—████ ██████
I didn't know what happened, the last thing I remembered was being carried by… the guy with curly hair,
[3]
A holographic screen appeared in front of my face, showing the number [3]
What is this?
Then it suddenly changed.
[████████████Recollection█████████████]
A sharp pain could be felt as I could only hold my head
"Hk—"
My body folded forward instinctively. And then—The memories flooded back in.
Scheisse
War Thunder
Team Leader
voices appeared in my head, a voice I was familiar with. A boy with an annoyed expression and curly hair.
Jeremy.
Then it repeated itself. in a different voice.
Gillman
Blue eyes
Scuba
A girl with a cheerful expression and blonde hair.
Evelyn.
And again.
Timid.
Muscular
Caffeine
A tall girl, yet extremely timid.
Amanda.
Fuck.
Fragmented memories returned to me, at the same time I sneaked a glance at the holographic screen. It had turned into [1]
Blink
[3]
What?
I thought it reseted daily at 12.00AM sharp—URRRGHH.
Cael Lucian.
I looked at the screen again. It displayed [2]
[Find the right exit.] before turning to [1]
Cael Lucian. right that's who I am, a member of the cleaners. I thought to myself as I glanced at my surroundings.
A huge white room. with padding, like those rooms you see for mentally deranged patients in the asylum. There were many scribbles, with the most obvious one being the one written with what looked like blood.
WRITE YOUR NAME
The room itself smelled like if you mashed coffee with iron together, not something I'd like to describe.
"Coffee?" I muttered, at the same time someone only pointed at the wall, that someone was wearing a white lab coat, obviously coming from the Research faction. The place where the researcher pointed? It was also written in blood.
Sleep fastens memory loss.
How did they even get coffee in here? No that's not important right now. Maybe the researchers and security guards are always tired so they bring coffee everywhere? Maybe, but there was an even more important question
Will there be any permanent damage to ones memory?
[No. As long as one leaves the place.] before turning to [0]
The system answered with it's usual style, yet for a moment, I thought I could hear the voice of someone… Maybe just my hallucinations. Damn this Remnant or whatever. It's really messing with my memory.
"Cael?" Her voice, one I would recognize, hurriedly I'd turn my back expecting her cheerful smile yet—
She looked skinny, extremely so. malnourished, like she hadn't eaten for days.
"Eve—?"
"haha. right. Eve. that's probably my name or nickname right?" A smile, yet it only made things looked worse.
"H-how long have we stayed here.?"
"Ah—I don't know. Team leader said it's been 3 hours, for me, it's been 3 days."
Time itself was distorted huh.
"And Amanda?"
"Who?"
Ah.
"The timid and muscular one?"
"Uhhhh… I don't really remember…" Eve said as she scratched her head, as she lifted one of her arms, I could see her ribs ever so slightly.
BZZZT.
The display showed [3] again.
Blink.
It showed [2]
Why?
[Memories are being forgotten. Must Repeat ███ ███████ █████]
Before turning to [1]
Great. So it can only help me temporarily, better not use the last charge then. If I forget these memories again…
"Anyways—Cael right? Can I just—"
Thud
"Eve?!?!"
"Ahahaha. I guess the coffee's wearing off. I haven't eaten and slept for 3 days after all…"
"You." A hoarse voice grabbed my hand, a single glance, and one could tell, it was a researcher, her hair tired to a high pony wearing one of those 'nerd' glasses. Her eyes had dark circles so dark they looked like it was painted on.
"Eat this." Her voice sounded hoarse, like she had screamed for days as she rummaged through her pocket, before taking out what seems to be a protein bar? yet Eve only stared at it
"This is?"
For a moment the researcher froze, then she muttered.
"Right. Food." The word sounded foreign from her mouth, like trying to say a new language when she hasn't learned it or perhaps. had forgotten it.
"Food…"
"How do I eat this again?"
Eve muttered, yet she couldn't even grab it, without hesitation I took the protein bar, opened the wrap and broke it into tiny pieces,
"Open"
"Ah."
I placed a piece in her hand, she stared at it for a second before going
"Right."
She slowly placed it inside her mouth. The researcher beside us had already looked away, not because it look embarrassing, such things don't matter inside a Remnant. Her eyes hollowed like she's done this many times.
"How do you drink this again?" Across the room the voice of a grown man could be heard, a single glance and I could tell, he was from the security faction.
"You tilt it and gulp." Said another one.
"Like this?"
"No higher."
"How do you blink again?" Another voice, the person this time a woman, her black curly hair looking slightly dazed, her eyes were red.
"You close them." Said another one.
"…"
"Some people even forgot how to breathe. Others died because their 'heart' forgot how to thump." The researcher said before she left.
I looked around. Many were having the same problems. And among them—A familiar face.
Jeremy.
He was scribbling something on the walls, using his own blood.
My name is Jeremy
My name is Jeremy
My name is Jeremy
My name is Jer—
And a few meters a way, I saw Amanda, she wasn't writing. She was lifting weights.
A lab coat tied with what looked like the shape of some familiar guns and others.
Lift
"Amanda."
Lower
Lift
"Amanda."
Lower
Lift
"Amanda."
Lower
Muttering her own name after every rep.
I approached Amanda.
"Amanda?"
Lift
"Amanda."
Lower
Lift
"Amanda."
Lower
"Amanda?"
After about 50 reps, she finally looked at me and muttered.
"C-c-cael?" only for a brief moment before returning to her previous rhythm.
Then I approached Jeremy. And he noticed instantly
"How long have you been awake?" A weird first question.
"What?"
"We've met"
???
"3 times."
—?!?!
"You forget every time."
He said before continuing to scribble 'My name is Jeremy' in small letters, I looked near the walls he stayed.
Many different words.
Jeremy was here
I am Jeremy
Team Leader Jeremy.
Different sizes, different color, different handwritings, different ages.
He had forgotten himself countless times.
There were more words.
Don't sleep
I have curly hair
My hair's black.
I'm a female.
Amanda's a female
I'm a male.
Amanda lift weights
Evelyn loves scuba diving
Cael looks tired
Cael has black hair.
Cael has brown hair.
Who is Cael?
Cael is—
Cael, Evelyn, Amanda
Colleagues.
DON'T TRUST THE WALLS.
TRUST THE WALLS
…
Everyone was losing their minds, yet they've found a way to deal with it—No slow it down. A temporary fix for now.
BZZT
The system showed [0]
—
How long had it been?
3 minutes?
3 hours?
3 days?
maybe even 3 weeks?
The system hasn't resetted yet. Probably less then a day. Right. refresh your memories.
Jeremy.
Team Leader
War Thunder
Scheisse.
Still fine.
Amanda
Green hair
Timid
Muscle
Still fine.
Eve.
SCBA
Blonde—
…
"You've forgotten." Jeremy suddenly spoke
"Forgot what?"
He pointed at a wall, and there were countless writings. written in blood.
If you can still read this, your name is Cael.
If you can still read this, your name is Cael.
If you can still read this, your name is Cael.
Different sizes, some written neatly, some rushed, some by blood, others by markers, some even scratched on the walls.
I didn't remember writing any of this.
"How many times?"
"Sixty Seven times."
"You forgot yourself sixty seven times."
Scratch Scratch
"We keep meeting"
Scratch Scratch
"Introducing ourselves."
Scratch Scratch
"You remember for a while"
Scratch Scratch
"Then forget"
Scratch Scratch
"Then it repeats."
Scratch Scratch
"How long?" I asked
Scratch Scratch
"Depends."
Great.
"And Eve's?"
He pointed at another wall, drawings. varied. drawn with a marker, A women, in scuba gear, regulators, vintage double hose regulators, LAMA helmets. Some looked detailed, some merely sketches.
Some were drawing of fishes. others turtles. and at some point—The ink changed, it was no longer black, but red.
Increasingly wrong. Increasingly disoriented. Like somebody with Alzheimer's.
"And you?"
"How many times have you forgotten"
Scratch Scra—
He stopped writing.
"Sixty nine—I don't know" And for once, I saw an expression I've never seen from him. Fear
"What was my name again?" He asked.
"Jeremy." Right?
Scratch Scratch
He continued writing.
—
Time passed once more, I had layed down. a single glance and through my vision. The system showed [2]
Meaning, at some point it had resetted, but I didn't know. The system wasn't omnipotent. Did I ask a question? or did It triggered itself. I didn't know.
Lift
"Amanda."
Lower
Lift
"Amanda."
Lower
Lift
"Amanda"
Lower
Then she stopped,
"Who's Amanda?" For the first time since I saw her in this room, she looked afraid, and looked around
"C-c-cael?"
She spoke
She still remembered me. hopefully
"And whats your name?"
"…"
"I-I-I don't know."
"… Your name's Amanda."
"AmandaAmandaAmandaAmandaAmandaAmandaAmandaAmandaAmandaAmandaAmanda"
Yet she wasn't the only one.
Thud
Nobody reacted, many people had collapsed before after all. Malnutrition, Sleep Deprivation, then someone screamed.
"SHE'S NOT BREATHING"
Thud Thud Thud Thud
As those words were said many people gathered to see her, I was one of them—It was Eve.
"TURN HER OVER" Said one of the researchers
"No Wait—" said another cleaner
"Why?"
"Why turn her over?"
"…"
Fuck.
Push Push
"MOVE—MOVE" I said as I pushed them all away, I checked her breathing. Nothing. I think. My hands were sweating. I checked her pulse. Also nothing.
Push Push Push
"27."
Push
"26."
Push
"25."
…
"WHAT COMES NEXT?"
Silence.
"Chest." suddenly someone spoke, a researcher. his hair unkept, eyes shaking
"You press the chest."
"Right. That's what you're supposed to do."
Push Push
I didn't count anymore, I didn't remember.
Push Push Push
Twitch
One of her fingers moved
Push
COUGH
Push
"EVE"
GHHHK—
COUGH COUGH COUGH
Her eyes opened, confused, lost, empty. and then—
"Who are you?"
Her blue eyes scanned to me, then to the rest then—
"Amanda." someone reflexively answered. like she was scared she'd forget again.
"Amanda." the voice sounded smaller this time, scared.
"Amanda?"
Scratch Scratch
The curly haired boy continued writing his name with blood.
Jeremy
My eyes scanned through my surroundings once more, then to the system
[1]
Another question was used. I think. I didn't know anymore. I looked at my surroundings once more. Team leader was still writing something, yet I couldn't recognize a single word anymore. The blonde woman was scribbling something.
The buffed one was slapping herself in the cheeck, muttering something I could no longer listen to.
"…"
"…"
"…"
And all of a sudden—
CRRCRCKRCK
FLINCH
A sound could be heard. Coming from the double sided door. As everyone collectively looked at it
CRACK
SQUELCH
The door was cracking, and through it—Black Tendrils were seeping in. Closer and closer
And for some reason as soon as I saw those tendrils, I remembered a single word.
Aleph.
Han Ga-In
They felt familiar.
Important.
I didn't remember why.