The Monster Tamer

The next time I felt my consciousness resurfacing, I can feel my body being pushed in a fast speed. I tried to open my eyes and see blurs of light passing by over my head.

"Claudia… Claudia!" I can hear my brother Paul's voice calling out to me with agony and concern. "Please, don't leave us." He muttered by my side.

I tried to open my eyes even more, seeing the florescent lights above my head while I was being pushed.

'It looks like I am in a hospital.' I thought to myself.

I looked around me and saw Paul at my right while my father and mother was on my left. On top of me were nurses and a doctor.

"Mom, dad… she is awake." Paul said smiling with tear stains on his cheeks.

"Claudia…" Father called out. "Please fight my dear daughter. Don't leave us." He pleaded.

"Claudia, my dearest…" Mother called out to me. "I am sorry… I am so sorry for how I treated you for the past few years. I was just… I did not know why I did that, but I felt so disappointed in you. I had high hopes for your future, and it shattered because of the mistake you made. But I will not think about that any longer, just please… please… please don't leave us. Give me a chance to make up for the eight years."f𝔯ℯe𝓌ℯ𝐛𝒏𝐨ѵel.c𝚘𝐦

My mother's words were the words I have longed for in these past eight years. I was so happy to hear them, but once I tried to talk no voice was coming out. I felt my throat so dry, and my body was screaming in pain. Then I remembered the accident me and my daughter was in.

"C-Cindy…" Was the only word I was able to utter.

"Do not worry about Cindy…" Paul replied at once. "She is fine. The air bag saved her from getting injured any further. But your air bag was…" He was not able to continue his words.

I knew full well that the air bag in the driver side where I was sitting did not able to deploy successfully. I did not know why it did not deploy after the crash, but because of that I can feel a concussion on my head. I do not know how bad it is, but what I know is that my head felt like it was splitting in two.

"Excuse me, but we will be bringing her inside now." I heard the doctor said. "This is as far as you can go. Please wait at the waiting area."

"We understand." Father replied to the doctor. "Do not worry, I am sure the doctors are going to do everything they can to save our baby girl." He said to comfort mother. I can hear her sobbing non-stop.

"Claudia, please fight… okay?" Paul said to me. His eyes were pleading. "Come back to us."

I was pushed into what I knew was the operating room. With my blurry vision, I can see people wearing scrub suits, head and face masks. They were preparing medical instruments by the side and I can feel them placing things on my body.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

"This will make you feel groggy and fall asleep." The doctor placed a mouthpiece of some kind over my nose and mouth. "When you wake up, everything will be fine."

I really wished that everything will be fine once I wake up. I wanted reply to Paul before I was ushered in here that I will fight to live because I still want to be together with them. I still want to live especially now that mother had broken her solid wall that keeps me out by herself. I want to attend Paul and Alison's wedding in June. I want to see my daughter Cindy wearing her flower girl dress.

'My baby girl…' I thought to myself. 'I want to see my daughter grow and become a beautiful young lady. I want to be there when she finishes her elementary and high school studies. I want to be there when she gets the degree of her choosing in college. Please God… let me live.'

This was the last thought that was in my mind.

**

I am not sure if I am awake or am I dreaming. I can feel my body floating in water. Everything around me was dark, it was as if my eyes were being blocked by some blindfold. My mind was still groggy, and I felt a haze over my consciousness.

"How is the patient?" I can hear muffled voices.

"The patient 1357 is doing fine for now professor." Someone replied. "There is no significant change in her body after injecting Genome-666 in her blood system but if she makes it then there is a possibility that she will be a success."

"Hmmm… I see." He replied. "We cannot be sure until we see exceptional results."

"How about the others professor?" Someone asked with worry in their tone. "The outside is getting chaotic. It had blown out of proportions. We need something to fight back."

"I know. The weapons that we were able to produce have shown significant results. But we need humans that can wield them efficiently, to show the weapons' one hundred percent capabilities." He replied. "We need to find humans that can bond with Genome-666 and survive."

My ears were hearing their words, but my mind was not able to understand what they were talking about.

"Do you think… we have a fighting chance professor?" Someone asked.

"We have to." He replied and paused. "… for the sake of humanity, we need to find a way and fight back."

There was a silence after their conversation. My head was getting all cloudy once more. I am still not sure if this was a dream I am having. The conversations of the people with muffled voices were not making any sense to me as well, so I passed it by as a dream. My body was in a state where I cannot move them by my own will, confirming that this might really be a dream.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

"What is happening?" I presumed it was the voice professor that was asking.

"Patient 1357's vital signs are dropping!" Someone replied. "She is going into cardiac arrest!"

"Quick… do something!" The professor said in aggressively.

"we are doing all we can sir." Someone replied.

"Sh*t!" The professor cursed. "This cannot be… is this another failure?" I can hear the hopelessness in his voice.

A thick cloud enveloped my consciousness once more and I can feel my body plunge into an abyss.

**

I opened my eyes slowly. What greeted me was a vision of a ceiling with cracks and cobwebs. I tried to remember the last thing that happened to me.

What entered my mind was the car accident and when I was taken to the hospital. I remember my family surrounding me when I was being pushed in a hospital bed.

I sat up and looked around and saw that I was indeed inside a room that can be said as a hospital room, but the place looked abandoned.

"W-Where am I?" I tried to get up from the hospital bed I was lying on. I saw a hospital tag in my right wrist. "1357…" I read out loud the numbers written in the hospital tag.

I tried to stand up, but I felt down in an instant. "Ahh…" I shrieked. My legs felt like there was no strength in them, like they were not used for such a long time.

"Hello… is any body there?" I called out. "I need help."

But what greeted me was utter silence. I tried to get up while holding on the bed. My legs were still shaking but at least I was able to stand up. I walked slowly towards the window of the room. I pulled the curtains open and saw the scenery outside.

Outside was an abandoned parking lot. There were some cars that were parked but they looked old and abandoned. There were overgrown trees, and the asphalt flooring of the parking lot was broken due to the overgrown roots from the trees.

"What the hell is this place? Why am I here?" Questions started to plague me.

I knew that I was in an accident and I should have woken up in a hospital. Yes, this was a hospital, but it was more of an abandoned hospital.

"My family will not have abandoned me…no." I told myself. "At least I am sure Paul would never abandon me."

I slowly walked towards the door, my senses on my feet were slowly getting back. I saw some clothes hanging inside an opened cabinet near the door and thought to change my hospital gown before leaving the room.

After changing, I opened the door slowly while my heart was thumping rapidly inside my chest. I turned the knob carefully and the door opened with a creak.

*CREAK*

I took a peek outside and what greeted me was an abandoned hallway of a hospital. I gulped hard, and while feeling the tense atmosphere I stepped outside the hospital room and into an unknown place.

Edited by: nalyn