and new memories. Finally I released my grip of Anna's neck and she fell onto her knees with a thud gasping for breath and clutching at her bruised throat. What the hell did I do? What the hell did I just do? I didn't mean this. I did not mean to do this at all. I put my hands to my head. I was getting more and more distressed by the second and I was so confused. I began backing away. I was feeling so upset at my actions, but at the same time I felt like I had to blame Anna for sneaking up on me and grabbing me so unexpectedly, what the hell was she thinking?
'Don't ever sneak up on me like that again okay. You hear me.' I blurted out. Anna remained on the floor, still coughing wildly for her breath. I couldn't think of anything else to do now except to turn and rush away, so I did. All I could hear as I left was the sounds of Anna's sobs as she regained control of her breathing in the corner of the shower room.
\*\*\*
I was sitting in the dark computer room right at the front end where the row of three large chairs were all situated. I was staring obliviously out through the massive viewing window and at nothing in particular. Thoughts of the blonde woman, Steffi, occupied my mind. What did she mean to me? Was she my wife, my girlfriend? If my memories were to be real and true then we seemed to be together and close somehow. And then Anna, the pretty and fragile little Anna. I must have really physically hurt her. But I didn't mean too. I wondered where she was now? Was she still in the shower room or perhaps in the bedroom curled up like a frightened child. I'd have to go back and check to see if she was okay. I broke away from my thoughts to glance down at the skeleton remains upon both the seat and floor beside me. I wondered who this poor soul might be and how long they might've been lying their like this for. There was so many strange and unanswered questions here, in fact all over this place and another thousand or so in my mind. Suddenly I was distracted by a low shadow over by the main exit doorway which caught my eye. I quickly stood to my feet and turned immediately, half expecting to find Anna. There was nobody there so I quickly rushed towards the exit doorway and stepped out into the main corridor. I halted in shock all of a sudden and glanced down to my left at a long red smear of something which seemed to be like a blood trail, smearing along the corridor floor and up around the next one, the black windowed corridor on my left. I quickly followed the trail of blood all the way around the windowed corridor and all the way up towards the white tiled trapdoor where Steffi had been crouching when I had previously followed her. Here the trail came to an end as it smeared underneath the loose trapdoor. I stood over it for a few moments, just staring down at the trail of blood. Where had it come from and who did it belong too I couldn't even imagine. I crouched down and pulled back the trap door covering the laddered black hole beneath. Down the opposite corridor to me, the one leading towards the pod room and shower room, Anna quietly emerged and came to a standstill at the far end, staring blankly and quietly over at me. She said absolutely nothing as I stared back at her, not even knowing what to say myself. After a second I broke my gaze and began lowering myself down into the black hole. Anna watched me disappear in silence. I continued my descent deep down into the laddered hole. I had absolutely no idea where I was going or what the hell I was going to find down here. I couldn't even see the bottom nor hardly even a footstep below me it was so dark. Finally my feet hit a solid base and I could feel a more airy and spacious, but still dark room all around me. In the darkness I could hear faint and continuous humming noises, maybe the sound of distant motors or engines. As my eyes adjusted I began to make out some faint and dim lights further along this dark area, perhaps more computer screens and buttons, but it was just so damn dark. I moved cautiously away from the ladder when I felt my feet crunching down upon something on the solid ground below. Without moving my feet any further I crouched down to feel and grab a hold of one of the crunchy stick like objects beneath me and too my horror I found my hands feeling their way around and clutching a hold of something that felt and resembled the remains of another old, crumpled and brittle skull and bones. Another skeleton! Another dead person. What the hell were these skeletons all about. I lifted the decayed and bony skull up towards my face to get a better look, my eyes were quickly adjusting and I wanted to see this thing with my own eyes, not just feel and touch its bony features. It was hideous with those black hollow eyes, high cheek bones and all its ridiculous teeth intact so that it looked like it was grinning wildly back up at me. I dropped it back to the floor in utter disgust and took in a few deep breaths trying to compose myself at the sight. Out of the surrounding darkness now came a faint but obvious and gentle sobbing. I couldn't place its direction at first but as I finally stood back up onto my feet again and listened more carefully I could distinctively hear the sound of a woman's crying coming from a fair distance deep inside the darkness way out in front of me. I began to make my way further forward towards the muffled sobs. I had to move slowly and cautiously as many large steel boxes and cages of various different sizes appeared to be littered all over the space in front of me. At one point I even ended up climbing over a large steel container as I couldn't feel any other way around it. Regardless the sobs grew louder and as I climbed my way down from the steel container my eyes could just about make out the figure of the ghostly looking blonde woman again, Steffi. She was still wearing the blood stained gown and crouching down with her back facing me, just as I had last seen her in the corner of the brightly lit corridor up above.
'Hi there.' I said nervously. 'Steffi is it? Is your name Steffi?' The woman mumbled out something in between her sobs, but I couldn't make out a single word of it. I made my way closer towards her. I was both desperate and intrigued about what she had to say.
'I couldn't hear what you said there... Are you okay?' Eerily Steffi stopped crying almost immediately and raised her head upwards. Then in a cold and callous voice she spoke out.
'Why did you do it David, why? I thought you said you loved me? You said you loved me? Don't you love me?'
I stopped a few feet away from her. I could hardly remember anything about this woman, just a few memories here and there, a smile, a kiss, a passionate embrace in the shower room. Yet those memories felt like they belonged to somebody else entirely and not me. In a very chilling and instant moment Steffi stood swiftly upright, scaring me a little with her sudden movement.
'David!' She said as she turned around to face me, but she was still hard to see in this dim darkness. Steffi abruptly approached me now scaring me again and making me even more nervous as she got right up into my face. Without words she gently studied then touched, stroked and caressed at my face with her finger tips. I remained still and cautious, watching her.
'Who are you?' I said softly. 'I think your name is Steffi, but who are you to me and what are you doing in this place... What are we all doing in this place?' Steffi continued to study my face for a long time and without blinking. She looked older than me, but still very attractive, but in a different kind of way to Anna. Anna was more pretty, pale, fragile and innocent, just like a small and cute animal that I wanted to protect and take care off. Steffi seemed more attractive to me, but in a physical and sexual kind of way. She made my loins stir a lot and much more than when in Anna's presence if my recent shower room memories of Steffi were anything to go by.
'This is... all your fault David.' Said Steffi finally, interrupting my train of thought.
'What's my fault Steffi? I don't understand? What is all my fault?' Suddenly Steffi grabbed me by my ears and began screaming insanely right into my face. It was horrific and terrifying and scared the living hell out of me.
'THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT...' She shrieked out insanely in between her terrifying screams right into my face. She then took her hands away from my ears and placed them upon her own head pulling violently at her blonde locks as she continued to shriek out. I quickly covered my ears and stumbled backwards scared and nervous before tripping over a small box and falling back onto the floor. Quickly though I clambered back up onto my feet and ran as fast as I could, back up and over the steel boxes, cages and containers, back through the dim darkness away from those hideous screams and back over towards the laddered hole. I quickly scrambled upwards without even looking back for a second. Just climb, climb, climb, away from the terrifying crazy woman and back up towards the light. Finally I scrambled back out of the hole and onto the corridor floor, waiting before my legs were fully out before collapsing in an exhausted heap right upon the floor beside the black window. For a brief second as I scrambled out of the hole I had noticed Anna sitting against the far corridor wall, just outside the bedroom and pod room, like she was waiting for me. As soon as she saw me she stood to her feet and hurriedly made her way to me.
'David! What is it? What's wrong? What happened down there?' Said Anna anxiously as she kneeled down beside me, trying her best to comfort me. I was still shaking and scared and desperately trying to control my over shot emotions and breathing. Anna hugged into me tightly and began rubbing my back soothingly.
'Oh David!' Said Anna as she continued to hold me. Her touch and the feel of her arms around me felt good and did a lot to calm me, and as I rested my head down upon her shoulder I noticed for the first time the faint brown bruising upon her neck. Bruising that I had inflicted upon her.
I awoke back in the bedroom, this time I felt the small fragile hand of someone stroking my forehead and running their fingers through my hair and when I gradually opened my eyes I was greeted by the pretty and pale smiling face of Anna lying close beside me.
'How are you feeling?' She whispered.
'Okay... I think?' I replied softly. There were so many thoughts and unanswered questions running through my mind now that I didn't know whether to share them with Anna or keep them far away from her. I mean the last thing I wanted to do was scare her again.
'Are you sure you're okay?' She persisted. I took a deep breath and let out a gentle sigh before deciding to open up to her just a little.
'I don't know, it's like... It's like I don't know what's real here in this place anymore you know? Nothing that is happening around me makes any sense, none at all. I mean are you even real?'
Anna let out a sly grin before taking my hand and brushing it softly against her cheek. I couldn't help but smile at her unexpected action.
'I think there's someone else here with us?' I continued.
'Like who? I haven't seen anyone else here but us.'
'I don't know, but someone or something. But I don't understand how you haven't seen anyone else or some of these other things that are happening here.'
'Like what David? What other things have been happening?'
'I don't know if I'm seeing things Anna or what the hell...' I paused. My mind was such a mess with so many conflicting thoughts.
'What did you see David? Please tell me?' Said Anna insisting. I paused again though, did I really want to tell Anna about this, about Ian, about Steffi, the trail of blood! The second skeleton?
'Tell me what you saw. I want to know?' Said Anna again.
'I saw... I saw a woman.'
'A woman.' Said Anna confused.
'Like you... but a little older and with lighter hair.'
'So where is she now? Did you speak with her?
Did I speak with her, ha, I almost snorted out as I replayed the horrifying image in my head of Steffi screaming out insanely, right into my face.
'Well?
'No... No I did not.'
'Do you want me to go and speak to her?' Said Anna.
'No.' I replied bluntly.
'Why not?'
'Because I don't think she's really... here.'
'So how did you see her then if she's not really here. I don't understand.'
'I know...' I sighed out in frustration. 'It's just so confusing... everything is just so bloody Arghhhh.' I continued growling out. I turned over onto my side to face her. 'Just forget I said anything okay. I think my mind is playing tricks with me that's all.' I said as Anna just smiled back at me.
'Okay.' She replied with a blank expression, and just like that it seemed that she was quite happy to just let this conversation go and forget all about it.
'So how are you feeling?' I asked.
'Better.' Said Anna with a bit of joy in her tone.
'Good.' I replied as I studied the bruising on her neck once more, little blotchy brown and dark blue patches covered the sides of neck. I felt so bad at the sight of them and the fact that she probably didn't even have the slightest clue that they were there, made me feel even worse.
'My head doesn't hurt so much anymore.' She continued.
'Me to.'
'I still feel scared though and confused.'
Suddenly I remembered something, something that might cheer Anna up a little.
'Hey.' I said letting out a coy smile. 'Close your eyes.'
'Why?' Said Anna who was staring at me now with very curious eyes.
'I want to give you something?'
'Okay.' She replied smiling giddily like a little child. Anna closed her eyes and as she did so I leaned gently over towards her and kissed her right upon her forehead. Anna continued to smile as she opened her eyes again.
'I'm sorry about hurting you in the shower before.'
Anna nodded like she had already forgotten about it and cuddled up to me.
'It's okay. I scared you.'
'Yes...' I said. 'Yes you did.'
\*\*\*
We had both fallen asleep again, but this time side by side. Anna suddenly startled me though by unintentionally waking me up as she winced out like she was going to be sick. She quickly covered her mouth, rushed out of bed and out of the bedroom altogether towards the shower room. I turned over onto my side and listened carefully to the sound of Anna vomiting into the toilet. After a few seconds her vomiting stopped and I waited patiently for her to return so that I could ask if she was okay. Instead, I heard only the sound of the shower water beginning to run and quickly thought it might be best to just get up from my slumber and check that she was okay and could, of course, use the shower facilities properly. Wearily I left the bedroom and made my way towards the shower room wiping my eyes from sleep as I walked. When I reached the doorway I found myself caught in a startled daze at what I saw inside. Anna was stripped fully naked with her back turned towards me as she stepped into the hot running shower with her eyes closed, her face was full of joy and excitement as she let the warm toasting shower water stream all over her beautiful and pale naked body. I couldn't help but just stand where I was, frozen in a trance like state at seeing this beautiful, naked and wet angel before me. I remained in the doorway for some time, just watching her as my loins began to grow and stiffen and I was filled with the strongest of urges now to just walk on over to Anna and join her in the shower. Maybe she would even let me hold and comfort her like she had held and comforted me in the bedroom. But I resisted such stupid thoughts and continued to watch as she used her hands to wash and guide the running shower water all over her smooth naked body, all over her small firm breasts and erect nipples, all around her tiny and delicate hips and waist and all the way down to her delicious, curvy thighs and finally in and around her own loins and firm pale buttocks. Suddenly Anna half turned around to face me and I completely froze in shock, but her eyes were closed tight and did not see me as she continued to enjoy her shower, but then, moments later, I almost jumped out of my skin as a firm hand placed itself down upon my shoulder. I half turned in such a fright to face the source only to find Ian standing behind me on the edge of the doorway.
'Nice view.' He grinned. I was silent as I turned back to face the showering Anna. 'Why don't you go in and join her? I know that's what you're thinking young man.' He continued.
'What?' I said confused and a little flustered.
'Don't you feel that?' He sighed.
'Feel what?' I asked, even more confused, as Ian brushed his hand against the top of my thigh gently touching my stiff groin.
'Down there.' He grinned again.
'Don't do that?' I said feeling uncomfortable.
'It's only natural you know... To have these kind of urges... down there.'
Ian brushed his hand against my thigh once more as I closed my his eyes frozen in a state of anger and shock of what I should do, how I should react. I wanted to lash out at the bastard for laying his hand on me, but I also wanted to hear more of what he had to say.
'Please... Don't do that.'
'Doesn't it feel good though?' He replied.
'Please... don't.'
'Would it make it any easier David if I told you that Anna was yours.'
I opened my eyes again and stared at Anna. What did he mean by that, Anna was mine. It didn't make any sense.
'What do you mean she's mine?' I said. I could feel Ian leaning closer towards me now, pressing his lips almost right up against my ear, I could feel his warm breath on my lobes as he finally whispered to me.
'She's yours David... She is your wife...'
'My wife.' I said, still confused.
'Yes!' Ian whispered again. 'She's your wife David... She belongs to you... To do with what you will... And in anyway you see fit for her to please you...'
I stared even more intensely at the beautiful, naked, wet and loin stirring figure of Anna. I wanted to be naked with her inside that shower right now, more than anything else I had ever cared to want or remember. I imagined what our skins would feel like pressed against each other underneath the hot water and I imagined just how good it would feel to hold her tightly against me. Naked body against naked body. Naked wet skin against naked wet skin.
'Go to her David.' Whispered Ian once more. 'Go to your wife and be with her.'
With those words I kind of found myself in a trance and stepped further inside the shower room, taking off my white trousers and pants as I walked even closer towards Anna. Ever so casually, I slipped in beside her. I touched her shoulder and Anna quickly turned to face me looking startled at first by my presence, but soon smiled out giddily, before stepping closer towards me.
'Feels good yeah.' Said Anna smiling out.
'Yeah... It feels nice.' I replied, unsure of myself now.
Anna continued to wash herself as I stood nervously in the shower watching her clean and wash her naked body all over. I was beginning to feel more and more uncomfortable by the second. The images I had imagined before getting into the shower with Anna were not the images happening before my eyes. In truth, I just didn't know what to do next. Finally Anna turned back towards me and placed her hands upon my hips urging and pushing me to turn my back to her. I was a little confused about what she had planned, but when I eventually turned my back away from her she started to wash the shower water all over my entire back with her soft hands. I didn't know what to say, do or act, so I became submissive and let her get on with it. One thing was sure and that was her rubbing and washing hand movements all over my back felt good. Once she was done she guided me back to face her again and this time began cleaning and washing at my front side with much more care. It felt even better than when she was cleaning my back, but it was also beginning to feel a little uncomfortable too as I struggled to control my ever growing sexual urges and racing thoughts. Anna seemed happy with what she was doing though and smiled out joyfully as she gently massaged the whole front side of my body. Something though just didn't feel right about this situation. I don't know why, but there was just this niggling little feeling in the back of my mind that I should leave this shower room right now, right this very second, no matter how good these feelings felt to me, of Anna's hands all over my wet naked body. Finally she finished massaging and cleaning my entire front side before unexpectedly turning her own back to me.
'Your turn to do me David.'
For a few seconds I just stood and stared at every square inch of her beautiful and slim curvaceous back and buttocks. She was stunning and my urges were so great that I just wanted to pull her close to me from behind and wrap my arms tightly around her breasts and upper body and grind my hips gently onto the backside of her buttocks. Of course though I didn't and just stepped back instead.
'This doesn't... this doesn't feel right Anna.' I said as I put my hands to my head letting out a deep sigh. Anna turned quickly around to face me looking concerned.
'David! What's wrong? Is your head hurting again?'
'I'm sorry!' I replied. 'I can't do this... I'm sorry.'
I abruptly left the shower area and quickly gathered my trousers and pants hurrying out of the shower room. I'm sure Anna was more than a little confused as she watched me leave.
\*\*\*
A short while later and I was sitting in the middle of the row of three chairs once again at the far end of the dim computer room, right in front of the huge viewing window. I was sitting naked with my feet up on the same chair, tucked in against my buttocks, while I hugged into my knees. I hadn't bothered to put my white trousers back on as I was still wet from the shower and wasn't feeling cold at all. I thought about Anna and how I wanted to hold her close to me so much and grind myself against her, yet somehow it didn't feel the right thing to do. I was feeling so upset, angry and confused, but by staring out at the brilliant twinkling darkness outside it was making me feel better, calming me down and taking my mind of all my confusing and conflicting thoughts racing through my mind. My eyes then caught the reflection of a dark figure slowly entering the computer room from behind and coming towards me. I didn't dare move or turnaround though. As the figure came closer I could see that it was in-fact Anna, still completely naked and wet from the shower just like me. I took a deep breath as she manoeuvred herself around to the front of the three chairs to face me, eventually blocking my view of the glorious twinkling darkness with her own stunning naked petite body. Without words I glanced up at her for a long moment and stared deeply at her with blank thoughts and a blank expression while she stared at me just the same. I had no idea what was going to happen here but my loins were stirring hard once more and I felt my hardness begin to grow and stiffen at the sight of her wet naked body. A rush of lustful adrenaline was beginning to race through my veins and take over my entire body and I could feel that I was going to loose control soon. Anna though moved a little more closer towards me so that her lower stomach and groin were both gently pressing up against my knees and lower legs. She felt so soft and warm, it was such a good feeling to have her pressed against me like that and my hardness grew even more. Anna pressed her hands down on top of my knees trying to prize them open and with my strength I could've easily stopped her from doing so, but I couldn't resist and opened them for her, gently letting her naked body slip even closer towards me, brushing against my inner knees and inner thighs until finally her stomach was pressing right up against my hardness and she arched her back at feeling it. I couldn't resist her any longer and raised my hands up to Anna's face, gently caressing her cheeks and neck. I reached down and wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her smooth naked body even closer towards mine so that there was no longer any space between us. With her face now right in front of mine I pressed my lips softly against hers for a brief second, then just like I had remembered doing to Steffi in the shower room from my memories, I opened my mouth a little wider and slipped my tongue gently inside Anna's mouth, while taking her tongue deep inside mine. I felt Anna push herself against me even harder and firmer as I let my hands wander all the way down her lower back and towards the back of her upper thighs and tight firm buttocks. In one swift movement I lifted her up and off her feet and the solid floor below until she was finally sitting down on top of me. I felt Anna's wetness right away and with a little help from her, she easily guided and took my hardness deep inside her.
I was lying wide awake once more, but with the beautiful naked Anna sleeping peacefully beside me, arms draped over my chest. I turned onto my side and began watching her sleep. It felt so calm and soothing to watch her in such a motionless state, almost as relaxing as gazing out into the twinkling darkness. It felt good to watch her too, not as good and as pleasurable as the previous animal act we had recently shared together, but a different kind of good. A comforting good. I kept trying to stop myself from thinking about the experience Anna and I had recently shared, but it was hard to get those thoughts out of my mind. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the intimate act, I really did. It was just the fact that something, somewhere, felt wrong in the back of my mind, something didn't quite sit right. In my heart and in a rational state of mind, I think I truly never really wanted to go through with the act, but those urges were just to damn strong for me to resist and when they took over my entire body it scared me, it really, really scared me, because I wasn't in control of myself anymore when they took over. Just like when I wasn't in control when I tried to strangle Anna in the shower room. This was what scared me more than anything, not being in control. But at the heart of it, my mind, my thoughts, my feelings, I just couldn't stop thinking 'Why did this act of intimacy between two consenting and sexually active adults feel so strange and wrong?'
Suddenly a faint beeping alarm sounded out from along the corridor outside. I tried to think where I'd heard a similar sound and then I remembered the beeping noise that Anna's pod had made before it fully opened and she came into my life. Quickly, but careful not to awaken her, I climbed off the bed and made my way out into the main corridor, following the sound of the beeping noise all the way inside the pod room. I entered and stared hard at the four remaining unopened pods which were all flashing and beeping wildly from each of their own little computer screens. I approached and tried to glance into each of them, but they were just too damn steamy inside. I then rushed over towards the main computer in the far corner of the room and began to frantically press at the emergency de-hibernation buttons, until eventually all of the pods finally began to open up. I took a few seconds to glance around at the opened pods, but I couldn't see any movement or hear any sounds coming from them at all. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, maybe a whole bunch of Anna look-alikes to come leaping out at me from each of the closed pods, but I felt a little deflated when no movement came from a single one of them. I gently slid down onto the floor against the computer system behind me and thought about how that 'this was it then,' unless I can start to remember anything more from my previous existence, there was nothing more for me to do here. This was it for both Anna and I. To remain alone here for all eternity, inside this giant box of square corridors and odd shaped rooms with their bizarre contents. Nothing else to do or see here, except eat, drink and hold each other until, until when? Until we finally ran out of food and drink?
Something caught my eye, it was movement, very slight movement from the very last pod. My heart pounded in my mouth and I gazed up with excited wide eyes. A man's hairy hand suddenly emerged from inside, then another hand, then finally the rest of him began pulling himself up onto his feet inside the pod. The man was tall with a slim build. He looked older than me by maybe a few years, but not as old as the strange Ian, and like me he also had a full beard and wore a pair of those white sleeping trousers.
The man looked completely exhausted and disorientated as I watched in awe as he staggered wearily out of the far pod, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head as he balanced himself up against the front wall near the exit doorway.
Slowly I rose to my feet, continuing to glance over at the new arrival who began coughing out violently before composing himself and groaning out, holding his head in discomfort, just as myself and Anna had done. I froze when he eventually glanced over at me with squinted eyes.
'David!' The bearded man said tiresomely but like he really knew me. 'Is that you David?'
I felt a little shocked and awed that this new man should know my name and so I remained frozen in silence.
'David?' The man said again, but with more determination in his voice.
'You...! You know my name?' I said finally.
The man rubbed his face once more and shook his head, desperately trying to wake himself up. He then glanced all around at the opened pods.
'David, is everyone else awake?'
Again I was frozen in silence. This man seemed to know things, his mind seemed to be intact from the sleeping pod, unlike myself and Anna, he seemed able to remember. He had memories. A little chill of excitement ran down my spine. Finally I might get my answers.
'Jesus Christ, I need some water.' The man groaned out.
\*\*\*
The man, still staggering and finding it hard to keep his balance, leaned onto my shoulder for support as I led him without words into the kitchen and dining area, finally helping him settle down onto one of the dining room chairs. I made my way over to the kitchen cupboard and grabbed a couple of water packages before handing them over to him. The man quickly tore off the small white lid and devoured the first package in just a few seconds. I continued to stand and watch, keeping my distance while I gazed curiously at him. What did he know about this place? About me? and how the hell we ended up in such a strange accommodation. The man let out a loud gasp as he finished his second water package.
'Ahhh! That was good.' He then leaned back in his seat and took a good look up at me for the first time, studying every inch of my body.
'The shuttle's so quiet. Where is everybody?'
'I...' I didn't know what to say to this. 'I don't know.' I continued. The man just chuckled in amusement at my comment and for no good reason.
'What do you mean you don't know?' He said. Again I remained silent, I still didn't know how to answer or even where to begin.
'All the pods are open.' He continued. 'Where's Ian, Steffi... Anna?'
My mind was in knots, he knew them all, he knew Anna.
'...Anna?' I said curiously.
'Yes Anna!' He said smiling like this was all a game. 'Where is Anna?' He continued. Why was he more concerned with Anna than the rest of them I couldn't help but wonder.
'She...' I said distant. Something told me in the back of my mind that I had to be careful with what information I shared with our new arrival. This man wasn't like the strange and bizarre Ian, who knew almost every little detail of my inner most thoughts and desires. This man was more like me, his own person. With the ability to not think from out-with his own mind and thoughts, just like me and Anna.
'She's sleeping.' I said finally.
'Are we home yet? or near about?' The man said yawning.
'Home?' I said, both curious and confused. Again the man chuckled.
'Yes, home! Why are you acting so spaced out David? Jesus!'
'I... I don't know.' Was all I could muster. The man then leaned forward towards me looking very curious.
'What's wrong with you David? You're acting really... weird.'
'You know my name!' I said blankly. The man chuckled again.
'Yes, David! I know your name.'
'But I don't know you.' I said. 'I don't even know your name?'
The man leaned back in his chair and rubbed more sleep from his weary eyes.
'I'm really too tired and lagged for you're funny stuff right now David.'
'Do you know who I am?' I demanded.
The man sniggered, then abruptly stopped rubbing his eyes to give me his full attention and with a look of great seriousness.
'Please David! Will you stop this stupid act right now.'
'You know my name!' I said again. 'So you must know who I am?'
The man stared curiously up at me for a long moment as I began to both feel and look more and more desperate by the second.
'Who am I? What am I doing here? Please tell me something... anything, please.' I pleaded, breaking away from my previously calm state. Suddenly the man stood right up onto his feet scaring me a little by his abrupt movement. I backed away just a little.
'David!' Said the man sternly. 'What the hell is going on with you?' But I couldn't keep control of my fragile and upset emotions any longer and I began to sob.
'I don't know... I don't know what's going on here. I can't remember who I am... I can't even remember how I got here? ... And I'm just so scared...' I said trying to regain my composure and stop myself from sobbing anymore. The man then unexpectedly motioned for me to approach him.
'Come here David. Please... Come here.'
Still trying to control my sobbing I approached the bearded man who opened his arms and gave me a comforting hug.
'It's okay David, it's okay.' He said as he gently rubbed my back. Gradually, I eased up on my sobbing.
'Who else is on the shuttle right now David? Who else is around here?'
'Just me...' I said as I pulled away from the man's arms. Suddenly thoughts and images flashed and raced all over my mind. Thoughts of kissing Steffi with such passion in the shower room followed by Steffi shrieking and screaming out in shear terror right in front of me. Thoughts of Ian smiling smugly and whispering into my ear. Then finally thoughts and images of Anna, oh the beautifully pale and fragile Anna. Giggling playfully with me in the kitchen as we squirted each other with water. Strangling her up against the shower room wall. Being intimate together and joining together as one inside the dark computer room with the glorious twinkling darkness viewing window in the background as she took my hardness inside her. And then finally thoughts of Anna sleeping peacefully in the bed beside me... so peaceful and calm.
'...Anna!' I finally whispered.
'Anna? Anna's here? Is she okay?' The man said greatly concerned.
'She's...' I paused. I couldn't think of the right words to speak.
'She's what David?' Continued the man, more urgent. He grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. 'What David? What's wrong with Anna? If there's something wrong with my wife then I want to know right now. Take me to her.'
Wife! I felt numb inside. The small niggling thoughts of why I should resist my urges towards Anna were slowly making there way to my mind's surface. So Anna was not my wife as Ian had suggested. She belonged to this stranger in front of me and she to him, if in fact his words were truer than Ian's.
'Your... wife?' I said with hollow feeling.
'Yes David! My wife Anna! Is she okay?'
'She... She's okay.' I said distant. 'She just can't remember... like me... She just can't remember.'
'Show me?' Said the man determined.
\*\*\*
I remained hovering over beside the bedroom doorway as the man sat himself down upon my bed, right beside Anna who was still lying on her front side, sleeping peacefully. He began to shake her softly, trying to stir her awake. I continued to watch from the doorway as Anna gradually and wearily broke out of her sleep. She stretched and yawned out and I couldn't help but think how pretty she looked. Finally Anna turned to face who she thought was me, but looked completely horrified to find the figure of another bearded man sitting next to her, watching her, touching her. Anna screamed and quickly scrambled up onto her backside and towards the other side of the bed, cradling herself in the corner like a frightened animal and trying her best to hide her naked breasts and genitals from the strange man's view. He backed off a little though, clearly shocked and bewildered by her actions.
'Anna... it's me.' The man said softly. Anna screamed for him to get away from her. 'For Christ sake its me. It's Mark.' Said the man as he reached out to touch Anna once more, but again she screamed for him to get away.
'It's me baby, it's me! Your husband, Mark. Don't you know me? Don't you remember me baby?'
Suddenly Anna noticed me hovering over by the doorway and turned desperately to face me. She looked a little calmer now at seeing me.
'What's going on David? What's happening? Who is this man?' Said Anna anxiously. There wasn't anything beautiful or sexy about her now in this panicky state.
'It's okay Anna. He came out from one of the other sleeping pods that we came from. He says he knows us...'
'Anna!' The man interrupted me. 'I think both you and your brother are suffering from a severe form of memory loss due to your hibernation sleep, so I need for you... for both of you...'
And that was it! My mind finally clicked. My deep and dark hidden thoughts of wrongfulness finally surfaced... Brother... Sister... Wife! I was completely frozen in shock, but didn't have time to process my thoughts any further as Anna began shaking her head wildly and in a disillusioned state. We were both in a horrendous state of shock, but I choose to deal with it internally and silently. Anna on the other hand couldn't restrain herself from exploding.
'What did you say?' Anna raged. 'What did you just say?' She snarled and snapped out with venom to Mark. 'Whose brother... What brother are you talking about? ...Whose brother?' Anna had lost all control of her emotions now as she spat that last sentence out. She started shaking all over. All I could do was remain calm by the doorway and watch, but inside I felt sick, utterly and physically sick. My insides were decaying with filth. Anna glanced desperately up at me, looking for me to say something. To give her an answer or a reason for this madness, but I felt so dirty and ashamed I couldn't meet her stare and glanced quickly away. What would become of us now? How would this situation ever right itself?
'I don't...' Said Anna, whimpering out. 'I don't have... I don't have a brother. I DON'T REMEMBER ANY BROTHER.' Anna was quiet again for a brief moment, but I felt this was only the quiet calmness before the vile storm, as she too lowered her gaze downwards. Mark spoke again and how I wished he would just shut up and leave us be and not utter another single damn word, but he was more confused than any of us about what was happening here.
'David is your brother Anna. I am your husband.' He continued. 'Look, I'm not getting into your family history right now if it's just going to confuse and upset you even further. But I do need to get you into the medical bay and have a look at you.' Mark paused for a brief second and smiled out. 'Now unlike you I'm no Doctor Anna, but you did teach me a thing or two over the years, so hopefully if we can just go over some basic checks and routines, it might help you to at least remember some things.'
'I... I'm a doctor?' Whispered Anna, still trying to come to terms with everything that Mark was saying.
'Among other things, Yes.' Said Mark smiling again. Anna looked back up at me with a look of shear and utter disgust. If any look could kill a man where he stood then it was this one.
'And him... This is my...?'
'Yes... Your brother. You are twins if that means anything more to you.'
I broke my gaze away from Anna again. I could not even bare to look at her anymore. Anna glanced away from me and started to hold her stomach in great discomfort.
'I feel... I feel like I'm going to be sick again.' Said Anna as she began wincing out. Mark stood to his feet while stretching over to help her off the bed. But Anna just freaked out at Mark and began thumping him with her fists like a wild and uncontrollable animal
'DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T YOU TOUCH ME!' She screamed. Mark, was caught off guard and found it hard to block some of her wild blows at first, but quickly he came to his senses, eventually grabbing a hold of Anna by her wrists and restraining her with his brute strength, finally pinning her struggling naked body face down upon the bed with her arms forced behind her back. Anna continued to scream and struggle wildly as I looked on horrified at the raging, rabid animal that Anna had now become. I couldn't think at all. I didn't want to think. I could only watch and listen. Mark then turned and shouted at me.
'David! I need you to run into the medical bay and get me a sedative and an injection needle from the top right hand cupboard, okay.'
'I don't, I don't know where... I don't know what any of that stuff is.' I said panicking because I had been put on the spot.
'Shit!' Raged Mark in frustration. 'Do you at least think you can hold her down while I run and get what I need then.'
I didn't want to do this either, but I nodded submissively as Anna continued to scream and rage out for Mark to let her go. She then started sobbing.
'Well come here then!' Said Mark getting even more annoyed. I quickly approached the struggling Anna beneath him.
'Now take my grip of her wrists okay, kneel on her lower back and hold her down hard for two minutes. You think you can manage that?'
Anna continued to scream and struggle out frantically, but she could hardly move for Mark's strength holding her down. I nodded and quickly took a firm hold of Anna's wrists as Mark let go of his grip. I then placed my knee upon her lower back as Mark hurriedly left the bedroom. I continued to hold Anna down as she screamed and sobbed more uncontrollably now than ever.
'I DON'T UNDERDTAND THIS! I DON'T UNDERSTAND ANY OF THIS! She screamed and sobbed. 'Why is this happening to me? Why is this happening...?'
I also couldn't help myself any longer and began sobbing too. I then lowered my face close to Anna's ear and whispered gently to her.
'I am so, so sorry Anna! I am so, so sorry...'
'GET AWAY FROM ME.' Anna exploded, spitting and snarling. 'THIS IS YOUR FAULT... THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT...'
More tears began trickling down my cheeks as Anna continued to sob with me. I wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay, but nothing was okay... Nothing was ever going to be okay ever again for both me and Anna. For a brief moment in time we had our own little bubble together in this place. Where everything was okay and everything felt nice and good and simple... but now that bubble had burst and it was never coming back.
Anna lay sleeping again upon my bed as both Mark and I watched from the doorway. Now she was heavily sedated thanks to a strange and curious needle Mark had injected into her arm which took barely a few moments to take effect
'Was that the first time she's been hysterical like that since you both came out of the pods?' Asked Mark without taking his eyes away from Anna, he was truly distressed by all of this.
'Yes.' I dully answered.
'Maybe it was just the shock of seeing me. I must be like some random bloody stranger to her.' Continued Mark. He then turned to me. 'How long have you both been living like this for?'
'I... I don't know!' I replied unable to meet Mark's stare. 'But it feels like a long time.'
Mark took a deep breath and touched my shoulder as he turned away, back into the corridor.
'Well let's have a look around the shuttle. See if we can find out what went wrong, and just where the hell the others are.'
\*\*\*
Mark and I entered the dark computer room with the large viewing window. The room where Anna and I... a room I no longer wished to go anywhere near. But Mark was leading the way and I felt like I had to oblige with whatever he asked of me. He was our only hope to make any sense of this mad situation right now.
I hovered around the doorway as Mark took an extra long moment to scan around the dark interior of the room until he finally focussed his attention upon the first row of vandalised computers and their screens.
'What the hell happened in here?' Mark mumbled almost to himself.
'It was always like this.' I replied.
Mark then sat himself down at one of the damaged computers. The screen had a large crack along the front, but when he touched the black screen it came to life with an array of different colours and seemed to be in fine working order. I moved closer towards him so that I could get a better view of what he was doing. I wanted to learn and I had a new urge growing inside me now to know things.
'Can you explain to me what you're doing?' I asked.
'Well, at the moment I'm just rebooting the system and then I'm going to run a program through the main computer which will hopefully scan for our location.'
'So where do you think we might be located?' I asked.
Mark chuckled at that and gazed over towards the viewing window. I followed his gaze also.
'We... really... could be anywhere my friend... any bloody where!'
'What is that out there?' I said focussing my attention towards the twinkling darkness outside.
'If you really can't remember David, then you really don't want to know.' Replied Mark chuckling to himself again as he returned his focus back to the computer screen.
'Does it have a name?'
'Space my friend. Just endless regions of never ending space.'
'And the lights... all those beautiful twinkling little lights?' I said.
'Homes for some people, I guess! Lots and lots of little homes dotted all over space, of which one of them, hopefully, is our own home.'
'Home.' I said softly and smiled at such a comforting thought.
Suddenly Mark began hitting his hands upon the desk in frustration. He was getting angry for some reason.
'What's wrong.' I asked.
'The program won't tell me our location because it doesn't recognise any of my commands. It's like it's been completely wiped.'
I watched over Mark's shoulder as he entered a program into the computer which seemed to be for the hibernation pods, but then a box popped up with writing inside asking for a time and date entry. Mark looked even more frustrated and confused.
'If the computer doesn't know the time and date then how am I suppose to bloody know!' Sighed Mark to himself.
He tried to access another program but another box popped up flashing 'inactive'. Mark then entered another program that I just couldn't understand.
'What are you doing now?' I asked.
'I'm trying to access another program which will hopefully tell me about the ship's power supply.'
Suddenly the screen flashed up 'MAIN POWER GENERATOR OFF LINE. EMERGENCY BACK UP 40%.'
'What the hell is going on here?' Said Mark thumping his fists upon the desk again.
'What does that mean?' I asked. Mark though quickly stood up from the computer and made his way over towards a huge, sealed and metallic looking computerised box.
'It means that if we can't get the main power back on again then we are as good as dead my friend.' Said Mark as he began to explore all around the large computerised box. It didn't seem that I could help Mark out much at all with his new duties so I made my way uncomfortably down towards the row of three chairs in front of the viewing window. Thoughts of what myself and Anna had done here flashed through my mind and I tried to shut them out immediately which was easier said than done. The reason I had really come down this far was that I wanted to show Mark the Skeleton remains on the floor beside the chairs, I wanted to get his thoughts and input.
'I think you should come down and see this.' I said glancing back up at Mark. Mark though was fully engrossed in his new work over beside the large metallic box.
'What is it David?'
'I don't know... maybe one of the missing people.'
Mark stopped what he was doing right away and glanced over at me looking very confused. 'I mean how many other people are there suppose to be?' I continued. 'How many are missing?'
Mark left what he was doing for the time being and made his way towards me.
'There are two others missing that's all. Ian and Steffi.' Said Mark. He approached the chair and glanced down in awe at the skeleton remains.
'What the hell...?' He then crouched down to take a closer look, picking up some of the scattered bones and skull before studying them with great fascination and curiosity.
'I don't understand.' He said, still confused. 'This is a female skeleton... and it looks like it's... thousands of years old! I mean what the hell.'
I remained silent as Mark continued to study the skull closer. My mind was still struggling to keep up with the recent events since Mark's arrival and still couldn't process the basic concepts of time. Ten years. One thousand years. It meant nothing to me.
'How is this even possible.' Mark mumbled to himself.
'There's another one.' I said.
'Where?' Asked Mark glancing up at me.
'Down the dark hole. The one with the long ladder into the darkness.'
Mark let out a deep breath and stood back up onto his feet.
'Well we can't do anything about this right now. I need to get the shuttle's main computer and generator back online and get it working in at least a half decent state too. Then hopefully I can access the DRD so we can find out just what the hell's been going on here.'
'DRD?' I said clueless.
'It's a Digital Recording Database. Recorded footage of the entire shuttle.' Said Mark as he pointed over towards various dark places on the ceiling. 'There are cameras in every room and corridor inside the shuttle keeping a digital log of everything that goes on here. Do you understand what I mean?'
I glanced up and all around the dark room.
'No.' I replied. I didn't understand much of what Mark was saying anymore.
'The computer watches everything and records it... What ever we do on this Shuttle the computer sees it.' Continued Mark as he pointed over at the large main metallic box. Someone has been watching me all this time I thought. Did he mean Ian? Was Ian maybe a part of the metallic box! He seemed to know and see everything, but wasn't Ian suppose to be one of the missing crew? I really didn't understand.
'...If I can get it working then I'll show you. There should be hundreds, thousands of hours of footage containing every single bit of action and conversations that have ever took place here since we left... home.' Mark smiled at me now and placed his hand upon my shoulder. 'And I guess it can be your job to rifle through all of the footage since you have nothing better to do with your time and I can get on with trying to fix the shuttle and getting us the hell back home. And who knows Davy boy, it may even help with your memory problem too.' Mark chuckled again as he slapped my shoulder and headed back up towards the large metallic box. I just continued to stare up at the ceiling trying to catch a glimpse of these hidden camera digital things that he was referring too. I couldn't see them though, no matter how hard I tried... but they could see me no doubt and had seen everything since the first time I emerged from my sleeping pod.
\*\*\*
I didn't know how much time had passed, but it felt like a long time. I was sitting in a crumpled heap in the far corner of the dining area. I hadn't seen Mark for sometime either, of course I'd heard him wandering all over this place, this thing he called 'shuttle.' At times I could hear him down below and other times I could hear him moving about and doing things in the rooms nearby. Anna, I had not seen or spoken too since we'd sedated her and nor did I have any intention of ever seeing or speaking to her again if I could help it. Once or twice I'd heard Mark go to her room and try to speak with her, but I didn't think she ever spoke back ever. He must've brought her water too and maybe some food, but I couldn't say if she consumed it or not. Sometimes I moved about the Shuttle and laid myself down inside one of the other bedrooms, but apart from them and this kitchen and dining area, there wasn't really any other place for me to go. And no matter where I ended up I could never ever escape my thoughts that haunted me now with every conscious moment.
Suddenly all of the lights began to fade and the ship was in darkness. This was a new development I thought. After another few seconds all the lights came surging back on, but bigger and brighter now than ever before which hurt my eyes a lot. It was the quick sudden brightness which effected me more than anything and as I closed my eyes over, shielding them from the light, it triggered something in the back of mind and I remembered... Some old memories returned to me from before my time in the pod.
I was inside the small box room that I had discovered earlier when Ian told me about the double tapping of doors. The one with the up and down leaver inside. I remembered now that this was called a lift and could take me from the main first floor of the shuttle down into the darkness below, of which I remembered now was called the cargo bay. I was in the lift with Anna and we were both laughing and smiling playfully. We were both wearing our grey uniforms, grey shirt and trousers. The lift doors opened and we exited out into a brightly lit cargo bay and as Anna walked out of the lift first I playfully tugged upon the long pony tail she had her hair tied into. Anna yelped out playfully too and turned to slap me on the shoulder, but I was too quick for her and moved out of her reach.
'I'm going to kick you where it really hurts in a minute David.' She said acting cross.
'Go on then?' I cheekily dared her.
Anna turned away from me again, but just as soon as she did I quickly moved up behind her and pulled on her pony tail once more, this time making a train noise.
'Choo! Choo!' I said chuckling. We seemed so happy. Anna laughed out too before turning and pretending to kick me between the legs. I was far too quick for her though and grabbed her leg, holding it off the ground while she desperately tried to balance herself with her other leg.
'You call that a kick sis! That was pathetic.' I said taunting her. I then began casually walking away from Anna while holding her leg, making her hop along with me further into the main cargo bay.
'You are such a big kid David. Jesus.' Continued Anna giggling away and desperately trying to free herself without falling over as I dragged and hopped her along.
'And your thigh is gonna be helluva swollen up like a balloon by the time I've finished hopping you around the shuttle for the rest of your shift.' I said back to her. Suddenly Anna deliberately fell down onto the floor finally wriggling out of my hold before quickly getting back up onto her feet and jumping onto my back to tickle me hard which was almost unbearable as I struggled to throw her off. Suddenly a grumpy looking Ian stepped out from a side room just up ahead of us.
'Come on guys stop acting like a bunch of teenagers for Christ sake. There's plenty of work to be done here.' Said Ian disapprovingly. He seemed to be a completely different person to how I knew him, in the present, was this really the same Ian. Anna stopped tickling me and slid down from my back. We both stood up straight and faced Ian, composing ourselves.
'Sorry Sir, didn't know you were down here. And besides, this lightweight kicking donkey started it.' I said letting out a sly wink and smile in Anna's direction. Anna just nudged me back. So Ian was our leader our captain maybe.
'How you ever became a chief engineer is beyond me boy.' Replied Ian shaking his head while letting out a sly grin.
'He'd be more at home as chief monkey at the Alpha seven zoo.' Said Anna grinning out too. I pretended to chuckle at that, before quickly flicking Anna's ear with my thumb and forefinger. Anna in return kicked me in the shin.
'Owe! That was sore you bitch.' I said rubbing my shin while hopping on one foot.
'What are you down here for anyway.' Said Ian growing impatient with our child like playtime antics.
'Monkey boy's just helping me stock up on some medical supplies before we settle down into our pods for the journey home.'
'Well...' I interrupted, '...Only because all of my duties are well up to scratch sir. I thought I would show a bit of brotherly love and help out my adorable sister for a bit.' Ian began turning away to head back inside the side room again.
'What are you up to anyway sir?' Enquired Anna.
'Ah, just doing some manual checks before we go into sleep mode.'
'Well don't work too hard sir.' I said trying to be smart but sounding more cocky.
'And keep that one on a short leash will you.' Replied Ian frowning back at Anna. I barked playfully out like a dog as Ian frowned and Anna slapped me on the back of my head.
Next I remember being back up on the first floor of the shuttle with Anna again. I was helping her carry some small crates of supplies into the medical room. I placed my crates down onto the floor for her to sort out later. Anna then spoke to me from the other side of the room.
'Thank you so much for your help monkey boy.' Said Anna smiling.
'You're welcome doctor do-little.' I replied. 'Well I'm away to grab a quick shower.'
I turned to leave the medical room when a clean shaven Mark entered looking very cheerful.
'So how's it going gorgeous.' Said Mark glancing over towards Anna.
'I'm good thanks!' I replied rather cheekily, before Anna could get a word in. Both Anna and Mark smiled at that as Mark cuddled up to Anna from behind.
'Hey bud!' Said Mark to me. 'Glad I caught you, do you fancy a quick game of air-hock before we hit the pods.'
'Sure!' I said. 'I'm just gonna grab a quick shower and snack first, I'll be fifteen minutes okay.'
'No worries' Replied Mark. He then turned towards Anna again and wrapped his arms more tightly around her while I delayed my exit. I felt very happy in this particular moment just watching and smiling and being happy for my beautiful sister, knowing that she was so in love with Mark and he was so very much in love with her too. The feelings of joy and happiness swelling up inside me were overwhelming. I was truly, truly happy that my sister had found this... this love and comfort.
'So how are you doing?' Mark asked Anna.
'I'm fine, a little tired that's all, just want to get into those pods and back home already.' Replied Anna as Mark gave her a long and loving kiss upon her cheek. He then began rubbing gently at Anna's stomach.
'And how's our little Mini Doctor.'
'He's about the size of a fat frog.' Said Anna smiling happily. A baby! I thought suddenly. She has a little, living, breathing and growing tiny life form inside her. I couldn't believe I was only remembering this now. Oh Anna... Was this the reason she was feeling sick those times and rubbing her stomach. My sister has a baby inside her... I turned and started to make my way out of the medical room.
'I'll leave you two love birds too it then.' I said as I finally left with a huge grin on my face.
'Bye, bye uncle David.' Replied both Mark and Anna in unison. I was so happy. Everyone was so happy. Where did it all go wrong?
Next I remember coming out of the shower room, but wearing only a towel around my waist. I walked slowly up the corridor towards the dark computer room with the large viewing window, but I remembered it now to be called the 'Main control room.' And it wasn't dark any longer. It was now brightly lit with intact flashing computers and screen dotted all over the place. I paused outside the control room doorway and glanced inside to see Steffi working away hard at one of the computers. She was all alone and so in engrossed in what she was doing. I grinned slyly and sneakily made my way inside so that she wouldn't know that I was there. I was as quiet as I could possibly be. Silently I approached her from behind until finally I grabbed her around the waist giving her the biggest fright I could manage. Steffi jumped a little as she turned to face me now frowning.
'I had a feeling you were going to do that at some point.' She said letting out a wry smile.
'Just trying to give you a cheeky little fright that's all.' I replied also grinning.
'Well I'm a hard girl to shock and please. You should know that by now Davy boy.' Said Steffi as she turned away from me and back to her work.
'How about if I drop the towel, would that shock you?' I said mischievously.
'I prefer my sausage rolls long and meaty David, not short and shrivelled thanks.' Said Steffi grinning out while trying to work again. I pretended to be insulted by letting out a deep sigh before casually dropping my towel onto the control room floor right beside her.
'Jesus Christ David! Ian could walk in at any minute.' Replied Steffi slightly annoyed as she spun around on her chair to face me.
'Relax, he's still down in the cargo bay.'
Steffi quickly climbed off her chair and crouched down to pick up my Towel, wrapping it back around my naked waist.
'Come on Steff! It's not like you haven't seen it before.' I said.
'I told you to cool this shit off now David until we're back home okay.' Replied Steffi clearly angry and annoyed now. 'Okay, okay! I'll hold off, Jesus.' I said as I raised my hands for dramatic effect and backed away. Steffi sat back down on her chair again and turned to concentrate on her computer screen, but I was still feeling in a playful mood and so reached over and began to playfully pull at Steffi's hair.
'Come on David, Please, I'm trying to work here.' She replied becoming more and more agitated.
'So when are you planning on telling him about us anyway?' I asked changing my pulling motion to a gentle stroke through her soft dark blonde hair. Steffi stopped what she was doing and let out a deep sigh before turning back to face me.
'Look David! Let's just leave this for now okay. At least until we're back home. I mean what good is going to come from any of this by bringing it up with Ian now?'
At this point I remembered feeling so hurt and rejected, like the realization had finally hit me that just by listening to her tone of voice and watching her negative body language towards me, I knew now that Steffi would never truly be mine. She'd had her fun with me on this voyage.
'You're not going to leave him when we get back home are you?' I said coldly.
'Just wait until we're back home David okay, please. Let's talk about it then.' Said Steffi sighing out once more.
I crouched down to face Steffi suddenly. I wanted to be eye level with her. I felt that I needed to be serious with her if I wanted to win her over. Maybe she was just tired of my immature playfulness.
'You know I love you don't you?' I said, but Steffi remained silent. 'Do you love me?' I continued. Steffi remained silent for a long moment... finally she spoke.
'Why are you making this so complicated all of a sudden David, why? We had a good thing going on here on this trip didn't we. We fulfilled our needs and desires when we couldn't get them from anyone else. Why do you want to ruin the memory of that?' Said Steffi with callous in her tone.
'I just want you to know how I feel that's all. I want you. I want to be with you? Jesus Christ I think about you all the time Steffi and it's driving me crazy.' Suddenly I knelt down onto one knee. 'Marry me?'
Steffi exploded, but in a controlled rage as she tried to keep her voice down.
'Are you serious David.' Steffi snapped. 'What the hell is wrong with you? We were meant to be having a little bit of fun, that's all. A little bit of no strings sex, that's what we agreed. And now you want to get fucking married? Has someone been tampering with your oxygen levels?' Continued Steffi with a look in her eye that said there was no hope at all for any of my love to be returned back to me. So Steffi had rejected my love. I had declared my love for someone who I thought I could be with forever and that she would want to be with me in the same way too... But she had shot it right back into my face.
'Wake up David for Christ sake. I AM married. I don't want another bloody husband.' She said even more annoyed, but in an angry whisper. I remembered now that I was gutted, absolutely gutted and speechless in this moment, while only moments before I had been feeling so joyful and happy. Like I was completely invincible after declaring my love, but now I was falling deep and hard into the pits of darkness and despair.
Steffi finally turned away from me again, back to her computer screen, back to her important work.
'Please just go David.' She said coldly. I was still on one knee, frozen in hurt by her words and rejection.
'I... I don't know what to say to that.' Was all I could muster and mumble from my lips.
'Please... just don't say anything David. Just go and get ready for your sleep okay.' She replied without turning.
'Why are you saying these things now? After everything we've done together. All those times we've been with each other.'
'Because...' Steffi turned furiously to face me once more. '...You keep pushing this and pushing it David, and I thought that if I could just wait for us to get back home then I could just... I don't know, not see you for a while once we go back to our own lives and our own cities and eventually we would just... forget all about each other.'
'You don't want to see me again... Ever! Are you kidding me??' I was completely distraught. The dark pit of despair was never ending.
'That's the way it was always going to be David! Jesus, I can't believe we're talking about this now.' Replied Steffi, pulling at her hair in frustration. 'Yes, I wanted to see you again, you were a good fuck. The sex was good, but that's all!'
'I was a good fuck... that's it.' I said lacking all emotion.
'Why do I sound like the man here David? You're the young fit alpha stud. I was suppose to fall for you. I'm the one who's ten years older. You were suppose to be the one who told me that we wouldn't be seeing each other again once we got back home. You were suppose to be the one to break my heart.' Steffi was speaking. Words were coming out from her vile mouth, but I wasn't listening to them anymore. I gazed down at the floor.
'Just a fuck?' I said coldly and once again lacking in emotion.
'Yes. And in all honesty David, you're not even the first person I've been with in a situation like this nor will you be the last. Every new journey brings a new crew together. These journeys between planets can be long and tedious... and things can just happen if the right physical chemistry is involved. But also things that would or could never happen outside of this Shuttle.'
'So you kind of led me on then?' I said.
'No... Well maybe a little David, but you're a good kid.' She replied giving me a comforting touch on the shoulder. '... But now you're coming out with all this love crap and neediness bullshit... I don't want this David please, I don't need it. And to tell you the truth it's a little bit pathetic.' Steffi then moved her hand away from my shoulder. 'Go to your pod David and sleep... please.' Steffi turned away from me again, but as she was in mid turn I suddenly pulled her back around to face me. I felt so determined to win her heart that it was overwhelming me to be physical with her.
'I love you Stefani. When I look in your eyes... I see an unbreakable bond between us. I see my future. I want to be with you.'
Steffi wrestled herself free from my hold and began pushing me violently away, so violent that I fell back off my knees and had to reach my hand out behind me to support me.
'Just fuck off from me David all right.' She snapped. 'Get the hell away from me, right now, I bloody well mean it.' She paused for a moment and calmed herself down from her angry state. 'Just go... Please... Just go and get ready for home.'
I was silent. She really did want nothing more to do with me. Our brief fling and love affair in space was finally over. I gradually stood back up onto my feet feeling and looking completely distraught and heart broken. I stared hard at Steffi but she refused to meet my gaze... I then backed slowly away from her and finally left the Shuttle control room.
Back in the here and now present I continued to sit down against the far wall of the dining area, deep in thought, pondering long and hard over these new memories and revelations. So I had loved and longed after Steffi with all my heart and soul, but those feelings meant absolutely nothing to me now. Ian had been her husband and my captain, my leader, yet grumpy, hostile and lacking in conversation in our past life. Now he appeared to me as some tormentor to me, a tormentor who only I could see, toying with me and playing with my vulnerable feelings. Implanting suggestive thoughts and images into my mind like he was playing some sick and twisted game for his own agenda. And then there was Anna, my sister, my twin sister and fellow work colleague. She was deeply in love with Mark and they were going to have a baby. I was going to be an uncle... when we finally reached home that is. But something had happened on the way, perhaps while we were in our pods. Some people had died and now we were lost and stranded in this never-ending twinkling darkness called space.
Suddenly the control room lights flickered on and off once more before coming back on brighter again and this time staying brighter. This was followed by a low humming noise that surged through and all over the shuttle. Did we have the main power back now? I heard Mark whopping out in a delighted and buoyant tone from the insides of the control room.
'We have full power Woo Whoo.' He continued to cheer.
After a long few moments Mark stuck his big smiling head through the kitchen doorway and glanced in at me as I remained seated and deep in thought at the back of the dining area.
'Hey buddy...' He said softly but cheerfully.
I glanced back at him with a blank stare, I was in no mood for smiles and cheerfulness right now. 'We got the main power back.' He continued. I gently nodded. 'I'm just gonna check up on Anna then hopefully we can get started on the digital records. You still wanna help me out?'
'Sure.' I replied numbly.
'Good stuff.' Mark smiled. 'I'll see you in the control room in a few minutes then.' Mark headed back out into the corridor and I listened carefully as he made his way up towards the bedroom at the far end of the corridor. I quickly stood to my feet and made my way over towards the dining area exit doorway and kept myself hidden from view as I poked my head slowly out into the corridor so that I could get a better listen to Mark's conversation with Anna. Which, if it was like any of his other previous attempts then it would be pretty much strictly one sided.
Mark double tapped the door. It slid open and he stepped just a little way inside the bedroom. I could just about see the small figure of Anna who was curled up in a ball on the floor and against the far wall, in between the two beds. She also appeared to be holding at her stomach, but didn't seem to be in any kind of distress or pain.
'Hey...' I heard Mark say. 'How are you feeling?'
Anna did not answer him though. Mark then crouched down where he stood, trying to level himself up with Anna's view.
'I know you must be feeling really scared right now Anna.' Continued Mark but I could barely make out his words as he let out a deep sigh. 'But you'll get better I promise... You will start to remember again I swear... And you will remember that we were happy together once upon a time... We were so happy.'
Again Anna did not answer in her numb, zombiefied state and just continued to stare out obliviously at nothing in particular.
Mark was sitting at one of the main computers inside the control room while I stood wearily behind him, just watching him work, but trying to act as interested as I possibly could in his now mundane actions. Of course I had been very interested in Mark's actions when he first started working on the computer. I really was keen to re-learn these skills that I'd somehow forgotten, but I was carrying too many dark and conflicting thoughts inside my mind now. Too many old memories were coming back to me that I still couldn't make head nor tails of. And I guess I kind of felt a little more dead inside too with every conscious second I spent in this place.
'...After I got the main power back online the whole ship reset itself.' Said Mark staring blatantly into the computer screen. '...So I don't think I'm gonna be able to find out what date it is or even how long we were in those hibernation pods for.'
I leaned over Mark's shoulder and stared blankly at the scrolling images on the computer screen with my faked interest. '...And there's not even any present day records to compare them too.' Mark continued.
'Does it really matter what the date is or even how long we were sleeping for anymore?' I said without even thinking. 'I mean time doesn't really seem to effect this place.'
'Of course it matters' Snapped Mark. 'I need to know what to expect when we reach home. We could've been drifting out here for years.'
The computer screen continued to cycle and scroll through thousands and thousands of hours of empty recorded digital footage from every single room on board the shuttle and from all four of the main corridors and cargo bay.
'How long will this take?' I asked. I think I was trying to hint to Mark that his time would be better spent on other skilful tasks around the shuttle and I was more than happy to take over his tedious duties of cycling through the thousands upon thousands of countless hours of shuttle camera footage. I actually didn't care one bit about what Mark would find riffling through the footage before we went into the pods, but for obvious reasons I sure as hell didn't want him stumbling across any footage of me and his wife, Jesus, me and my own damn sister even, being intimate with one another all over the shuttle. I couldn't predict in the slightest how he would react, but I didn't think it would be good.
Mark continued to watch the screen.
'I was hoping only just a few hours, but with all the time and date files being reset. My God, this could take forever.'
'Oh!' I said not wanting to be too blatant as he'd already suggested before that I could do this task for him.
'Here!' Said Mark getting out from his seat suddenly. 'Sit down and I'll show you how to work this, it's pretty simple. It could give you something to do for a while.'
I sat down in Mark's seat as he showed me how to work the recorded footage playback system, which was all pretty much just about touching the screen with my fingers and making certain gestures with my finger tips, left and right, while touching the screen. Once Mark thought that I was confident enough to be left on my own, he gave me a comforting pat on the back and left me too it.
\*\*\*
I continued to cycle through the digital footage of the shuttle's main computer. After a short while of this repetitive mundane nonsense, it was beginning to get easy for me to cycle through it faster and faster. All the screen seemed to show was a continuous array of footage of empty rooms and corridors all around the shuttle. The corridors were dark and empty. The bedrooms were all dark and empty and the hibernation pod room was dark and still, with every pod lid closed firmly shut.
Mark entered into the control room once more and made his way over towards me.
'Found anything interesting yet?' He asked upbeat.
I continued to look at the screen in a morbid state.
'Nothing! Absolutely... nothing.' I replied.
Well I'm gonna grab some food and water for Anna. Do you want anything?'
'No.' I said softly keeping my eyes fully focussed upon the screen.
'Okay, I'll leave you to it.' Said Mark as he turned away from me, leaving my side. Suddenly, just as Mark was about to leave the room again, Anna's distant but horrific chilling screams could be heard shrieking out from along the corridor on the other side of the shuttle.
Mark turned to me for a brief second, almost as if he wasn't believing what he was hearing. I quickly turned to glance back up at him, both of us looking completely startled by this unexpected shrieking.
'Anna!' Said Mark anxiously. Quickly he bolted through the control room exit doorway and out into the main corridor. I too stood up from my seat and hurriedly made my way out into the corridor quickly moving in the direction of Anna's shrieks and hollow sobs along the kitchen corridor. I saw Mark running desperately into the shower room just up ahead where the sound of Anna's frantic cries were coming from. Finally I reached the shower room and came to a sudden halt right beside the doorway only to be brutally confronted by a bloodied and hysterical Anna at the far end of the room. Blood was smeared all over and down her inside thighs and groin. Her hands were also covered in blood as she cradled her stomach in pain right next to the toilet.
'Oh my god! Oh my god.' Said Mark equally hysterical as he rushed to comfort Anna who continued to scream and sob out hysterically herself. Mark hugged into her hard and stared down at the toilet seat and bowl which was also smeared with much blood. He then scrunched his eyes and turned painfully away from the toilet.
'Oh Christ!' He cried. 'Oh Jesus Christ.'
'What's happening to me.' Anna sobbed. 'WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME.'
'It's okay my love, it's okay.' Said Mark hugging her even tighter.
'Is she okay.' I quietly asked. Anna continued to moan and sob as Mark, beginning to gently sob out too, continued to comfort her with all his love and warmth. Tears were streaming down his face as he turned to face me.
'Just go back to the computer David, okay! There's nothing you can do here... Please, just go.'
I continued to watch the bloodied Anna sobbing in a fit of hysterics. I glanced once more at the blood stains and smears upon the toilet bowl and seat, trying to fathom just what the hell had happened to her. Then I remembered the baby. Maybe this was something to do with the baby inside her.
'David please!' Screamed Mark in anger. 'Just go back to the fucking computer will you. NOW!' Mark's angry outburst brought me back to the reality of the present in an instant, jerking me out violently from my state of deep thoughts in a frightful jolt. Heeding Mark's angry pleas I turned slowly away from the doorway and made my way back down the corridor.
Some time had passed since I witnessed the bloody event in the shower room. I had done as Mark had asked and made my way back to the control room to resume my duties with the recorded computer footage, but my mind was awash with the horrifying images of Anna all bloodied and freaking out like she had gone madly insane. When I saw the blood on her thighs and hands and all over the toilet. The way she was clutching at her stomach like she had lost something dear to her. I just knew right away what had happened. Her baby, the tiny little baby I had remembered she was carrying inside her belly. A baby that she probably knew absolutely nothing about until just a short while ago. I kind of knew instinctively how babies should come into this world, but not like that. Something bad had gone wrong inside her and now the baby was gone. I suddenly slammed down upon the small keyboard in front of me in a moment of anger and frustration over and over again. I wasn't really paying any great attention to the screen, my mind was still all over the place regarding Anna. But as I sighed out and held my head in my hands, the computer program must've skipped somehow to another part of the digital recorded footage caused by my random banging inputs, because when I glanced back at the screen, an out of place movement from the corner ceiling view of the control room camera, quickly came to my attention.
The lone figure of Steffi came to my sight as she eerily sat upon the flight deck seats, completely still and just staring out into space. I couldn't tell whether she was dead or alive as I stared in shock at this seemingly lifeless woman on my screen.
'Steffi!' I whispered as I reached out and touched the screen. I didn't feel much emotion to this woman at all anymore but it didn't stop an unexpected single tear spilling out from my eye and rolling gently down my cheek. It was such a sad, lonely and pitiful sight to see. I peeled my gaze from the flight deck seats upon the computer screen and glanced over towards the three real live flight deck chairs just a few yards away with the skeleton remains below them. I turned back to the screen and quickly cycled through more and more footage, trying desperately to find more live action images. I think I was scrolling far too fast in my anxious state of excitement, as various different and speedy images emerged onto the screen. I caught a quick glimpse of my old self occupying various camera screens, and then there were some horrendously violent images too, violent outbursts, screaming and face to face confrontations. I quickly stopped the footage and saw myself in the control room with Ian and Steffi and we were all talking with raised voices with one another. So I scrolled back further and began the playback just as my old self entered into the control room where both Steffi and Ian were working and the very start of the confrontation. I watched the screen with great fascination at seeing myself. This cold and sinister looking character was clearly an older version of me, but someone I did not recognise nor his actions in the slightest.
On the screen the old me was eerily standing at the doorway, just waiting and watching. It seemed like the old me had been standing out there for some time too. I scrolled forward a little touch on the computer, just as the man who looked like me finally stepped into the room where Steffi seemed to be running data through the main computer still. The very computer where I was seated right at this very second in the present. I watched now as something bad, something very, very bad indeed was about to unfold. Ian was sitting, working humbly away and with his back turned across from Steffi at another computer system across from her as this man who resembled me finally stepped into the control room.
'The perfect happy couple.' This man said with a chilling callousness. He seemed cold and upset. Steffi turned with a startled look to face him.
'Jesus Christ you scared me! What the hell are you doing here David? I thought you were in your pod with Anna and Mark.'
'Are you okay David?' Asked Ian concerned as he turned to face the man who looked like me. The man ignored Ian though and made his way smugly towards Steffi, slowly getting closer and closer towards her. I noticed that both his hands were strangely placed around his back. He was holding something underneath the back of his shirt, maybe something heavy or awkward of which he did not want the others to see.
'Looks like we have the whole shuttle to ourselves now aeh Steff.' Said the man grinning wildly as he finally reached within inches of the startled Steffi. He leaned over her shoulder now, but with one hand still behind his back. On the other side of the room Ian remained seated watching this bizarre scene with great curiosity.
'Fancy a quick fuck then for old times sake?' Said David into Steffi's ear, but loud enough for Ian and the control room cameras to overhear. Steffi closed her eyes for a brief moment completely distraught. She looked like her whole world was just about to come crashing down upon her. The man who looked like me then began kissing and caressing at Steffi's neck. Across the room Ian stood abruptly to his feet.
'What the hell is wrong with you David? Take your bloody hands off my wife. What the hell has gotten into you man?' Said Ian in anger. Hearing Ian's voice Steffi opened her eyes and snapped out of her frozen and distraught state.
'What the hell are you doing David? The shuttle's shutting down in ten minutes and you do this now!' Said Steffi upset. The man continued to stare at Steffi with great intensity and cold eyes. Finally he spoke.
'How about it then sweetie? Time for one last quickie before we hit the pods.' The man grinned as Steffi shook her head in disgust. Ian continued to stand where he was confused and still clueless as to what was going on here.
'You stupid fuck. You are such a fucking asshole. Why are you doing this now? WHY.' Yelled Steffi.
'Steffi! What the hell's he talking about?' Said Ian firmly. 'What the hell's going on with you two? Is there something going on with you two? Tell me?'
The man who looked like me continued to stare hard and intensely at Steffi and without taking his eyes from her for a single second, he spoke.
'Me and your sexy little vixen wife here Ian, well, the short version is... we're in love.'
'Don't listen to a word of his shit Ian. He's a sex pest! Been coming onto me this whole trip, like my own personal spaceman stalker. Begging me to have sex with him every time we found ourselves alone together. He just won't take no for a goddamn answer. He's obsessed with me. Completely and utterly obsessed.'
'Is this true David?' Said Ian rather calmly. The man who looked like me ignored Ian though like he wasn't even there and began trying to tenderly kiss the left side of Steffi's neck again.
'Hmmmmm, you smell so fucking good Steff.' Continued the man. Steffi quickly tried to struggle out of her seat and away from him, desperately trying to push the man away, but he was doing a good job of holding her down with his free arm. Ian though was rushing towards him. Trying to stop him from touching and holding down his wife. Oddly though the man who looked like me still had his other hand firmly placed around his back and in a moment of utter insanity, of which I had to sit up right in my chair with eyes wide and hands to my face as I watched in horror. The man who looked like me suddenly pulled out an axe from underneath the back of his shirt and swiftly swung it straight into the top of Ian's skull as he rushed forward. It took a few eerie moments for Ian's lifeless body to fall back and hit the solid floor below, but he was most definitely dead. Killed outright from the brutal axe blow to his head. Some of Ian's blood had splattered over Steffi's face as all she could do was just watch the horrendous scene in absolute shock and speechless terror. The man who looked like me grinned out insanely at Ian's lifeless and bleeding body upon the floor. Steffi started shaking all over in shock and finally, after what seemed like an age, she let out the most harrowing and hysterical scream. Suddenly the man who looked like me came to his senses and turned his attention back to Steffi and away from the dead Ian. As he did so he pulled out a small but sharp looking needle syringe from his front pocket. Now he grabbed Steffi forcefully by her hair, holding the syringe close to her neck as she continued to scream out.
I continued to watch the action on the screen in a shocked awe of disbelief. Back on the screen the man continued to yank Steffi aggressively by her hair while holding the prick end of the needle syringe right up against her throat as her screams turned into desperate pleas and murmured moans of mercy.
'I'm so sorry it had to end like this my love.' Said the man coldly before injecting the needle end of the syringe deep and hard into Steffi's neck. She squealed out in pain before frantically trying to push David away from her, but he was just too damn strong in his maddened state.
'I'm sorry my love. But if I can't have you, then no one else will.' Said the man who looked like me as he hugged the groggy looking Steffi for the briefest of moments, tightly against his stomach. Finally he held her away from him and punched her hard in the face, knocking her from the chair and banging her head off the computer table as she fell semi conscious onto the floor.
I leaned back in my chair, shocked at watching this insane drama unfold in front of me and ran my fingers through my hair. I just could not believe what I was seeing. It just didn't make any sense that I would ever be capable of doing anything like this, especially to someone whom I loved and cared dearly for. Back on the screen and the man who looked like me stood over the seemingly unconscious Steffi, glancing down at her as she laid morbidly still upon the floor. Suddenly the man who looked like me began freaking out all over the place in a maddening and insane rage, smashing most of the surrounding computers and screens around him with his clenched fists and forearms.
'Why, why, why!' He screamed and raged while on the floor Steffi flinched and groaned out for the first time since she fell too the floor. The man snarled at her movements and turned towards Steffi's body. He took a sickly running kick straight into her stomach. Steffi cradled the blow with her arms while coughing and spewing and gasping for air at the same time. The man then took back his axe from Ian's head with a pop and began going to work on the control room computer screens and hard drives again. This time with his axe in another bout of angry insanity. Finally, exhausted, he finished vandalising what he could of the control room and threw the axe hard down upon the floor before falling down onto his knees and sobbing.
'All I wanted was just to be with you Steffi.' The man continued to sob. 'For us to just be together. I loved you so fucking much. Why couldn't you just love me back. WHY?' After a few seconds the man composed himself and began wiping away his tears as he leaned back onto his knees, gradually controlling himself and his breathing.
On the floor beside him, Steffi glanced over at Ian and wearily reached out.
'Ian...' She sobbed. '...My husband.'
The man who looked like me finally controlled his own sobbing and started breathing more calmly as he watched Steffi glancing, reaching and calling out to Ian. He let out a deep sigh of frustration and ran his fingers through his hair looking even more annoyed.
'Shit! shit! shit!' He shouted out in anger as he looked anxiously all around and at the chaos and destruction he had caused. 'What to do! What to do!' He seemed to be thinking wildly out loud about what to do next. Quickly he gazed over at both Steffi and Ian.
'I guess it's just going to have to be the Airlock for both of you then.'
Quickly the man sprung back into action and climbing back onto his feet he grabbed a firm hold of Ian by his ankles, dragging him out of the control room to Steffi's weak and weary protests. The blood from Ian's gapping head wound smeared out from behind him as he was dragged and pulled out and along the main row of corridors.
Still watching the computer screen with a great intensity I quickly changed the option for the camera view on the screen to the corridor cameras and followed the man who looked like me as he dragged Ian's dead body out into the main corridor and up towards the lift beside the kitchen and dining area. From the control room camera's point of view I could also make out the semi conscious Steffi, still struggling to breath, but rolling herself over now onto her front side and trying desperately to drag, crawl and haul herself over towards a nearby working computer situated close to the row of flight deck chairs. Finally she dragged herself up onto the seat of the nearby computer and began to groggily and wearily operate it, tapping away at the keyboard as best she could. From the other camera footage on the screen out in the main corridor, I watched as the man who looked like me double tapped at the lift doors, but nothing was happening. Suddenly all the lights went dark and there seemed to be no power any longer. This must've been Steffi's doing I thought as she accessed the computer in the control room. The man who looked like me continued to drag Ian's dead body down to where the emergency laddered hole was situated in the corner of the next corridor which led down into the cargo bay below. The man quickly opened the tiled trap door and awkwardly bundled Ian's body deep down inside laddered black hole, but as he struggled to do this the man who looked like me began holding his chest, seemingly struggling more and more for his breath for some reason. He was just about to climb down after Ian's body when a beeping noise sounded out from back along the corridor in the direction of the hibernation pod room. The man who looked like me struggled to glance down the corridor through the darkness and towards the pod room where, when I changed the camera view to the pod room, lots of red flashing could be seen coming from one of the pods. The man who looked like me quickly clambered up onto his feet, closed the tiled trap door firmly shut and wearily made his way over towards the hibernation room as fast as he could manage, still clutching at his chest as he struggled to breath. From the camera view of the control room, Steffi continued to groggily operate the computer she was seated at. It seemed obvious now that not only had she done something to the main power, but she had done something to one of the hibernation pods while seemingly cutting the oxygen levels onboard the shuttle, which would account for the man who looked like me's struggles to breath. The man entered the room and approached the bleeping and red flashing pods, but as he glanced around he soon realised that only one pod was flashing red and bleeping out wildly.
'Anna!' The man shouted anxiously as he rushed towards the main computer screen and cycled frantically through a program. The man looked even more frustrated though as the program wouldn't let him gain access. He glanced desperately back towards the open doorway leading out into the main corridor and yelled out Steffi's name in disgust.
'STEFFI.'
Clutching his chest and struggling to breath even more, the man rushed as fast as he could manage back down the corridor and towards the control room, towards Steffi.
From the computer screen I continued to watch in a confused daze of shock and awe, I didn't know what to think or what to make of any of this madness. It was like a bad, bad dream. But I knew as I glanced over at the skeleton remains that this wasn't going to end well.
The man staggered, breathing hard, but looking more disorientated now than ever as he clambered into the control room to see that Steffi had crawled all the way over from her semi unconscious position on the floor towards the working flight deck computers.
'Steffi.' The man screamed. 'What the hell have you done?'
Steffi had collapsed though on top of the computer keyboard as she too desperately struggled for her breath. Her work seemingly done here or maybe still uncompleted as she could barely lift her fingers anymore. The man approached Steffi and roughly pulled her up by the hair to face him.
'What the hell have you done, you bitch.'
'You took someone I love away from me...' Said Steffi smiling out and wheezing for breath. 'Well right back at you.' She continued to grin weakly. 'None of us are going home anymore. None of us.' The man placed his hands tightly and firmly around Steffi's neck and squeezed with an insane fury, squeezed with all his might. Steffi was too weak to resist and it didn't take long at all to drain the final ounce of life force from her body as he squeezed, tighter and harder. Steffi's lower body flopped softly away beneath him, completely and utterly lifeless. The man then began sobbing uncontrollably as he hugged Steffi into his chest, hugging her and holding her with all the love and warmth he could muster. He continued to sob in despair for a few more moments before picking Steffi up in his arms and carrying her to the row of three seats on the flight deck. Here he sat her down peacefully upon the last chair facing her towards the massive viewing window with the space and stars swarming outside. He then backed away and returned to the nearby computer system which Steffi was using to control the shuttle's power and oxygen levels and frantically began typing. A password protection screen flashed up in big, bold letters and the man let out a frustrated cry of defeat.
'NO, NO, NOOOOOOOO!' The man raged. 'What the fuck did you do you stupid bitch. FUCK!' And in a further fit of frustrated anguish, the man who looked like me picked up the computer screen and threw it violently down upon the control room floor, shattering it into peaces while letting out a deafening roar.
I continued to glue my eyes to the screen as the man staggered back down the corridor towards the pod room, struggling to breathe at all. In the pod room he barely managed to balance himself upright as he approached Anna's pod. Wildly frustrated, he banged furiously upon the glass, before reaching down for the emergency lid release button, hammering it continuously with his fist.
The pod opened and as quickly as he could manage, the man picked up the unconscious Anna from her pod and placed her into the nearest free one and closed the lid down upon her, sealing her inside. He then staggered around uncontrollably, losing all balance and co-ordination in his body as he struggled to gain control of his oxygen restricted senses. Suddenly he fell off balance against the near wall, falling down onto the floor below and smacking his head hard. Trying his best to shake it off he staggered awkwardly back up onto his feet and clambered inside the nearest free pod. Once inside he pressed desperately down upon a green button by his side and after a few seconds the pod lid closed down securely upon him, putting him into a deep and dark comatose sleep.
I remained seated where I was directly in front of the silent computer screen. No more movement could be seen from any of the cameras. I didn't know what to think or how to react to this. All I could do was continue to stare at the screen in a frozen shock and daze and a belated awe. What had I done to those poor people. How could I have been such a monster. Yet here I sat, unable to remember a single thing about these past actions, although no doubt, at some point in the future those memories would all come crashing back to confront me with a vengeance. In fact I could almost feel them bulging behind some gigantic dam wall in the deepest and darkest regions of my mind, ready to burst those quickly eroding dam walls down, any time. I couldn't help but think about Mark and how he would feel and react to all this when he saw it... If he saw it! I anxiously corrected myself. And there I was previously more concerned about Mark finding out about my recent antics with Anna, his wife and my sister. Were these past events even worse I wondered? I couldn't really decide. To me, no, because I had no memory of killing these innocent people and didn't recognise the man who looked like me in the slightest. He was indeed a stranger to me right now and so were his horrific actions, but to Mark no doubt about it, we were the same person. I had to get rid of the footage and fast. I quickly glanced all over the screen at some option that would help me do this and then I found it. A small option in the top left corner to delete files. I entered it and studied the next array of options hard. Delete selected footage. Delete all footage. I had no other option but to delete all of it and deal with the consequences later.
I continued to sit in front of the computer screen. I had no idea how much time had passed since I 'd deleted all the recorded footage but it seemed like an age. I didn't mind though as I'd found a new hobby now, watching the live present footage of the shuttle's cameras. In particular everything that both Mark and Anna were doing. I watched as Mark washed and cleaned Anna in the shower. Anna was so submissive and passively silent as she let Mark lead her into the running water, letting him wash all of the blood away from her pale and fragile body which no longer looked attractive, sexy and appetizing to me. In fact her whole body disgusted me more than ever and I'd rather Mark didn't even wash those blood stains away from her. I watched as Mark then led Anna out of the shower and dried her down, before leading her back into the twin bedroom all cleaned and washed and helping her into bed. Mark then crouched down beside her and stroked over her forehead and hair with his hand and firm fingers.
'I am so, so sorry my love.' Mark said softly.
Anna remained silent though, completely un-reactive. After a few more seconds of this Mark stood up straight.
'Just get some more sleep my love and I'll be back to check up on you soon okay. I love you so much baby.' I watched as Mark was about to turn and leave the bedroom when Anna unexpectedly spoke, but without turning to face him.
'Was that...' She said pausing for a brief second before continuing in a soft, despairing tone. '...Was that... our baby?'
Mark paused where he was, he looked sad and uncomfortable and seemed to be struggling to find the right words, if any.
'...I'm sorry Anna.' He finally said and turned away from her bedside to leave.
I changed the camera view to the one from the kitchen corridor and watched as Mark made his way back down towards the control room where I was based. My heart felt like it was racing around my entire body as I tried desperately to think of something to do or say to him when he came in and asked about 'how I was getting on with the footage.' Which he always asked. I panicked and quickly stood to my feet, backing away from the computer screen in the corner of the room. I made my way down towards the viewing window at the front of the control room and gazed outside, focusing all of my attention upon a small group of distant stars that reminded me of the face of a bearded man. I heard Mark enter the room, but I didn't turn to face him. I heard him walking closer towards me, approaching from behind. Did he already know what I'd done I thought, was he coming to grab me now, to hit me, to stick a big long sharp needle deep into my throat, just like I had done to Steffi. Whatever happened I thought I wouldn't resist his actions. He was right behind me now and came to an abrupt halt. Finally he spoke.
'How are you getting on with the footage? Found anything interesting yet?' He said, but it wasn't in an interested tone, it was more like a 'making conversation' tone.
'Nothing!' I said just above a whisper and turned to face him. 'Nothing at all.'
'It's boring work, no.' He said smiling. I remained silent. His facial expression said that he had something else to say to me, something more important to him than catching up on the mundane task he'd set out for me.
'Look David!' He said more serious. 'I'm sorry about shouting at you back there. It was just a bad situation that's all. I'm really sorry if I scared you or upset you okay.'
I gently nodded but remained silent. Mark then gave me a warm reassuring tap on my shoulder before turning back towards one of the nearby computers, luckily not the one I was previously working on.
'Jesus, I really need to find out where the hell we are and just how far away we are from home.' Mark sighed.
'How is Anna?' I asked.
'She's not good David. She's not good at all.' Replied Mark grimly. 'She needs help and medical care, much more than what's available to her here.'
'Why was she screaming like that? Was she in some kind of pain.' I asked. Of course I knew the answer but I wanted to hear it from Mark's own mouth. I wanted to know what he knew. Again Mark let out a deep sigh as he glanced over at me, but not directly at me. He seemed to be focussing on the stars outside, just as I had done.
'She was pregnant.' He said quietly. 'She was pregnant with our baby.' Mark took a deep breath. I thought for one brief second that he was going to start sobbing, but he never did. 'And now she isn't carrying our baby anymore.' Mark sat back in his chair and folded his hands and arms up behind his head in silence. I turned back around to face the beautiful and hypnotic array of stars outside in the blackness of space. No more words were exchanged between us for the time being.
\*\*\*
I had left Mark to his own work and tasks in the control room and slowly wandered up the windowed corridor towards the rear of the shuttle, stopping for a brief moment at a section of the corridor near the tiled trap door. Here in my ever increasing, morbid state of mind, I stared coldly at my reflection in the window and in particular my beard which had grown about another inch from when I had last previously noticed it. For a brief moment I prodded and pulled at the beard. I liked the way it felt as my fingers stroked through it, almost soothing to the touch, but the reflection of the back corridor leading up towards Anna's bedroom and the pod room soon caught my eye and I turned around to face it.
I reached Anna's bedroom door which was closed and double tapped the small panel. The door slid quietly open and I carefully and quietly made my way inside. Anna was still lying on her bed with her back turned towards both me and the door. I couldn't tell if she was sleeping or even breathing for that matter, so I cautiously approached and crouched down right beside her bed.
'Anna...' I whispered. She remained silent not even flinching at the sound of my voice.
'Anna are you awake?' I asked again this time in a raised whisper. Again Anna remained silent.
'Anna please...' I said more desperate, but then thought to just give up with this pestering persistence. I was about to stand up and leave her side when she suddenly spoke.
'What do you want?' She said coldly.
'I just...' I mumbled out, a little caught off guard that she had finally replied. '...I... I just came to see you... See how you were? See if you were okay?'
'Well I'm not okay. I'm anything but okay.' She replied sterner and colder than before.
'I'm sorry.' Was all I could mutter back.
'You make me sick!' She continued and without even turning to look at me. 'Just to hear your voice it sickens me to the pit of my stomach... and the feel of your presence near to me disgusts me to my very core. I don't think I will ever be able to look at you again.'
I didn't know what to say to that. All I could do was lower my head in shame.
'I didn't know who I was Anna. Who you were! I still don't. I told you I'd seen things! Things that were only meant to exist inside my head, but I saw these things right out in front of me like they were so real... but they were not real.' I paused for a brief second to catch my breath. There were so many things I wanted to say to her, but didn't have the slightest incline on how to word it. 'I think I'm delusional...' I continued. '...or maybe it's a side effect from sleeping so long inside those damn pods.'
'We are both filthy and impure creatures.' Said Anna interrupting me with a bitter disgust. 'Filthy and impure and nothing will ever change that.' I kept my head and eyes down as Anna continued. I swear I heard a slight whimper from her, but only slight. Like she was trying her utmost to stop herself from sobbing. '...And now my child that I knew nothing about is dead...' She continued. '...And now I wish that I was dead.'
'Please don't say that Anna.' I replied. 'Please.' I so desperately wanted to reach out and touch her, hold her, comfort her, but I knew better to do so. It would only upset and infuriate her further to feel my touch upon her skin and I couldn't handle any more of her shrieking screams.
'Go away now, please.' She said. 'Go away and never ever come near me again.'
'Anna please I just want...' I said pleading with her, but she interrupted me, screaming out in that raging, shrieking voice of hers that I had only come to know all too well.
'GOOOOOOO! GET OUT!' She roared. 'GET OUT.'
'Okay, okay, I'll go, I'll go! But please Anna, can I ask you just one thing. Just one thing and then I'll never come near you again.'
Anna was silent and I took it for a small sign that she would perhaps let me speak.
'Anna please...' I said holding my breath. Again Anna was silent. 'Do you remember anything about your past, anything at all before the long sleep.' I said, but still Anna remained silent. 'Anna please.' I asked once more.
'I remember that I was very happy.' She replied bluntly. 'Very, very happy...' She continued. '...Now please go.'
With that I stood slowly back up onto my feet and left Anna's bedroom. What had I done to this poor girl was the only thought running through my mind.
I sat on the floor at the far end of the control room with my back against the viewing gallery window. Once again I was deep in thought thinking about everything that had happened to me since I woke up inside that pod. All of the new memories that had gradually come back to me. All of the new experiences I had gone through and learned about myself. I was a killer, a murderer, an adulterer, a sinner. I guess when it came down to it I was a very bad man. But I didn't feel bad. I mean I feel bad about myself, sad, depressed, guilty and distressed, but I didn't feel evil bad.
Mark was still seated over at the main computer, but sleeping now, resting his head and arms upon one of the desks. The last time I took any interest in one of his tasks he was scanning through a list of a billion and one co-ordinates still determined to find our location within this dark twinkling abyss and the whereabouts of our home. Suddenly a beeping noise sounded out from the computer and woke him in a dazed snort, while distracting me from my thoughts also. Mark groaned and yawned, wiped his eyes from sleep and focussed upon the beeping computer screen in front of him.
'No location found.' He sighed to no one in particular. He closed his eyes over again and shook his head despairingly. 'We're fucked.' He said grimly. 'All of us are fucked.'
I remained silent. What could I say. If Mark had no hope for us then as far as I was concerned there was no hope. We were doomed to randomly drift through space until the shuttle's power finally ran down and our food and water supply was all consumed and our oxygen supply ceased to exist all together, whichever one came first would be the end of us I guessed. The more I thought about it the more I felt like I wanted to just die, right now, right this very second. Surely death would be easier to cope with than this mundane existence of boredom of sitting around here, waiting for something to happen or another memory to return to me or another ghostly apparition of a crew member I murdered coming back to haunt me. Suddenly Mark stood up onto his feet and stared directly at me. There was a long pause as he stared at me with his cold weary eyes for longer than I felt comfortable with.
'I need to lie down.' He said finally. 'I need some proper sleep. My brain is so tired I can't think straight anymore.'
Again I was silent and just nodded. He then turned away from and left the control room, disappearing into the corridor. I listened to the sound of his tired and weary footsteps plodding away towards the bedrooms. When Mark slept, which was rare, he always slept in one of the other twin bedrooms, never in the same one as Anna which I thought was very respectful of her situation since she was his wife and he loved her so much. I thought I'd give him another few moments to get settled then I would make my way over to the computer that controlled the camera footage and watch him sleep, watch both him and Anna sleep. There was nothing else for me to do here now... and secretly, I think I was beginning to enjoy it, being this secret watcher of the ship.
And then it happened. The beginning of the end. The final doomed nail in our drifting coffin tomb, and quite unexpectedly too. I heard Mark cry out in desperate pain and anguish. Worse than the time before when Anna had lost her baby. Oh it sounded so much, much worse than that. It was kind of like a hollow roar at first. A kind of roaring cry from a man who had nothing left to live for. It chilled me to my very core to listen to Mark cry and scream out like this. So chilling and horrific in fact that I didn't know whether to believe it were real or not. Then he cried out her name with more tragic despair than I had ever believed existed in my small world and entire brief existence.
'ANNAAAAA NO! ANAAAAAA NOOOOOOOO PLESAE GOD NOOOOOOOOO!' He cried. Where to go from here I thought. I stood slowly up onto my feet, trying as much as possible to delay the inevitable if you like. Slowly and painfully I made my way up towards the back of the shuttle, up towards the very end corridor where Mark's torrid cries of sadness and despair were echoing from. I passed the kitchen, the shower room, the pod room and finally Anna's bedroom, but his cries weren't coming from any of them. I glanced further down the corridor and found myself staring morbidly at the open doorway to the medical room. A room I'd only really been inside once before with it's pills, potions, bottled liquids, needles, syringes and sharp medical tools. It was here where Mark's harrowing whaling cries were coming from and it was here that I gradually made my way towards with shear and utter dread. Finally I reached the open doorway and peered inside. Yes, I thought, as I glanced chillingly at the morbid scene laid out in front of me now. It truly was the beginning of the end.
Mark was lying on the floor at the back of the medical room. He was crying out sombrely while hugging into the lifeless figure of Anna with all his love and strength as she lay sprawled out beside him upon the floor. Bottles of opened pills and half a dozen or so various sizes of empty random syringes laid all around her body. Yes she was a doctor in her past life, but she obviously still could remember little about her past occupation as it appeared she had tried and tested as many different pills, powders and syringes on her body as she could possibly get her hands on, desperately trying to end her life along with her emotional and physical pain and suffering. I felt even more dead inside now and had half a random incline thought to pick up one of the bottle of pills and end my suffering there and then with her, but I didn't feel brave enough to do such a desperate act just yet. In my heart, if I had to die, truly had to die, then I'd only want to go out with the last drop of fresh air on board this shuttle. What a coward I truly was. But all I could think about in the moment was that this really was the beginning of the end for us... for me. There was a long and eerie silence as Mark stopped sobbing for a short while and held onto Anna from behind, almost holding onto her for dear life. But when the moment was over he leaned his head back in defeat and quite suddenly and horrifically began tearing at his hair. Blatantly tearing chunks and clumps of his own hair right out from his head, right before my very eyes. It was horrendous to watch, terrifying in fact. Especially when streams of blood began pouring down from these fresh wounds where the roots of his hair should be. Then just as quickly as he started he stopped and roared out in a sickening grief that echoed all around the whole shuttle. I continued to stand in silence over by the doorway watching this, watching Mark raging out and finally loosing himself to the haunting insane madness, the same madness which I think had taken Anna also. Mark placed Anna's head against his chest and gently stroked and caressed over every inch of her ghastly and ghostly pale face before sobbing out uncontrollably once more.
'My Anna... My beautiful, beautiful darling Anna.' He howled and sobbed. 'Why...? If I'm dreaming then I want to wake up now. I want to wake up from this NIGHTMARE.' He shrieked. 'WAKE ME UPPPPP!'
I could only look down and away from him in deep sorrow, pain and regret. Regret that I had ever woken the two of them up from their comatose sleep and peaceful dreams where they lived in a world of utter peace, love and harmony and together with their beautiful, beautiful baby.
'I'm sorry.' I whispered but Mark never heard me. He just chuckled out unexpectedly for a few brief seconds before composing himself.
'She was my beautiful, angel wife.' He said as he looked and touched upon every inch of Anna's pale and motionless face again, gently stroking his hands all the way through her long smooth black hair. 'And now... she's my dead wife... and your dead sister.' He continued without even looking up at me. But he knew I was present. I continued to watch the scene in front of me in a frozen state of silence, while slowly I began to shake my head breathing deeper and harder. Finally I couldn't take this horrifying scene in front of me any longer and the emotion of losing my sister who meant very little to me only a short while ago, suddenly got the better of me. I backed away, leaving the sad and tragic horrors of this room behind. I had to get away from here. Mark never even glanced up at me as I left.
\*\*\*
I sat inside the control room again, seated casually upon the flight deck chairs and starring effortlessly and obliviously out into space. What would happen to us now or what would become of us I had no idea. Would Mark ever be in a fit state of mind to get us out of this mess and would he even care anymore. I heard a faint noise from one the distant corridors, like the sound of a door opening and closing after a few brief seconds. Curious at this sudden noise I made my way back out into the corridor. I called out Mark's name but there was no answer. I walked along the corridor towards the kitchen, lift and pod room and noticed some flashing lights to the side of the lift door and a lighted arrow flashing down. I kept walking past the lift for now and walked along the next corridor towards the Medical room, gradually slowing my approach as I neared the doorway. I didn't really want to be noticed by Mark at all as I was convinced that he'd only begin screaming at me again. Gently I peered around the corner of the doorway but was completely surprised to see both Mark and Anna's body gone with only the mess of the spilled pills and scattered syringes left as evidence that the two of them had ever been there.
I turned back to the corridor and called out Mark's name again. This time louder, but again there was no reply.
So I doubled back and made my way to the lift and doubled tapped the red flashing button which began flashing green right after I tapped it. A few moments later the lift doors opened and I stepped inside, pressing down on the leaver and unlike last time I had tried the leaver it was now fully functional.
I exited the lift and entered into the dimly lit cargo bay at the base of the shuttle. It was the first time I'd been down here since the time I climbed down the dark laddered hole only to find the skeleton of Ian and a ghostly image of an hysterically screaming Steffi.
I took a few seconds to glance around at the many different containers and metallic boxes filling up the area before my concentration was distracted by the noisy sound of a loud thunderous slamming and sealing hiss.
I followed the noise towards the rear end of the cargo bay where I finally came upon a small, sealed room with a large and thick see through glass panel. A large, thick and air tight sealed door was also situated right in the middle of the glass panel. Looking through the thick glass I was completely shocked to see Anna's lifeless body lying on the floor inside the strange room. Mark was also inside, but had his back turned away from me as he typed some commands into a small computer screen at the far end. With a great sense of fear and dread building up inside my mind I began to pound and bang hard upon the thick glass, but for some reason, and no matter how hard I slammed my fists upon the glass, hardly any sound was made at all. Mark couldn't hear a single damn thing I was doing outside. I studied the glass carefully and quickly, looking for something to help me catch Mark's attention. Finally I noticed a small speaker button to the right of the door and pressed it frantically while talking into it.
'Mark... Mark! Can you hear me Mark? Mark, please!' I spoke anxiously into the speaker. Inside the sealed room Mark half turned to face me and the sound of my voice calling into him from outside, but that was all the acknowledgement he gave me as he quickly returned to face the small computer screen to continue typing away. Anxiously I pressed down upon the speaker button once more.
'Mark... Mark please! What are you doing Mark? Please talk to me, please! What are you doing in there?' Mark continued to ignore me. 'Mark I'm so scared, please! I'm so, so scared. Just tell me what's going on in there please.'
Suddenly lots of red lights began flashing from inside and outside the sealed room and another loud and thunderous noise boomed and echoed out from behind the solid wall at the very back of the sealed room, just in front of Mark. Then a loud alarm bell began to ring out. It was so deafening and terrifying. I was so scared and nervous with all these new noises around me. What the hell was happening? Finally Mark turned away from the computer screen and picked up Anna's body right off the floor, holding her in his arms. He glanced over at me calmly and controlled as I continued to stare anxiously at him looking for answers.
'Please Mark!' I shouted and pleaded into the speaker. 'What's happening? What are you doing?'
'I'm sorry David.' Mark shouted back at me, raising his voice over the sounding alarms. 'But there's no hope for us out here anymore. It's over.'
'What do you mean it's over.' I shouted back through the speaker in a panic. 'What about home? What about getting back home?'
Mark took his eyes off me and glanced down at the pale and fragile figure of Anna in his arms.
'She is my home now David.' He continued. 'As long as she lives I had hope... I had a reason to try and get us out of this... this nightmare.' He paused for a few brief moments. I was stifled now. I had no idea what to do or say. 'Now, well at least for me...' Continued Mark. 'There is only one way out of here.'
'What do you mean.' I said fast. 'What are you going to do? Where are you going to go? I don't understand any of this, please. I don't understand.'
'I'm going away David.' Mark replied.
'Away where.' I asked, desperately.
'Me and Anna, we're both going on a journey. So we can always be together.'
I was so confused. So scared and confused. What the hell was Mark talking about? Where could he possibly be going? Out into the darkness! There was nothing out there at all and nowhere to go. And why couldn't he just take me with him?
'Away where Mark?' I screamed into the speaker. 'Please, tell me...please. Away where? And why can't you take me with you?' I demanded.
'I'm sorry David.' Said Mark regretfully. 'But this journey is only for me and Anna.'
Suddenly the large solid thick metal wall at the back of the sealed room and behind Mark started to crack open, beginning to slide slowly apart. It was completely unexpected and seemed an impossibility to me just seconds ago that the walls at the back, behind Mark, could ever pull themselves apart like that. Slowly and painfully it began to peel and reveal the dark and mysterious, vast, never regions of black space outside. And then a great ferocious wind burst in through the emerging crack, screaming and screeching it's way inside like some ghastly and hideous invisible monster. Desperately trying to grab a physical hold of both Mark and Anna and pull them out. Mark's trousers shook in the wind and his hair stood on end, wavering in the air above him. Then just as fast I could physically see and hear, all of the oxygen, air and life was being sucked out of the sealed room by the monstrous wind. It was absolutely frightening.
'Goodbye David.' Shouted Mark, his voice booming out over the deafening alarms and roaring winds inside the sealed room. Both his and Anna's bodies were beginning to shudder and rock violently back and fourth, almost off balance now. Mark closed his eyes and held onto to Anna even tighter. Gently he kissed her forehead as their hair entangled with each others in the high winds.
'Don't leave me Mark.' I screamed into the speaker. 'Please don't leave me here. I'm so sorry... I'm so, so sorry for everything I ever did...'
And then to my horror Mark was finally lifted off his feet and sucked violently out of the sealed room, right in front of my very eyes. And just like that. In a quick blinking instance he was gone and I was alone. It was like he had never even existed or ever been here. Sucked out he was, along with Anna's lifeless body, right out and into the vast darkness of black empty space, clutching on tightly to his wife and my sister as he went. Furiously I banged the thick glass separating me from the sealed room inside and raged out in a fit of screaming agonising emotions before dropping to the floor beneath my feet in utter devastated defeat. I sobbed as that thought 'The beginning of the end' rang out continuously between my ears. I was all alone here now. All Alone
Some time had passed. In fact it felt like a hell of a lot of time had passed. I had no idea how long, but I was still lying in the cargo bay outside the sealed room that had sucked both Anna and Mark out into their new eternal home. Those sliding walls at the back of the strange room had long since closed back over now and everything was quiet again. It was like no one had ever even existed here on board this shuttle, beside me and my memories. Everything that had ever happened, all the people who had ever lived and breathed here. Only lived in my memories now.
I had stopped sobbing but was still lying down on the
floor in complete silence, just staring obliviously up at the metallic ceiling above me. An image of Steffi smiling out warmly came to my mind and then another image of me holding Steffi's naked body in my arms while she pressed softly against my skin as the warm shower water ran over our bodies.
'Steffi.' I said out loud. 'I'm sorry. I am so, so, sorry.'
And then Anna came to me in vision. My sweet, beautiful, pale and fragile sister. She came into my thoughts all smiling and giggling and happy. And then the image of us making love in the control room haunted my mind again. I clenched my face and fists up tightly, trying to shake the disgusting image from my head. Oh Anna, what had I done. I was feeling more and more upset by the second while listening out to the deafening silence which reminded me once more of just how alone now I really was. I was trying and struggling desperately to control my emotions inside. I wanted to cry, scream and roar at the top of my voice, but I was controlling it, barely.
I staggered up to my feet using a nearby cargo container to help me up. When I was finally on my feet I turned towards that cargo container and felt mad at it all of a sudden for some reason I just couldn't comprehend. I wanted to lash out at it, kick and punch at it with all my strength and all my might, but again I restrained myself. I couldn't hold back the sobbing though and with my hands placed over my face I began to cry out in a restrained fit of sobs. 'This was all my fault.' I couldn't help but think. The reason to why I was all alone now. It was all my own doing. I leaned over the cargo container, grasping my hands tightly around the edge. It felt so cold and hard. The tighter I gripped, the harder I had to fight to hold my frustration and guilt deeper inside. But suddenly it was just too much and the emotional pain and anguish finally overcame me and I just had to let out one desperate and painful crying roar before falling to my knees in a fit of uncontrollable sobs... and this time there was no holding back. I let everything out. All the pain, guilt, anger, despair, remorse and internal emotional suffering. It all came flowing out.
\*\*\*
I entered the control room and sat myself down at one of the small computers screens. I tried to enter one of the computer programs by tapping away at the keyboard, but nothing happened. So in frustration I threw the computer monitor onto the floor and sat in an awkward silence for a long while. Later I went for another wander around the shuttle, looking for anything, something to take my mind from my new doomed fate. I took my time to study the different doors and corridor walls in much more detail now and for no particular reason. It was just something to do, to entertain me and occupy my thoughts.
Eventually I ended up in the kitchen and took out some more food packages. There seemed to be plenty left since I wouldn't be sharing them with anyone anymore. So I sat now in the centre of the room playing with some of them and throwing them from one hand to the other. It felt nice, relaxing. It calmed me down. But then I got bored and decided to rip open the heads of the packages and squirt them all over the dining room floor. Then I got even more bored and started squirting the food packages all over the walls until I'd squirted out the words 'MY FAULT' in big, brown, sludgy wet letters. Next I found myself in the long windowed corridor again and pressed my face hard and right up against the window looking out into space. After some time I pulled my face away and spat twice on the glass and watched with great fascination and interest as the two trails of saliva raced their way down to the bottom of the glass.
A mundane boredom was growing bigger and stronger inside me. I couldn't imagine how much longer I could entertain my thoughts and mind like this for. I knew the thoughts of ending my life were there, creeping away at the back of mind, creeping their way slowly to the front of my mind like little creepy, crawly, monsters. Was this what going insane felt like. And then I thought about some of the ways in which I could end it, end this mundane suffering. If I could figure out how to work the strange sealed room that Mark had used then I guess that would have to be the best and easiest option for me. The other option of course was Anna's way, using the pills and syringes from the medical room. I just didn't want to inject anything into me though that would only cause me pain and physical suffering if it wasn't enough, that was the thing. Plus I had no way of knowing what pills and syringes did what? Unless I stuck all of them into me at the same time.
I turned my attention back to the glass and the trail of two spits. Even with the first spit having had a greater head start on the other, he was still handsomely beaten to the bottom of the window by the second. And for some reason that had given me a great feeling of satisfaction and delight inside. And with that ridiculous thought and feeling I chuckled and laughed out from the bellows of my stomach. For a few priceless seconds it felt good. It felt really, really good. But then as the laughter died my thoughts filled up again with dread and despair and my dire situation. My cheerful and delightful laughter quickly turned into a frantic bout of sobbing as I once again fell to my knees upon the corridor floor. Still sobbing I began to crawl, crawling on my hands and knees and all the way towards Anna's old bedroom. The door was still open as I crawled inside and climbed my way up onto her bed and snuggled up into her old covers. I grabbed a hold of her old pillow and put it against my face, sniffing the material hard and wafting the old smells of Anna deep into my face. And then I held that pillow so close and strong against me. Cuddling right into it now for dear life as I curled myself up into a snug little ball, clutching the pillow harder into me with all my strength and might. Imagining and believing that the pillow I was clutching a hold of was in fact Anna wrapped snugly and tightly in my arms. And in no time at all I had fallen into a deep, long and dark sleep.
I awoke. It was a gradual awakening as the faint sound of something crying and screaming from a great distance, crept into my ears and growing conscious state. The more awake I became the louder the screaming and crying rang through my ears which was beginning to sound more and more like the wails of a very young child, a baby perhaps. I shook my head in disbelief at hearing the sounds, but the crying wails still came to my ears. I raised my head and listened more carefully. I was very confused about what was happening here and from where, but it was definitely the faint cries of a new born baby. Still feeling depressed and lethargic I rolled out from my bed with as little effort as possible and down onto the floor, falling onto my hands and knees. I crawled out of the bedroom and into the first main corridor following the faint but distinctive baby cries which grew gradually louder as I approached the shower wet room. Still on my hands and knees I came to a sudden halt outside the doorway and gazed around the empty room. For a few eerie seconds the baby's cries stopped and I struggled to fathom just where the hell the cries were coming from or even if I had actually in fact heard them. Then suddenly the screams came back to full life again over by the toilet bowl at the far end of the room. I stared in bewildered terror at the toilet as the cries from the screaming baby grew louder and more distinct. They were coming from inside the toilet bowl and every instinct inside my body told me to just get up and run. Run as far away and as fast as I possible could from this horror. But like a horse to a carrot my curiosity got the better of me and I just had to peer inside that toilet bowl and see what was making these damn noises. I started crawling slowly towards the toilet, moving closer and closer towards the sounds of the wailing baby. Finally I reached the edge of the bowl. My mind was running wild of a hundred and one different images of all the horrific sites I might see inside. A bloodied baby swimming for it's life. A screaming tiny little baby floating face up in the water waving it's arms and legs to paddle and keep itself afloat. A tiny little baby trying to scramble it's way out of the slippery sided slopes of the toilet bowl. Surely the baby couldn't of been that big to have a full set of screaming lungs to make this kind of deafening noise. And then the memory of witnessing Anna standing here previously all bloodied and distressed as the remains of her bloody, pulpy offspring floated inside this very toilet came back to haunt me. I took a long, hard and deep breath before gathering up the courage to peer inside. As I did so the baby's cries came to an abrupt halt once again and I found myself staring hard into an empty toilet with the air around me filled by an eerie silence. There was nothing but clear water inside.
\*\*\*
I was lying down on my back but fully awake out in the main corridor when I heard a faint beeping sound from somewhere further down the corridor. I raised my head a little from the floor and turned my attention towards it, gradually standing up onto my feet. I made my way along the main corridor, following the beeping noise all the way to the control room and entered. The computer which Mark was last working on was making the beeping noise as the screen flashed wildly. I sat down at the main computer and read the message that was flashing there - CO-ORDINATES FOUND: LOCATION FOUND: SHUTTLE ON ROUTE - I turned towards the large viewing window and saw that the shuttle was now beginning to move at a much faster rate through the twinkling darkness. We were finally going somewhere and I felt a slight twinge of excitement.
\*\*\*
It felt like an eternity had passed and we were still moving through space. The views were just the same, always the damn same. Just stars and blackness. My excitement had long since died and at this rate I would die an old man before we reached wherever the hell the shuttle was now taking us. The last time I had looked at my reflection in the corridor window I was looking painfully thin with my beard now overgrown by at least half a dozen inches. Back in the kitchen I ripped open the last empty food package and as soon as I'd devoured it I began licking the entire inside contents of the bag clean. I then threw the empty package into the far corner of the dining room where hundreds of other empty packages were mounting up. There were no water packages left so I entered into the shower wet room and made my way over towards the shower. I hit the shower button but no water came out. I then glanced dourly down at the toilet bowl and moved towards it. Once at the bowl I crouched down and cupped my hands together and placed them into the depths of the bowl. The coolness of the water felt good against my skin as I raised the water to my lips and drank.
\*\*\*
I was fast asleep in the shower cubicle when I was suddenly awoken by a shuffling sound out in the corridor, just outside the open doorway. I quickly glanced out but all I could see was the hint of a slight shadow, which quickly disappeared from the doorway. Eventually I stood to my feet and cautiously made my way towards the top corridor where the control room was situated. I turned into the dark control room and proceeded to double tap the light switches. Suddenly a voice called out to me from further inside the room.
'Leave the lights off David'
I recognised the voice instantly to be that of Ian. He was standing in the darkness beside the large front window at the far end of the room.
'Ian.' I said in shock. 'Where have you been?'
'Come over here?' He replied still glancing out of the window.
'What is it?' I said, gradually making my way towards him. 'What's out there?'
'Come and see for yourself.' Replied Ian
I approached his dark figure standing quietly and calmly beside the large viewing window.
'How long were we in those sleeping pods for, you never told me.'
Ian raised his fingers to his lips and shushed me.
'Shush! It's a surprise. Now come and see.'
I stood side by side with Ian at the huge viewing window and stared out with a gaze of shear and utter disbelief and bewildered awe at this new, awesome but frighteningly huge awesome image in front of me.
'Well David! I suppose congratulations are in order. It looks like you finally made it home. And I suppose now you have an answer to that ongoing and burning question of yours.' Said Ian letting out a sinister chuckle. I ignored him and continued to stare out of the window in an intense wonderment.
'What is this?' I asked mesmerised.
'This is home David. This is your home.'
I turned to face Ian who was just grinning smugly back at me, but I was completely lost for words.
'You know you don't look so good David. In fact you look like shit. Is that how you feel? How do you feel David?'
I turned back to the window and continued to stare out in disbelief. I raised my hands to my head as I fully took in what I saw . Almost one third of the entire window was filled by what looked to be the planet Earth. My home. But not the planet Earth I thought I remembered, knew and loved. Where there was once a gorgeous array of the dominant blue, white and then the lesser colours of green and sandy brown. Now lay only colours of grey, darker and grimmer grey and murky brown. The wonderful and colourful blue oceans and white clouds that sprung to my mind had long, long ago since dried up and evaporated. In their place now lay miles upon miles of large, long and deep canyons and craters of ugly, hideously grey and grim brown. Continents of old could still be made out, barely, but now they were a dark brown and grey colour and full of large cracks and craters all over. The colours of blue, white and green, no longer existed on this dead world anymore and were as familiar to Earth's landscape as they were to her smaller and younger neighbouring brother, the moon, which still resembled it's old, dull and miserable grey self. The beautiful white clouds, the sea, the grass, the trees and the great ice lands of the north and South had long since evaporated into nothing and had melted away, long, long ago. Old satellites, broken space stations and drifting abandoned shuttles also cluttered and orbited all around the dead world.
I continued to stare out of the window in a complete and utter speechless shock and awe.
'This can't be home' I finally whispered. 'This can't be my home.' Ian said nothing and continued to glance out with me and still smiling smugly. Feeling faint all of a sudden I staggered backwards and down towards the flight deck chairs and sat down to gather my thoughts. But no matter what I did or what I tried to think about I just couldn't peel my eyes away from the dead planet outside, my home. 'What now.' I thought. 'What now.'
'This can't be home.' I said out loud. 'What the hell happened here?'
Ian smiled at that but said nothing.
'So this is it? This is the end of everything. I may as well just follow Mark and Anna out of the airlock.'
'Oh don't me so pessimistic David. You should be happy and proud.'
'Proud! Of what?' I snapped.
'To be the last of a kind. The last of a dead race. The final memory of what life was like on this dead rock ends now, with you. You'll go down in history now you know.' Ian chuckled loudly at that. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes and when I glanced back up at Ian again he was gone, disappeared into thin air and never to be seen nor heard from again I secretly hoped. I turned my attention back to the Godly and ghastly sight outside filling up the viewing window.
'This can't be!' I muttered to myself once more. 'This can not be my home. This can't be the end of my journey... My existence.'
Feeling a sudden, desperate urge to do something I stood up onto my feet and rushed over towards the main computer. The one where Mark was always working from. I scrolled through the various options and programs on the screen for a good long while before one program finally caught my eye. AUTO LANDING. There must be some way to land this hunk of junk, even if it meant certain death with the lack of oxygen on the planet, because I sure as hell didn't want to die trapped inside this tin can. I selected the program for the auto landing and the computer searched instantly for a LANDING BAY that was within range and working. I prayed and hoped beyond hope that it would find something on the dead planet, anything at all. I waited... I waited some more. Then something flashed up onto the screen. NO LANDING BAY IN RANGE. I sighed out in frustration then browsed at the other options on screen. There was an option to widen my search. I felt a sense of pointlessness as I selected this new option, but with what little hope was left inside me. I entered a figure into the search box. I typed in 1000 Kilometres. NO LANDING BAY IN RANGE. I typed in 10,000, then 100,000. NO LANDING BAY IN RANGE. My heart sank. 1,000,000 Kilometres. NO LANDING BAY IN RANGE. I was getting frustrated and was determined never to give up. I would keep typing and typing figures for a long as my fingers could move and just out of spite more than anything. 50,000,000 Kilometres. LANDING BAY IN RANGE. My heart skipped a beat and I had to read the message several times for it to register. I couldn't believe I had found one. I gathered myself and my thoughts and selected the option as calmly as I could to land this hunk of shit junk tin can at this landing bay. The computer flickered and flashed up more messages. DESTINATION VENUS. MYLKOVA SURFACE BASE. MYLKOVA LANDING BAY. Holy shit I thought! We were on our way to another planet all together, Venus. It felt so surreal. I selected the option to confirm the selection. It was as easy as that. I then turned towards the large front viewing window and watched as the front of the shuttle gradually turned away from the dead Earth and to face the glittering black never regions of space once more. I turned back to face the computer screen again which began flashing - ARRIVAL TIME 55 HOURS - I let out a deep breath and buried my head into my hands and sobbed out with joy.
Final chapter
I was lying down on the control room chairs fast asleep when the computer started beeping again. In the past Fifty or so hours I had been too scared and excited to leave the comfort of this room. I wanted to see the gradual appearance of this new planet. My new home. My last chance no doubt of a shot at a home. I gradually awoke as the computer screen continued to beep. Wearily I got to my feet and checked the screen first which was flashing - ARRIVAL TIME 30 MINUTES - And when I turned to face the viewing window I was amazed to see a whole new other planet filling up about one quarter of the glass in front of me, Venus. This planet looked very much alive with its swirling white clouds and thick bulging atmosphere. I approached the window and watched in fascination as the strange surreal cloudy planet began to grow bigger and wider until it completely engulfed the entire viewing window of the shuttle. All I could do was stand still and watch this awesome event. Suddenly the shuttle window turned away from the Venus surface and I was given a bizarre side view show of the planet as we dropped down into the thick clouds and pink and orange atmosphere in a sideways motion. Finally we descended out of the clouds and into a rocky and desert terrain. The shuttle straightened up and I was given the full frontal view of this new and vast surface horizon. We travelled further along another sandy and rocky desert terrain until in the distance I could make out rows and rows of faint flashing lights. The sun seemed like it was about to set in the distance, so the flashing lights were the first things that caught my eye in the ever darkening and murky horizon. Then the lights became bigger and brighter and soon a towering metallic structure of a building, which looked like dark hills and mountains at first, emerged from further beyond the lights upon the distant and dark horizon. The flashing lights running out in front of the huge metallic building complex must of been part of a large landing bay which the shuttle was locked onto. Finally the shuttle hovered over the large landing bay and made a perfect gentle landing down upon the metallic ground and for the first time that I could remember we were completely and utterly still. I continued to stand up against the window glancing out at the large metallic buildings and new landscape surrounding me. A massive metal fortress wall stretched out wide, left and right, as far and as the eye could see, while more metallic structures towered up high from behind the gigantic walls. Along a small section of wall and not too far away from where I had landed I noticed a huge electronic metal gate slowly beginning to slide open, movement from outside the shuttle, something I had never seen until now. Then I realised that someone, somewhere inside that fortress must be making that gate move. I mean surely it couldn't of been a coincidence that the gate just happened to open right at the moment of my arrival... And then I saw it. It was a shocking sight at first, but calming and soothing once I adjusted to the idea and reality of it. A figure, a very distant, faint, but distinct human like figure standing all alone at the foot of the newly opened gate. The figure was too far away for me to tell whether it was male or female even when I squinted my eyes. They didn't move though, not one bit. Whoever they were they were more than content to stand right where they were, right in the middle of that open gateway entrance while glancing in my direction. I still couldn't believe it though, another human life! So I wasn't alone after all. Ian had been wrong, very wrong! I didn't know what to do now. Should I try and find a way out of this tin can, rust bucket shuttle, as quickly as I possibly could or should I just stay and wait here for the strange figure to make themselves known to me. Oh what to do? What to do? What to do? These were the only words echoing through my mind right now. Within a few seconds though I had finally made up my mind, I had to get out of this ship, right now and right this very second. I had to feel the air on my face, the setting sun rays on my skin, the brown dirt beneath my feet. So I turned and ran, I ran as fast as I could in the direction of the cargo bay and to somehow find a way out into this world, this new world waiting for me beyond the large viewing window which had always been filled in the past with the vast, glittering, darkness. I had to get out of this hell hole instantly because now I was filled with hope, a new hope of living and staying alive and a thrilling feeling of excitement that I was no longer Alone.
The end
Thank you very much for downloading my second novel 'Alone.' If you enjoyed reading my work or even if you didn't enjoy reading, then please leave a quick review on Amazon so that I can learn more from your feedback and for my future writing. Thank you once again
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You may wish to check out my first novel 'Ugly Beautiful' which is available from Amazon.com and co.uk at the link below.
I also have a short story available 'Beauty in the woods.'
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Connect with me online here:
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seanpaulthomas1aol.com
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Smashwords -
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Amazon USA
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Amazon UK
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I have included a brief chapter excerpt from my first book 'Ugly Beautiful' on the next page for you to sample.
Ugly Beautiful Synopsis
Jason, a tormented soul and small town, womanizing gangster, double crosses his only friend and does a runner with a suitcase full of drug money, disappearing into the heart of the gorgeous Scottish highlands to lay low in a secluded cottage and start a new life.
On his second day of hiding out Jason discovers the mysterious body of a young and hauntingly beautiful woman lying unconscious at the bottom of a nearby hill. The woman though has no memory of who she is or how she even ended up there. So Jason carries the beauty back to his cottage, tenderly nursing her back to health and gradually gaining her trust and friendship by confessing his own past crimes, misdemeanors and infidelities, while also coaxing the woman to unravel her own forgotten past and tormenting mad visions... But doing so without the hindsight of the chilling, terrifying and sickening horrors which are about to be unleashed.
Ugly Beautiful Extract
The very next morning and Haley was sitting peacefully inside the passenger side of Jason's car. From the other side of the cottage Jason exited the front door, closed and locked it for the very last time. Carrying his bag and briefcase he made his way around to the back of the cottage and towards the boot of his car, smiling warmly at Haley through the window as he passed her by, while she in return smiled warmly back at him. Jason put his luggage into the boot and eventually climbed into the front driver's seat. Once inside there was a brief but comfortable silence as Jason finally spoke.
'You're sure about this then yeah? You definitely don't want me to drop you off anywhere or even the first town we come too?'
'Like where?' Replied Haley smiling. 'And don't say a hospital.'
Haley reached over and kissed Jason on the cheek.
'Okay.' Said Jason grinning. He placed his hand on the gear stick, foot on the clutch, ready to start the engine when Haley suddenly reached down to place her hand on top of his which was still firmly placed upon the stick.
'What...! What's wrong?' Said Jason turning to face Haley.
'I need to tell you something.' She said with a distressed look in her eyes.
'Okay... So tell me.'
Haley glanced away trying to find the right words.
'It's about a feeling that's coming back to me... about my past.'
'Well that's good... isn't it?'
'I don't know. But it doesn't feel good this feeling you know. It doesn't feel good at all Jason.'
Some tears formed in Haley's eyes as Jason pulled her close towards him, holding her tightly in his arms for a long moment.
'I feel so scared Jason.' Whispered Haley. Jason wiped away the tears from her eyes.
'Hey... It's all right, it's okay. There's no need to be scared okay. What you're feeling, this nervous feeling inside. It's just a bit of apprehension that's all. A little bit of anxiousness about moving on with your life. I mean you've lost your memory, your identity, everything you hold dear in your life and you're about to embark upon a hopefully exciting new adventure with an ex womanising gangster henchman. Whom more than likely, in your normal rational state of mind, you wouldn't even trust him as far as you could throw the bastard.'
Haley smiled as Jason ran his fingers deeply through her hair, which felt so good to her, calming her down some.
'But it's okay. I'm nervous too. But I'm also happy and excited about what the future might bring for us you know.'
Haley, wiping away her tears, quickly gathered her thoughts and composure, she knew Jason was right.
'You're right, you are so absolutely right. Let's just go. Let's just get the hell away from here, right now.'
'That's my girl.' Beamed Jason back at her and without even a second thought he started the car and drove away from the cottage without looking back. Not even a glance through the rear view mirror.
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Five minutes into their drive along the lonely highland road heading back towards the coast, both Jason and Haley bathed in a relaxed and calm breeze of silence. Both basking in their new, happy and excited thoughts and visions of a brand new future together. Jason turned to Haley and smiled out affectionately. Haley smiled back at him and Jason turned his attention back to the road and continued to drive.
Up ahead Jason suddenly noticed the old and abandoned farmhouse which he of course drove past on the way up to the cottage almost a week ago now with its immense and dramatic cliff top views and stunning sea backdrop. Haley focussed her attention on the farmhouse too, glancing at the old house with a strange familiarity as they drove past. Haley then flinched harshly in her seat and seemed, out of nothing, very drawn to the old farmhouse, turning her body fully around to stare hard at the decaying old building as they drove by.
'Haley! You okay? What's wrong?'
Haley though seemed to be in some kind of bizarre trance and ignored Jason.
'Haley! What's wrong?'
'I... I don't know.' She finally answered. It's just... That house.'
'What about that house?'
Haley was silent again and took a few deep breaths before finally speaking out.
'I don't know how but, I think I know that place Jason. ...I think I know it.'
'Are you sure? I mean you think maybe you stayed there one time or passed it by even.'
'I don't know... I really don't know.'
Jason pulled the car over to an abrupt screeching halt on the side of the road as Haley settled back down into her seat, massaging her head and running her fingers through her hair nervously. More and more hazy thoughts and foggy images of a forgotten past raced through her mind. Images filled with glimpses and flashes of the farm house, as if the house was somehow attracting her and calling out to her to return.
'So you think you recognise that place in some way yeah?'
'I think so. I mean I don't have any active memories right now, but yeah I feel strangely drawn to it if that makes any sense.'
Haley began rubbing her head again this time with more force and fury, frantically trying to make herself remember something, anything. She pulled firmly at her hair until Jason eventually stopped her from doing so anymore, pulling her hands away from her head and rubbing them gently together trying to calm her.
'Do you want me to drive back to the house and Check it out?'
Haley glanced at the road ahead. She seemed to be caught up in two minds. The road ahead. Her new and exciting future life with Jason just down the road directly ahead of them... Or she could go to the old farmhouse now where maybe some clue or some glimpse into her past life could be found.
'Haley!' Said Jason breaking her train of thought. 'Haley!' He called out once again this time raising his voice.
'I don't know Jason. I just don't know. Maybe we should just drive, just keep on driving far, far away from here, far away.' Said Haley with only three words running through her mind now. 'The road ahead. The road ahead. The road ahead.'.
Jason slammed his foot down on the accelerator and spun the car around one hundred and eighty degrees and sped off back towards the old farmhouse.
'What are you doing?' Cried Haley still surprised at Jason's spontaneous decision.
'If it will put your mind at rest. If it will leave you without any regrets in life Haley, then I think we should at least check it out.'
Once again Haley was silent.
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Jason drove at a crawling speed into the narrow dirt track leading up to the front of the farmhouse, eventually stopping the car a dozen yards away from the large and old shabby front door. Jason turned off the engine as both he and Haley stared out at the old and seemingly abandoned house. Haley though seemed to be back in some kind of trance, her eyes were opened wide, as she studied the old farmhouse exterior up and down as if recognising something familiar about the worn and peeling mouldy wood and Broken down windows covering the top floor and the boarded up windows covering the ground floor.
'Looks completely deserted.' Said Jason finally. He glanced over at the right hand side of the house as if suddenly remembering something. 'You know when I drove past here last week there was a modern looking grey car parked right around the side there.'
Haley though wasn't listening to Jason anymore and continued to stare out at the farmhouse in her trance like state.
'No farm vehicles, no noise, no lights, no animals... some farm hey.' Said Jason.
All of a sudden Haley got out of the car.
'Haley!' Jason shouted after her.
Haley slammed the door shut while Jason hurriedly stepped out of the drivers side after her.
'Haley!' Jason continued to shout after her. Haley turned to face Jason, eyes glazing and staring hard right into him for a few eerie seconds. Her gaze reminded him of the very same chilling stare she gave to him that night standing outside the bathroom doorway in her sleepwalking trance. Haley then broke her stare and turned away, walking up to the large front door.
'Haley!' Jason called after her again. This time his tone of voice was more restrained. Haley blatantly ignored him as she studied the whole entire area of the large wooden oak door, feeling a strange familiarity washing over her. Jason shook his head in a quiet frustration and walked up beside her. Haley ran her hand up and down the left-hand side of the doorframe.
'What is it? You remember something?' Said Jason.
'I think... I think I know this place Jason. It feels... It feels so familiar to me now.'
'Maybe we should just knock and see who's in yeah.'
Haley was quiet.
'Do you want me to knock upon the door Haley?'
Haley remained silent, deep, deep in thought and seemingly stuck in two minds.
'I don't... I don't know.' Haley finally spoke. She then glanced all around her and turned her attention back to Jason again, silently looking for his help. Jason stepped up to the door and began to knock loud and hard, but it only took the force of the third knock to open the doorway just a touch. It was not locked. Without moving an inch Jason glanced through the dark wide gap in the open doorway, but because of the boarded up windows all around the ground floor, the house was in complete darkness.
'I guess that'll be an open invitation to come in then. Still want to go inside?'
Once again Haley was silent.
'If we're going inside for a wander then let me get my torch first okay.'
Jason went to the boot of his car and took out a large flashlight. He then returned to the front door beside Haley and entered into the old farmhouse shining his torch around the entire front hallway which seemed to be empty and completely stripped of any furnishings, even wallpaper upon the murky grim bare walls.
'I don't think anybody's home to tell you the truth... And hasn't been for a very long time.'
Haley followed Jason into the hallway.
'Do you recognise this place yet?' Asked Jason shining his torch up the steep wooden stair case to the next dark floor above.
'I don't know... I think... I think... maybe a little, I just don't know.'
Haley looked curiously up at the staircase, then towards the doorway which led into the large farmhouse living room. It was here that she focused all of her concentration now. Jason saw this and quickly led the way into the dimly lit old living room. At the far end of this room Jason could barely make out an old couch, a dining room table and some old chairs in the corner and when he shone his torch light upon the walls he could just about make out half a dozen or so paintings of various mountainous and forest landscapes. As Haley entered into the room she was overcome with a great surge of panic and fear and shook vigorously all over her body as her breathing began to get heavier and deeper. Jason quickly turned his attention away from the paintings and towards the panicking Haley.
'Haley! Are you all right?' Said Jason freaking out at the state she was getting herself into and rushed over to comfort her.
'I don't like this Jason.' Said Haley nervously and leaning forward, wincing out in pain. 'I don't know what's happening to me. I can't explain it.' Haley held her head in great discomfort.
'My head...! My head is pounding Jason... Pounding like crazy.'
Jason glanced over at one of the old chairs in the far corner of the room.
'Lets get you seated over here and I'll have a look around for the kitchen. See if I can find some running water and get you a glass.'
Jason guided Haley through the dark living room with his torch and towards one of the old chairs and seated her down. As Haley sat she shivered more and more violently.
'I'm feeling so hot now Jason. Really hot.'
Jason put his hand over Haley's forehead which was burning up like a hot stove.
'I don't know what's going on with you Haley but you're burning up badly. Maybe we should just get you to a hospital now okay.'
'NO...' Haley yelled out in anger. She then took in a deep breath to calm herself. 'No hospitals.'
Jason glanced over at the entrance to another room just opposite to where he had seated Haley.
'Wait there one minute okay.' Said Jason as he hurried to the entrance of the next room, a dark and dusty old kitchen. Frantically he checked every single one of the old cupboards finally finding a bunch of raggedy tea towels. He took one. He tried the water tap which was surprisingly running just fine and held the tea towel underneath the cold running water, wetting it before rushing back into the living room where Haley was slouched over in her chair, looking exhausted and with her hands covering her temples. Suddenly she began to rock back and fourth.
'My head hurts so much Jason...' She moaned, almost sobbing with the intensity of the pain. 'It hurts so, so much.'
Jason rushed back to Haley and knelt down in front of her, putting the towel quickly against her burning forehead.
'Jesus Christ Haley! You're fucking burning up badly. We need to get you to a fucking hospital now. COME ON!'
Jason frantically tugged at Haley, but she had become almost like a led weight underneath his firm grip and would not budge.
'Haley.' Jason pleaded with her, fearing that her life was now at stake. 'Come on baby! We have to get you out of here. We need to get you to a hospital PLEASE!'
'NO!' Cried Haley in terrible pain. 'I can't... I can't even move Jason. I can't move.'
'Then I'll fucking well carry you.' Jason pushed his arms underneath and around Haley's lower back to support her, but Haley leaned back in her chair seemingly pain free all of a sudden.
'Please!' Said an exhausted Haley. 'I'm just... I just feel so tired. Something's happening to me. I can't stop it... I just can't... I can't...'
'I know something's happening Haley. That's why we need to get you to a hospital RIGHT FUCKING NOW!'
'No Jason.' Replied Haley more calm. 'You don't understand. You can't help me. A hospital can't help me. No one can help me! I can't fight this anymore.' Haley's tone of voice turned into a ghostly whisper. 'I don't even know what I'm fighting...'
Jason got down onto his knees.
'Haley!' Said Jason, his tone desperately seeking some answers. 'What are you talking about? You're becoming almost delusional. Tell me what's wrong? Tell me what I can do to help you? What do you want me to do? Because all I can think about is getting you to a hospital. Even if it means dragging you the fuck out of here kicking and screaming.'
Haley turned to Jason who was still on his knees. She glanced deeply and warmly into his eyes with great love and affection, just like she had done so the night before. Their last night at the cottage together when Jason had finally opened up to her, opened up his aching soul and confided in her all of his pent up emotional pain, sufferings and dark secrets. And then they had danced together. Danced slowly and intimately in front of the car headlights and then their soft lips had met for that first kiss. That first perfect kiss which seemed like a lifetime ago now. She looked at him with those same eyes. That same look of soulfulness.
'I'm so, so sorry Jason.'
Jason half heartedly smiled and stroked at Haley's face and hair.
'What are you apologising for. You don't have anything to be sorry about baby.'
Haley stroked and touched at Jason's face, caressing him all over before running her finger tips through his hair. Tears formed in her eyes and it was only a matter of seconds before those tears would stream down her face and cheeks.
'I didn't mean to bring you here. If I only knew when I first met you... what I know now...'
'What do you mean? What do you know now?' Asked Jason confused.
I would've just...' Continued Haley tears streaming.
'Haley!' Jason tried to force her to finish the last sentence.
'...Killed myself.' Whispered Haley finally. 'I would have just killed myself.'
Jason edged closer towards her. His face full of distraught and a bewildered desperation at hearing such horrible words from her.
'What are you talking about Haley? Is this something about your past? What is it? Tell me!'
'I truly am so sorry Jason.'
'You keep saying sorry Haley. Why? My mind's in fucking twists and turns here.' Said Jason, letting a desperate snap of anger take over his emotions.
'I've been so happy these past few days with you. I think I was even beginning to fall...' Suddenly Haley screeched out in an awful pain as she clutched her hands desperately against the side of her head, wincing out even more horrendously than before. Uncontrollably she slid herself down and out of the old chair and down onto the living room floor beneath her, down onto her knees. Jason tried his best to comfort and hold her as she slid.
'HALEY...'
Haley screamed out again in absolute agony. 'Oh my God... OH MY GOD! It hurts. It hurts so much! Oh my God! OH MY GOD JASON...!'
Deep inside Haley's mind her thoughts, memories and past all came flooding back to her, flooding back with a vengeance.
'I can see them... Oh my God I can see them Jason.' Haley sobbed out uncontrollably. 'I remember...' She whispered to herself. 'I remember what she did. Oh my God! What has she done? ...What have we done?' Haley turned to Jason with a grim and chilling expression. Tears continued to flood her face.
'Jason... Please! You must go...' There was a hint of fear and desperation in Haley's voice now. 'You must leave this place at once. Please Jason... You must get out of here before it's too late. PLEASE!'
Jason looked completely dumbfounded by Haley's ramblings and remained absolutely speechless, rooted to the spot as he tried to make sense of her. Suddenly Haley screeched out once again in great, great pain, this time falling uncontrollably from her knees flat onto the floor, face down. Jason leaned desperately over her trying his best to comfort her but he had no clue how to deal with this situation. Instead he stroked Haley's hair and upper back, almost afraid to touch her.
'Haley, please! I need to get you out of here baby. Right now. RIGHT FUCKING NOW!'
Haley's eyes, which were facing away from Jason, opened eerily wide and the facial expression plastered all over her face lacked entirely of any real emotion.
'She's here.' Haley whispered, but too softly for Jason's ears. She closed her eyes tightly and lay completely motionless.
'Haley! HALEY! Fuck this! I'm getting you out of here right now.' Jason got up off his knees and with great strength and effort he pulled Haley up as much as he could, but once again she felt like a led weight. Haley opened her eyes wide and this time let out a shallow release of breath. Strangely now Jason found it much easier to lift Haley back up onto her knees. He then put his arms firmly around her waist and finally helped her back up onto her feet. Haley's eyes were half closed and she seemed to be in some kind of groggy daze as if waking up from a long and deep sleep.
'Haley! Haley! Are you okay baby? Are you still with me?' Said Jason anxiously.
Out of nowhere Haley puked out a mouthful of blood which the majority of caught Jason upon his shirt and trouser's.
'Jesus Christ!' Said Jason disgusted, but trying his best to remain calm. He managed to seat Haley back down upon the old chair again and crouched down so that he was now eye level with her and placed his hands firmly upon her lap.
'Haley! Speak to me. Can you speak? I need to know that you're okay?'
'What... What happened... to me?' Said Haley sounding drowsy and very distant.
'I don't know what happened to you.' Continued Jason, his face and voice was filled with great concern.
'I think that you might've had some kind of stroke or seizure, I don't know. I'm so scared and confused right now. But I'm taking you away from here, right this very second.'
Haley coughed and a small trickle of blood escaped from the side her mouth, slithering down to her chin. Jason wiped the blood away with his finger.
'Could you... Could you get me some water please?' Asked Haley in a weak voice.
'Haley I need to get you back out to the car.' Said Jason impatiently.
'Please!' Insisted Haley. 'Just some water. My mouth is so dry... And then we can go... I promise.'
'All right' Jason sighed. 'But I'll need to find something to put it in first okay.'
Jason went back into the kitchen as Haley watched him leave with a distant look in her eye. Inside the kitchen Jason hurriedly raided through every single one of the kitchen cupboards and draws until he found a stash of old and dusty cups. He filled one of the cups with water from the cold tap and hurried back into the living room. Suddenly he froze where he stood.
Haley was gone.
She had disappeared from the living room. The old chair where Jason left her sat empty and all alone once again. Jason glanced dartingly and confused all around the dark, eerie living room. There was absolutely no sign of Haley's presence whatsoever.
'What the hell!' Said Jason. Frantically he called out Haley's name and placed the cup of water down upon the old chair before quickly making his way out into the hallway, all the while continuing to call out Haley's name. Still there was no reply. Jason fully opened the half open front door and stepped outside into the daylight to peer all around the outside of the farmhouse. From left to right all he could see was an empty field, an empty front parking area and his empty car. Jason turned back inside the farmhouse and stood completely still for a long moment and in utter silence. Carefully he listened for any sign of the vanished Haley but there was nothing to hear, no noise of any kind, only the sound of his erratic thumping heartbeat. Suddenly a noise, a slight creaking, followed by another from the next floor up directly above him. Jason called Haley's name and when there was no reply he turned to the old wooden staircase and glanced up at the steep steps leading up. Upstairs appeared to be in less darkness due to the broken windows all around the upper floor, plus the daylight from the fully opened front doorway created enough light to see all the way to the top of the creepy and grim stair case. Jason mounted the steps very, very cautiously. Again he yelled out Haley's name and again there was no reply. Jason continued to mount the stairs, slowing down as he reached the last few steps. His eyes gradually adjusting to the dim light on the first floor landing.
'What the fuck is going on here?' Said Jason, his heart beating wildly fast and anxiously inside his chest. Finally he reached the second last step at the very top of the staircase. Here he stood completely still and completely quiet for a long, long time. Waiting for another noise, another creak. All around him was an air of eerie silence. He was about to call out Haley's name again...
SMACK!
Jason was hit with a violent and ferocious smack and crack right across his face by a large and rusted metal spade. In a split second he was sent flying backwards and tumbling down the steep sloping staircase behind him and back down towards the ground floor. Jason finally tumbled agonisingly down to the very bottom of the staircase and landed hard and awkward in an unconscious, crumpled heap beside the front door.
About the author
Crazy, adventurous, Spontaneous and always looking for that next adventure. This is how I live and write and want both myself and my characters to be remembered. Life is too short to just sit around in front of a TV in your free time.
Born in London, but grew up in Cyprus, Germany, Wales and Scotland, I was diagnosed with the travel and writing bugs very early in life.
Writing, reading and traveling are my main passions in life, but I also love outdoor sports from Rugby and Hiking to Tennis and Rock climbing.
I'm writing another two books right now, one is a mystery/suspense sci-fi thriller based onboard a seemingly abandoned space shuttle and the other is about my recent four month crazy and awesome back packing adventure through Eastern Europe, from Estonia to Sarajevo. I'm also looking forward to more traveling and writing adventures in the near future. I try and treat each day like it was my last. You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take in life.
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