Sarah7

Ch13

... Sarah ...

... Sarah , where are you? ...

... Sarah, why did you leave me? ...

... Help me Sarah. I am lost. Where did you go? ...

With a quick intake of breath, Sarah awoke with a start. Her heart was pounding. Those words... Someone was trying to say something in her sleep. She was in the same bed, but it felt like some time had passed. The light from outside the window was different, and the air blew in, cool and full of smells. Smoke, food? And other things Sarah only half recognized. She also could hear the sounds of people talking outside the window. Could she also hear ... Max out there?

Her eye caught movement on the other side of the room. Someone was there! How could she have missed him? It was a boy. Somewhere in his teens. He was dressed in a drab tunic and trousers, which seemed to be the norm for people around here she thought, and he was placing extra blankets in a rough wooden closet . Something was odd in the way he was standing. She couldn’t quite figure it out.

Then, the memories came back, unbidden, and she let out an involuntary sob. The boy jumped and fell backward unceremoniously onto the wooden floor with an “ouch!”

Despite herself, Sarah stifled a laugh. How? How can I go from dispair to laughing? She said to herself. She felt guilty now as well..

“Are you ok?” She said softly.

The boy stood awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish motion. He stared off into space, slightly to the right of her as he spoke.

“Yeah, you just startled me. You’ve been sleeping for days, I didn’t expect you to hear me.”

“Days?” She replied.

She sat up. A look of wonder came across her face. The pain that had wracked her side was... gone .

Quickly, she tore at the blanket and felt her middle. The bandages around her waist were still there, but the searing pain was gone . Only a dull ache came from the place she had been injured.

How was that possible? Then she remembered. She was “special”. Some kind of vat grown thing. That must also mean she could heal faster. She didn’t know whether to be happy or terrified of herself.

“You know, you’re the perfect patient. ” The boy said.

Distracted by her own thoughts, she lifted her eyes to his face again. There was something odd about his eyes...

“You sleep all the time, you heal like nothing anyone has ever experienced before, and you don’t complain about the food.” He quirked a half smile.

Withou thinking, Sarah smiled back shyly. “Who are you?” She asked.

The boy reached out for the wall and seemed to use it for a guide back to the closet. He continued to stare into space as he gathered up the dropped towels and resumed putting them away.

“My name is Amil, Amil Danner. Captain Danner’s grandson. I’m in training to become a healer like my father, and grandfather. They thought after the ...talk with my grandfather I’d be a bit less ... stressful.”

“Are you ok? You look ...” Sarah started to say.

“Blind? Why yes, yes I am” he replied with a smirk.

“I’m sorry. I...” She stuttered.

Amil raised a hand in a dismissive gesture.

“It’s ok. I was born blind. Something about the increased radiation around here or something . But. I get around ok. When patients aren’t spooking me” he smiled. He had ice blue eyes, and touseled curly black hair, reminiscent of his grandfather . Sarah suddenly felt self conscious, she was lying in a bed in a small room with another person. She didn’t know what to say next.

Amil broke the awkward silence with a grin. “Are you feeling better? Being awake is a definite improvement. Our conversations before today were pretty one sided.”

Sarah was surprised. “You’ve been talking to me?” She thought of the voice in her dreams. It has not sounded like Amil.

He bit his lip, and blushed slightly. “Well, you were asleep for a long time. And they said it might help wake you, or help you feel better hearing a comforting voice. ”

Sarah felt a strange pressure in her stomach.

“Ohh. I feel weird. I have this pressure down here” she gestured with her hands to her midriff.

“You know I can’t see you right?” He smiled again. Sarah found that she liked his smiles. “You probably need to... Ah ... Go to the bathroom?”

“Oh.” It was Sarah’s turn to blush. “Where do I ...”

Amil pointed to the only door in the room. “Out the door and down the hall, to your right. Do you need any help?”

“To go to the bathroom?” She was really embarrassed now “I , uh ...”

Amil grinned again , it was infectious.

“No, silly, do you need help walking? You’ve been in bed for four days.”

Four days! Sarah gasped. Where was Max? And Creed?

“Where are..” She started.

“Your friends? We’ll Creed has been living out of the guest room down the hall, much to the consternation of the staff here. And as for your robot friend...” Amil’s face became pained.

“What is it?” Sarah said.

“He’s guarding this building. Nobody has gotten in or out since you got here...”

Sarah put her hand to her mouth. “Oh no!”

“It’s ok. We were hoping after you woke up you might call him off. That was two days ago. We’re starting to get a little hungry ”

Sarah brought her legs around and placed them on the floor. She felt more than a little dizzy, but she was determined to stand on her own. After all, she was a freak. And freaks should have super-human stamina, right?

Amil heard her motion and walked toward her.

“No. No! Don’t touch me.” She said just a bit too harshly. Amil’s face fell.

“Sorry. I’m a Sarah, you know. The freak.” She said with some bitterness.

“I know what that’s like. ” Amil said softly and touched his eyelids.

Sarah sighed. She was alone in a world full of things that most likely wanted her dead, and probably other folks that would want her to risk her life for some crazy Prophecy. So alienating the first person who wasn’t a machine or some sword wielding mercenary, or a crazy old man probably wasn’t the wisest thing she could do.

“Ok Amil , maybe I could use... A little help.” Her legs quivered as she tried to put weight on them.

With a speed and grace belying his handicap, Amil was next to her and placed her arm behind his neck, standing slowly. He was slightly taller than her, she noticed, and very thin, but surprisingly strong.

Carefully, he led her out the door and down the hallway. Other people from the medical staff stared as the walked, and Sarah wondered if this was to be her fate - to be stared at and called out as the freak... the clone ...

The Sarah .

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