Other Worlds Than These: The Gunslinger's Apprentice

Of Debts and the Word Nineteen

"Patient 19-19 is awake. I repeat, patient 19-19 is awake."

Nineteen. There is something important about that number.

The word is nineteen.

I shoot upwards and clutch my head as sharp pain halts my thoughts. "Patient 19-19 is awake. I repeat, patient 19-19 is awake." I grit my teeth as the pain spikes. "Patient 19-19 is awake. I repeat, patient 19-19 is awake." Pain. "Patient 19-19 is awake. I repeat, patient 19-19 is awake." Even more pain. "Patient 19-19 is awake. I repeat--"

"STOP IT!" I screamed. But it didn't stop. The word nineteen echoed in my head, and I could feel the number slowly carving its way through my mind, searching for something.

Childe Roland to the Dark Tower came.

The word is nineteen.

There are other worlds than these.

The word is nineteen.

Blaine was a pain, and that's the truth.

The word is nineteen.

All hail the Crimson King.

The word is nineteen.

So long as you travel with the boy, the man in black will hold your soul in his pocket.

The word is NINETEEN.

The World has moved on.

THE WORD IS NINETEEN.

The man in black fled into the desert, and the gunslinger followed.

THE WORD IS NINETEEN.

"I see you're finally awake."

The voices stopped, and a man dressed in a white coat entered the room. The room itself reminded me of a hospital room, so the man must be a doctor. On closer inspection, I saw that the doctor had a yellow scarf wrapped around his neck and a rather...interesting choice of facial hair. His strange mustache twitched upwards, and I could tell the man was smiling.

"That's good. It would have been a massive waste if you died. I made quite the investment in you, young man." The doctor continued to speak, moving towards the left side of my bed. "Ah, I suppose I should introduce myself." The doctor removed his right hand from his right jacket pocket and held it out. "Doctor Arthur Watts." I stared at the hand a moment, and then shook it with my own, bandaged hand.

"Graham Belle." I answered back. His name sounded familiar to me, but I could not figure out why. "What did you say about an investment?" Watts' smile didn't quite reach his eyes, but I couldn't tell what was there. "I'm sure by now you've noticed the scars on your arms and legs." I let go of his hand and examined my palm. True to his words, thin line-like scars dotted my palms, fingers, and likely everywhere else on my body.

"Don't worry, the scars stop at your neck and waist, so the rest of you should be fine." My face burned with embarrassment. "Other than the severe scaring you had when you came into this hospital, you also had severe internal damage to your internal organs. Are you following me so far?" The man had walked to the foot of my hospital bed as my heart dropped and my face went from burning hot to freezing cold. "Yes." I responded quietly.

Watts' smile widened, and I saw the expression in his eyes for what it truly was. Sadistic glee coupled with...greed? "The damage to your lungs and brain was so bad that it was likely that you would die. So in order to save your life, the hospital had to pay some...expenses for my greatest invention, Regenerative Nano-machines." I silently reeled in shock. 'Nano-machines!? I wasn't aware we had that technology!' Watts continued to speak. "Unluckily for you, you still have to make a payment for my services as well."

"However, I was surprised to discover that you had no ID, no license, and not a single Lien to your name." He gave me a sideways glance. "So instead of paying me with money you don't have, you are going to work for me until you do have the money. THEN...you shall pay me." I gulped. Lien? That sounded familiar too. "What kind of work would I be doing?" I asked him. He smiled and responded. "Oh, nothing dangerous I assure you, simply some lab work for a big project that is going to make me very famous."

'Okay, so Watts is a gold digger and a scientist. This still sounds familiar, and I can't figure out why. Must be due to brain damage.' It was... upsetting that I couldn't remember some things but I could remember others with perfect clarity. "Where am I going to stay? I doubt they'll let me stay here for the time we will be working together." Watts closed his eyes. "There is a man and his wife downstairs. You will be staying with them in Mantle for the duration of your stay."

"Mantle?" I asked. 'That doesn't sound like any city or town I know.' Watts blinked, surprise apparent on his face. "That knock on the head did more damage that I must have calculated. I'm sure your caretakers will tell you of your new surroundings during your stay." He made his way to the door and paused. "Oh, you should probably take these crutches propped up by the window there." He gestured towards the left wall, where there was indeed a window and a pair of crutches.

Once he left, I slid my legs to the left side of the bed and felt the hard texture of the cold floor through my skin. I gathered my strength and pushed off of the bed...only to fall flat on my palms as my numbed legs gave out from beneath me. "God dammit." I groaned, slowly crawling my way towards the window and the crutches, each inch feeling like a mile as I drew closer and closer to the window sill. When I finally reached my destination, I grabbed the sill with my right arm, and then my left, and pulled upwards.

This forced me into a position that was half standing, half leaning on the window. Only one thing caught my eyes in the darkness of that night. I saw the moon. But it wasn't the moon as I knew it. It had shattered like one of my mother's decorated plates, with several pieces still in orbit around the remains of the once whole moon. And with this sight came understanding. Understanding where I was. Understanding of the situation that I now found myself in. Understanding of who I now worked for.

I felt a cold terror well up within me as my vision blurred as I thought of the home that I would never see again, and could only think of how I was now trapped in a death world for the rest of my life. I gulped and murmured one of my favorite classic songs.

"Hey Jude, don't make it bad.

Take a sad song, and make it better..."