Chapter One
Cara grabbed the bottle of water from the fridge in the back of the gas station and walked up to the register. The gas station was quiet. There were no noises except for the change jingling in her pocket.
She tossed the change at the counter as she walked past, not bothering to make sure it was the right amount. After she left, everything fell still again except for the coins spinning on the cold floor. It didn't matter, no one would come to pick them up again. She knew that.
The streets outside were littered with cars, but no people sat in the driver's seats. The cars just sat in the street, sporadically honking at nothing. Cara shoved a piece of gum from a packet she had taken from the gas station and stepped into a red car. She sat still for a few minutes and then scooted across the back seat to get out of the door opposite to the one in which she had entered.
By some miracle, she was no longer in thesame place but none of this surprised her. It had been like that for as long she could remember. The dusty streets of the previous scene were replaced by green bushes and trees. A long dirt road led straight into the flat horizon. Without a second thought, Cara started to walk down in, leaving the red car alone behind her.
It didn't matter where the road would lead her. She couldn't care less. Every place was the same, empty and lonely. She had given up looking a long time ago. As she mindlessly followed the road, Cara looked around. Even here it was extremely quiet. To her, it was perfectly normal. She had grown used to no sound and found it odd when there was.
There was no time either, it seemed. The sun never set. Cara could never remember a time when it had. She knew it should, but it never did. Cara had thought that things weren't right at first, but eventually these doubts disappeared.
It must have been my imagination, She thought as she pondered it, kicking a rock. Images flashed through her mind. Other people, they looked different than her, not just reflections in a mirror. Things that flew in the air too. Even ones that swam in the water. Now they were nothing more than blurry still shots. Cara had pretty much forgotten them, shrugging them off as her imagination.
She didn't need anything or anyone else. There never would be anyone but her anyway. That's all she needed. Or at least, that's what she kept telling herself.
The road seemed to last forever, finally ending in a small town much like the one she had been in before. But when Cara thought about it, it only felt like a few minutes, or had it been hours? She sighed and forgot about it. Time was not something she could measure. Starting towards a tiny shop, Cara heard something shatter behind her. Spinning around, she noticed a boy about her age running like a mad man towards her. Like a dear in headlights, she froze up. A piece of glass was in pieces next to her. The boy noticed the glass and skidded to a halt, looking up at the sky.
"Hey! Hold on a second!" He screamed at the clouds before hastily walking up to Cara. Another piece of glass fell from the sky and broke as it hit the ground. Cara's eyes widened, staring back and forth between him and the glass. He took her hand and tried to drag her away but Cara wouldn't move.
"Stop! Who the heck are you?!" She asked him, her voice cracking in fear. He rolled his eyes, muttering things under his breath.
"You're all the same. I'm Jack. Now if you don't come with me"-A piece of glass from the sky fell, the shatter interupting him-"we're going to be in some trouble." Jack tightened his grip around her wrist and started off towards another building. Cara allowed herself to be dragged slowly, but not completely. She stared up at the sky, noticing there seemed to be a few... cracks in it. Places where the sky seemed brighter than the rest.
"What's going on?" She mumbled, barely able to speak.
"I'm taking you home." Cara stopped walking.
"I am home." Jacked sighed and pulled at her arm again. Cara didn't budge, staring at the sky. A few more pieces of glass fell. For the first time, Cara noticed that it was getting brighter. She squinted and glanced at Jack. He was looking up at the sky, brow furrowed.
"I'm working on it! Can you please slow down?!" He yelled at the sky again and then paused, like he was expecting an answer. Seemingly in respone, the glass fell faster. Jack glared at Cara and grabbed her arm.
"See what's happening? We have to get home or else we're both going to be in a lot of pain." Cara stumbled as he pulled her towards the building once more. In a dream-like state, she looked around. Things seemed to be slowing. More glass fell, some pieces dangerously close to her and Jack, who seemed to be growing increasingly frustrated.
"Stop dragging your feet," He demanded, but Cara couldn't help it. Instead, her fumbling became worse when she tried to walk start. Now pieces of glass we're falling like rain behind them. The sound of a thousand pieces shattering at the same time filled the air. Cara grasped her head, covering her ears, not used to such a rukus. Jack cursed and yelled at her to run after him as he sprinted for the building which was still a bit away. Like a small child, she obeyed, running behind him as fast as her legs could take her. Fear and confusion clouded her thoughts, not giving her a chance to think, just act.
Cara saw something out of the corner of her eye. It gave her just enough warning to stop for a moment. A large piece of glass fell between her and Jack, exploding into a million pieces. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that it almost fell on top of her.
Glass fell heavily around them. Shattered pieces bounced off the ground, separating from the larger glass to rain down on them. Cara already noticed a few paper-cut sized red slits in her skin. She stared at what was the large piece that almost fell on her, too scared to move. The glass rain was so heavy she could no longer see Jack. It was getting brighter and lights came from all directions. The light reflected off the glass as it fell and it seemed to Cara that it was all reflecting directly at her.
She raised her hand to cover her eyes but something grabbed her arm and pulled her away, just as a large piece of glass fell where she had been. Jack shouted at her, but nothing could be heard of the sounds of the glass breaking.
His foot stepped just the wrong way and he tripped, tumbling over all the broken glass. Cara shrieked but even she couldn't here herself. Cara could just make out his bloodied body in the haze of glass. She kneeled beside him, wincing as the glass cut into her knees. Nudging his side, she waited for him to get up. But he didn't.
She looked up just in time to see an enormous piece of glass flying towards her and Jack. Before she could blink, it hit her hard and things went black as she collapsed over Jack.
Chapter Two
Cara opened her eyes, first noticing the noise. Someone cried out. Another person moaned. There was the sound of something moving across the floor. She cringed, not used to all the clamor. The next thing she noticed was the aching in her body. Especially in her arm. She sat up groggily, seeing the IV attached to her hand and the bandages around her right arm.
In the bed next to hers sat Jack. A bandage wrapped around his head. His feet dangled over the edge and he was smiling at her. This was the first time she actually got to look at him. A slim boy with dark hair, not much older than her. Probably about 14 to 15 years old. To Cara’s surprise, he looked a lot like her.
“Feeling better?" He said, his voice sounding a bit hoarse. Cara’s jaw dropped open.
“I... I... You... died..?” Jack smirked.
“Nope. Just barely escaped," He said, putting a hand on the bandage around his head, "They brought us back just in time."
“The- they?" She stumbled over her own words. Jack nodded slightly.
"They." Jack said, his eyes lighting up as if he was telling a joke. Cara rolled her eyes.
Oh, that’s very helpful, She thought.
There was silence between them for a few moments, but it felt like an hour to Cara. Jack just smiled, his eyes a little distant looking. Almost like he was looking at her, but she was very far away. In all actuality, she was only a few feet away.
“Are you okay?" Cara said hesitantly, looking at his head. He nodded and winced.
“Yeah. Just a bit banged up." He replied painfully, shifting on his bed, "Are you okay?"
Cara nodded awkwardly. Once again, they sat in silence. She looked around at the other people in the room. There was about ten beds backed up against one side of the wall and on the opposite wall, another ten. Mostly people were sleeping. Others were looking around in confusion but seemed almost paralyzed and unable to move. One person was fighting a coughing fit.
“Now, you should get some rest. They weren’t very happy about you stalling in limbo. They like the awakened to be healthy." Jack said finally, settling back into his bed.
“Who’s they?" Cara asked again. Jack grinned and shut his eyes.
“Good night."
/Good night?/
~`~`~`~
After Jack had laid back down and closed his eyes, Cara still sat in her bed awake. She gave him a strange look, not sure what the heck he was doing. The room was quiet again except for a few people occasionally coughing and making other small noises.
No one entered the room and no one exited. It was pretty still and uneventful. It started to get dark too. Something Cara wasn't used to. It was always pretty bright where she had been, wherever she had been. She wondered what the heck was going on. She had searched for forever and never found anyone. Not a single person. Where had all these people come from?
She considered getting up and exploring but when she tried to get out of bed, she realized that her right leg hurt too much for her to walk at all. Some kind of bandages like the ones around her arm were wrapped around her leg. Cara scowled.
"Why would someone waste cloth like that? It certainly isn't helping the pain..." She thought agitatedly, examining her leg. She had never seen anyone do that before.
She sat back and sighed, now sure that she was going nowhere. Cara just thought about her current predicament. In a strange room with a strange boy and other strange people and unable to leave the strange place. Her eyelids got heavy and she felt something she had never felt before. She was tired. Things got darker and she seemed to lose track of time.
Eventually Cara opened her eyes and realized that it was bright. Jack was smiling at her. She looked up at him groggily, unsure of what had happened.
"Sleep well?" He asked, grinning.
"What's... sleep?" She hesitated, not wanting to sound stupid. Jack's grin grew wider.
"Sleep. Something people do every night. Something you have been doing for a long time." He had only fed her confusion.
"...What?"
"Clueless. All of them," He mumbled, looking around at the other people in the room, "They will explain." Cara crossed her arms across her chest, frustrated.
"Who is they?!" She asked loudly. Jack chuckled and shifted his gaze to something behind her. Turning, she saw a man in a lab coat look at her, two nurses behind him.
"I'm going to guess that was are the 'they' that you speak of, Jack?" The doctor said to him, but still looking at Cara.
"Yes, sir," He said, suddenly sounding scared of the man.
"Watch it, boy," The doctor growled. Jack stood up stiffly and walked away, looking ashamed. Cara watched him leave before looking back at the man in front of her.
"Who are you?" She asked quietly. The doctor scratched his head and looked at the one of the nurses.
"Go get him, he should know I still need to talk to him," He said to her before turning back to Cara, "Dr. Sam Peetsah." He said it as if she should have known that. His tone could have made anyone feel like a moron and it had this effect on Cara. She pursed her lips and paused a moment, watching the one nurse walk out.
"Doctor... pizza?" She asked, confused. Sam's cheeks turned red.
"No! Peetsah! It's pronouced differently!" He said, suddenly furious. Cara shook her head.
"No it isn't. It sounds the same."
Sam rolled his eyes, putting a hand on his forehead.
"No, no it's not. Now, Miss Cara. Would you like to know why you are here?" He said, almost as if he was threatening her. She nodded in reply silently.
"And what's 'sleep'?" She asked. Sam smiled for a second and then it was gone. Cara wasn't even sure she had seen him smile afterwards, wondered if it was her imagination.
"You've been sleeping for a while, Cara. Dreaming. Remember where you were before?" Cara paused. Did she remember? After a moment, she did. The gas station. The glass. Jack.
"Yes."
"That was a dream. You dream while you sleep." He said.
"What's a dream?" She asked, forgeting about sleep.
"A dream is... Dreaming is like running around in a world created by your mind." Suddenly, something clicked in Cara's mind.
"You mean? All that wasn't real?"
Chapter Three
Sam opened his mouth to reply but never got a chance to finish. Just as he started to speak, one nurse dragged Jack into the room. She had a firm grip on his arm and he looked anything but happy.
"Here he is, Doctor," She said a little out of breath, as if she had chased him down the hall outside.
"Thank you, Meredith." He looked at the other nurse and back at Meredith and said, "You two may leave now, I will be right with you." The one smiled politely at Cara as Meredith glared at Jack before leaving. Jack rolled his eyes.
"Sit down, Jack," Sam grumbled, brow furrowed. Jack begrudgingly sat down next to Cara on her bed.
"Now, what happened?" he asked, looking back and forth at the both of them. Cara started to ask what he meant but Jack interrupted.
"Nothing. She was stalling," he replied, looking at Cara.
"I was what?"
"Jack, you know damn well that it was not her fault. She didn't know. Why didn't you tell her to hurry?" Sam asked, sounding a bit more aggravated.
"I did." Jack crossed his arms.
"Uh, what?" Cara asked, completely confused.
"Why didn't you make her hurry?" Sam asked Jack, ignoring Cara's question. Jack sighed and looked the other way, not wanting to answer. He couldn't have made her go any faster. But he knew Sam wouldn't understand. He had never done the work and training that Jack had done. He had never tried to bring someone back from that stage.
"Sam?" Cara asked after Jack had been silent for a moment.
"What?" He snapped at her. She paused a moment, glancing at Jack who was fuming in silence. She had a billion questions to ask him, but she guessed he only had the patience for one.
"What's going on?" The doctor watched her for a moment, seemed to be calming down or making a decision. Cara couldn't tell.
"I think Jack can explain a little," Sam replied quietly, standing up, "Anything not explained will be later, when you will meet a few other people." Without another word, he left, leaving Cara with more questions than answers. She looked at Jack and he shortly returned it.
"Are you hungry?" He asked plainly. Amidst the confusion, Cara hadn't noticed the feeling like something was eating her stomach away.
"I think so." Jack's grin returned to his face and he stood up, holding out a hand to Cara. She took his hand and tried to pull herself up, but remembered her leg. She looked down at it, a little disappointed. Jack's grin didn't fade.
"Here. Stand up. Once you walk on it a little, it won't hurt so much," He reassured her, taking her hand again and helping her up. She stood up and winced, feeling weak.
"C'mon, you should be able to walk okay. They did that weird thingy with vitamins and stuff to help your legs," Jack said. He might as well had been talking in a foreign language, Cara didn't understand a word her said.
"...You lost me." Jack tilted his head to the side, grinning and staring at her, his arm wrapped around her shoulders to support her.
“Don’t worry about it. Just step forward," He replied. She nodded and tried to move her leg. She managed to move it a few inches and then tried to take another step. For a moment it felt like all strength had left her and would have fallen if it weren’t for Jack.
“Ow," She managed to say, clinging to him. He pulled Cara back onto her feet and attempted to steady her.
“Try again," He said somewhat firmly, as if he was talking to a young child. Cara tried again, finding it a little easier despite her legs shaking.
“What’s wrong?" She breathed, confused as to what was happening.
“With your legs?" Jack asked and Cara nodded, "You haven’t walked in a while. The muscles in your legs aren’t as strong as they should be. Just be thankful that you can walk at all. They somehow got them back to kinda normal with whatever science stuff they have going on in their labs." Cara nodded again, trying to listen but it was all foreign to her. Her head hurt. This was too much.
Gradually, taking each step came a little easier though she stumbled occasionally. After a couple minutes, she didn’t feel so weak and they had made it out of the room and into the hall.
The hall was long and plain and just like the room they had just left, really white. Almost blindingly so.