Faces, Names, and Memories (completed)

Chapter 27 - Upstairs

The first thing I'm aware of as I regain consciousness is two people talking in low voices.

"What happened?" One demands to know. I recognize the voice as the doctor's almost immediately.

"I don't know!" Someone else answers. "One minute they're talking normally, the next they seem delirious and then they're all unconscious." I assume this man is one of the guards, probably the guard that was in front of our room while this all was occurring.

"Do you think this could have anything to do with that guard the boy beat up?" The doctor asks.

"Doubtful, how could he knock out 6 kids without touching them? And, you said before the only ones that he seemed to have hit are the boys, and the Vera girl seems to have a bruise from falling. Which would make sense because she fell as she came out of the cell that flooded." The guard answers.

"Still, something about this just doesn't add up. What are the odds? The toilet floods; the princess is caught trying to open the vent; the blonde boy knocks himself out; the others get into the room across the hall; the boys try to pump a guard for information; and, then they all just so happen to pass out shortly after?" The doctor says.

"You know those kids are the ones that cause the most trouble. Especially since that Vera girl got here. You are the one that ordered they be under constant surveillance." The guard replies.

"I know what I ordered!" The doctor snaps. There's a pause. "Go back downstairs, you're drawing too much attention up here."

"Yes, ma'am," The guard replies.

"Nurse?" The doctor calls.

"Yes, doctor?" The nurse replies.

"Notify me when Ms. Vera wakes up. I have a few questions for her," The doctor orders.

"Of course, doctor," The nurse answers.

"Thank you," The doctor replies, and then I don't hear anything else of note. I'm tempted to open my eyes and look around, but I have no desire to deal with the doctor right now, and most likely the nurse is still there.

I can assume that this step of the plan worked and we are all now upstairs in the hospital. We are so close to escaping that I can imagine what it will feel like to finally be outside this building. Once we're out, we can finally come up with a plan to stop Jaz from completing his army of BZs. And, whatever it is he needs me to do, I won't be here for him to use. Maybe we actually will make it to someplace safe. Maybe this won't turn out as complicated as we anticipated it to be. So far, this multi-faceted plan has gone pretty well, with the guards and the doctor only being suspicious of what we planned for them to be suspicious of. There are only two more things that have to happen, and then we're out of here. I almost smile, a real smile, for the first time in days, but then I remember I'm still supposed to be unconscious.

After a while, I realize I can't fake sleep anymore, so I pretend that I haven't been awake for the past 15 minutes and open my eyes. I have to blink against the bright hospital light, it's much brighter than it is in the basement. When I'm finally able to adjust, I take a quick look around the room. It's almost identical to the small room I first woke up in. This time, there's no IV, but there is a curtain dividing the room in half. I glance through the window in the door to my half of the room and don't see anyone, so I sit up and swivel so my legs dangle off the bed, then I drop to the floor. Surprisingly a wave of dizziness and a pulse of pain in my head wash over me and I grip the bed to steady myself. The effects of the anesthesia must not have completely worn off. Regardless, I walk over to the curtain and move it aside just a little to see who my roommate is. I'm happy to see Spenzo's curly black hair.