Wrapped in Bandages

Surprise Visit

"Wait, I would've remembered an important detail like that unless..."

"I'm sure you're coming to the logical conclusion. Well, let me make it clear just in case. A few months after you turned five, you were in a serious accident. One of the side effects was amnesia. Moreover, your friend next to you also got caught up in it, though, he experienced less damage. Still, he also suffered from amnesia. It was quite easy to use that to fill both your heads with wrong information. Surprisingly, your friend took it better than I expected; he actually believed he had been in that room of his for his entire life.

"Now, as for the accident itself, you, Deziree, thought it would be wise to venture into your father's laboratory that day, since before the accident you had access to any room on any floor. Your father was going to secure some of the doors, but he hadn't started on that project yet. Tell me, though, have you ventured down into the sublevel during this little hunt of yours?"

Dez didn't answer her. She felt that she didn't have to admit anything to the woman, who was coming further into the room and closer to them. Still, she was somewhat shocked to learn that this woman wasn't her mother. It was also somewhat of a relief, but still it wasn't information that one took in lightly.

"No reply? Well, I can see the answer in those grey eyes of yours. I trust that you did happen upon the burnt room in the sublevel. Well, good, this will help you picture what happened. This room, your father's lab, had the first few samples of Contages griseus in it. At the time, your father and I were discussing matters on how to examine it, so we weren't aware that you were in the lab. The only reason I know what exactly happened was because of the salvaged film on the camera in the room. Granted, at the time the camera was merely for security purposes, not for making sure you stayed where you were supposed to be.

"Thus, I was able to see bits and pieces from your adventure into his lab. It would seem that you were curious about the gas valves in the room and found it fun to turn the knobs back and forth. By doing this, you left several of them on before going to play with other lab materials. Moreover, since it would appear that you were in that room for nearly an hour and had closed the door, the air had become quite threatening.

"Now, you weren't alone during this. Your friend there had recently been taken in by your father, since your father and I found him huddled in blankets in the sitting room on the second floor. Apparently, his parents had abandoned him in this house, while it was for sale. Obviously, they didn't think anyone would buy it anytime soon, so they probably thought it would be the perfect place to leave a child. Regardless, your father decided to let him stay, and when he brought you to this building, the two of you became fast friends. Thus, he and you were playing with items more dangerous than you thought.

"From there, you two proceeded to pick up one of Petri dishes and unscrew the lid. With both of you being curious, you each saw the grey outline of the bacteria and knew that something was there. Most likely thinking that it was consumable, you both ingested it. After doing this, the film displays you two grabbing a box of matches from one of the drawers. At this point, though, your friend decided that he was hungry and would get some snacks. You went to go with him.

"After he opened the door, you decided to light one of the matches a few seconds later. He was already out of the room and in the hallway somewhat. You, however, were just making your way out of the room and still in the doorway. The door was only opening for a few moments, so the gas hadn't too much time to disperse into the hall. Do to your position, though, the moment the match lit, the room behind you exploded.