The Day The World Changed

Three years later

Year 2020, The Facility
James Clemmings

A man in his mid-twenties sat in a small hospital bed surrounded by white walls, white floors and electronics. Some of the electronics were machines checking his blood pressure, his heart rate, a ventilator to make sure he could breathe properly, and a television hanging on the wall to keep him entertained. The few 'homier' decorations consisted of a colorful rug, a small end table and a reclining, leather chair that the man never used. He hardly used anything in the room by his own violation. His entire focus revolved around the news. He kept waiting for the day when the smoke would reappear, when it would seek its vengeance on the ones that let it loose. He could feel it deep in his bones that it hadn't had its fill. It was waiting for something, but he wasn't quite sure what. He was hoping that it wouldn't take too long for it to make itself known. James wanted to be alive to see it, to see the damage their little adventure had caused. If only he hadn't been so stupid and decided to look for the Professor himself.. If only the Professor hadn't wandered off on his own..

Closing his eyes, James tried to relax but the persistent beeping of the machines keeping him stable made it persistently hard. It kept him latched onto reality and not on what had happened or what could happen. He needed those machines though. They were helping him stay normal, and he knew as this progressed it would get worse. He had watched as the Professor had gotten sicker and sicker, slowly dwindling into a frail man that couldn't even stay conscious. He had been like this, clinging to the machines in a sterile environment where no one entered. The only big difference was James had given his body, his crippled, dying diseased body to science. They needed a cure, a vaccine, anything for the populace to prepare against what was to come. It seemed like a good way to repent for their mistakes. His biggest fear was how the little girl was fairing. She had been covered by his own body, but smoke wasn't something you could repel, it clung and found a way to invade everything.

Trying as hard as he could, he tried to muster up the girl's face, but all he could recall was the fear that had clung to her. He could recall her small hands clinging to him— keeping back the tears, James tried to remember the only light from that day, and surprisingly it wasn't the adventure. It was the little girl. The innocent little girl that had tried to warn him even when she was afraid. She hadn't even tried to run away from him when he had picked her up. Yet that memory pained him too. Had he failed her? He couldn't recall what happened to her upon waking. No one had bothered to tell him.

Was he such a useless man that he couldn't even know about the life he had affected? About the life he had endangered? Was that too much to ask? Opening his eyes, he glanced over at the machines and watched as the red line moved up and down with each beat of his heart. It would be nice to have those answers before I die. He thought glumly to himself, knowing that there wasn't any cure for what was wrong with him. How could there be? They didn't even know what was ailing him. He had explained the smoke, how he had guessed it came from some ancient time and they didn't have a name for it— none had believe him. A few had even laughed in his face.
This was the third establishment that had tried to find a way to help him, to cure him but he knew it would be a wasted effort. It had been the entire time. Without seeing the stuff themselves, without having a piece of it in their reservoir; they couldn't combat it. Not when two out of the three subjects had died. He was almost ready to join them.

A knock sounded at the door, drawing him from his thoughts, "I'm coming in." A sweet, melodic voice warned him a moment before the door opened, allowing two women dressed in smocks and white lab coats in. James barely noticed their friendly smiles. The routine was old. He was used to them trying to be kind and bring out a 'cheery attitude.' It hadn't worked in weeks. "Good, you're up!" The woman smiled more, "I wanted to introduce you to someone." She motioned toward the other woman, "This is Jayne Ardenston, she is going to be the new scientist working along side you and the doctors who are trying to help cure you." James stared at them blankly. The woman called Jayne stepped forward, a smile on her pretty lips and held out her hand for him to take. "I swear I'll work my hardest to help you. There is a cure out there. We just haven't found it yet, Mister Clemmings."