Tabula Colton

Chapter 1- The Boy Who Lived

The last block before everything went dark I remember my heart pounding like crazy as I worked through the rage. I'd reached into the backseat to stop the box from spilling as I made the sharp turn on Sunset where it wound up the hill.

The box had everything I'd kept in my locker over the last five years working in the sheriff's office before they shit-canned me. It was one stupid mistake and my career was toast.

I'd started with them straight out of the academy and now at 26 everything I'd worked for was over. One stupid mistake, just a couple drinks before my shift. I made a few off-color comments and slurred a few words and they hauled me in.

It was my third offense after misplacing a gun and some problems with evidence. I could have fought it. I could have ended up at some outpost in the desert. But I took the resignation, cleaned out my locker, and hit the road.

That last block, as I zoomed through the yellow light, a car zipped out of a parking space without even looking.

I swerved to miss it but I was going too fast. I lost control and headed straight towards a kid on a skateboard and then a light pole.

I don't know how long I was out or if I was dead or what. The world went black. It wasn't a big world either.

I felt like I was trapped in a tight box, a box holding me in, squeezing me from the sides. It could have been a minute, an hour, a week.

And then the crack. It started like a little crack of light from under a door. It went in jagged lines then splintered off into other cracks then opened into a bright white of blinding light.

I squinted and felt a sharp pain behind my eyes like the crack was running down the center of me. I heard beeps, sets of them like little timers going off and then a figure was in front of me, a brown face with dark eyes was staring me down.

He said something, but it sounded fuzzy like a radio station that was off by a frequency or two. I strained to hear him and saw another face appear beside his.

"He's coming around," the other figure said as he took a penlight and shown it in my eyes. I pulled away and turned to look at the room. I was in a hospital bed with all kinds of screens monitoring me.

"What is your name?" The first figure asked me. I looked down from his face and noticed a stethoscope and white coat like a doctor would have.

"Miguel Montes." My throat was raw and the voice that came out of it was a muffled squeak.

"Ok... Miguel. How old are you?" The second figure asked.

"Twenty-seven... am I ok?" I blinked and felt the room spinning.

"Twenty-seven? His I.D. card says he's almost eighteen," The first figure interjected.

I looked over at him with confusion.

"It also says his name is Colton Johnson... Is your name Colton?" He repeated.

My eyes were starting to adjust to the light and I could almost make out the name Dr. Peter something-or-other on his name tag. I couldn't make it out clearly. 

I shook my head to tell him no.

"Well he sure looks like this kid on the I.D. card. This isn't you?" The second guy said.

From his uniform I gathered he was the nurse. He took the card and held it in front of my face.

The picture wasn't me. It was some pale, white kid with big, green eyes and floppy dark hair and a big dopey smile.

It said his name was Colton and he lived on Alpine Place in Beverly Hills. I recognized the block number. I'd done private security over there a few months back for an expensive wedding.