After being ordered by the State to undergo Deep Sleep, a treatment for troubled teens, Jo awakens in the hospital with sporadic and unexplained memories. Upon celebrating her rebirthday, she recalls strange past events that makes her question reali...
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My feet carried me out of the room and down the halls, passed smeared droplets of blood on the once spotless tiles, and to Mom who remained unconscious on the ground. The route to the exit called me, but I couldn't continue on without her. Even when I tried to convince myself to move on alone, a tug at my heart kept me tethered me to her.
I tucked my weapon in my breast pocket alongside my diary and dropped to the floor beside her. "Mom?" I shook her shoulder. "Get up. Wake up. We gotta go."
She stirred, steadily regaining consciousness. "What?" When her eyes met mine, she screamed.
"Quiet." I instinctively placed my forefinger to my lips, taking a quick glimpse over my shoulder.
"Jo?" Her voice quivered. "What happened to you? Are you bleeding? Are you hurt?"
I looked down over my gown to the red platters and smears, I only imagined my face looking much worse. "I'm ok, but we have to go. Now."
She shook her head. "There's nowhere to go, Jo."
"The exit."
"It's locked and authorities are probably waiting at the door to lock us up." She looked down at the sporadic drips of blood that contrasted the overabundant white. "You've done it, huh? You killed Dr. Schwartz."
"No." My head shook so hard my temples ached. "There are others. Others just like him."
"What do you mean?" She squinted her eyes disbelievingly.
I glanced over my shoulder toward the direction of the surveillance room. "There are copies of him. Dozens. He's not the only one."
Mom's eyes went wide. "Oh, my god. That explains a lot."
"Let's go." I moved closer to slip my arms under hers to help her get off the floor.
"Put me down, Jo." She gently pushed me away. "We have to stay."
"Why?" I stood, watching her, judging her inaction as much as her actions. "For what? Because you signed a contract that gave him permission to experiment on me as a way to pay him back for reviving me?"
"You don't get it, do you?" She huffed and sniffed away the oncoming sobs that trembled her body. "You were dead, Jo. I didn't want to lose you."
I sneered, nearly speaking through clenched teeth. "Or maybe you didn't want to go down for murder. Maybe that was your reason for reviving me."
She gasped. "That's not true."
I dismissed her shock and stared toward the direction of the exit. "I want to go home."
"That urge to go home was implanted in your mind." She stared guiltily. "In order to keep you motivated to remember your true memories, the doctor implanted that urge. In theory, you would try harder to make progress with your treatment if going home was your goal. In truth, there's nothing to go home to."
