Jean Marcolo

Chapter One: Sarah

           The room was dark. I knew my eyes were open because they were desperately trying to adjust the void. Death and decay fill my sinuses, as noticed my arm was in pain. I tried to shift my body and a sharp tingle shot up my wrist. As I winced at the pain a sudden metal noise sounded from behind me.  Somewhat of a large vault unlocking. A blinding light immersed the room and for the first time I could make out my surroundings. I manage to turn to where the light was coming from when I noticed I was drenched. 

          Taking a moment for my eyes to adjust to the new light, I glanced at my person and a dark type of liquid, deep maroon in color,  covered the shorts and shirt I’m wearing. That’s when I noticed the lady staring right at me. Not saying a single word. “W-who are you?!” “ Where am I!?” my words came out more of a whisper. My voice hoarse and my throat sore. The woman wears a light yellow sundress with black socks. Upon her face, a smile. But… not one that puts you at ease, no, this smile was one where you knew something was wrong, and you didn’t want to be around to find out what. 

“Hello Sarah” my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Suddenly a migraine develops and as I draw my hand up to massage my temples with my other hand, I notice a man lying down in his own blood. It wasn’t fresh but it had made a pool around him and it finally clicked. I’m covered in blood, this dead man's blood. That’s when I lost it. I screamed at the realization and immediately looked back at the woman to find that she’s disappeared. I make an attempt to stand but my legs were weak and they gave out. 

It wouldn't have mattered anyway, both of my ankles where chained to the wall behind me. Fear and stress begin to overcome me and I feel as though I could cry. Tears start to roll down my face and a soft sob escapes my lips. Two figures come into view, the same woman from before and a man. The woman, still wearing her disturbing smile, while the man looked annoyed and fiddled with a set of keys. 

“Please”  I managed a faint whisper. “Please, let me go. My name is Jean Marccolo and I’m just a waitress. I promise I won’t tell anyone, just please let me go”. I begged and pleaded some more but it did nothing. They shared a looked a look and nodded. The man came  towards me with the intent to free me.

As he unlocked my chains a brief feeling of relief rushed over me. The feeling was short lived when he hoisted me over his shoulder and began to carry me up a steep set of stairs. I kicked, screamed, and punched the man but my efforts were futile. He didn’t budge not once the whole way up. 

The woman followed closely behind, not bothering to close the door. At the top of the stairs a large wooden door led us through what looked like a garage. It was dimly lit but just enough to see what was in the room. In the middle sits a white chair, resemblant of that of a dentist’s chair. Around it were monitors and trays of surgical tools. He places me in the chair and beings to restrain my arms and legs. I yell out in agony as he straps my injured arm tightly. Tears yet again stream down my face. How did I even get here?

 The woman goes to a monitor and begins to methodically tap and press various buttons.  A helmet type apparatus descends right above my head. The man goes around one of the trays and picked up a clipboard and pen. “What is your full name?”. Looking between the woman and the man, I start to struggle against my restraints. “I’ve already told you, my name is Jean! What do you want with me! Let me go!”. He sighs in disdain and marks something on the board. I glance over at the woman and she’s already staring right at me. For the first time she’s frowning. Her emotion was almost frustrated, or annoyed. 

The man speaks again. “What do you remember before today?” The question caught me off guard. As I tried to recall where I was before this fresh hell, I become ill. I begin to vomit and dry heave. While I empty my insides, they share another look before the man jots something down. The woman moves to a different monitor and puts in some type of code, then a retinal scan. The man walks over to me and begins to pull the helmet over my head.

 I try to yell but nothing comes out. From inside, I can tell the man is pressing buttons on the side. A rhythmic beeping noise starts to sound within the helmet. The woman comes to my side and injects me with a dark black substance. It’s cold as the liquid moves through my bloodstream. My injured arm goes numb and I start to get dizzy. “If this next time doesn’t work, we’ll have to terminate her.” I fight hard not to go unconscious. “Shane, do be dramatic”. The man looks at me, emptiness behind his eyes. “She’s fine, we’ve come this far”. What are they talking about, what the hell is going on here? 

The woman now looks frustrated. She places her hands on her hips and paces back and forth before stopping abruptly. “We can’t continue. She has extensive brain damage. Even if I did get her back she wouldn't be the same” the woman looks at me and feigns a smile. “Do you want your daughter back or not?”. The woman faces the man. It seemed like an eternity before anyone spoke. “Do it.” The man pressed one last button and gas started to fill the helmet. Those were the last words I heard before I slipped into oblivion.