I was on my side, and I tried to move, but something strong was holding me down. It was Boris’s arm around my waist. I tried to look back but he was sleeping still. I said, “Boris! Time to get off of me!”
He tried to open his eyes and said, “Why?”
I grabbed his hand and moved it away from my waist. I sat up, turned around and looked at him. I said, “Are you for real?” He looked at me with his eyes wide open and said, “Oh no!”
I said, “I am fine!” I tried to stay still, but my head felt heavy and I suddenly fell on the bed with barely my hands saving my fall. I wanted to speak, but I couldn’t. Boris quickly got up, pulled in my legs, laid me down properly and said, “I will get help.”
He sprinted to the door. I didn’t see what he was doing since the pain in my head was so intense. He came back after a few minutes and wheeled with him a big cart with a large computer. It had wires hanging and a large screen in the middle. I couldn’t talk obviously, but I wanted to know what was wrong with me. He took a wire and inserted a needle at its tip. He wiped my hand with an antiseptic cloth and slowly inserted it in me. The screen came alive and it read, “Lina Ard, 30, blood count dangerously low.”
He looked at the screen and gasped. He said, “I already called the others to come here quickly. I will go to the other room and get some new bandages for your head.” He sprinted out and then came back with his hands full. He came close to my head with a pair of scissors and said, “I just need to cut this off your head. The bandage is stained with blood.”
He untied the bandages gently off my head and gasped. He said, “A clear liquid is leaking with the blood from your head too.” He removed the entire bandage, tapped on the screen and entered a few instructions and sighed really loud. He said, “I will have to wrap your head again. You will feel dizzy and sleep for the next few hours.” I looked at him with my eyes half open and tried to speak, “Am I … worth all this?”
He looked back at me and said, “Forget everything and what data is stored in your head. It’s not important anymore. You being alive is more important. We can’t lose another human being like this.”
I kept staring at him, but my eyes closed and I was unconscious.
It seemed like hours passed as I opened my eyes. Am I dead I thought? I only saw white. I tried to focus and I realized it was the ceiling. I tried to look forward, and I saw two guys sitting next to me. It was Boris and Bob. Bob was looking intently at the machine’s screen, and Boris’s head was tilted up at the ceiling with his eyes closed. I tried to speak and I only said, “Hi.”
Bob looked at me and said, “Hi. Everything will be fine.”
I said, “Boris needs to find better places to sleep.”
Bob chuckled and said, “Oh don’t worry about him. He can sleep standing up if he has to.”
I couldn’t move and I felt sharp pain in my head. Bob said, “I don’t think you should move and just sleep. It’s only been two days.”
I said, “Two days I was sleeping?”
He said, “Yes. It’s 02:00 am now. Just sleep. We take turns to watch you.”
I said, “Maybe a doctor needs to see me.”
He chuckled and said, “Oh we are doctors too you know.”
I tried to look towards him and said, “I was just making sure. Boris is a doctor too?”
He said, “He tries to be. He can’t be good at everything. He can’t be around ailing people for too long. That’s his Achilles heel.”
I said, “So he just kills them and gets it over with?”
He said, “We are just trained for defence and not kill. Also, we wait for this inevitable war that we are brain washed with.”
I looked at him and then stared at Boris. Bob said, “What are you thinking Lina. Your eyes are watery.”
I said, “Nothing.” I closed my eyes and I felt tears running down my cheeks. Bob said, “Everything will get better.”
I said, “I don’t want this life anymore.” I opened my eyes and said, “Why me? I want to go back to my home. I am scared of being here.”
Bob looked down and stared at the ground. Then he got up and walked away to the other room. Boris was still asleep, but I tried to raise my hand and tap his knees. He opened his eyes and moved his head down. He looked at the other side, but the chair was empty. He looked past the glass panels then looked back at me. He said, “Your awake, but why are you sad?”
I cried harder and I tried to say, “I … want-to-leave.”
He grabbed my hands, sighed loudly and said, “I won’t leave you alone. Not in your condition.”
I said, “I just want to leave.”
He said, “I will see what I can do.” He let go of my hands and stood up. He walked to the other room and it seems he was talking to Bob. I felt awkward then angry and my breathing was heavy. I said loudly, “Why won’t Sara leave me! She is killing me!”
Boris looked back and walked through the door, Bob was behind him. Boris said, “What did you say?”
I tried to raise my head and sit up. I said, “I want Sara out of my head. She is killing me!”
Boris and Bob came closer. Boris sat on the edge of the bed, and Bob stood next to the machine and tapped furiously on the screen. I said, “Why won’t you people listen. I said get her out!”
Bob looked at me and said, “With your condition, we can’t do much.”
I moved away the blanket, and I swayed myself to the machine’s side. I said, “Get this wire out of me. Get Sara out of me now!”
Bob said, “The medicine is going through your blood and we shouldn’t stop it now. You need to rest.”
I said, “Fine!” With one swift motion, I removed the wire from my hand. Bob gasped, and I said, “Get her out now!”
Boris said, “Do what she wants Bob.”
Bob and I looked at Boris and Bob said, “She will die!”
Boris said, “No she won’t.”
Bob said, “But she doesn’t have the strength to handle her.”
Boris said, “She doesn’t need physical strength. It’s mental.”
Bob said, “That’s the problem. Look at her head! She can’t possibly …” Boris interrupted him and said, “I will go with her, but Lina you have to promise that you will not chose me. Let’s go into your head. We will use another method with serums to induce your hallucinations. I will stay aware and help you through it.”
I said, “Will it work?”
He said, “You have to make it work if you want to end her power over you.”
I said, “Ok.” I tried to get up and Boris said, “Wow Lina. Just stay laying down. We will bring the equipment here.”
Bob and Boris walked out of the room. I saw them arguing for two or three minutes on the other side. I guess Boris won that argument. Boris walked back and sat on the chair. He said, “Bob can’t do it by himself. If anything happens, there has to be other people to help.”
I said, “Like last time?”
He said, “Something like that.”
Bob came in and wheeled a long rod with a screen in the middle of it. The rod was clear with liquid inside of it. He said, “This rod has the serum in it. It slowly goes in your blood stream and lowers your heart beat. The wire we attach it to your forehead and Boris’s too. The serum is injected in you through your mouth. It just drips slowly down your throat. It takes a minute or two for it to start working. I called the others and they will be here soon.”
He motioned for me to move a little and said, “Boris will lay down next to you. You both have to be relaxed and laying down.”
Boris laid next to me, turned to look at me and said, “I can get used to this.”
I said, “Maybe your deepest desires are slowly showing.”
I looked at him, stared at his eyes and he just looked back. Bob said, “You two act like twelve years old.”
I then said, “How will Boris see what I am seeing if he is not injected with anything?”
He said, “Oh he will. It won’t be the same serum though.” He took out a needle and filled it with a purple liquid. He said laughing, “Boris! Do you hate needles?”
Boris looked at him and said, “Yeah whatever.”
He said, “Well then. Everything is ready.”
Nadia walked in through the door and came closer to Bob. She didn’t wear a lab coat, but a pair of black pants and a white shirt. She said, “Hi. Will it be safe Bob? We are not sadistic people. We don’t want her to suffer.”
Bob said, “Not my choice. It was an order.”
She looked towards Boris and he chuckled. She said, “You two look like children laying there.”
Boris didn’t say anything but just smiled.
She said, “Lina. Is Boris making you do this?”
I said, “No. Since when do I listen to him?”
Boris looked at me and squinted his eyes. Nadia said, “Fine then.”
Bob said, “The screen here is a little more sophisticated. It will show us what you are seeing and saying Lina. If we feel you are in danger and Boris can’t help you, we will stop the injection and wake you up.”
I said, “Ok.”
He said, “Let’s get started then!”