Levi

Why did I listen to that Daren for? I recognize the voice, but he wasn't someone I knew. It had to be a mere coincidence that he had the same name as my imaginary friend. It's nothing to be worried about, at least, not at this moment. After all, I'm following crazy people into a tree trunk. I wonder if I'll find Alice down there, or a wonderland full of insanity. Either way, I don't think I want to be in a land that makes me feel like I'm on an acid trip.

We went to a room that had a table in it. It looked like an average dining table, but something felt...off about it. I guess this place I'm in makes you question your own sanity. After all, you have to pass through a wall, not a door, to get into this room. That in itself told me that something wasn't right here. I still don't understand how I got here in the first place. Then my sister talks to me in disbelief. Did she think I was dead? Maybe she was hoping for it? No, that's not like her. Maybe she was afraid I would be, and happy to know that I was doing fine. But then, wouldn't her voice be one of relief? 

I took a deep sigh and sat where they told me to. They left the room which caused another question to pop up. How could you lock a wall entrance? Maybe they have guards on the outside, and are just seeing if I'd try to make a break for it? I realised another sigh as I tried to understand my situation. I ended up here for some reason, which is unknown to me, but it seems like I chose this. I wonder why I feel this way. I had such a great life, besides the occasional ups and downs that life has to offer, and I even was in a romantic relationship. I guess that thing, some may call it a woman, wasn't the right one for me. 

Soon another person stepped into the room. It was a woman about the age of twenty-one. She had blonde hair, which was tied into a bun, and grey eyes. She sat down at the head of the table, and a man joined her. He was also blond but he had ice blue eyes. They quickly started to discuss something, they were using an unknown language to me, then they turned to look at me. 

"My name is Emily Rose. I believe that you wanted to see about joining our tribe?" The woman questioned. Professionalism isn't my sort of thing. 

"I suppose that's what I'm supposed to be here for." Then suddenly the room, along with the two people, started to blur. I closed my eyes in an attempt to stop the dizziness that followed. When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital bed. I looked around to see that I was strapped into all kinds of machines. The heart monitor started to cry in urgency due to my heart rate skyrocketing. Nurses rushed all around me trying to find out what's wrong. 

"Are you alright sweetheart?" One nurse asked, causing me to look at her. I almost screamed, she looked just like that woman from my...delusional fantasy, is that what it would be called? 

"Emily Rose?" I couldn't help but whisper. The nurses have name tags, but it was only their first name, and I didn't look down to see what her name was. 

She looked shocked for a moment then afraid. "How did you know?! Who told you that name?"    

"Sorry, I just had a strange dream and you look like one of the people in it." I quickly tried to explain myself before she grew too upset. The last thing I need is for her to decide to kill me. After all, she was a nurse and was usually in charge of giving patients medicine. 

She seemed to calm down and gave me a hesitant smile. "Sorry for getting upset at you, dear. It's just that my name has always caused issues for me. If you understand." 

I nodded and watched the other nurses getting more organized with their work. Two of them left, one to get the doctor and the other probably to help another patient. When the doctor arrived, most of the nurses, including Emily, had left. It was only him and two nurses in the room. 

"Do you have your phone on you?" The doctor asked. 

I gave him a questioning look, but pulled it out of my pocket. That's when I realized that I was in my normal clothes. I thought hospitals usually put patients into gowns. I tried to voice my question, but he wasn't paying attention to me. 

"Do you have your wallet on you?" Again I pulled it out of the pocket that it was in. He nodded before looking at something on the desktop. "Do you have any dizziness, or even a headache?"

"No, sir." I sat up and got onto my feet. One of the nurses, Vidia, quickly tried to push me down. "What? Can't I sit up, this bed is hard as a rock."

"Do you have any idea what you're coming back from?"

"An acid trip? Alice in Wonderland? Back from the future?" 

"You're certainly a lively one after waking up from a comma."

"Comma? What do you mean by that?" 

The doctor turned towards me with a questioning look on his face. "At first, we thought you were in a simple comma, that was until the strange incidents started to happen. Then we found out that something...different was going on." The look in his eyes didn't help me stay calm for long. This is the look when a mad doctor found something new and interesting. It was probably the same look that William Beaumont had when he found a way to to see how the stomach works. 

"Look, doc, I just want to leave. I have a lot of unfinished business that I need to take care of." Like finding out more about this Daren person. I got up and quickly got my things while the doctor made attempts to grab me. I don't want to be a human test subject, and I refuse to go down without a fight. I quickly got out my phone and dialed my sister's phone number. 

"Bro, is that you?" Her voice sounded excited.

"Yeah, could you pick me up? I don't have my keys on me."

"Of course you don't have your keys on you. Mom didn't want your car to be hijacked. You know how car thieves are around that area. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Just try to hurry. This doctor isn't mentally well, and I don't feel like being a human guinea pig." 

"Calm down, I could call Bandon. He's closer to you, since he decided to go shopping today." 

"How do you know that?" 

"...that's not important at this moment! Right now we need to get you out of there, and the quickest way is through him!"

"Alright, but you have a lot of explaining to do when I get home." 

I quickly hung up and called Brandon. It didn't take him long to answer. "Hey dude, you finally decided to wake up?"

"Yeah, could you come pick me up? I'm in the parking lot, and a little hustle would be wonderful at this moment." 

"Okay, I'm on my way." 

I could hear the doctor chasing after me, I was almost to the entrance when he said, "Close the doors, don't let him through!" I managed to get out of the doors before they shut and locked. I ran to the parking lot and Brandon, luckily, was already there and I quickly got in. 

"Dude, why were you here?" Brandon asked with confusion. 

"What do you mean?" I looked at him not even trying to hide my confusion. 

"This hospital was shut down fifteen years ago. One of the doctors went nuts and killed everyone. How did you even get in?" 

"My family dropped me off here, why don't you ask them?"

He went silent for a few minutes and drove out of the parking lot. He didn't say anything to me, but he stopped at the local mall. "Do you mind if I finish my errands before taking you home?"

"Not in the slightest, it would help me to clear my head as well." I got out of the car with him and we went up to the doors. I felt a chill run down my spine, and looked over at him. He didn't say anything as we walked through the large doors of the mall. I wonder what errands he has to do here. Why do I have a strange gut feeling that I shouldn't go in? I shrug my shoulders and entered, knowing that I was finally safe from all the weird things that have happened to me. I was safe right?