The Dormancy Diaries, Chapter 3: Life's a game, death's the reward

Chapter 3: Life’s a game, death’s the reward

    The lyrics “Life is but a game, survive long enough and death is the reward” softly played on a loop from the room next door, as I hesitantly rolled over to face the ajar door, of my hospital room. Tiny slivers of sharp light gradually pushed their way through my darkened room, to light a path from the door to the tips of my bed, as if it were pulling me out to the vacant hall.
    It was night. Those who normally consumed time and attention during the day were asleep. The world was quiet, thoughts were hushed, and children slept.
    Contently watching the clock as it struck 12:06am, I suddenly realized how peaceful my room was. The boisterous traffic which normally plastered the nearby roads during the day was hushed by the moon. Time moved very slowly, as darkness quietly settled on everything, and the most calming breeze of fresh air unfailingly flowed past me, from a nearby vent.
    Ideally, the gentle music playing from a nearby room would have gently swayed me to sleep peacefully. However, distant whispers and periodic footsteps stole the attention of my thoughts; ensuring me a restless night.
    Pulling myself from bed, I walked aimlessly to the door of my room, pushed it open and looked out, observing the oddly secluded halls. Deciding a peaceful walk might help me sleep; I slipped on a pair of slippers, and started my feeble journey. As I passed the rooms which lined the halls of the second floor, each one was completely identical, yet oddly different.
    Some doors slithered open to subtly show the occupants as they slept. Some had pictures and finger paintings plastered on them by loved ones, while others were tightly closed without a sign of human disturbance. Various smells perfectly blended in the air, occasionally yielding one more prominent than the others. Each step I took, presented a new prominent smell. One step might yield the smell of freshly baked muffins from the kitchen on the ground floor, while another might present the smell of baby powder and formula or freshly cleaned linens.
    Together, they mixed to create the most uniquely comforting smell which stayed fresh in the minds of all who stepped foot in the Sandalwood Memorial Hospital. As the very welcomed feeling of tiredness rushed over me, I prepared to go back to my room, just as the distant sound of whispers caught my attention.
    Walking closer, I quickly recognized one of the voices of that of Dr. Hastings, who said she was leaving, hours ago. A brief moment of remorse struck me, as I crept as close to the corner as I could without spilling over. I quickly rationalized my noisiness because of the lie Dr. Hastings told. Perhaps it wasn’t a lie, perhaps she forgot something and came back to get it, or got caught up in a case and hadn’t left yet, either way, I was about to find out.
    “…that’s what he said, at least,” Dr. Hastings whispered, clearly trying not to be heard.  
    “What about our John Doe, he still doesn’t remember anything, does he?” A second, unknown female voice piped in, whispering with a more raspy authoritative voice, yet whispering nonetheless.  
    “No. I made sure he passed the six hour period, here, where I could watch him. There’s nothing yet, so, you don’t have to worry, he won’t remember.” Dr. Hastings confidently insisted “All he knows is that he woke up in a park at night, beyond there, he’ll believe what I tell him” Confirming that I was the center of their secret nighttime gossip, I hesitantly crept around the corner to try to get a look at Mrs. Unknown, but my attempts failed as I was spotted the very first time I peeked over.
    Quickly jumping back, I hoped I hadn’t been spotted, but quickly realized I had. “Hey!” the voice sturdily yelled, as it quickly approached from around the corner.
    “Why are you out of bed?” Dr. Hastings promptly asked the second she flew around the corner, trying her best to sound calm and unbothered.
    Quickly I brushed off what I just heard, and decided to play the dumb card. “Just taking a walk, am I allowed to do that here?” I asked, knowing my ____ would go completely unnoticed.
    After a few more questions, they were fairly satisfied that I hadn’t heard anything, and it was safe for me to go back to my room, where they personally escorted me.
    The next morning, I wasn’t concerned with the random conversations of the hospital’s nightly occupants; I was just happy to leave.
    Crossing the threshold of the hospital foyer felt oddly comforting. I must have witnessed daylight several times before, but it now felt so new to me. Soft beams of sunlight warmed my face, as the most comforting summer winds swept past me. My existence suddenly seemed exciting again. Everywhere I turned, life presented itself in a new way, each familiarly comforting, yet sadly dissimilar.
    Eventually my innocent dreams of excitement were carried away by the sudden realization that I was alone. I had no home, no money…no name.
    As I pondered my apprehensions, a loud, excited voice called from the distance. Only briefly catching my attention, before I swiftly continued on my way.
    “Jason?! Jason!” It yelled.  “Jason, stop!”
    Turning back to meet the ___ voice, my actions were quickly countered when the man threw his arms around me, in a giant, excitement filled, bear hug.
    “Man, I spent all afternoon preparing a real nice dinner; so I could settle in, and watch a little prime-time TV, but when I saw you on the news, I dropped my plate…so, long story short, you owe me a dinner!” He jokingly said, as he began to notice my detached mannerisms.  
    Gazing ineffectually into the eyes of the stranger, I begged myself to respond; I pictured myself speaking, by just couldn’t find the words to make it a reality.
    After several moments of awkward silence, he confusingly murmured,      “You don’t remember me?”, almost as if he felt disheartened that I could ever forget him.

Author's Note

Please be honest, I need your opinions! :)


Note: Occasionally you may see a "___". It simply means that I couldn't quite find the right words for that sentence, and plan to in the future. This is just a rough draft, so if you have any ideas for those blanks, please (PLEASE!) let me know! :) Thanks!

Reviews

[Mister Cellophane]

I like how you reveal little by little who the main character is rather than having the character say "Hi I'm Mr. Man, and I have a dark and dangerous past concerning blah blah blah blah blah." Haven't seen that in a VERY long while, so kudos.

[Derek Cummings]

This is interesting and kept my attention this far. I look forward to reading the rest. Your words add good description and brings the scenes to life.

[Kaybrie93]

aw, thank you so much! That's awesome to hear :)