Waking Up

I wake up on a cold, stiff mattress that was flat to a piece of stone. The only source of light was a small barred window sitting in the corner out of my reach that let in a dim light. My hands are tied down along with my body and legs being strapped to the bed. My entire body hurts. The pounding in my head feels like it is going to explode and the aching in my back feels like somebody is standing on it. It is totally silent except from the occasional water drip from something nearby. The only thing I can see is what is in range of my eyes as my head is positioned a certain way and I am unable to move it. A man and a woman came in from the heavy metal door a few minutes after I woke. They carry a tray that rattled with every step. In the doorway is a few other people who look like they are waiting and watching. My mind is too busy to think at the moment. I was also extremely tired and weak feeling. The woman injected a needle into a vein in my arm. When the man spoke, his voice was strange. I just felt like something is off.

“Echo, do you know what you did?” he questions.

“Where am I?”

“Do you know what you did?”

I had no memory, “No. Why am I here?”

“For safety.”

“Who are you?”

“That is not important. Rest now.”

“Take this, it will help you sleep,” the woman said.

I really had no choice to take it or not because I could not move anything. She forced the pill into my mouth and dumped some water that went all over the place. When the water hit my empty stomach, I wanted to curl up into a ball from the awful feeling it caused. They left me to my pain and to the silence. What did I do? A burst a pain hit my head and an image, a scene appeared. I am talking to someone I do not recognize in a place I do not know. I do not recognize anything in this image. Someone was crying in the background. Before I could get anything else, it faded away and I was back in the dim room. What happened? The medication was starting to take over. I felt very sleepy and eventually I dozed off. Instead of being strapped on to the rock hard mattress, I was strapped onto an ice cold table. People were waiting around for me to wake and went to work right away. Needles, sensors, and a lot of other things were placed everywhere on my body. These people had no care for how I felt or the pain they were causing. Literally they put them everywhere and anywhere on my body.

“We are going to ask a series of questions and you will answer them.”

“What if I don’t know the answer or don’t want to answer it?”

“You do have a choice. Madam could you press that button?” she pressed the button and an electric shock went through my entire body, “Choice one is to answer and you do not get shocked. Choice two is not to answer and get shocked.”

He took the controller and pressed each button one by one. Each one sent a shock to a different part of my body. Another person injected adrenaline to keep me awake through the pain. What kind of place is this? At first I thought it was some sort of hospital, but now I have no idea. An image popped in my head. This time is continued the one before. Still a lady crying and a man yelling. It did not last long as I was shocked back to reality. His shocking questionnaire last an agonizing two hour or at least I think so. It was hard to keep track of time on the clock. After everything was ripped out of my body, I was blindfolded and thrown into another room but not the same one from before. I was tied down but this time sitting up. A boy who looked about my age sat in the corner. My entire body was still left shaken. Some part were shock a bit too much and I am unable to move them at the moment. Blood was dripping out of the needle marks and even in some spots blood was flowing a little more because the popped a vein. I sat with my head down and stayed quiet. When he did speak, he spoke softly and gently.

“I’m Charlie. Someone you don’t have to fear. If you don’t want to talk, that is fine. I get it. There are no cameras in here.”

I waited a few minutes until I spoke. I wanted to say the right thing and I had to try to steady my voice which is probably just as shaky as my body. My throat was so dry.

“I . . . I am E . . . echo.”

“Beautiful name. You have been all the talk since you came. They left us alone to focus on you. Everyone was called to deal with you.”

“Where is here?”

“An asylum or prison I think. Overheard some of the nurses talking about – never mind.”

“Why are you here?”

“Parents sent me thinking it would it help. They made brochure look nice so my parents thought it would lovely to get me some help. Been here for nearly a year and two months. You?”

“I . . . I don’t know. I vague images but there is no past memories.”

“None? Not even the slightest from when you were a child or family members.”

“Nothing. I did not even know my name until they spoke it.”

“Strange. You came in with some serious damage.”

I could tell he did fear me a little. Something must have upset him or someone must have said something to him. An image hit my mind again this time stronger. A big man was throwing things in my direction as a small child was huddled in the corner. I could not make out what he saying though. I only get little pieces at a time and have to try to put them together like a puzzle. Just am glad they did not shock my head. It is full enough.

“Never before seen the entire staff so hectic about one person. Looks like they drug you through hell and back.”

“Feel like I am still there.”

“Well, I would like to sleep.”

“I would love to but I am chained to a wall.

“They will get you down some time.”

He went to bed and I just hung here. I hung here all night and all the next day. Nobody ever showed up to move me. They left me like that for a week like it some sort of punishment. I now have not eaten in more than eight days maybe more because I do not know how long I was out before I woke up here. Finally someone came to unlock me from this upright prison. Eating is also a privilege that I have not been given. Charlie is here for most of the day. The same man dressed in white walked in with his group again.

“Take him back. Leave him for a week in isolation.”

“But sir.”

Now,” he spoke more firmly.

Two men pick me up while another blindfolded me. They threw me back into the dim room I was in before. Luckily, they did not tie my wrists down and only my chest and legs. My wrists were purple and swollen and could not pick anything up. Most days for the next few days I tried to sleep or try and remember the past. Nothing is there. It is empty but why? I must have a past. I must have a family or friends. I really do not even know my age but I can guess around sixteen. While on the sixth day alone, I got my strongest image yet. This time I was in the woods and it was snowing. There were three us. A boy a little older looking than me and a boy a little younger than me. Looks like we were crossing a bridge. We were laughing at some joke I think and at bird dropping snow over us. Voices were mumbled so I had no idea what we were saying. Then there were screams, panicked and pain filled screams. My mind blanked as my body began to violently shaking. I used my hands to protect my head from bashing against the stone. No sound came out my mouth and therefore I could not call for help. My body was pushed against the straps. It was not stopping. It continued until dark out when my body fell into a deep sleep.