by KM Fortune
RAVEN LISTENED. THERE was no way of knowing what time it was because the room had no clock and there were no windows in her room. Her stomach growled. How long has it been since the man came and brought me food and water? It seemed he would give her food and pills four times a day, but she wasn’t certain. Up until today she fell asleep off and on as the hours went by. Occasionally, he would come in and just take a blood sample but for the most part he was away and she was alone. Loneliness nagged at Raven. For the hundredth time she wondered where everyone else was and why her family did not come to see her. The only person she had right now was the nurse and she realized she missed him. At least he is someone. Raven knew she made him uncomfortable though. He always acted awkward around her and would not speak to her or answer her questions. If she did not know better, it felt like the man had never been around women before. The entire situation was driving her nuts. She looked at the shackle on her ankle again and frowned. It was time to take action.
Raven took the metal bed rail in both hands and gave it a shake. It gave some and rattled a little. She tried again and looked to see where the rattle came from. The rails appeared to connect as they circled the bed and Raven saw a place where the fitting was loose. Excited now, she shook the bed again. The fitting was definitely loose. If I can pull the two ends apart, I think I can slip the shackle through, she thought.
Feeling determined and twisting her body, Raven hung over the end of the bed. She shivered a little, now completely exposed and naked. Pressing one arm against the floor to balance herself, she used the other to pull back on the bar. It snapped out of place with a little click. Elated, Raven slipped the shackle down the rail and in seconds was free from the bed. Yes! That was too easy, she thought, sitting down on the cold tile floor and looking around. From her new perspective, Raven took an objective survey of the room where she had been staying since she woke up. There were many similarities to a hospital room. The bed was adjustable and had rails to keep patients from falling out. Some electronic equipment was near the head of the bed, evidently to monitor things like heart rate and to administer IV fluids. Raven didn't remember having been hooked up to those machines but then she knew she did not remember a lot of things. Like even my own name, she thought and looked down at her wrists realizing for the first time there should be some identification on the familiar plastic bracelets hospitals always used. There were none. It was one more thing so weird about the place.
Raven slowly stood up, using the bed for leverage, and took a closer inventory of all which was not hospital-like in her room. For starters, there was the no windows aspect. What kind of hospital has rooms with no windows? Instead of having a view of therapeutic blue sky and sunshine, white walls of cement enclosed her completely. She looked at the stark surfaces. No cheap pictures, in fact, no signs of comfort at all. The strangest thing though, in her opinion, was the fact there was no television on a metal stand high near the ceiling like you see in hospitals, nursing homes, and cheap motels. It seemed impossible in today’s day and age to be in a room without a TV. She nodded her head as the reality of the situation finally settled in. This is not a hospital. So where the heck am I? she thought.
Carefully, knowing in her weakened state she was liable to pitch head first onto the floor at any moment, she navigated the ten feet from her bed to the room's only door. Holding onto the door handle to rest, Raven drew in heavy breaths, winded from the simple exertion. How long has it been since I walked? she wondered feeling the blood rush through her veins and hearing it pound in her ears. Weeks? Months? Well it’s past time I found some answers. She twisted the door handle to open it and felt resistance. She tried again with more force and tugged backward. It was no use. The door was locked from the outside and Raven knew she was not just a patient, but also a prisoner.
CHAPTER 5
MATTHEW HUNG HIS WHITE robe in the closet and turned around to face the small room which served as his living quarters. It wasn't much to look at with only a twin bed, a chest of drawers, and a small closet. At least it had an attached bath. It was a step up, having his own private bath, as most in the colony had to use the community facilities. His room was also conveniently adjacent to his lab, allowing him to work at all hours. He loved his assignment within the colony. Constantly tracking mitosis in cell samples taken from the humans captured out on the plains beyond the colony was important work. It lent him a certain amount of prestige, something Matthew had always cared nothing about but was thankful for now. If I wasn’t so well revered for the work I do, I could never have kept the woman hidden so long.
It had been his good fortune, while as a young boy, to test extraordinarily high in math and sciences. Genetically, he was engineered to excel in those two fields and become an exemplary member of the ever-important science corps. Regrettably, such engineering never guaranteed anything. Of the twenty other boys who were created in the culture with him, each intended to have identical genetic talents, he was the only one to mature correctly. The rest, if still living, worked in labor positions or took part as soldiers in the Crusades.
Now Matthew had a very simple but pleasant life and was looked up to by his peers. It was not that the respect wasn’t well founded. The research Matthew conducted was essential to the survival of the entire human race. With now only the male species left to populate the earth, it was essential he find better and better ways of reproduction. The female homo sapien species was suppressed. Scientists long ago learned how to insert the essential Y chromosome into every DNA chain so all fetuses were born male. Unfortunately, it was not enough to simply control the gender of the human offspring.
Cloning and genetic engineering had become common place generations ago and were considered some of the simpler sciences. It was of little challenge to create a male human whenever it became necessary to replace a soul who met an untimely fate. Strangely, however, the clones produced were somehow lacking a key element yet unidentified by scientists and they did not fare well as they grew into adulthood. Over time it had become evident the cloned population was greatly flawed and was not resilient enough to survive in the same manner as a naturally created human being. Matthew believed and often hypothesized with his peers it was something at the most basic biological level which was missing and could not be recreated through chemistry or modern science. In his opinion, one he kept to himself else he be accused of heresy, humans simply could not be factory made. Regardless the reason, it was evident nothing in the scientist's lab could replace the completely natural, extremely rare, and therefore, invaluable egg from a healthy female.
Looking in the small mirror over his bathroom sink, Matthew sighed at his reflection. “The precious and magical female ovum,” he said to the simple man in the mirror. He ran a hand over his beard and his thoughts drifted back to where he so often found them. The woman from the ice. She was now healthy under his newest experimental reanimation techniques. He knew she would still be weak from lack of exercise but physical therapy would fix it soon enough. Physical therapy? he thought. You are kidding yourself, Matthew, Son of Ruth, and the House of Levi. She will never leave the lab and you know it.
In the beginning, when he first brought her in from the glacier, he was only half convinced he could revive her enough to see if her ovaries were viable for harvest. He had argued a strong case against Samuel and to the others on the science council to gain permission to attempt his hydration techniques. It had been their prerogative to simply cut the female open and attempt to save any ovum she carried. Matthew had insisted they first try his methods, promising them a much higher percentage of success if they gave him enough time. His argument was perhaps the female, based on the clothing she was found in, was alive before the plague. If so, she might carry untainted eggs. He remembered the look of disbelief on the council’s faces at the time and their eagerness to let Matthew try. Only Samuel stayed skeptical. In the end, they granted him permission but with the caveat he produce results within three months or the normal harvest techni
ques would be implemented. Matthew had agreed, knowing his success was a longshot at best, but now...
It had never even crossed Matthew’s mind the female would not only be restored to the point of breathing and movement, but actually awaken and speak. And perhaps be able to provide the fertile landscape his colony so desperately needed. Matthew turned away from the mirror. But if Samuel and the others should ever find out. He couldn't finish the thought it was so frightening. Donning his lab coat, Matthew left his small living space, walked through the lab, and went to check on the woman from the ice.
RAVEN WAITED, LYING still in the bed, knowing the man, her keeper, would come soon. She was hungry and gauged it was near time for her to be fed again. She was now careful to keep track of how her body felt when he came and went with her food so she could keep a sense of time passing. It was not easy. With no windows, it was impossible to determine the time of day and she still slept a great deal, something she tried to fight but could not overcome. She reasoned there was probably a sedative in the food she was served, something which made her very sleepy. Raven had considered not eating, but decided against it for now. She knew the most important thing was for her to get her strength back so she ate whatever he brought her.
Thinking of her impending visitor made Raven frown in puzzlement. She knew this was no ordinary nurse. He seemed almost afraid of her whenever he opened the door and realized she was awake. In the beginning, when she tried to speak to him, he nearly bolted from the room. Now, he simply refused to acknowledge her words. It was extremely frustrating. She had a million questions to ask him. The first is why I am here, she thought. With hour upon hour to kill, Raven had narrowed down the possibilities and finally settled on the fact she must have been in a coma. The room she was in was some sort of special care facility. To her thinking, the coma theory would also explain her extremely weakened muscular condition as well as her memory loss. Not to mention the lack of visitors. If I were in a normal hospital, wouldn’t my family come to visit me? But if I was in a coma, how long had it been? Could it have been years? The thought was very upsetting and Raven could not help but worry she was asleep so long her family forgot about her. Or what if they think I am dead? The questions and more like it ran through her mind for hours at a time. It was starting to drive her crazy.
The sound of the door lock clicking in the silent room made her jump. Raven turned to look as the door slowly opened and Matthew, laden with a tray of what looked to be soup and a loaf of bread, walked in. Now it's time for some answers, she thought and moved her foot slightly under the sheet, assuring herself the shackle around her ankle was no longer attached to the rail at the end of the bed.
MATTHEW PAUSED AT THE door, noticing she was awake. Excitement and a little fear ran through him. She was so interesting to look at with her dark stubble hair and newly forming dark eyebrows offsetting the sharp green of her eyes. It was almost like she was waiting for me, Matthew thought, seeing her propped up on the pillow with her arms crossed and hugging the blanket. With a hard swallow, Matthew summoned up his courage and proceeded across the room, averting his eyes from her direct stare.
“What's on the menu tonight?” the woman asked as Matthew stepped up to the table beside her bed. The sudden words startled him so much he nearly dropped the tray and a bit of soup splashed over the rim of the bowl. Regaining himself, he set the tray down and reached for the napkin to place over the few drops of soup. “I'm sorry,” the woman apologized. “I surprised you again, didn't I?”
Matthew looked up from the tray and met her eyes. Aside from the very first time she woke up and asked him for water, he had never spoken to her directly or answered any of her many questions. Suddenly he wanted to. Is it a sin to speak to her? he wondered. What would The Creator think of one of the flock speaking to the Friend of the Serpent and the Catalyst of Sin. Matthew bit his lip and, after another moment’s hesitation, made up his mind. “How... how are you feeling?” he stammered while trying to put on a professional tone. The woman smiled. She is very beautiful, he thought as he tentatively smiled back at her.
“Very well, thanks to you I imagine. You are my nurse, aren’t you?”
Matthew blushed a little. “In a sense, yes.”
“Well I am grateful. How long was I asleep?”
“Asleep?” Matthew repeated, not understanding.
“Yes, in a coma. I was in a coma, wasn't I?”
Matthew paused and then nodded, understanding what she had deduced as the reason for her being here. It posed a complicated question for him and he frowned. “I'm not sure how long. Based on some of the objects we found along with you, it has been a long time.”
“Things you found with me?” the woman asked. “Was I lost?”
“Sort of.”
“Who found me?” she asked. Matthew blushed and averted his eyes.
RAVEN WATCHED HIM AND was puzzled. It's like he is a little boy, she thought. He looked to be at least in his thirties but he acted like he had never talked to a woman before. “Did you find me?” she finally asked him. Matthew nodded. “Well then I imagine I owe you my life.” She reached out and touched Matthew lightly on the wrist to express her gratitude. Matthew flinched at the contact and pulled his hand away as if her touch had burned him. Slowly he started to back toward the door. He was obviously upset. Raven felt badly. “Wait! Please, don't go yet. I'm sorry I touched you. It didn’t mean anything. Stay and talk to me,” she pleaded.
MATTHEW CONTINUED TO back away. This strange creature, this woman, was making him feel things. His mind was all mixed up with emotions of tenderness and fear. And attraction, he thought. Don’t fool yourself. He did not know how to react other than to flee. All he could do was escape before he did anything foolish and further damned his soul. He turned toward the door.
“Please stay,” she begged from the bed behind him. “I can't stand being in here all alone all day. Can't you put me in with some other patients or something? I need someone to talk to!”
Matthew stopped, his hand on the door handle. “There are no other patients,” he said softly still facing the door. The woman was silent. He waited, not turning for fear he would rush back to her. He could tell she was growing upset and his instinct was to comfort her. I must leave! he thought, just as she asked him more questions.
“No other patients? What kind of hospital is this?”
Matthew opened the door and stepped out of the room. “It isn't a hospital,” he answered firmly. “This room is part of my research lab. Now no more questions. Eat your food and go back to sleep. I have more work to do.” Matthew started to close the door behind him.
“A research lab?” the woman asked, her voice growing shrill. “What’s going on? Am I an experiment?”
Matthew sighed and nodded his head. “In a way,” he said and closed and locked the door.
CHAPTER 6
LATER IN THE EVENING, Matthew returned to pick up the woman’s tray and dirty dishes. She was asleep and he stood over her, watching her rhythmic breathing. He was adding a sleeping agent as well as strong steroids and other supplements to her food to help her heal, strengthen her immune system, and regain muscle. Time to stop using that now, he thought. Now when he came to see her, she looked healthier and more alive. It is a miracle. Truly.
The Creator spoke of miracles often and would even perform them for the flock at times, but Matthew was not convinced this particular phenomenon was The Creator’s doing. In fact, Matthew was certain The Creator would never allow a woman to prosper, as she was the first Enemy of Man. What he was beginning to wonder was why this was the case. She was gentle and beautiful and seemed genuinely kind. He knew she was angry and confused at times but she was never hostile or abusive toward him. If he had to explain it, he would say he truly liked her. It was all very confusing to him. “What do I do with you now?” Matthew asked as he stood over her and tenderly pulled the blankets up higher around her shoulders. “Do I answer all your questions and tell you the world as you
remember it is gone forever?” He sighed. “And what about later? When I have told you all you want so much to hear, then what? Samuel and the council will never allow you to live if you remain here in Eden and I cannot keep hiding you forever.” Matthew shook his head confused, wracked with indecision, as he picked up the food tray and left the room. The question of what to do weighed heavily on him. Matthew knew it was time to perform the surgery and see if she was indeed carrying fertile eggs, but Matthew did not look forward to the task. He was already feeling deep regret knowing he would soon destroy the woman he had nurtured so carefully back to life.
RAVEN PACED THE SMALL room, the blanket from the bed wrapped around her like a toga. The long hours in solitude were finally starting to take their toll. If I don’t get out of this place, I will go crazy. The walls were closing in. She knew she was a prisoner and the fear of her situation nagged at her constantly. At least it felt good to walk again and she did lunges around the perimeter of the room to exercise the weak muscles in her legs. Still feeling a little sleepy, she yawned but fought the desire to go back to the bed and rest. Her keeper was definitely putting something in her food and it was powerful stuff. Some sort of relaxant and hormone cocktail, she reasoned, noticing her body getting stronger almost by the hour. It amazed her that less than a week before it had taken all her effort to even get out of the bed. At this rate I’ll soon be strong enough to kick the door down, she thought.