274 (Complex Series, #4)

Chapter Twenty-Two

I ask, “How bad are my injuries?”

Michelle bites her lip as she turns to look at me. She says, “We think you have a bad concussion, but it will heal by itself. You need to be extra careful not to bump your head over the next couple of weeks. You also have some bruising along your spine, but that too will heal. As for your other mild injuries, well…I can show you if you like.”

“Sure.” I say.

She disappears from the room for a second before returning, holding something in her hands. She holds it up and I discover it’s a small mirror.

I gape at myself, I’ve never seen my own reflection. The entire right side of my jaw is bruised. Blue, purple, green, and brown pool together beneath my cheek bone. Blood and black Ecru blood dapples my skin. My eyelids droop over my hazel eyes in exhaustion, bags hanging beneath them. Bruises dot my forehead. I glance over the rest of my skin.

My arms are streaked with red angry scratches from the Ecru, scabbed over. More blood is smeared across my skin.

Michelle moves the mirror away so she can look me in the eye, “I know it looks really bad, but that’s mostly because we haven’t washed off the blood and dirt yet. We don’t do that right away. We try to make things as least traumatic as possible for you when you first get here. That means as little contact as necessary. But, now that you have healed a little, we can clean you off today.”

“That would be nice, thank you.”

I want to rid myself of the memories of the Ecru. I’ll forever have scars from this. 

Michelle says, “I’m going to go see whether Christina is awake yet, okay?”

I nod and she leaves the room.

She returns a minute or so later, smiling, “Good news, she’s awake. You can go visit her as soon as I boost your medicine.”

She talks while she plays with the cords around me, “Tomorrow you’ll have less equipment. You’ll be able to move around in a wheel chair.”

“Why can’t I just walk?”

“Oh no, you can’t do that. Your body needs rest and your muscles are weakened. If you were to walk, you could fall and hit your head. That could lead to some serious damage.”

“When can I walk?”

“It all depends on how fast you recover.”

I sigh, but don’t argue. I feel helpless just lying around. I wish I could do something for myself, simply walk. 

Michelle wheels my cot out into the hall. I stare at the numerous doors that we pass, wondering who lies inside. Michelle stops at a door and slides it open, “You can have Morning Meal with her if you want.”

“I would love that.”

She careful rolls the cot through the doorway. I crane my neck, trying to get a clear view of Christina. I honestly have no idea what Christina truly looks like. I’ve only seen her shadowed silhouette, I don’t even know her hair color.

I gasp when I see Christina.

She looks worse than I do.

Her skin is a mirage of crimson dried blood, dark Ecru blood, scratches, and bruises. I don’t know if a piece of her actually skin is visible. Her black hair lies in tangles around her, giving her a slightly crazed look. Her tired green eyes stare blankly at me.

Christina seems to stare past me, through me. She didn’t show any type of reaction when we walked in. If her eyelids weren’t open, I would think she’s asleep.

Michelle whispers in my ear, “She’s been like this ever since she arrived. It’s not uncommon. She’ll most likely snap out of it one time. Maybe, since she knows you, she’ll recover.”

What am I supposed to do? Should I say something to her? How do I help her ‘recover’?

Michelle increases her volume as she speaks, “Hi Christina. How are you?”

Christina doesn’t even blink.

Michelle nudges me. I say, “Christina, uh, nice to see you. Do you remember me?”

I continue when there’s no reaction, “I’ve, uh, been thinking about you. I was worried when you disappeared, but it looks like the disappearances were a good thing, right?”

Even though I only was with Christina for a day or so, it was with the Ecru. She and Grace saved me from an Ecru attack when I was blindfolded and tied up. That’s enough to make me feel at least somewhat close to her.

It’s closer than I was to my roommates.

I want to grab her by the shoulders and rattle her out of her trance. How long was she with the Ecru? Was her stay longer than mine? Maybe she went through something more traumatic.

Michelle says, “We don’t want to do anything too startling when they are like this. It could worsen their state of mind. We try not to touch them at all when they are still recovering either, because they might think it’s an Ecru attacking them. We let them heal themselves.”

“How do they…wake up or break from their trance?”

“It’s different for everyone. Sometimes they see a familiar face or hear something memorable. Sometimes they are randomly ripped from their minds.”

“How long does it normally take?”

“It’s once again different for everyone. Sometimes it’s soon, others it can last for days.”

 “Do you know how long Christina was in the Unknown?”

“No. When you Eekes arrive, we have no information about you whatsoever. The only reason we knew her name was because someone she teamed up with recognized her.”

“Grace?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. Did you know her too?”

“Not really,” I explain, “she and I ran into each other once, but we got separated. Grace had disappeared by the time I found Christina again.”

“You’re lucky you even ran into Christina another time. There are so many parts to the Unknown. You could walk for days and never come back to the same spot.”

“How do people know their way around then? Christina could lead me from wall to the other by only her memory?”

“Those people probably only stay in the same spot the whole time. They rarely venture out into other halls. When they do, they are careful to memorize their paths. Other people just wander without a destination.”

I did the latter. I was always too focused on running from the Ecru or The Distress that I didn’t have time to focus on where I was going.

My eyes land on Christina, “What if she never recovers? Has that ever happened to someone before?”

Michelle presses her lips together, “It’s happened a few times. The most severe case was a girl named Jenna. She never recovered. We had to keep her locked in an empty room for her own safety and for others. She spent her days searching along the room for food and water, just like you would with the Ecru, and fighting of imaginary attackers. It was the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Is she still here?”

“No, no she’s not.”

“Did she turn twenty and get sent to her death?”

“No, someone brought her in food one day and she…she attacked that person. We decided to forgive it, but it kept on happening. She fought anyone who came into her room. Everyone lived, except for the last girl that entered her room. Jenna strangled her before anyone could act. Jenna was deemed no longer safe. We…”

Michelle takes a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing, “We decided that it would be in everyone’s best interests if we…if we killed her.”