I didn’t know how long I had ran but, I finally stopped when I couldn’t see anything in front of me. The fog was so thick, I couldn’t see feet in front of me, much less my feet on the ground. I only made out eerie shapes in the fog, some looking like tree trunks, and others looking like people who just stopped and stared.

I was tired and lost. I was hungry and thirsty. I didn’t know where I was, I was confused, my entire world had finally collapsed and I didn’t know why. The veins where I had the IV running had started to turn green, a large purple bruise surrounding it. It hurt to move and twist around so, I kept it by my side.

I found a rock to sit on and ended up lying across it instead, the gentle beat of my heart the only thing I could hear. The fog’s smell became more pungent and sour in my nose and I gagged a little bit.

Hsssssssssss.

The hissing noise sent a chill down my spine, goosebumps rising everywhere on my skin. The air around me became chilly and exhaled puffs of white smoke, which melded with the grey fog around me. I shivered and sat up, rubbing my arms. The hair on my legs and arms stood up and suddenly, I became more alert.

Hsssssssss.

My head whipped back and forth and I reached around blindly, looking for something to defend myself with. The sound slithered into my ears, making me shudder even more.

Hsssssssss.

The hissing intensified and I jumped at every sound. Was it a snake? The hissing became louder and I covered my ears, looking around more. But, there was nothing to look out, nothing was out there.

And then it stopped.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I heard the small beats, as faint as a heartbeat. They reminded me of a clock from my childhood. It sat in my bedroom and the second hand would tick. It drove me nuts and I could never sleep.

I heard it roll, a can, tin probably. Perched on my rock, I watched the ground carefully. A small silver cylinder rolled towards my rock gently, bumping into it. It had a small flashing green light, which flashed every time it beeped. I picked it up, seeing a timer on the other side of the can.

00:02

00:01

00:00

The can exploded in my hands, releasing a cloud of red dust and black smoke. I coughed in surprise and threw the remnants of the can down, jumping off the rock to run. My foot caught on a tree root, my body violently slamming into the forest floor. Blood trickled down my chin as I got up again, running blindly through the trees and rocks. Gunfire was heard behind me, people calling my name. Tears began to fill my eyes, itching so bad. I took deep breaths in, trying to feed my screaming lungs.

Mistake.

Suddenly coughing, I fell on my knees. The gas had something in it. My throat burned but, I had to keep breathing. Everything hurt, my skin burned and itched, my legs ached. My eyes continued to water and my nose burned, running down my chin with the blood. It felt like fire, licking down my throat dangerously. Tiny razor blades sawed at the inside of my throat and I could taste copper, not from blood but from the gas.

My arms were harshly pulled back. I cried and bled everywhere, trying to scream and thrash. My captors simply flushed my eyes with water and began to shove something down my throat. I coughed it back up, along with the contents in my stomach. They tried again and I almost swallowed it. My throat closed up for a split second and then I was vomiting on myself.

After what seemed like ages, the pain in my eyes disappeared and my throat seemed to sooth. I was cuffed up and tugged to standing, being walked somewhere. I stumbled as I was dragged further and furth. Tears still fell down my cheeks but, I couldn’t wipe them away so, I kept crying. The bile covered my hospital gown and made the most awful odor. I didn’t dare open my eyes, scared that they would be covered in gas again. Blindly tripping over roots, I was finally thrown into a van. I was seated in the back and I felt someone sit beside me. As I opened my eyes, I blinked, trying to get rid of the foggy look in my vision. The first thing I saw was a woman who wore a black bandana around her nose and mouth. Her hair was short and choppy, cut around her chin and as white as snow. She wore a Palm Tree uniform and had a gun in her hands.

“Sorry about the tear gas, babe,” she told me, giving me what looked like a sympathetic glance. I looked up to meet her eyes and saw that they were ice blue, something that caught my attention. “I’m Pearson,” the woman introduced. “Sergent and leading officer for Field Eight of the Palm Trees. You must be Patient-Zero.” She uncuffed me and let me curl up in the back of the van, ignoring the polite conversations the rest of the soldiers had. I glanced at my arm and saw that the green vein had spread to multiple veins, the bruise growing twice as big.

I put my arm in my lap and stared ahead at me as we continued to drive down the bumpy path. I wondered what had happened to Charlie. Were they going to kill him? Better question was, were they going to kill me? I thought that Jackson said they needed me.

And why did they need me? Why was I so important?

The van stopped and all the people got out to escort me. I noticed that we were in front of a new building. I was held by my forearms, which was painful. Dragged into the building, I was tugged to the operation room. Panic fueled me quickly and I tried to pull back.

“I’m fine,” I cried. “Let me go, there’s nothing wrong with me!” I tried to look around for the woman in the van, Pearson. She seemed fairly nice but, she was also gone. I screamed and thrashed, kicking a guard beside me, who grabbed me harder. The butt of a gun came down and smacked into my head, a sharp pain spreading down to my neck. I stopped struggling, eyes squeezing closed from the pain.

Dragged through more hallways and doors, I was finally placed and strapped down on a bed, a large bright light above me. I squinted and tried to turn my head, ignoring the throbbing pain on the back of it.

“Stop moving,” a man snapped. Short and stout, his head barely reached the top of the operating table. He wore a white apron and some lab coat, the pocket having two pens sticking out of it. Adjusted the bed so that I was sitting up and then snapped his fingers. Two women walked in, their bodies covered entirely with skin-tight black fabric. The man left and suddenly, the two women surged forward, grabbing me. A scream escaped my lips and I whipped against their hold.

The women stripped me of my hospital gown, leaving me bare. They pulled me into a large silver basin and sat me down inside it. The metal was freezing against my bare skin but I remained still. My knees pressed to my chest, I looked at the women, who were filling plastic buckets of water. Then, they began to pour it over my head. I sputtered and coughed like an old car, barely getting a break for air.

After five minutes of the torturous shower, the women stood me up and began to dry me off. I shivered and gingerly stepped out of the basin, which was now filled with brown, dirty water. I was finally dry but also naked. I felt so exposed and bare. One woman handed me a pile of clothes and left with the second woman, closing the door behind them. I slipped the clothes on, which happened to be a plain white shirt and some cargo pants, covered in the grey camouflage print. I was given back my shoes as well so, I put them on, walking for a moment before normalising to the feeling of actually being human.

“Annie!” I turned to see Jackson burst through the door, his expression relieved. I should’ve jumped with joy, I should’ve been happy. I didn’t know where I was or what I was doing, I didn’t know why I was here or why I was important. He ran up to me, catching me in a bone-crushing hug. I stood stiff, waiting for him to let go.

“I thought they killed you, Anne. I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry?” I questioned.

And then I punched him in the nose.