The doctor mechanically fist bumped after grasping the knowledge of the gesture. He was quick to collect the bowl and the sachet; he put them on his study while wiping his hands repeatedly on his shirt. I gulped and cracked a smile, my nose tingling as I felt like sneezing.
"...ahem!" I coughed and quickly stuffed the phone and the headphones in my front right pocket and jumped down from the cot, wincing as pain shot through my spine at the sudden motion.
"Do you have any work for me?" "I-I mean when I feel fine and functional enough to do something..."
I gulped and followed the doctor out of the room, analyzing each and every move of his, his vast back faced me as we went out of the room. I scratched the back of my head, a dull pain rippled in the left side of my head; it was small, but pressurizing.
The pain was like an insect, an insect which bit me before I came here... I looked around and my ears rang as the rain beat down upon the steel ceiling; my chest hurt...
My breathing hitched and even though I told myself that I was alright, I felt like...
...Sleeping.
Once or twice I saw stars, I coughed frequently now, my chest burnt, a beeping sound rang in my ears.
'It is not fine...'
'I felt weak...'
As seconds passed and minutes took place, I stood still at one place, trying to catch my breath even though I had done nothing worthy of being tired. I looked at Tank back then, I see the doctor now, and they all appeared so fine.
'Like nothing happened.'
'But, I, on the other hand felt drained...'
I sighed as I followed the doctor, my right hand slightly massaging my forehead as I tried to remember where I had felt the pain.
"If you are insisting," He turned to face me; his face masked a faint irritated expression, a calm and inert face covering up suppressed anger. It looked as if he was ready to kick me out of this place if I were to ask him any more questions. I only nodded furiously when the doctor went silent, probably asking for a response.
I was ready to listen to whatever job that he had for me to do, but my mind wandered. We walked into the halls and stopped, it was empty and I noticed the lack of weight on the wooden cot.
I stared at him.
"You vould find hammers and nails in zhat place," He pointed to a corner beside a partition; it was one of the many wooden partitions that divided the hall into rooms. They kept different kinds of objects into different rooms, respective of their types.
"Use zhem and start boarding up zhe vindows." We started to walk again; basically it was he who continued on his path, he must've thought that I was not following him but suddenly I had many questions to ask.
'Where did they find me?'
'Was there someone else with me?'
'Why didn't I think of it before?' I started following him, again. I looked around me and reality stared back at my face, chuckling at my misfortune. Everything around was anything but pixels or piles of two dimensions stacked on top of one another to form a stream of three dimension which always kept moving.
It was still, pulsating and living. I am living; I could breathe in the sour dampness and feel the sizzling pain in my left arm.
I needed some answers.
"Where did the others go?" I said to myself in a tiny voice and just started to speed walk behind him, I noticed him look at me through the corner of his eyes, and he suddenly turned and abruptly stopped. I quickly took four steps back, ready to run if the situation asked for. I could see a very 'living' someone, a video game character staring right at me with an impatient face.
I slapped myself internally; as to remind to whom I was talking to. My mind picked up a few words and checked whether they would sound factual or not. For and by the previous facts, I was sure I could get a few answers.
'What would I do if he asked me of my origins?'
'I'll make something up.' 'Couldn't I?'
'Of course I could.'
'Because I was good in acting.'
'Like, super-good.'
"Vill you stop following me?" He said. It was more of a command and even though I completely missed the reason behind me not following him, I lifted up my chin and in my strongest voice that I could muster, I replied. "I was wondering where the others went."
"Zhey had to start up zhe generators." He quickly corrected his statement by reminding me how bothering I was being "And don't ask me vhat zhe generators are..." He waited.
'I know what they ar-
'Wait.'
"D-did you find anyone else near the generators?" And I couldn't shut my big mouth as words suddenly found there place in an ever dampening awkward situation. I felt like the generators had a very crucial part, whenever it comes under transportation. Therefore I thought...
I tightened my jaws and immediately started forming sentences in my defense as I noticed how stiff the doctor went; I could practically notice gears turning behind in his head.
'I know that he knows how weird the situation is.' I stared at him.
'But the question is, can I trust him?'
I closed my eyes and exhaled. 'Nope.'
But, if I wanted to live, then I needed someone who understood the situation and could stand for me, at least for some time, and I feared that time was one thing that I did not have. I needed someone who could grasp the depth of the situation without asking much question. I know that it would be a pain to try tailoring each and every action of mine to keep the situation running smoothly.
'Of course, I need not tell him everything...' I wanted the storyline to continue as it already is, stay alive and hopefully get out of here.
'But, I know that it won't be safe for me and that it will be harsh.'
'I could feel it.'
'That I was stuck.'
He narrowed his eyes ever-so slightly and without answering my question, started walking deeper into a corridor, I followed him and stopped as a wall stared back at us, it was an isolated area and the doctor quickly looked behind me as if to check whether we were alone or not.
"I know zhat you are aware of zhe situation you are in." He stated, painfully cold.
I looked at him, confused. I did not know what he was stating about; the fact that there were real zombies or the fact that this was a video game.
I looked away. "I know that there are zombies outside," I looked at him straight in the eyes and all I wanted was to melt into a pool of liquid as the doctor's demanding dull green eyes stared at me. It was scary.
I gulped. "I remember lightening strike around me and, um, when you said generators then, um, well yeah."I shrugged. 'It was raining and...and...'
I kicked a tiny piece of concrete away unconsciously, "I thought that there might be more, people."
"You vere zhe only one zhere." He scrutinized me in a very bored manner and then asked something that threw me off-guarded. "I know zhat you are avare zhe teleporters too, ja?"
I flinched as he narrowed his eyes slightly.
I coughed and tried to explain like it was the simplest thing in the world. "They transport stuff."
'Isn't that obvious-
I coughed really hard and for a moment involuntarily stepped back, my right hand pressing my chest hard. I nearly felt like kneeling down and catch my breath for a moment. I brushed my clothes and wiped my mouth as I stood straight, a slight frown carving its way up through the corners of the doctor's lips.
"Heavy breathing, dilated pupils, cough, chest pain, I could say some more if you vould like to know."
His monotonous voice dripped with boredom as he picked out words one by one; each and every one of them true. It scared me like confusion faded away like mist to uncover my feet planting on the edge of a very high grey brick wall, its depth dark and unrecognizable. One tiny little push and I would lose it...
"I have no idea about what y-you are talking about." I breathed in deeply. He waited for a response and I did not know what to say. He sighed and crossed his hands behind his back.
"Zhose vere zhe symptoms zhat one feels after teleportation." And before I could put forward anything to explain myself, he leaned in slightly, and I took two steps back. I felt like slapping myself, it wouldn't have come to this if I had minded my own business.
My eyes pricked as I looked away, the doctor had his dull green eyes narrowed and I wondered that I won't be surprised if the green colored drained off of his hollow eyes, they were dry and dim.
'How could I expect any help from someone like this character?'
"I vas vaiting for you to ask about it." He flinched away, right eyebrow arching up.
"Considering the present circumstances, I felt like you've been oblivious." He stood stiff, both hands hanging parallel to one another, rigid.
I sniffed and tightened my jaws, ready to snap.
"I know zhat you don't belong here, and, believe me," He frowned dangerously and a chill crept up my spine. "I don't vant to consider your history, unless you persist in being such a bozher."
He kept staring at my face for some unknown reason and I stared at the ground, but all I could get into my head was the word 'teleportation'. There was a shift in air as I heard heavy footsteps becoming distant.
I was frozen, unable to think.
I faint buzz in my right front pocket demanded my cold palms to fish out the phone. I unlocked the phone and through dried maroon crust I glanced at the impossible.
I read the tiny black text that spoke-
'1 unread message.'