I simply give him an odd look before adjusting my body in a way that allows me a little comfort. He doesn't seem to react to the fact that I'm naked. There's no ogling, no blushing, and certainly no erections. Strangely, this makes me feel relieved.
As we approach one of the white, white walls, a black arch materializes before us, allowing us access into the next room. I manage to keep my jaw locked, but not without effort. This whole ordeal has my mind flustered, and struggling to keep up.
One, I was hatched from an egg, butt naked.
Two, some random, sassy guy can read my mind.
And three, doorways materialize at will.
Where the fuck am I?
My guide glances over his shoulder, an amused look on his face.
"You're in the Pediatric Ward, Wing S," he answers my thoughts.
Wing S? I think to him, too confused to put them into actual words.
I watch his head bob up and down stiffly. Something is not right about this place. Something that he's hiding from me.
"So, what's the deal with the creepy white walls? And your creepy white robe?" I ask suspiciously, eyes narrowed in accusation.
There's a slight pause in his step, just barely, and I almost miss it; it's enough to tell me that I've hit a soft spot in his nearly impenetrable armor. The silence wraps around us, clinging, suffocating, refusing to let us speak. I grit my teeth and grab his shoulder, but it's a lot harder than I would have though it would be. My entire arm tingles and sags against my will, leaving a limp arm draped across his shoulder like a dead tree vine.
"What the--," I begin to exclaim.
"You're so weak," he mutters in a harsh tone. Ripping my arm off his shoulder and flinging it back at me, he swears under his breath. "You don't understand. This is how we all started. How we always start. This is how we are born."
"Born?" My voice shakes and I swallow hard to push down the foreboding feeling kindling in my gut. "What do you mean?"
He exhales sharply. "I'm not supposed to be the one to tell you, but I will, just this one time. Don't ever ask anything of me again."
He looks to me, waiting for my consent. I make the slightest movement of my head, up and down.
"People are only in Wing S because they have committed suicide."
As we approach one of the white, white walls, a black arch materializes before us, allowing us access into the next room. I manage to keep my jaw locked, but not without effort. This whole ordeal has my mind flustered, and struggling to keep up.
One, I was hatched from an egg, butt naked.
Two, some random, sassy guy can read my mind.
And three, doorways materialize at will.
Where the fuck am I?
My guide glances over his shoulder, an amused look on his face.
"You're in the Pediatric Ward, Wing S," he answers my thoughts.
Wing S? I think to him, too confused to put them into actual words.
I watch his head bob up and down stiffly. Something is not right about this place. Something that he's hiding from me.
"So, what's the deal with the creepy white walls? And your creepy white robe?" I ask suspiciously, eyes narrowed in accusation.
There's a slight pause in his step, just barely, and I almost miss it; it's enough to tell me that I've hit a soft spot in his nearly impenetrable armor. The silence wraps around us, clinging, suffocating, refusing to let us speak. I grit my teeth and grab his shoulder, but it's a lot harder than I would have though it would be. My entire arm tingles and sags against my will, leaving a limp arm draped across his shoulder like a dead tree vine.
"What the--," I begin to exclaim.
"You're so weak," he mutters in a harsh tone. Ripping my arm off his shoulder and flinging it back at me, he swears under his breath. "You don't understand. This is how we all started. How we always start. This is how we are born."
"Born?" My voice shakes and I swallow hard to push down the foreboding feeling kindling in my gut. "What do you mean?"
He exhales sharply. "I'm not supposed to be the one to tell you, but I will, just this one time. Don't ever ask anything of me again."
He looks to me, waiting for my consent. I make the slightest movement of my head, up and down.
"People are only in Wing S because they have committed suicide."
