End Online: Volume 1 (2 page)

I feel a vein start
throbbing on my forehead, no robber would drink our
milk,
the girls have once again been drinking out of the bottle when they know
they’re not supposed to. I could bet money that the culprit is once again
Shari.

Tossing
up
whether to go wake them up for a scolding or not, I decide to drop it as
they’re probably pretty worn out from a late night. Tying up my hair without
even considering to look at the state it’s in, I pick up my keys and head out,
leaving a note for the girls that I should be back for lunch, or if I’m
not to reheat some of last night’s leftovers.

On the way to lock up the
job site I take in my surroundings, the area we live in is considerably run
down, not to the point of falling apart but it gives off a ‘shabby’ vibe to it.
The weather on the other hand is fantastic, a clear blue sky with only a couple
of clouds drifting across.

There was no traffic so
half an hour later I arrive at the site. I see a mostly constructed house, the
walls have been put on in a rush due to time constraints, but they are to be
properly secured next week. All I need to do today is lock the front and back
door. Passing in through the front door that was left open and having a quick
look around everything appears to be in the place it was left yesterday,
nothing stolen is always a relief. The smell of sawdust and cut plasterboard is
still hanging around as I lock the rear door and turn around to head back.

It’s surprising Jack still
makes houses out of wood, synthetic beams made of a carbon fibre made their way
onto the market 7 years ago and revolutionised the construction industry
in both its strength and earthquake resistance. I only assume he uses wood to
save on money, but at 40 years old he is probably more comfortable
with wood anyway.

Locking the front door
from the handle inside I exited closing it behind me, except, it jammed and got
stuck on the door frame, what a poor fit! I gave it a tug with a little bit of
strength, still nothing, something is seriously wrong here. I knit my brows, it
shouldn’t get stuck at all, even a little tight could be understandable but
this is simply over the top. I pull with all of my strength and *click* the
door closes with the feeling of pulling out the entire front of the house. Well
at least it’s closed and locked now, time to head home and
relax
, maybe taking Joelle and Shari out for some ice-cream
or something wouldn’t be a bad idea, have some family time together. I try my
best to support them even if our parents are no longer around, yeah, since that
accident 2 years ago when they were– *crack* *snap*

***************************************************

Huh, why is everything
black? Why can’t I breathe? No, wait, I am breathing, I just have this crushing
feeling all through my chest. What was I doing before? Oh, that’s right, I just
finished up locking the house we were working on for my boss and was leaving, I
remember hearing a strange sound
..

My memories slowly came
back to me, I was walking away from the two story house when I heard the sound
of something cracking before finally giving way and breaking, was it the sound
of wood?

An idea suddenly occurred
to me, no it couldn’t have possibly happened, there is no way.

A source of light starting
shining down from somewhere above me, could this possibly be death?

Impossible, you look into
the light when you die.

However something grabbed
my shoulders, pulling me up into the light.

But is it up? Which way is
up? Am I being dragged to hell?

No, also impossible, I have
been nothing but a saint my entire life, or could god be judging me a
delinquent based off my looks too?

Doubt it.

As thoughts roamed my head
the light gradually enveloped my vision, I was rolled around and witnessed the
sky, it was dyed in beautiful shades of crimson and deep oranges, and
there was even a streak of yellow running across like it was piercing all the
other colours. And then it was night, no, that’s not correct, I just passed
out.

September 26, 2026... That
was the day I had a house collapse on me.

***************************************************

When I opened my eyes
again it was morning.

Lying
in a bed in an unfamiliar room, judging from the white sheets
and the fact nearly everything else was white it is safe to assume I’m in a
hospital. I tried to sit up in the bed and found that I couldn’t, were my legs
in casts or something, I couldn’t bend or even move them.

Memories began flowing
into my head of before I was in the hospital.

Locking up the house...

The sound of breaking
wood...

My heart started to feel
constrained in my chest, using my arms to prop myself into a sitting position,
I pulled the white sheet off of me. I’m wearing nothing except a plain
white hospital gown, looking down at myself there are a couple of scuffs and
scratches, but I can’t see any abnormalities.

Something however does not
feel right at all! Gently I poke my legs, even trying a few pinches.

I stop being gentle,
leaving red marks all across them.

I don’t understand what’s
happening! A few tears trickle down my face, dripping onto the white gown and
leaving speckles of moisture in the fabric.

It feels like I’m touching
somebody else, I can feel the skin through my fingers, but not the feeling of
being pinched. My stomach twisted up further and further, my breathing
gradually becoming more stained with each inhale of air.

Gripping the bed sheets in
my hands with all the strength I can muster, the tears on my chin begin pouring
down.

“I see that you’re finally
awake,” Clearing his throat an unknown doctor in his late twenties entered the
room, “How are you feeling?” He cast his eyes to the side away from me. We both
knew he already knew
,
it was just a standard procedure
with patients that he is required to ask.

“My name is Doctor Martin,
but you can just call me Martin. I’m not sure if you recall, but you were
involved in quite a serious accident. A building collapsed on you, a piece of
which completely crushing the T11 and T12 vertebrae in your spinal column,
consequently severing your nerves and leaving you completely.. Paralysed from
the waist down...” Dr Martin then took a deep breath before continuing on.

“Honestly, you must have
incredible luck to even survive such an accident, the piece that broke your
spine offset the damage from the rest of the collapse, saving your life.”

He’s trying to show me the
brighter side, I can see that! However that doesn’t change the current
situation, I can’t feel my legs!

“You underwent emergency
surgery to clean out the splintered wood and crushed bone from the wound in
your back, replacing the missing spine with a solid brace. You also
needed significant blood transfusion to replace the blood you lost,
the two adorable little donors who provided the blood that have refused to
leave your side for the good part of the week you were unconscious,” even
Joelle and Shari have been put through all this hardship because of me. How
could I do this to them?

It’s not my fault! It’s
not! So why am I feeling so guilty!

“They are currently out
getting some food, I gave them a little money to use the vending machine on the
floor below us, but they should be back shortly.” He still couldn’t look at me
in the eyes, I don’t know whether he is feeling my guilt or out of
consideration of pretending not to see my tear stricken face as if I wasn’t in
such a state.

“As for your surgery,
there won’t be any bill. It was already paid by a man called Jack Randall, your
boss I believe. However…” He turned to face his back to me, but I witnessed a
pained look on his face as he did so, “He has claimed a non-liability clause
and that the entire incident to be your own fault, threatening to sue for
damages if it proceeds any further. Also with the government system the way it
is nowadays there is no further monetary compensation for your situation…”
Martin’s shoulders start to shake a little with his fists clenched.

Turning somewhat towards
me but still not looking at me directly he continues, “There is a procedure in
modern medicine, it is possibility of have the damaged spinal sections
surgically replaced with synthetic vertebrae and regenerate the nerves by
harvesting the stem cells found in the human brain… however, the cost is-“

“I-I know! I know
al-already!” Choking through tears and snot I practically shout at the futility
of my situation. Information about the operation started spreading through
population about 6 months ago. It was a complete revolution in modern medicine
and science, only that the price tag for such an operation required you to have
about $7 million to spend.

“I’ve been through your
medical and immediate family records, nothing much in the terms of relatives,
both short and distant. I’ve also read the report on your parents... All I
can really say is
,
you shouldn’t completely give up
hope.” Martin faced me directly as he spoke these lines despite me being unable
to return the gaze.

I want to run away, the
urge in me to just run was so incredibly strong I felt I actually might do so,
but right now that is probably the one thing I will never do again.

I was looking out the
window when the two most precious people to me came in through the door on the
other side of the room, dropping packets of potato chips onto the floor they
sprinted over to me, their eyes all red and I can see traces of tears. I lean
over and put an arm around each of them and pull them close, ignoring the smell
of the two who clearly haven’t showered in at least a few days.

“Honestly, have you two
even washed while I’ve been gone?” fresh tears tried to stream down my face
there seemed to be none left, ”What on earth would you two do without me.”

“Please Holly,” it was
Shari who cried out first, “
pl
-p-please get better
and come home!” Joelle sniffled out a few pleases as well. I couldn’t help but
give a gentle smile holding these two bright rays of sunshine against me.

‘What I should be
saying is what
would I
do without you.’

“Ahem, sorry to interrupt
you,” Martin clears his throat to get our attention, “I also have some stuff
for you that the hospital has donated as we can hardly let you leave as you
are. First we have a wheelchair, something to allow you to move around,
it’s nothing special, truly the basic of all basics.”

“Secondly is a piece of
equipment we trialled a few years ago in an attempt to help give people who
were born partially paralysed or disfigured a chance to use the parts of their
body they never got a chance to before. The box may be a little bit dusty but
it is still brand new and should work perfectly fine.” He picks up a box from
the corner of the room and hands it to me. It’s a V-Link, the headpiece to allow
someone to access virtual reality.

“I don’t understand
,
how can you just give something like this to me?” I have
to ask, there is always a reason or a catch.  

“Well,” Martin explained,
“to be completely honest the trials we held were for people born paraplegic or
disfigured unfortunately ended in a complete failure. We
never foresaw that someone who had spent their entire life being
unable to move their legs, or never had them to begin with, would be incapable
of learning how, leaving them partially paralysed even in virtual reality. In
the end we ended up with a whole bunch of those devices in storage.”

“I discussed it with some
people and we came to the conclusion that someone like you would need it the
most. It’s not a remedy but to be able to retain the feeling of your legs
in virtual reality should help you come to terms with the loss slower. Also I
recommend you use it to quite some extent that if in the future you end up
getting an operation to repair your spinal cord, your brain will still remember
how to walk and all you will have to do is train the muscles.”

I see his reasoning, but
honestly, how is this guy so kind, am I in a hospital in the lower district or
above? Incredibly doubtful, looking outside the window it appears I’m in
downtown and there isn’t really any general hospitals further out past
downtown.

“That’s about all I have
to say for now, you’re pretty much free to check yourself out whenever you
want.” While saying that Doctor Martin turns around and exits the room, leaving
just the three of us siblings are left in the room, Joelle and Shari a little
distance from me.

I notice there is now a
wheelchair in the room for me and just like the doctor said, it was really
simple, an old fashioned style completely operated by your arms alone, not that
I’m in any position to complain.

“Hollis, let’s go, I
ca-can’t stand to see you in this be-bed anymore,” It was Joelle this time
speaking, there were a few sniffles throughout but overall she had stopped
crying and has pushed the wheelchair over next to my bed along with handing
over a folded up pair of clothes, “we will wait outside for you to get dressed
and ready, co-come on Shari.” She beckons the youngest sibling to follow her out
which she doesn’t raise any complaints about and follows quietly.