Oblivion || n.h

Eight

"Violet!" I call her name repeatedly as she falls limp in my arms, half clothed and motionless.

Forced to sober up I take her in my lap as we both sink to the floor, I gently shake her hoping to gain a response from her but she doesn't flinch.

I press my ear to her chest and am relieved to find her still breathing, but concerned as to why she looks practically comatose.

In an attempt to go for help I pick her up as gently as I can and set her down only bed, but just as I head for the door I become short of breath and find myself falling to my knees on the floor. My body feels as if I'm carrying a cement truck on my shoulders, and i'm forced to remain stagnant. Only minutes go by before I too find myself staring up at the ceiling. Completely numb from the neck down, I lay incapacitate as my eyes are forced shut by a sudden wave of drowsiness.

*

"All vitals are normal"

"Well that's great news!"

"Your sarcasm doesn't go unnoticed General"

"I don't give a shit. They're getting too damn close! How much more can they take of this reset bullshit!" 

My eyes remain closed, but my ears are vigilant. I am almost certain this is the works of my imagination, manifesting themselves in the form of a dream. But even though that is the most logical explanation, it feels all too real.

What are these two quarreling men talking about? Why are they in my apartment? And where's Violet?!

"May I remind you General, that that is the whole point of this experiment? We have to test their limits - so far they show much strength and it'll help us to move in the right direction. Should they fail the experiment that is, it's like a trial and error type thing, we'll just have to do better with the next pair."

Experiment?

The next pair? What the fuck is going on?

"I hate when your right" the General sighs, "I just hate having to put one of us in this situation" he sounds almost remorseful.

"If you feel that way imagine how I must feel.. I take care of them on a weekly basis, and each reset is harder than the last" 

"Right.. well it's not like we have much choice in the matter. It's all for the good of mankind" The General huffs, sounding a lot more sure of himself.

The good of mankind? What the hell does that even mean?

"And don't forget the driver on your way out, we can't have any of them remember tonight" he adds, before the sound of his heavy footsteps disappear into the distance.

*

I wake up in my own bed only to find i'm not alone. Violet is laying beside me with her back to me as I rub my hands over my face. Flashes of last nights events come at me all at once the moment I close my eyes. 

"Argh" I groan as I find my way out of bed and wander into the bathroom for some pain killers. I can still hear their distinct voices in my head. The 'General' and who ever the hell that other guy was. Was it really all just a dream?

I try to convince myself that it was, but the more I do the more unconvinced I actually become.

What the hell did they mean by none of us remembering last night? Is that what they meant by reset?Reseting our memories? 

There's no way that's been remotely possible.. I mean right? I ask myself in the mirror, filling a glass of water and popping the pain killers in my mouth.