The split

Emptiness, I feel it again. It wakes me up naturally like most mornings before the sun is even out. Rita’s bed across the room is empty as usual. The chief surgeon of this hospital would be up before dawn to work wouldn’t she? I climb out of bed to get ready for the day. For this half life I’ve only known for the past three months.

Three months ago the ozone layer split and left holes. The ultra violet rays of the sun broke threw and basically set the world on fire. Oxygen levels plummeted and the world became a waste land. Most of the world died. Fortunately the human race is like a cockroach and we managed to survive. I don’t know what I was doing when the split happened but from what I’m told I was brought into this hospital with blood coming from my head and unconscious. They checked my vitals and stopped the bleeding. Since they were on red alert and in chaos I was left in a hallway on a gurney because I wasn’t in need of emergency care. They tell me I was out for two day and on the third when they finally got around to trying to take tests and attend to me I woke up. Here’s where my story gets weird. I apparently woke up just as they went to take blood but before they could put the needle in my skin I flipped off the gurney placing a nurse in a headlock and trying to flee. That nurse whom still hates me likes to talk about how she swore she saw my hands light up, like glow.

I happened to not remember anything but when they calmed me down I refused tests. Something inside me screamed don’t let them. They compromised with me to let the chief surgeon whom had basically taken over the hospital and become president here keep an eye on me. She was nice enough, her name Lisa and she ended up keeping me like one of her family.

I’m told she had a son but he was lost in the split. She believes he’s alive, I hear her sending out EMTs in the surrounding areas looking for survivors. She’s pretty great for the hospital actually. With a wasteland of a world left she secured a few generators and solar panels. She converted the half finish H building of the hospital that’s made up of five buildings total as housing for the staff. We live here like a small town. Each room sits a family or three to four singles and each room has one bathroom. Showers are limited to three to five minutes and the cafeteria is open 24/7. People are paid in vouchers so that works as their meal and rent. She seems to care for me too, but it seems to me like she walks a fine line of caring and studying me.

I get weird looks as I walk down the hall to the admin office. The first four hours of my day are in there where I organize scheduling and vouchers.

“Hey bright, thanks for always coming to help me, you’re fast.” Mike is the only other person that does this work. Bright is the name they gave me when I couldn’t remember my own. Liz says its because I’m so bright since I get things so fast but I know they call me that because of the story of my hands glowing when I was brought in. The name bothers me but what can I do when I don’t know my real name?

“No problem, Im always happy to help.” He eyes me for a minute then glances down to the heart shaped pendent around my neck. I can’t open it. It has a small hole at the bottom part where a small type key would fit. Im sure It hold some clue of who I am and it torments me yet also brings me comfort.

After four hours of paperwork I make my way to the make shift class that Liz has set top for me. With how fast i seem to pick up material she thinks that one day soon I can help with medical needs. Start as nursing and move up from there. Without proper schooling she took it upon herself. I feel like she set up whatever is left of my life. Theres not much else outside these walls. Barren wastelands and endless struggles. Yet sometimes I think it might be better than the side glances and unsure edginess I get from all the people here. I hear the whispers.

Im four doors down from where one of the Lead nurse was waiting for me to “train” when a loud commotion and screams breaks out just around the corner. I sprint toward the sound a push threw the onlookers.

There in the middle of the path is a women with dark hair and a hospital gown holding a blade up outstretched from her right hand and her left hand holding the color or a male nurse. Her light eyes scanned the room until the fell on me. She stopped easing her stance and whispered “Sarah?” and it feels like I’m knocked right in the chest taking my air and shaking me to the core. She drops everything and walks strait to me. Im sure the normal reaction one would have in this situation would be to step back from the advancing women but something warmed in my chest. She moved placing a hand on each side of my face looking deep into my eyes. They shined like stars and I felt like I had just taken my first real breath in a long time.

“Well today just got a whole lot more interesting.” Liz voice cut threw the moment like a knife and everyone turned to look at her. “Shows over, everyone back to work. Bright why don’t you and your friend here join me in my office.” Her tone was light and her face open but something in me heard an edge there that automatically put me on the defense. She turned without another word and walked off expecting us to follow. Everyone around us slowly made their way to other thing and cleaning up the mess.

I go to follow Liz when the women stops me. “Bright? Sarah what is this? Whats going on? Who is she and why is she calling you Bright?” She searches my face but I don’t have an answer. I try to find something to say when she adds. “Does that women know who and what you are?”

My eyes snap to hers searching in return. I knew something was off. I felt it in the way I always calculated my responses, how fast I was a learning, how my body would move on its own or seems to always tried to keep myself calm in certain times.

“I don’t even know who or what I am.” The words are meant to sound questioning but all I hear is the loneliness and pain Ive felt in the past three months echoed in the words.

“What am I?” I asked taking in her shocked expression and wild glint. Her smooth skin broke out in goose flesh and I followed the spread strait to the small pin at her neck that looked like it would fit perfectly into my locket.