• Home Sweet Home

    tab I woke up in the light. I hated being sedated; it always made me feel sick. I put a hand over my head as I waited for my dizziness to abandon me. It was during this dizzy spell that I realized that I was no longer in the dark room. I threw my hand off my face and jumped up, not even looking around me to see where I was. I tripped on the sheets on the bed that I was lying on and fell face forward on the floor. I muttered to myself as I turned over and inspected my room. It was exactly the same, just a little brighter than I remembered. I looked at my window beside the bed and ran to it.
    tab “Oh, bad idea,” I told myself as nausea overpowered me. I probably would have thrown up, if I had any food in my stomach. I stood still for a few seconds, before making my way slowly to the window, desperate to see the sun again. It was not bright outside, the way I envisioned the sun in my memories. The sun was obscured by a thick wall of clouds, the sky foretold rain. I sighed, pulling the blinds back down. I didn’t want the neighbors to see me in my present state. I was sure I hadn’t taken a shower my entire time I was in the dark room. I gingerly reached my hand to pat my hair. It was a mop of oil and tangles. I needed a brush. And a shower. I walked slowly to the bathroom down the hall, trying not to bring the nausea back. I turned on the lights hesitantly, afraid they might hurt my eyes.
    tab After my eyes had adjusted, I gazed timidly in the mirror, afraid of the monster I would see. My long brown hair was in shambles. It was entirely made of tangles, twisting and turning into fantastic shapes. I then tore my eyes away from the mess on my head to see how my face had changed. I gazed into my own eyes, the only eyes I could gaze into without fear, trying to search for answers. My eyes had not changed from their light green, but they looked different. This was not the face I had started out with. It was a stranger’s face. It looked worn and depressed. No remains of childhood lingered there. It was all adult. I was just eighteen, but my face told of much, much more. I sighed and started on my hair.


    Alone

    tab After the twenty minutes for my hair and teeth, and the half hour for my shower, I realized how hungry I was. I dried off quickly, eager for breakfast or whatever meal time it was. I walked into the kitchen.
    tab I found some cream cheese in the fridge and decided to make a bagel. I pulled the grey container out and headed for the counter to find the bagels. I found the bag and pulled the twist tie off. As I reached my hand into the bag I looked for the first time at the bagels themselves. They were covered with mold. I looked over at the loaf of bread to see if it was equally moldy. They were both covered in a thick layer of mold that encased it almost as well as the bag itself. I made a face as I threw the two bags away. Well so much for carbohydrates.
    tab I guess I was gone for longer than I had thought. I considered this as I headed towards the T.V. It was seven in the morning exactly, they should have some news on, and maybe they could tell me the date. I flipped the switch and sat on the couch. It had just started, the stations theme music was playing.
    tab “Good morning everybody, this is Craig Civalle reporting for Channel 10 News. Its seven o’clock on Saturday the 25 of March. I hope you guys had a good week and…”
    I heard nothing else of the report. The 25th? Of March? I ran to the calendar to see if this was true or if I had just misheard. I liked to mark the days off my calendar so I would know for sure. I reached the calendar and gasped. The X’s stopped at February tenth. I took a step away, shaking my head.
    tab “No that can’t be,” I said to nobody in particular.
    tab “Well, it is. You’ve been out for forty-four days. Don’t worry, we’ve already contacted your boss, said you were deathly ill and had to be quarantined. Not far from the truth, but still, he might fire you if we told him you were the reason for all those disappearance at your work. Though I doubt he would believe that,” I turned slowly around unbelieving and there he was. The man in black. He had taken his black hat off and had placed it on the table with his black shoes propped on top. He looked completely at ease, as if this was his home, looking over his black notepad. I just stared at him open mouthed. He chuckled as he looked up to see my facial expression.
    tab “Don’t worry, I’ll be gone soon. They just sent me here to make sure you understand what’s going on and that you’re not confused or anything. So how are you doing? Do you need anything?” he asked not at all curious about my answer. This was just his job, he didn’t care about me. It was clear on his face as he looked down at his notepad.
    tab “I’m fine, thank you. I don’t need your help,” I told him, trying to remain civil but failing utterly. He glanced up and chuckled again.
    tab “I understand. I’ve had to deal with a lot of you people, and none of you guys wanted any kind of help. Oh well. Anything else you need or want, I’m here to help you in any way possible,” he said, getting up slowly, stowing his notepad away again. I shook my head and turned from him, walking to the far end of the kitchen. He was already at the door.
    tab “Well if you need any help, I left my card on the table. I’ll be back in two weeks to check on you and see if the vaccine is still working,” he opened the door and headed out. I then realized that I did have a question, and ran out to catch him.
    tab “Wait, I have a question!” I yelled as he started down the street. He stopped and waited for me to catch up. “Those people, the people who disappeared, have you found a way to get them back yet?” I asked already knowing the answer, but I had to ask. I had to know.
    tab “No. No they haven’t. And it doesn’t seem like they ever will,” he said, turning away from me on the last sentence as if he thought I had made everybody disappear on purpose, like I had some secret dark agenda. I stumbled home, in shock. I ran to the couch tears running down my face and flung myself on it. Completely alone.


    Clues

    tab I cried until I could do nothing else. It felt good to cry. It made me feel human. There was nothing I could do. Was there? I had the feeling that there was something not right. I wasn’t sure what it was, I guess there were just too many unsolved questions to satisfy. I decided to start my quest for answers with looking at the card the man in black left. Even the card was black. It was nameless, all it had was a phone number. No address. Nothing except ten numbers. I threw the card on the table, sat down in a chair and folded my arms and legs. I wasn’t sure what to do next. Maybe I should research online, see what other people were saying. I hoped the government hadn’t felt that this information was dangerous and taken it offline, I really needed answers.
    tab I went to a search engine and typed in disappearances. I began to grow fearful when nothing came up after a few minutes, but I had to remind myself that it was just my computer being slow. Then a flood of results came up, over a million. I immediately clicked on the first one, it was a blog that just asked whoever was responsible to step forward and bring his wife back. I instantly regretted doing this search. The government wouldn’t post top secret information on the web. The only thing I had to hope for was complaints from citizens. I clicked back and found that I was right. There was nothing except pleas for loved ones, rewards, and a rather angry one about how nothing was being done.
    tab It was after a few minutes of this that I found it. It was a request to meet with someone who had also had fellow people disappear so that he could share some of his thoughts and feelings with some one in a similar circumstance. The man’s name was Richard Clark and he lived ten minutes away. I posted a reply telling him I was interested and my name. I wasn’t sure what to do next, so I just pulled up a solitaire game and waited. I didn’t have to wait long. Richard replied back two minutes later telling me to meet him at the coffee shop at eight this evening. I hesitantly told him I would be there, and then turned the computer off. I needed answers and if I had to go meet a complete stranger to get them, I would just have to suck it up and do it. There was something big going on, and I had a feeling this Richard Clark might have the answers.