Slowtown

6

So it's taken a long five minutes or so for me to gather myself enough to sit upright. Now that I'm clearly not on the verge of death, the doctor lady steps in again, and this time it's for real. Without a word to spare, she gives me a full on checkup, y'know, heartbeat, reflexes, even blood pressure. I try not to squirm while she's poking at my ribs, and she quietly asks Josh, "So you didn't see him get hurt anywhere?"

"Nope, I told you," he casually leans against the wall.

"Okay."

She walks to the end of the room without turning her back on me, like I'm gonna run away or something stupid like that. I didn't even have any intentions to get up this morning, sudden movement isn't my thing. Oh, she's grabbing a rolling chair now, dragging it over and sitting herself down knee-to-knee with me. Unnecessary, thanks. With such a serious look scrunching up her face, I know she's going somewhere with this, and if it's not to the answers I've been needing, I'll weed 'em out. Careful now, don't space out. A deep breath in and out, scrutinizing me some more, and she seems to have readied herself. "My name is Lisa, what's yours?"

Okay, I kind of don't care, but I have to respond. "Tyler," it takes me a second– why does it take me a second to remember my last name? "Joseph."

"Tyler Joseph. Hello." She swallows and purses her lips. "Welcome to Slowtown. Tyler, this place you've found yourself in is a very difficult concept, so I'll try to explain it as well and reasonably as I can. You can interrupt me at any point to ask questions or if you want me to repeat myself."

I am already confused.

"In times of extreme trauma, the human brain has coping mechanisms. Not all of these methods are healthy, but the brain is largely concerned with what is called self preservation. If a person has experienced something so traumatic that the brain thinks it will not be able to function if it has to be reminded of that event, then it will simply forget. But in rare cases - which we happen to be - the brain believes that repressing the memory isn't enough, and that the environment continues to be unsafe. Your mind has cocooned itself in a– a new reality, if you will, created from other memories. That's why you know this place, right?"

Her words scare me so much, I feel like she's not even talking to me.

"Right?"

Now I'm nodding my head, but my conscience feels like it's been separated from my body.

"Okay. So, you don't remember anything from the past twenty four hours, do you?"

Detached, but I shake my head. A new reality, is that what she said? Hallucinations? My mind spun itself into a hyper-realistic hallucination, taking my physical body with it? My hands and spine feel cold as my sanity dissolves– or has that already happened? My heart is pumping lead down my limbs. The beating stops dramatically, and my heart is still. It won't start again.

She's waiting for me. Oh, it must be scratched into my face how terrified I am.

She's telling Josh something; I don't care to listen. They look scared too.