The Journal of Memories

Everyone in the room jumped at my voice, their bodies frozen in time. Some of this even were sitting with their mouths open. Others had dropped their pens and papers they were holding. The room was dead silent when Dr. Simon slowly stood from his desk, “You can talk.”

I nodded my head, “Yes, I can. Luna can too.”

He made his way over to us sitting on the stool again, “How much do you know? About what happened I mean.”

I looked over at Luna, “We can tell you everything, if you let us out of these boxes.”

He thought for a second, “How will I know you won’t try anything? Like you did with the guards.”

Luna spoke up for me, “We don’t want to fight. We were scared they were going to hurt us... We just want to save all those people.”

Dr. Cory spoke up behind Dr. Simon, “Two teenagers want to help save everyone outside? I don’t believe you.”

Luna seemed pissed now.

What is it with people pissing her off every two seconds?

“You weren’t there when a mob of people attacked me, scratching up my arms...You didn’t have to wake up and experience that you were the only person in this whole freaking city that could talk or at least act human... You don’t have to deal with not remembering simple things or getting shocks to your head when you actually do remember... You weren’t there when the snowstorm hit and all those people died... You didn’t have to walk everyday around the bodies laying in the street, trying to ignore them... And most of all, you weren’t there when I found my sister, the only person that I loved in this world, dead on the floor in my house. You didn’t have to leave her behind in a flower garden instead of burying her... We slept in alleyways instead of homes because we were too guilty to break into someone’s house, knowing someone lives there... We have seen people running in fear because the National Guard started shooting at them... We have been wondering the city for days looking for some hope of going back to normal... You have no right to question us on trying to help the city, when you don’t even know what is actually happening out there,” Luna had tears falling from her eyes and I just wanted to comfort her.

Everyone stood silent with the look of guilt on their faces. Dr. Simon was the first to speak up after the silence, “Help us understand what is going on out there. Please, help us help them.”

With that he pressed a button and the holographic boxes disappeared around us. I stretched out my legs and pulled Luna close to me by wrapping my arm around her shoulders, “Thank you. Where do you want us to start?”

Everyone seemed to relax and they grabbed tablets and notepads, eager to take notes. Dr. Simon looked around at his colleagues, “Can we first start with the bombings? How much do you know? Also what did Luna mean about wake up?”

I took a deep breath, “I woke up after the bombings, I didn’t know she existed until a couple days later. I had no idea what happened. Hell, I didn’t know my name or anything. It feel like my head was a rock. Everyone around me were like zombies, not talking, just staring forward. The only reason we know about the bombings was a news hologram we saw.”

“How did you find out your name? It seems like you know a lot.”

Luna stiffened, “The shocks.”

An unknown scientist spoke up, “Shocks?”

Luna let out a breath, “That is the only way to explain it. You don’t remember what something is or you don’t remember your name, you got a shock... It feels like you are getting electrocuted... Your body stops, your eyes dim, then everything relaxes. Your eyes go back to their bright color and you remember it.”

Dr. Simon looked at her, “How many of these shocks have you had?”

We both laughed, “Millions by now. It has turned into just a normal thing that happens... We have learned to ignore the pain, tolerate it.”

He thought for a moment, “Do the shocks have something to do with what happened to Luna awhile ago?”

I shook my head, “No those are visions...”

“Visions?”

“You start out with a major headache. They are triggered by places or things we have come to find out... the pain is unbearable like something squeezing your head... then you close your eyes and you get hit with a memory you have forgotten. It could be long or short... it is rare when we totally pass out... then the pain releases and we have a bloody nose.”

Someone asked Luna, “What your... vision about?”

She looked toward the floor, “My mother in the hospital... I guess it was triggered by this room. It is like a hospital.”

Everyone looked away from her, afraid to go on with the subject anymore.

Dr. Simon cleared his throat, “You guys were wondering around the city. Was there anything in particular you were looking for?”

“My dad.”

“Why your dad?”

I didn’t really want to tell them but they probably would know where to find him, “He is a scientist like you guys... I had visions of him talking about a horrible thing that was going to happen. He found out about it when he was looking into a company his lab was investigating... it turns out it was something to do with bombs... it was the only thing we could think of that could help the city.”

“Do you know what is lab is called? Or where it it?”

I shook my head, “That is actually one of the things I can’t remember.”

He ran his fingers through his hair, “Interesting... anyways I think that is enough questions for today. Dr. Cory will show you guys to your new room. Thank you for helping.”

We both nodded our heads, “Anything to help the city.”

Dr. Cory walked up, “Alright follow me.”

We jumped off the table and stood on shaky legs.

Ugh my legs are asleep from being curled up in that box.

He led us down a hall into a room with three walls. There was two beds and a door that led bathroom on the side. He watched go in then hit a button putting up a holographic fourth wall, “I am sorry guys but I can’t let you leave this room without one of us knowing. It is too risky to have you two just walking around.”

Luna nodded her head, “We understand.”

He gave kind of a creepy smile, “Food will be brought to you in a bit. Try to get some sleep.”

He left us alone and we both looked at each other. Luna chuckled nervously, “That was a little creepy.”

I walked over and sat on a bed, “Yeah... I don’t really trust them that much.”

Luna sat on the other, “Yeah me too... something seems off. Like they know everything but they just want us to say it all.”

I don’t like this one bit. I don’t care who they are.