L.E.A.P.: Alpha (Being rethought/done)

L.E.A.P.: Alpha Chapter One ~ Clueless

My body. It's the first thought that I have when my eyes open. Do I still have a body? The pain went on for so long, I have no assurance about anything. Maybe I am dead, not that was ever alive in the first place. The absence of pain makes me wonder if I am in Heaven. If it all is over.

Then I realize I'm standing. Or am I sitting? My slightly blurred surroundings come mostly into focus. It's cold, extremely cold. I let out a shiver, and I look around, taking in every new sight.

There are other people, all in the same stone-walled room as I am, are looking around, brushing themselves off.

The first thing I notice is that everyone is wearing the same set of clothing, in varying sizes. A black, unmarked t-shirt with a pair of what seems to be jeans, and white socks.

"Where are we?" A man, most likely in his late twenties or early thirties, as well as the seemingly oldest in the room of varied people, voices the question that I'm sure everyone in the room wants the answer to.

I rubbed my head, finding that my hand is Caucasian. Somehow, I didn't know anything about myself, and all I want is to find out everything I can to answer the question: Who am I?

There is a buzz in the room. For the first time, I realize everyone here is a male, and nobody is like anyone else in physical appearance. Judging by my height, as I peer down at myself, I'm in my mid-teens. A small boy, who couldn't be more than four or five, seems to be the youngest. He starts crying, and a man in his early twenties gathers him up and begins to comfort him, though likely the comforting words have no backing.

A boy about my age walks up to me. The first thing I notice are his markings. His t-shirt is torn and damaged, with specks of blood all over it. He has a deep gash in his right arm, but it seems to have been either bled out or partly healed, as there is no sign of blood on or around it.

"Where are we?" he asks me in a slightly foreign accent.

I shake my head inconclusively. "I have absolutely no idea." There's a moment of silence, then a thought strikes me. My voice. I can hear myself. I know what I sound like, and I recognize it. I know me. I can remember what I sound like, and I know that I am not simply a creation of some machine, that I had a life -that I existed- before this room. It feels reassuring, but instills a creepy feeling in me. What happened that I turned up here?

The teenager takes me out of my thoughts. "Same. In fact, if I were to give it a guess, I'd say pretty much everybody here is as clueless as we are."

"Clueless." I laugh. It's a funny sound, seeming so out-of-place. "I think that could be considered an understatement."

"Yeah." He looks around. "I don't remember anything before this room. Except pain, and lots of it. Pain and a sense of courage. Odd, right?"

"A sense of courage?" It was odd, certainly, that the distinct memories we each held were different in such a strong way. Courage, and betrayal? "I wonder why. All I remember is darkness, pain, and betrayal, or at least that's all I think I remember."

He nods his head slowly, processing this.

The man who I guessed would be the oldest in the room approached us. "Anyone here have a clue at where we are?"

I shake my head. "Not a clue." The teenager beside me does the same.

He nods in agreement. "I've been asking around, but it's pretty much confusion. We need to get organized."

I take another look around the room. The young boy seemed to have fallen asleep in the man's hands, and the fifteen other people in the room were either talking with each other or staring into space with a look of terror and confusion on their face.

"Okay everyone! We need to get organized!" I cower away from the man, holding my ears. He could certainly shout.

We all gathered in a group, and everybody started to talk at once, asking questions that were likely not going to be answered.

"Settle down, everyone. We need to get organized." The man had a fire in his eyes, and it didn't take long before he had everyone quiet and staring at him. He certainly had an air of authority about him, and I wondered whether it was natural or if this confidence was something that he had acquired as a result of whoever he was before this room. If there was a "before", that is.

A few people shuffle around, and the small boy lets out a short wail. Then all is silent. He clears his throat uncomfortably, then speaks. "I'd just like to start with an elementary question. Does anybody here know where we are?" He glanced around the room, but it was only a moment before he was bombarded with questioning replies from the group.

"Yes, where are we?"

"Why should we know where we are?"

"Clearly in a stone room!"

The man cringes, then motions for everyone to quiet down. When that is unsuccessful, he rubs his forehead and lets out a small moan. "Everyone, be quiet!" His commanding tone brings the attention back to him, and he continues. "Does anyone actually know where we are?"

He is met by silence.

***

I'd like to apologize a bit to everyone reading this, because I'm not the greatest with memory. I doubt many people will notice my many mistakes, but for those who do: I'm in the process of editing the first few chapters so that they make sense. Often I'd say one thing, then later in the same chapter or sometime in the next few chapters, I'd say something that contradicts it. So, I'm sorry ^^ But I am working on it, so ignore anything like that. The newer the information, the more accurate it is. :D

Anyway, feedback is much appreciated! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!