The monitors sounded like a running siren, drilling holes in the boy's head like a hammer hit him over and over. The smell of medicine circled his senses, causing his face to scrunch up in disgust. It was strong and overpowering, bringing a sense of unfamiliarity that made him both uncomfortable and scared.
Even if he felt this way, he was trapped in the unconscious of his own brain. He tried to push out of it, to push free of the suffocating air he was consumed by. His body felt trapped in the mattress, like wires were sewed into his skin that completely trapped him in the spot, unable to move and unable to struggle.
He felt the fear, he felt anxiety run up his limp bones. He was scared, and he had no idea why.
"Do you know when he will wake up?"
"He has been out for at least a week now." The doctor who held a clipboard spoke out loud. "I estimate about a few more days or so. But if the medication works, it will only be a day."
"Alright, please inform us when he does wake up."
"Of course," the doctor gave a low bow, nodding her head to the man before he exited the room. As he left, the door was pushed back open with a couple rushing in. The men who left walked them out, pulling the pair back with warning words.
"That is my son! You cannot keep us away!"
"Please- leave right now." The doctor quickly blocked their path from furthering into the white room. Her hands were out as the men escorted them back out. "You can see him when he wakes up-"
The silence was sounded once the door closed. The boy stirred, his fingers slightly twitched that soon formed pain into his head. He winced slightly, his eyes watered from under the suffocating mask over his nose and lips. He felt so uncomfortable, the fear piling up was ruining everything that he tried not to feel. He didn't like this feeling, he wanted to wake up from this nightmare.
It was never ending. He could never catch a break from the pain, it always jumped him when he least expected it to sink into his skin.
The room around him changed, the time went by quickly when he heard everything around him slow to a stop. Where was he now? Was he in the same spot? A different one?
He would find out soon enough, his eyes groggily forced themselves open. His lips and throat felt dry, his eyes tearing up when they were forced open. It was so bright, the smell seemed to disappear when he was counting the things in his surroundings.
The walls were white. The mattress he was in was white. The blanket was blue. He wore a nightgown that was a pale blue. He had some sort of tubes connecting to a large bag that had water or his blood in it. There were IV's connecting him to the surrounding machines that were making the loud beeping.
He could only slightly make out the white bandages that covered his arms and legs through the mask on his face. The boy could feel his neck covered as well, the soft fabric tickled him slightly as it was stained in some of his blood leaking through.
He understood where he was quickly. Though, he wasn't happy about it.
He didn't enjoy hospitals, he hasn't been to one since he was a child. The chilly air, the cold and isolating colors that were closing in on him that filled his bones with anxiety.
But to his surprise, he wasn't alone.
The boy tried to take the mask off his face, it felt useless there. A tall lady came to his side, gently taking it off from him to take in a gulp of air. He breathed in deeply, his eyes soaked in tears from the stinging pain in his dry throat and sore body. He gritted his teeth hard, trying to make out the figures that surrounded him.
"Cameron Jones?" The gruff voice from an officer called him from his side. "I am Officer Terry, me and my partner have a few questions for you regarding your friends?"
"What…?" Cameron hissed lightly, closing his eyes off from the bright lights.
The officers looked at one another, Officer Terry stepped back, a smaller officer came forward. It was a woman, she reached out to gently touch the boy. Cameron flinched slightly at the touch. "I am sorry this happened to you Cameron. We need your help though."
"What- the fuck?" The boy moved away from her, trying hard to hold back the cries in his throat.
She moved away, trying to place a sympathetic look on her face. "Your friends, Loire, Vinh, and Kim Seo."
"Shut up.." The boy turned his face away, his fingers trembled lightly at the mention of them. His eyes felt wet once again, his bones growing stiff and mind tumbling around in a chaotic way.
"They were found deceased in Tail Creek Forest. Along with your teacher Mr. Tul, we just want to know what happened.
"Just shut up..!" Cameron tried to shield himself, covering his face from the light. His bandaged arms yelled at him in pain when he moved himself into a ball. He refused to listen to them, he refused to remember what happened.
The woman gulped, trying to soothe her voice, "you were the only survivor. We just want to find out who did this-"
"I said shut up!" Cameron finally screamed out, coughing out tears like his throat had been cut from the inside. He tried to calm himself, tears filling his eyes from the painful breaths coming out too quickly.
The doctor came forward, putting her hands up. "He is clearly still reeling from the trauma. Please, give him some more time."
"More time gives the person who did this time to flee!" Officer Terry said aloud. "We don't have time to waste-"
"He won't say anything. Causing him too much anxiety might even hinder his ability to remember." The doctor had to take in a sigh, trying hard not to lose her patience. "Please, give the child some time.."
Cameron heard a few shuffling sounds, words tossed around before the closing of the door slowly allowed him to rest his tense position. His body ached, his mind was running in circles at all different types of possibilities. He was scared, he was so scared.
The memories of his friends, of what happened to them was plaguing his mind.
The blood, there was so much blood. He was covered in it, some of it even his own. It was Kim Seo's. Cameron felt his eyes widen, the tears coming down again.
No. NO!
He quickly shook his head, breathing hard and fast at the realization. He really was gone, they all were gone…
He didn't remember when, but he must have been knocked out by some of the medication the doctor gave him. He was having a panic attack, his breathing coming off short and fast which had ripped his stitches on his neck. He didn't know how long he was out, just that he woke up with his parents in his room.
His mother was the first to act, she came forward placing a hand on his own. "Oh my god… Hey.. baby.."
"What..?" Cameron asked slightly, gaining his vision back slowly. She came forward, hugging him gently with her hands wrapped around his neck. Cameron felt odd, his body shaking slightly at the pain.
Though, he didn't hug his mother back. His father was next to her, placing a hand on her with a thoughtful look. "How are you doing?"
Cameron gulped, feeling the dryness in his throat burn on the way down. "Do.. I look okay..?"
His father laughed lightly, nodding his head. "Of course.."
Cameron tried to sit up, clenching his hands into the mattress, his mother helped him up, gently securing his back against the wall. The boy kept his eyes closed while his parents began to ask questions and talk amongst themselves.
A sudden burst of pain hit the back of the boy's head, causing him to wince. He anchored himself on the bed, his eyes going wide.
"Where's Marie?"
"What?" His mom came over to his side, wiping the sweat from his head.
Cameron swatted her away, eyeing her with a slight glare. "Where is Marie? The child that was with me- I was told I was the only.. survivor." He gulped, his throat crying up at the excessive talking. "But.. she was alive, I know she was.. she-"
"Honey, honey." The mother tried to calm his racing thoughts, a gentle hand on his arms to keep him from standing up. "She is in the next room across from here. Alright, just fine."
Cameron panted slightly, his heart slowed down ever so slightly. "I want to go see her," the boy began to exit the bed, ripping the blanket off from him.
His father quickly came in, pushing the blanket back up with a warning look. "You can't leave the bed yet. You're still medicated so it would be bad for you," he gave a look to his wife with a low snarl. "Plus the child had a bad fever so she is probably gone-"
"BABE!" The wife quickly pulled him away. They moved away from Cameron in a small argument, leaving the stunned boy to stare off into nothingness. He shook his head, his body shaking from shock, he didn't want to believe. He wasn't going to believe it.
"What? It's better than lying to him!" The father spoke harshly.
"Oh- and fucking telling him it like it would make it better?"
"Don't fucking start with me," the man lowly threatened with a scoff and head shake. The mother argued back and forth, completely forgetting about the boy who began to stir.
Cameron quickly ripped the IV from his arms, throwing the covers off to stand up. He quickly got the sudden urge to vomit and fall back down, he caught himself, breathing harshly with closed and pained eyes. But he refused to allow this to stop him, he refused to allow his body to trap him in there with Marie dying just across from him.
His parents yelled after him when the door was pushed open with his weak arms. Cameron tumbled over, coughing in fits. His vision swayed, but he caught sight of a room that had doctors and nurses leaving from. It was across just a little beyond the hall. The concerned shouts from his father and mother came from behind him, Cameron gritted his teeth while ignoring the shouting. He continued forward, his feet stinging on the bare surface of the cold floor, he quickly made it to the door, leaning slightly on it with the stabs in his body coming up quickly.
His mother came behind him, yelling at him to look away. But the boy had already seen it.
The small fluff of Marie's hair being covered with a white blanket stopped him in his tracks. His body felt cold, his body withering wildly at the sight. Her parents stood over her, casting eyes at the boy who intruded.
He felt either his father or mother pull him back to the door. He shook his head, reaching out for Marie's small body on the bed. His parents tried to stop him, pulling him away from her reach. The boy used his legs, his arms and elbows to knock them away. He heard a few grunts, hitting his parents away.
"NO NO!"
A few doctors grabbed his arms, helping to pull him out of the room while Marie's parents began to weep. Cameron didn't see them, he didn't see anything but Marie.
This was his fault. This happened because of him.
He was selfish, stupid for leaving Marie who was dying from a fever alone. He had left her to save Kim Seo, and he didn't even survive…
He hit and pushed with all his strength, his hands only inches away from Marie's lifeless body. His weak body could only defend for so much, his body was sore and it stung in all sorts of places. The nurses began to yell out for help around them, seeing how Cameron was not gonna give up.
The doctor who was in Cameron's room came over with a syringe, the boy wasn't even paying attention to the things around him. His attention was only on one thing, so he couldn't see the tall lady grab his thrashing arm.
The bandages began to soak red, his stitches and injuries opening back up to leak through the coverage. The lady had help with a nurse behind the boy to hold him still. Cameron still fought back, noticing how a short pain emerged in his arm. He pulled back, trying to fight it off but he was too weak.
The doctor's were speaking, his parents were yelling and screaming. Cameron pulled his head back, still pushing and pulling away. But it was no use, he was stuck in place.
The doctor pulled the syringe out of his arm after injecting some sort of medication. She told the mother who held Cameron to catch his head, the woman did it, making sure that Cameron fell backwards without injuring himself again. The woman began to sob, holding her son close, feeling his body slowly relax and eyes drift close.
He shook his head, still denying what he had seen. He denied it, he denied and denied.
The light in his eyes opened up slowly, letting him gently drift back into unconsciousness.