It was like being buried alive. I could hear what others were saying. Nurses would come into the room and tend to me, quietly wiping my face or adjusting tubes attached to me. But I could not move or see. As desperately as I tried, I could not open my eyes or even groan.
It was a unique sort of hell, one that I never thought I'd have to experience.
Beep, beep, beep.
The steady beat of the monitor was the only real indication that I was alive. That, despite my closed eyes and comatose state, my heart was working by the second to keep blood flowing through my body.
Beep, beep, beep.
Beep, beep, beep.
And then one night.
Beepbeepbeepbeepbeep
All of a sudden, the monitor went crazy. Blood was rushing in my ears. My head felt like it was burning off. If I could scream, I would've. Nausea twisted in my gut and the rapid footsteps of nurses coming to my room got louder and louder. But not loud enough to drown out by the echoing voices of my dad and sister and—
It's okay it's going to be okay dear breathe breathe breathe breathe we're almost there dad there's a car watch out for the
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the blinding lights above my head. Then, I felt the pressure of someone squeezing my hand, their cold sweat sliding against my palm.
My aunt's face, smeared with mascara stains, crumpled in relief when my eyes slowly focused on her.
"Moon," she croaked, as though she'd been crying for hours. "You're going to be okay."
"Don't even think about feeling guilty." My aunt walked me down the hall of the hospital, the wheelchair smoothly gliding across the floor. Her hand gently ruffled my hair, something she hadn't done since I was five.
"Miss Amber!" A nurse held the door open for us as we entered the elevator, eyes brightening after landing on my aunt. "Good morning!"
"Good morning May~" My aunt thanked her as she rolled me into the elevator.
The nurse's eyes landed on me and curved into a gentle smile. "You must be the Moon. I'm glad you woke up. You have such a caring aunt, you know? She came in every single day."
"Aiyah, don't tell him that!" My aunt laughed. "I have to keep up my cool demeanor as the estranged aunt Moon sees once every year."
That was a complete lie. My aunt visited almost every other day. She practically lived with us once my mom got her diagnosis.
Another pang of guilt hit me.
"Thank you, auntie…"
"Hey, Moon, what did I just tell you?" She sighed exaggeratedly. "Seriously, you are just like your mom."
Ding!
The doors opened, and my Aunt said goodbye to the nurse as she rolled me down a new set of hallways. We stopped near the end of the first hallway.
[Room 2256] The room in front of me wrote in clear, neat letters.
"Here it is." My aunt announced happily. "Let's go see our Joy."
I don't remember the last thing I said to her, but I remember the last thing she said. Like a dull film, I remember her screaming at my dad who, trying his best to hold himself together while my mother coughed up blood, did not see the car coming straight at us on the freeway.
A few hours ago, my aunt had gone into the other room which held my parents. She said there were some papers she needed to sign for the upcoming treatment. All of this treatment is from her pockets. She runs a big convenience store chain in Asia.
[Solar System Market – Come inside to discover the products of the universe!]
She never did end up opening one in the states. I always heard her complaining with my dad that it was too hard to get a good lease.
The beeping of the heart monitor breaks me out of my thoughts. I wonder if my sister was like me, where she was awake but not awake. I hope not. I hope she's just having good dreams.
"Joy," I whisper, resting my head on the side of the bed. My head throbs with a small headache. It has been ever since I woke up, but it's flaring a bit right now. "You're the athletic one, why didn't you wake up?"
Her tan from playing golf under the sun is gone now. I gently turn her hand over and stare at the healing scabs from holding onto the golf club for hours. It's quiet in the room. I can imagine her making fun of me for moping around like this.
But honestly, I'd be a psychopath if I didn't mope after finding out the rest of my family is comatosed indefinitely. I sigh and lift my heat, taking out my phone. It's a new one that my aunt bought since the last one broke in the car crash.
It's then I realize how many messages I've missed. Damn it, did it somehow leak what happened? Ah, shit, was it on the news? Hastily responding to messages from friends, nearly an hour has passed by the time I look up from my phone.
My aunt is still nowhere to be seen. They must be having her sign a lot of papers. The idea of the amount of money she's spending on us sends chills up my spine. A sigh escapes my lips as I absentmindedly scroll through old messages. I laugh at a picture my sister sent me of us as kids.
Just then, there's a resounding ding from my phone. A text appears at the top of my screen.
Unknown: Hiii moon r u okay
Did I forget to save someone's phone contact?
Unknown: heard what happened, let me know if you need any help!
I hesitate, before typing a reply. Maybe I did forget to save someone's contact. I've been asleep for a few months, after all.
Sorry, who is this?
Unknown: Lololol sorry forgot to introduce myself
This is Supervisor Kim
I'm a friend of amber
Huh. Uhm. I send a text to my aunt that goes unread. Another text from the unknown number pops up.
Unknown: I promise this isn't a scam or anything.
That's the most scam-like text I've ever received.
Unknown: Amber's paying for the hospital bills, right? I know she would. But the thing is…
Your family isn't going to wake up anytime soon.
I block the phone number and sigh. It's the first week I've woken up and there's already a scammer talking to me? The crash must've been on the news. Whoever leaked my phone number is a piece of shit, but it's fine. Nothing a good ol' blocking can't solve.
Until my phone vibrates again.
Unknown: Aish, why did you block me?
What? I check the number. It says it's blocked, so how the hell…?
Unknown: That's alright. Amber has done so much for me, I'll excuse it if her nephew is a little rude.
A bead of sweat trickles down my neck. Ah, fuck. I've been reading too many of those horror books. It must be a glitch on the phone. I try to call my aunt. The phone rings loudly in the room.
[Sorry, the phone number you are calling is currently unavailable..]
Unknown: She's busy right now.
Am I dreaming? I pinch myself hard. Nothing happens. My sister's face is pale, moonlight falling down. Moonlight? When did it turn to night? With the headache flaring up even more now, I try to call my aunt again.
Ring, ring, ring…
The phone picks up. I nearly collapse in relief.
"I'm so sorry, could you come over for a moment? I think something is wrong with my-"
[Nice to meet you, Moon.]
A low, melodic voice greets me. My neck breaks out in goosebumps. I try to end the call but when I look at the screen it is completely black. Tapping on it does nothing.
[Calm down. You're a smart kid, I know that. Biochemistry degree, right? I heard from Amber that you wanted to be a doctor.]
My hands tremble as I listen to the voice talking from the phone. I look down and see that my hand unconsciously started holding onto Joy's hand. Her skin is cold.
[No need to treat me like a stranger. I've heard so much about you.]
I look at the room. It's dark. I pinch myself again, and when I open my eyes I am still in the room. My aunt isn't picking up my phone calls, and I realize the background noises of the nurses and doctors walking down the halls have halted completely.
Okay.
It's fine. Calm down. Calm down… This is a dream. Just a dream. If I can somehow tell my brain that I want to wake up…
The start was the phone. If I break the phone, maybe…
I raise the phone, about to smash it on the ground. Just before I slam it down, the voice speaks again.
[I know how to wake up your family.]
I know. It's just a dream. But–for some reason, my hand pauses. Somehow, the voice knows and there's a soft chuckle.
[Maybe I should have started with that. My bad~]
"Who are you?" I croak, mouth dry.
[I already said, I'm Supervisor Kim!]
"Supervisor of what?"
[Of the emergency department in Solar System hospital, of course! Geez, did Amber seriously never tell you about me? She must be jealous and think you'd like me more than you like her.]
Solar System hospital? My aunt only ever did convenience store chains. In fact, she hated going to hospitals more than anything. Whenever we went here to get checkups for my mom I would see her wiping sweat off her palms. It's why I felt extra bad that she made herself visit us here everyday.
[Anyways, let's get back to business. As I've said, your family won't wake up for another… hm… I'd say 100 years. And considering the poor state your mother is in, she won't last for another year.]
"..."
[I'm sure you know. You've seen her condition. If you go to that other room, she'll be as pale as a sheet. Your dad will die from grief. And your sister–oh-what a shame. She had so much in store for her. Didn't she qualify in CIF for golf?]
I grit my teeth, unable to say anything. I can't turn off my phone. God, when am I going to wake up?
[I'm just as upset as you. Which is why I'm calling you to offer you a job at the Solar System hospital!]
"...what nonsense are you talking about…?"
[Your family can't wake up because they're sick. If you want to save them, the best way would be to learn from the Solar System hospital. We have hundreds of patients like your family, all happily in the process of recovering!]
From the other end of the phone, there was the sound of rustling paper.
[Since you're still a student, you can't just become a doctor. But there's all sorts of positions that will let you see the process of recovery. Ambassador, scribe, nurse assistant… let me see if I can make this easier for you to see.]
And just then, a hand shot out of my phone.
..!
Like a weird horror indie movie, an elegant hand rose from the phone holding a piece of paper. It gently laid it on top of the bed and pointed at the lines. I stared at it, frozen in place.
"Pay attention, now. This will be your advantage in the orientation."
The hand gently patted my shoulder for me to lean forward. In a daze, I gazed down at the contents. A simple document that did not seem very official was laid before me.
AMBASSADOR
ESCORT PATIENTS AT THE ENTRANCE TO THEIR ROOMS
EMERGENCY ROOM (THE BEST)
LOCKED
SCRIBE
-LOCKED
NURSE ASSISTANT
-LOCKED
"Oh dear. Seems like you can only do the ambassador for now. That's fine, it's a great position!"
The voice which now seemed much closer spoke with a slightly regretful tone. As if comforting a sullen employee, it awkwardly patted my back…
Let's not think about it too hard, or I think I'll go insane…
"Haha, you don't seem to believe me, do you? Here, I'll have you fill out the form for a test shift. If you don't like it, you can leave at any time! We understand completely. Here, here,"
The hand snaps its fingers and a golden pen appears in its palm. It stretches it out towards me, expectant.
"Go ahead and sign, and then I'll let you go."
Oh, god, finally. I take it with sweaty hands and go to sign. Maybe my brain just needs something to indicate I'm done dreaming. Just when I'm about to place the pen on the paper–
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The door from behind me suddenly rattles loudly.
"Ah."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Moon!" A familiar voice calls out, jolting me from my sudden daze. When did the pen get in my hand? "Moon are you there?!"
"Ignore her." The voice says calmly.
"I'm here!" I scream, struggling to move. The god damn wheelchair is locked. "I'm here!"
"Moon don't answer the phone! Unlock the door!"
The door rattles violently. I have never heard my aunt so angry. I try to move, but my foot catches on the wheelchair and I stumble on the ground. Piercing agony shoots through my body when I land on the leg caught up in the crash.
"Moon! It's okay, I'll be right there! It's-okay! Stay there!"
And then I hear the sound of bones cracking. My face covered in cold sweat watches in horror as the shadow on the other end of the door grows, the sound of flesh breaking and sewing together echoing in the room.
"Uh-uh-ah…." I tremble violently.
"Jeez…" The phone, now on the ground, sighs in annoyance. Then the hand places its palm on the ground and–
Oh, god.
A long arm with a pristine black suit emerges from the phone, defying all laws of physics. A tuft of black, styled hair starts to emerge. My head slams to the ground, hard enough that I can feel my forehead bleed.
If I look at whatever is emerging from that, I'll die. Every cell in my body is screaming that I am going to die.
I take back what I said. This, this is what hell must be like. There's the pad of dress shoes clacking against the floor, and a soft hand wraps around my shaking wrist. A pen is placed in my palm.
"Now, let's go ahead and sign~" The smooth voice says cheerfully.
I'm going to throw up. My hand moves against my will. The pounding of the door is so loud I can barely hear anything. But despite the noise, despite everything…
Fake your name, fake your name, don't put your real name no matter what moon, please
I hear my aunt's voice right beside me. It's so faint that it could be a hallucination, but I can't help but follow her instructions. The hand on my wrist is forceful, the pen pressed down on the paper.
Different names. I have to make a different name! A different name, fuck, damn it, come on!
I bite my cheek hard enough that blood spills out. The smell makes me gag.
"Oh dear." The voice simply says, before dropping my hand. I heave on the ground, my sweat rolling down into the blood and saliva smearing on the floor. The world is turning blurry. I hear the sound of the door finally breaking down. A beastly voice screams.
[I'll kill you, you fucking bastard.]
The smooth voice laughs, delighted.
"Let me borrow your cute nephew for a few months, Amber~ He'll be wonderful."
And with that, I am plunged into darkness.