In the Video Game.
"Where am I?"
Those questions hopped off Drake's mouth as his eyes flickered open. His quirky eyes scurried through the sparkling white ceiling up above him. As soon as he figured out that he was lying on his back, he sprung up, seating up,
"Where am I?"
He repeated the question again, looking hurriedly around. The medical equipments all around him made him arrive at a conclusion,
"A hospital?"
More of a personal question to himself. He observed his body hurriedly, turning both his arms.
"Why am I still in this form? I should change. No, this is not ri-- ouch."
He groaned when he tried to move his leg.
"But what happened? That bitch bit off my leg... how manage it's --"
The door to the private ward opened to a slightly skinny but busty lady dressed in an orange blouse with skimpy black skirt, an overall of a lab coat. She was quite young.
"Hey handsome, you're awake."
She got to him, sparing a big smile. He found it quite creepy as he watched her bring out syringe, fixed in a new needle, fed the syringe and then leaned forward to feed his right leg. He grabbed her hand,
"Don't you think you owe me some explanation...? I have a million questions to ask, perhaps a summary of how I got here would answer few of them."
The lady looked at his hand holding hers and he got it,
"Oh."
He let go. She took a step back, both her arms dropped as she explained,
"You must be new in this world. But that doesn't matter. You lost one of your legs. Someone paged our hospital, we had your leg replaced and here you are. I hope that answered a tiny bit of it?"
He nodded softly. She edged forward now,
"Your leg must hurt. We only had it replaced but the pain will persist if not injected."
She signalled him with her eyes and he nodded her to do her job. She passed in the fluid and dressed his leg. She caressed it thoughtfully then shot him a smile.
"Mind sharing what happened to you? Did you have your leg sawed?"
He looked to his side,
"I thought nothing is hidden here? Are there no reporters here? Or social media? You should have figured it out already."
She gave her signature smile again,
"I guess I have a bad habit then. A habit of minding my own business."
She turned to leave. He watched her walk to the door before he called,
"Can I leave?"
She halted,
"Of course you can. But if you need any help, I'm 325 away."
She got the door and stepped out. He muttered,
"325? What the crap is that?"
"Whatever. I ain't that jobless. I've got a mission."
He lifted his left leg slowly,
"Doesn't seem to hurt anymore."
He slowly stepped off the bed and claimed a firm stance on the cold floor. He jumped,
"Why is it this cold?"
He looked around and found a pair of flip-flops. He rushed there and slipped into them.
"Don't tell me that it snows here too."
He shook his head,
"No, I must be dumb. Technology is nuts."
He walked out of the ward and through the hallway. Twas busy with several patients and nurses cum doctors. His eyes paced quickly searching for the nurse. He shook his head, hitting himself,
"You get carried away too easily boy."
He headed out of the hospital and walked to a quiet place. He sat on a railing in a semi public, semi quiet place. There was a lady seated not far away from him on the same railing,
"What's happening to me? I should have changed into the new form I chose. But why am I still in this form? Is something wrong that I don't know about? Or should I just ask around?"
He thought for a while,
"Probably I should return to earth. Maybe something was wrong. Maybe I didn't do something right. I probably missed a point."
He shook his head,
"I don't think I have that luxury of time. I can't squander the LIVES."
Then he looked in the direction of that lady all by herself. She was pretty much a teenager like him, but had the mature look.
"Should I just go ask her?"
He stepped down the railing. He paused,
"What if she's nuts like that crazy bitch?! The last thing I want is a random lady changing into a tiger to devour me."
Then he shrugged,
"But what do I have to lose? I still have three lives. Uhmm, she can only take one out."
He decided and edged towards the teenage girl,
"But she looks scary."
He wanted to halt again but dismissed quickly,
"Fuck it. I can't die."
He got to her and stood before her,
"Uhmm... hi, I'm... Dra-- Dreya!"
He stretched his hand for a handshake, saying in his mind...
I CAN'T JUST TELL HER MY NAME. BUT WHY'S SHE LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT? WOULD SHE SUCK MY BLOOD LIKE VAMPIRES I HAVE READ AB--?
"I'm Jane."
She held his hand. OH, THANKS GOODNESS. He sighed in relief.
"Yea, I won't take your time. I'm new here and I just wanna ask a question. For how long have you been here?"
"Five years... going and coming between the both worlds."
His eyes widened,
"Oh shi-- great. You must have a great deal of experience then."
She nodded trying to sort her words but he was way too impatient,
"When someone tries to change into a new form back on earth which will have an effect here, is there an exception that keeps it from working?"
She shook her head slowly. His face turned into a mess by confusion,
"I don't understand what's happening to me then. I tried changing into a new person back on earth before coming here but here I am with the same body."
She stared at him for a while then looked away. Suddenly she looked back at him,
"Have you looked at a mirror?"
"That's not the point? I have the same body that I --"
He stopped talking. He asked with desperation,
"Can I use your phone's camera. Oops, sorry I've forgotten that this not the real wor--"
She brought out a tablet from her small handbag.
"Oh."
He swallowed as he watched her unlock it and open the camera app. She flipped it to him and he looked,
"Holy shit. What happened to my face!"
He exclaimed, taking different angles of his face as he turned and twirled the tablet. He almost dropped the tablet but managed to keep it on the railing somehow. He couldn't even say sorry as he shot,
"But this doesn't make sense. I still retain the body from earth, but I have the face of the body I changed into. What do you think is happening to me? Isn't it strange?"
He paused suddenly, he seemed to had arrived at a fact,
"Or... wait. Am I a different hybrid of this new system and game shit?"
The lady sneered,
"Think all you will. Hybrid my foot."
He groaned, looking away from her,
"You're not being helpful --"
He saw the nurse who'd treated him walking towards the hospital door.
"Don't go anywhere."
He rushed away from her towards the nurse.
"Am I his pet?"
The lady scoffed, standing up.
"Hey, hey. Wait. I've got a quick question."
Drake called at the nurse who halted, looking closely startled.
"So soon?"
She found her words. Drake reeled on,
"Uhmm... what do you think could cause a situation where someone tried to change into a new body here but gets only the face but retains his old body?"
The nurse sighed before answering,
"Well, that can be caused by only one thing... and if we are talking about you here, then... it's because your old body was going under a transformation. You lost a leg and it needed to be replaced... while at the process of the replacement here, you changed on earth. The process couldn't be interrupted by the treatment or vice versa, so each took a part."
She explained. Drake had satisfaction flushing his face. Yet he asked,
"But if I leave for earth then return here, I'll have the full new form?"
She shook her head,
"Unfortunately no... It's either you take a new entire form on earth or retain this new one; your real body and new face. The form you wanted to change into has been corrupted."
He groaned and turned from her. He walked away.
"No gratitude? What an interesting youth."
The nurse remonstrated then walked away. Drake edged towards Jane who had started walking away immediately she saw him coming. He hurried and catch up,
"Thought I told you to wait... where are you going to?"
She didn't stop, she kept on walking,
"Why should I? I barely even know you. Plus I thought you were normal, I didn't know that you have a connection with the high ups. Such evil ones."
Drake stood for a while watching her go. But he couldn't keep standing there,
"What are you talking about? The high ups? Who? Oh... are you talking about -- Isn't she just a nurse? She only --"
She turned to him snapping,
"Are you really naive or feigning ignorance?"
He didn't know what expression to wield. She continued,
"You really don't know that she's the wife of one of the elites back on earth? Even though she's the wife of the littlest of the highest three, the ULTINUM TRIO. She's still --"
"Wait a minute. She's what?."
He was more than confused. But he swallowed quickly, he wouldn't let his sense of judgement be clouded by the confusion,
"If you are right, then why is she here in the --"
"What do I care?"
Jane dismissed then resumed walking from him towards the busy express road.
"Hey..."
Drake called but his attention was really towards the hospital. He wasn't sure of what to do; go to the nurse or follow Jane to know more.
He watched as the red light popped up, Jane and pedestrians crossed the road.
"This doesn't make sense."
He turned towards the hospital and edged towards it. He seemed to had made a decision.