Mystery Rising

　　I felt groggy while struggling to force my eyes open. They almost seemed as if they'd been glued shut with the sticky remnants of sleep. When did I fall asleep? And why had I been sleeping here in the first place? Where even is "here"?

　　For some reason, I didn't know where I was or how I got here. And as if things weren't bad enough, to add to the confusion plaguing my mental state, I couldn't remember who I was. What's my name? Who brought me to this place? And what did they want?

　　No matter where or what this place is, it's not where I belong. This place isn't meant for me. In a way, it felt wrong. Instinctually, I knew I'd never be safe here.

　　After opening my eyes, peeling them apart with some effort, I glanced at the room around me. It looked like some sort of hospital, but not one I remembered being in before. Not that I remembered much of anything. Still, somehow, I understood these simple truths. Primary among them was the knowledge that I was in danger and needed to get far away from this place as soon as possible.

　　Looking around, I guessed the whole getting away part might be a little harder than I expected. The room I currently occupied wasn't actually in a hospital, it seemed more like a laboratory. It had strange machines, but I had no clue what they were for. I also saw various test tubes, beakers, and other scientific items, which were recognizable but otherwise meant nothing to me.

　　On top of all that, the room appeared to be dimly lit with the lights flickering overhead. An alarm was blaring somewhere in the distance as well, which might have been what woke me in the first place. Until now, I hadn't paid much attention to it. The alarm's tones were incessant and nasally as it warned of some impending disaster. I'm not sure what, but it only served to frighten me even more now that I was aware of it.

　　Another hindrance was the strange tube shoved in my mouth and slithering far too deep down the back of my throat for comfort. Without giving it much thought, I grasped the tube firmly in both hands, and pulled. I might hurt myself, but it would be nothing compared to what the people who brought me here might do if they found out I'd woken up. I'm in danger right now, and escaping is the only way to save myself.

　　As the tube slid loose from my mouth, I coughed. It had been painful in every aspect, but the moment I breathed on my own, a wave of relief washed over me. Almost as if new life had been breathed into me, and my body instantly felt stronger.

　　Now, there's the matter of the needles and other tubes connected to my body. Two IVs were in each arm. A long and sharp needle pierced the back of each hand and as well as one halfway between my wrists and elbows. I pulled the ones from my left arm first, and then the right. They bled, but I ignored the bright red liquid, and continued with the tasks at hand.

　　I also had strange hose-like tubes connected to both of my arms at the shoulders, on my legs a little below my thighs, and one on the back of my neck. These were the most unsettling. What were they for? And what were they doing? Were they pumping something into me? Or were they taking something out?

　　Pulling these tubes from my body, I expected blood or some other liquid to start spurting or spraying all over the bed. Though, I really shouldn't say bed because I wasn't actually in a bed. It was more like a chair made from uncomfortable metals and tubes, which had me reclined at an odd angle.

　　Nothing sprayed when I removed the first tube, which was good. However, some sort of strange bluish smoke started to billow out of it. Is this a chemical they were having me absorb through my skin? What were they doing to me? What did they want?

　　I removed the tubes on my arms and legs first since they were the easiest for me to reach. The one on the back of my neck seemed harder. It snaked through the back of the chair, and it also happened to be the largest. I pulled it as far forward as possible, then gripped it with both hands. It was difficult, but I managed it, barely.

　　In all, it only took me about two minutes to remove all the tubes, needles, and wires, but in my mind it took a lot longer. The alarm, the flickering lights, and the intense fear were all compounding to make it seem as if time had come to a standstill.

　　Once freed of the bindings, it was time for me to stand up, but this posed another problem. My legs were weak and didn't want to cooperate at first. To me, it seemed like I'd been here for a very long time. So long, in fact, that my legs forgot they're supposed to bear my weight. What little bit of weight there was.

　　"Work, damn you!" I swore in a hushed tone as I struggled to make the incompetent limbs do their intended duties. "Walk! Get up and walk!" I commanded myself, and eventually, I was able to follow my own advice.

　　Now, with me on my feet, the time had come for me to escape from this place. However, even something as simple as this posed another yet problem. I had no clue where any exits were for one thing. And another, I was wearing the most ridiculous clothing.

　　No hospital gown adorned my body. No, a gown would have been preferable to this crazy ensemble. I mean, what had been the point of them putting me in what seemed like the loose equivalent of a two-piece swimsuit?

　　The swimsuit's top was pure white and made of a stretchy fabric, which moved with me. It had no straps, just a wide swath of the cloth going around my chest and covering my breasts. It functioned, but it lacked any sort of coverage.

　　At least the thing was comfortable. The bottoms were a little more suitable, as it covered more like small spandex shorts rather than underwear. It could all have been a lot worse, but it's definitely not an ideal situation.

　　"I need to get away from here." I spoke almost inaudibly to myself. "But how?" This being the question I had to answer first. And based on the feeling in the pit of my stomach, I didn't have too much time to think about it. They were coming. Whoever they were, they might have found out I'd woken up, and were already after me.

　　"I can't let them find me. If I do, they'll kill me. I know they will." Fear surged inside of me as a loud thundering boom echoed in the distance. Had it come from inside the building, or was it a storm raging outside? I didn't know, and it made the edge of fear inside me grow exponentially.