The First Hour

I rounded the corner at an already brisk pace. It felt like I was making great time until I looked at my watch. I picked up speed, nearing a dead sprint.I work out. I even do cardio sometimes. I'm not the most fit guy ever, but my destination wasn't far. My chest heaved with every breath; and with every other step, I exhaled the notion of making it on time. My desperation pushed me past the point of giving up and I crossed into a whole new realm of pain. I was definitely going to feel this in the morning.I took a shortcut through a backyard and crossed the street. Before me lay the empty shell of a mall that had been abandoned years prior. It was in such disrepair that the fact it was still standing was astonishing.Taking a moment to catch my breath, I looked up and down the aging chain link fence surrounding the property. I couldn't see any openings and the property took up an entire block of town, so going around wasn't an option. I glanced at my watch again. Climbing it is.Albeit ungraceful, I managed to get over the fence without injury. That is, with the exception of my suit jacket. I had somehow tore a hole right through the back side of it.I stopped to take a breath before venturing across the vast desert of a parkinglot.Years of neglect had allowed for weeds to grow wild between cracks in the asphalt. I stared as the heat rippled up from the ground, creating a mirage of the building in the distance. The bugs in the grass and my heavy breathing were the only sounds, adding to the ambience of the past long since forgotten. Where had the helicopter gone?My head was pounding, my blood pressure high. Maybe I wasn't cut out for this. As that thought crossed my mind, a black cat trotted from the treeline I was currently using for shade. It made its way into the parking lot where it sniffed something and layed down, flicking its tail. Well I wasn't about to be outdone by a cat.I took off my jacket and held it over my head to shade myself from the relentless sun. Here goes nothing.Off I went. I made it to section "B" before I became winded again. I kept moving at a brisk walk as I took gulps of seering hot air.By the time I reached the building itself, my clothes were completely drenched in sweat. Surely I smelled just as much. The walls were about forty feet high and there was no way I was going to try and climb up anywhere on the outside. It just wasn't worth the risk. There had to be roof access somewhere.I found a little alcove along the wall that opened to a space the mall used to house the massive dumpster parked behind a gate. Behind the dumpster was a series of gas meters and an open door labeled "Boiler Room". That had to be it. I entered and immediately regretted the waste of time. There was no ladder anywhere. Just boilers. Go figure.I tried another door. Locked.Then another, sending up a little prayer.Bingo.I climbed the rickety metal ladder to the roof hatch. It fought back, but I got it open. The temporary relief from the sun was gone. Replaced with glaring sunlight and gusts of wind not present at ground level. It created what felt like an entirely different kind of desert. One that was significantly hotter.If you have ever looked, I mean really looked, at the footprint of a mall, they take up a lot of space. That same footprint translates to the roof as well. How was I supposed to complete my objective of finding a needle in this absurdly immense haystack?I looked across the almost baren hellscape at what could only be described as such. Somehow there were plants up here, too. There were all kinds of rotted and abandened equipment up here. Most were just shells with their pieces scattered everywhere from being broken down for scrap. All that remained of them were husks of Earth-colored rust. Random bits of metal, pipe, and other materials were scattered about without care.I started walking, not entirely sure where to go from here.--Two well dressed men sat in a conference room that was larger than the objective required, watching a screen showing a live feed of me wandering around the rooftop of an abandoned shopping center like an idiot. "You are the devil," said one man to the other, laughing, "simply devious!" He took a sip of golden liquid in a glass. The other looked at the clock on the wall. "He only has fifteen minutes left.""Think he'll make it?"
"He'd better."--I walked to the next pile of rubble realizing I don't have time to scour every inch of this place. Frankly, I don't think the task would be bearable with perfect weather and a week to do it. Time was coming to a close, but I could feel the objective somewhere around me. I had to be close.Just then a glimmer of light hit me and I caught sight of something I never would have expected to find in this sea of decay.It was another A/C, but this one was......prestine. As if it had been placed there yesterday. It showed no signs of age at all. Not a scratch. I rubbed my eyes several times trying to decide if it was an illusion or actually there. I was sure it was real when I touched it and it came to life suddenly, giving me a heart attack.I kicked it in retaliation. I took a moment and looked around the outside of the unit, on the ground, and down through the fan shroud blowing air that rivaled the wind in terms of temperature. It must be inside. Come to find out, these units have hundreds if not thousands of screws holding them together. Screws that I can't remove given my lack of tools. I found a piece of metal and tried using it as a makeshift pliers, but that wasn't going to work. Each panel has like, seven hundred screws all needing to be turned by hand. I don't have the time.I kicked the unit out of frustration, this time yelling obscenities at nothing in particular. I composed myself, took a deep breath, and tried to focus, wiping the beading sweat on my sleeve. "Okay," I said to myself, "what do we know? The note said the objective is possible within the alotted time. We also know this machine being new is a clue, so it must be in there, right?" I winced, not even convincing myself.Maybe I was looking at it wrong. Maybe I'm supposed to get in without tools. I scanned every inch of the unit and came upon a panel that looked like it was designed to be removed by hand. I chuckled to myself, clearly losing my sanity, as I read the label stuck to the panel, "pull up and out".I did as instructed and the panel came free without much effort at all. The wind suddenly picked up and ripped the panel from my hands, cutting me on the way out.I yelled out in pain as blood ran down my arm. Checking the wound, it wasn't that deep. I kicked the unit twice this time, denting the side.I collected myself and untucked my shirt, using it as a temporary bandage to help stop the bleeding. I peered into the dark space within the unit. Sure enough, there it was. My prize dangled in front of the internal filters.I held the shimmering gold watch up in the sunlight. It was a sight to behold, and I had never been more proud of myself in all my life. The helicopter that had been following me made a low pass and landed in the parking lot.--A smile crept accross the man's face as the other hollered in celebration behind him. He knew the kid had it in him.--The interview earlier handn't lasted long, mostly consisting of a strange string of questions regarding my aptitude in a variety of subjects. They threw scenarios at me that made little sense, but ultimatley skirted the job description.I had sent in my resume as a hail mary to what seemed like a rather prestigious postition at a company called A.R.C. Corp (Asset Recovery Consultants). The pay was fantastic, but they stressed multiple times the potential for high-risk, high-stakes environments. I suppose this challenge qualified as such.What I had just completed was the final leg of an hour long scavenger hunt. I had an hour to get places, solve puzzles, and collect clues. That's how I knew the last peice of the puzzle would be on the roof of this particular mall.When I made it down to where the helicopter landed, I was greeted by a man wearing an expensive suit and a huge smile. He stepped out, offering a hand to me.An hour ago, I was just a guy looking for a job. Now, I'm a guy in torn, bloody clothes, drenched in sweat, and wearing two watches about to rub shoulders with some very wealthy individuals.I let out a long sigh of relief. "They really put you through the ringer, didn't they?" the man shouted over the rotors, looking me over. "Yeah," I laughed, "I didn't know I had it in me."He gave me a knowing smile. "Well allow me to be the first to congratulate you! C'mon, let's go meet with the rest of your team."

The Healer

Fifteen minutes. Fifteen more minutes of this boring lecture and I could go home, change out of these jeans and into my warm jammies and fuzzy socks, curl up on the couch and binge watch another couple seasons of my favorite show. God, Jake is so hot.Ugh, I could feel that phantom pain creeping in again. The pain that warns me of the coming catastrophe that is my brain. Ever since I was a kid, I would get these awful migraines. It would start with this weird phantom pain like a candle lit in the distant darkness, then creep up into full blown, crippling waves of suffering. Thank God they subsided after high school, but now I wonder if they're coming back. Oh shit – a flare of pain hit me out of nowhere.The professor stared at me, expecting some kind of answer. "Ms Carter, are you alright?" he asked again, becoming more concerned by the second. "Yeah," I said, rubbing my head, "it's just a mi-" My head exploded in pain. The nausea hit immediately and I fought to stay vertical even while sitting down. The room began to spin and my last thought as I came to the verge of passing out was about how embarrassing this looked. Imagine that being the last thought you ever had. God, I'm such a loser.I reached for my bag, and the medication within that I always keep for emergencies just like this. My hand landed on cloth, but it wasn't my bag. My vision cleared just enough to make out the shape of a man's button up shirt, and a woman before me. The look on her face was panicked. I shook my head to clear my vision. I saw her lips moving, but my ears weren't working yet. “W-w-what?”“SAVE HIM!”I looked down, groggy. We were both kneeling in mud. A man lay on his back between us. He wore a very simple shirt, red specks already darkened across the fabric. My eyes wandered up to his face. He was slowly losing consciousness. How do I know that? Medical school. I had been a nurse since I was little, putting band-aids on barbie girls. I had already completed my schooling and was a resident at a local hospital taking some night classes because I hadn't chosen a specialty yet.Those years of training kicked in as the adrenaline dumped faster than I realized at the time, blocking out the migraine. His words slurred and his eyes slowly closed. I looked down to see blood soaking into the dingy yellow material of his pants. With a yank, the pants tore easily and I could see the massive gash in his leg. It wasn't spurting, so whatever happened didn't hit an artery, but it was obvious he had lost a lot of blood.I shoved the cloth into the wound the way I had been taught and applied pressure. I looked over to my left to see three girls no older than thirteen. I could see in their wide eyes they were terrified, but their outward appearance was calm and rigid. They stood there staring at me like statues. They wore what you would expect to see in like, sixteenth century England – but poor. As eerie as the sight was, I called out to the older of the three. “Do you understand me?” She nodded.“Good! That's good. Can you go find me some more cloth?” I gestured at my own clothes and the girl ran off beyond the crowd, returning a moment later with an arm full of dirty clothes. They didn't smell, but they weren't clean either. Looking around at the crowd forming around us, dirty clothes seemed to be all they had. I thanked her and went back to dressing the wound. The woman seemed very grateful for my help. I told her to hold pressure on the wound until the bleeding stoppedBefore I could fully explain how to keep the wound clean, my shoulder was pulled roughly toward another patient laying in the mud. It was an older oriental male, approximately in his fifties. He was wincing in pain and holding his arm that was hanging at a wrong angle. Fracture. Not compounded.I looked at the remaining two, “I need something hard and straight. Sticks, or preferably flat boards.” again with hand gestures just to make sure there was no confusion. One of them gave a quick nod and took off before I could add to my order. “And more cloth, lots of cloth!” I said to the last girl. I had a feeling I would be here a minute. She also took off, leaving me alone to comfort the man. He didn't seem to speak my language and smelled awful. All these people just reeked of poor hygiene. Someone in the crowd coughed. Yeah, I'm not surprised.The first girl returned and stood at attention, waiting for further orders. I had her sit with the man and comfort him since she spoke the language and I could not. Another girl came sliding in, out of breath, and leaving a trail of freshly split firewood. She dumped her load on the ground beside me and I found a log about three inches in diameter that had been split down the middle. Perfect.Realizing this might be painful I said, “Hold down his shoulders. Warn him this is likely going to hurt; a lot.” All three girls did as directed and the man didn't even flinch. I could see the pain in his face, but he made no sound as I wrapped his arm to the best of my ability. The strips of cloth were plenty long and very durable, but they were clearly less than clean. What am I even doing right now? What is this?The thought lingered and echoed in my head as the patients came and went in a blur of chaos, confusion, and panic. Only one of them stood out among the rest. A young man, no older than his mid twenties. He wasn't breathing and had no pulse. I can clearly recall the sickening crunch of his sternum as I began CPR. I gave it my all. I tried, dammit. But it was no use. The crowd went silent as I realized I was out of gas and he was cold to the touch. I couldn't save him. I couldn't save any of them. Not really. I was snapped out of my zombie state by a loud clang off to my right. Someone fumbling around in the dark. “I'm sorry, Doctor, but we have more wounded.”I rubbed my dirty face with dirtier hands. I don't even want to know what was on them. I remembered why I was sitting on this bench. It's the first chance I'd had to sit down. I was given some very bland bread and a glass of wine for a meal. I left a morsel and reached again for the cup. I'd kill for a cigarette right now.The gurney rolled in front of me, several more waiting in line behind it. A few nurses hurried about getting instruments and the patient ready. Someone turned on that goddamned light again. Fuckin' thing was so bright, it could outshine the sun. Hey... I've seen that sunrise before. H-how long have I been doing this? It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. I had forgotten how to smile by this point. “I'm not okay. Nothing is fine.” I said out loud to no one in particular. “Aw, come on doc, it ain't that bad.” the young man before me said. I was fully prepared to cut into his flesh to save his life but – he's talking. And sure enough, it wasn't that bad. Compared to the rest, this would be fairly easy. My deliriously stupid mind somehow considered that a positive. There's nothing positive about this.Seven stitches later, the patient changed before me for the last time. Tiredness finally took hold. I couldn't take it anymore, and my vision was going, my muscles dying of exhaustion. I must – sleep. It happened before I could stop it. All the wine I had drank earlier came up without warning. If it wasn't for the surgical mask, I would have spilled my guts all over the guts of the young kid I was trying to save. His heart stopped beating before I had collected myself.To this day, I can't tell you where the burst of energy came from. But I just lost it. Something in my mind snapped under the pressure. I started throwing shit everywhere, abandoning all hope at saving them all. Amidst my screaming, that insufferable pain crept back in, escalating to blinding in the blink of an eye.The pain slowly subsided, my vision returning before my hearing. With ringing ears, I looked around at all my peers, still sitting in class. The teacher had paused mid-word to join the rest of them in staring at me as if I had just said something profoundly inappropriate. The ones closest to me were clearly trying to get as far away from me as physically possible.My ears had stopped ringing, but now all I heard was silence. I looked down at myself and began to laugh, then wept. I had no words for what I had just endured, and the all encompassing, bloody filth still covering me head to toe.

In the Wake of Silence

Jacob Miller had never owned much. He was the seventh generation farmer for a stretch of land in the middle of nowhere Kansas. He often found himself gazing out into what locals called the Three Horizons. North, East, and South was nothing more than sea of golden wheat with a long road to nowhere running through the Western side.One day, toward the end of summer, Jacob ventured out into his vast field with a bad feeling. You know how sometimes people can feel storms coming because of the pressure on their joints? Jacob was like that with invasive pests on his land. He just knew something was out here. Last time he felt this way, he had found an infestation of aphids tearing up his crops. This was his home, his livelyhood, dangnabbit, and he wasn't about to let any critters spoil it.He stood atop his tractor among the waist-high wheat that gently swayed in the autumn breeze. Nothing seemed amiss at the moment, but that strange gut feeling just wouldn't cease. A few moments passed, and he was about to head home when he saw it. Movement on the horizon.Jacob lifted his rifle scope to his eye which strained against the brightness of the day. Was that – a person? He looked again in disbelief as a girl, no taller than the wheat around her ran for her life in his direction about a quarter mile out. "What in tarnation?" he asked himself quietly.Jacob hurriedly climbed onto the roof of his tractor and steadied the rifle on the hood of his tractor, searching for what the girl was running from. The only thing in that direction was more fields full of corn and more wheat, it was almost harvest afterall. How had she even gotten this far out on foot? The next house was only a couple miles out, maybe she had come from there. But he knew those folks and they didn't have a little girl.She was closer now, clearly running toward him specifically. Jacob stood and waved, slightly perplexed at the sight. He climbed down off the tractor and prepared to meet her.She was maybe twelve or thirteen, wearing a blue dress. Her dirty face was framed by messy hair as golden as the grain around her. "Hey – are you okay?" Jacob asked. The girl didn't say anything; she just panted and collapsed. Her face was beat red and she looked like she had been out in the fields for the last couple days at least.Jacob immediately scooped her up and set her on his tractor and drove as fast as he could back to the farmhouse. He set her on his bed and layed a light blanket over her. It took a minute, but she eventually stirred, and he was at her side with a glass of water before she could ask anything. She took a gulp or two and fell back asleep.He pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. Her skin was absolutely on fire from exposure. He frowned as he placed a cool towel on her head and fussed with the sheets. How long had she been out there? Walking into the livingroom, he decided to call the Andersons who owned the property to the North, the direction the girl had come from. They didn't answer, of course.Jacob spent the evening tending to her sunburn with some aloe from the plant he kept in the windowsill in the kitchen. She would stir every once in a while, wincing each time. He was sure to utter some comforting words just in case she happened to wake.Feeling the girl was as comfortable as he could manage, Jacob packed his pipe and smoked it as he scanned the horizon for any sign of what she was running from. All he could see was the familiar silhouette of the golden sea of wheat stretching out as far as the eye could. He walked around to the front porch where his favorite rocking chair was. He sat and contemplated what he saw today, his gut still wrenching with that strange feeling. The night settled quietly, a few stars beginning to shimmer in the deepening sky.The nights came early this time of year. As soon as darkness arrived, Jacob decided to retreat to the livingroom where his nightly newspaper ritual waited for him. He was skimming through the sports pages when he caught motion out of the corner of his eye. The girl leaned timidly on the doorframe to his bedroom as if it was the only way she could stay vertical. Her head swayed a bit.He set the newspaper and his readers down gently, not wanting to startle her. "Hey, you're up. Feeling better, I hope?" Her head slumped a bit. She looked like she was about to fall over, so he took another step toward her. The sudden motion snapped her out of it and those wild eyes returned. She studied him like a mouse studies a well-fed cat."Sorry," he said quickly, his hands out in front of him, "you looked like you were about to fall over." She looked him up and down again, seeming to calm down a bit. Jacob noticed she was carrying the glass he had set next to the bed. It was empty now. "Would you like some more water?" he asked, keeping his tone as gentle as possible. She glanced down at the glass, then back at him and nodded. She held it out and Jacob took it, carfeul not to startle her again. He smiled, then walked to the kitchen for a refill."If you’re hungry, I got a little soup in the fridge I can heat up. It ain't a feast, but it'll be warm and fresh." Well, sorta fresh. "No pressure, though." he called from the kitchen sink, being sure to speak up over the running water. No response came from the other room besides a weak, hollow cough. His heart sank at the sound. Poor thing, he thought.He brought her the glass and asked if she had a sore throat. She sipped and nodded at the same time. He returned shortly with a spoon full of honey. "Here ya go, hon," he said, aware of the pun, "this always helped me when I had a dry cough." The girl eyed him with trepidation, but her throat was instantly relieved and she handed back the spoon, followed by the glass. "More water?" he asked.She nodded again, this time a little more at ease. "Okay, but this one has to last the night, understand?" Another nod. It was time they both got some sleep.Jacob woke to a loud and urgent knocking at the door. He looked at the clock on the wall and groaned. He had fallen alseep in the livingroom, which did not help his aging back. The girl was sitting up straight on the couch, eyes wide. He hobbled over to the door where he was greeted by two officers standing patiently. He glanced back at the girl who's eyes were still wide, but was now shaking her head as if answering the door was a bad idea."Mornin', sir," one of them said, tipping his hat, "my name is Officer Mantel with the Pinewood County Sherrif's Office. We're going around knocking on doors to inquire about a missing child." Jacob's jaw clenched. What had he gotten himself into?"We're looking for a girl, 'bout this tall with blonde hair. Have you seen anyone matching that discription?"Jacob Miller was an honest, caring, down to Earth, God-fearing man. And lying to the police would get him nowhere. He glanced at the girl who was looking like a cornered animal about to make a run for it, and stepped out to the porch for a more private conversation."Yes, I found her in my field yesterday. Poor thing was dehydrated and scared."Officer Mantel's eyebrow rose. "Is she alright now?" he asked, looking past Jacob. His partner was already peering through the front window next to them. "Yeah, she's fine. Still thirsty I s'pose."The officers, elated to have found her, politely asked to enter, Jacob stepped aside."Miss," Mantel said gently, kneeling down to match her eye level and taking off his cap, we're here to make sure you're safe and healthy. You're not in trouble, okay?" She gave a slight nod. "Can you tell me your name?" The girl wouldn't move or make eye contact. She just stared at the ground, nodding and shaking her head to his questions. His partner asked if he could use the phone to call Doctor Hammond out to the scene. Jacob obliged and watched the scene play out before him."Alright, thanks Jen." The officer hung up the phone and looked at Jacob who had fallen into a chair. "Should be a couple hours, tops", he said. "Coffee?" offered Jacob. "Absolutely."As the coffee brewed, Jabob glanced back at the living room. The officer was still speaking softly to her, his tone calm and reassuring. He couldn't quite hear the words, but he could see her fidgeting, the urge to flee written all over her face."It's tough to see this kind of thing," Officer Mantel's partner began, leaning against the counter, "Her father was involved in a domestic violence incident—got drunk and set their house on fire while she and her mother were inside. Thankfully, the mother managed to escape with minor burns, but we’ve been trying to track down the father ever since. He’s still missing.""How long ago did this happen?" he asked, a bit perplexed."Last week." the officer responded, the weight of his answer filling the moment. They shared a look that said everything that needed to be said."It’s sad, but this happens more often than you think. Families caught in cycles of violence, the kids often bear the brunt of it. We’ll have the doc check her out. After that, we'll need to get her somewhere safe—maybe a shelter."Jacob suddenly felt protective over the girl. After all, she had nowhere else to go. "She can stay here for the time being." he said. The officer just nodded.Officer Mantel walked into the kitchen, running a hand through his slicked-back hair and sighed. Jacob offered a cup of coffee and the man accepted, taking a sip. "She's shaken," he said, "I couldn't get a word out of her but it's definitely the one we're looking for.""Mr. Miller here has offered to let her stay until we can figure out a permanent solution."
"That so?" Mantle asked.
"Yes, sir. I have plenty of food in the cellar and a spare mattress in the other room."
"You live alone?" Mantle asked, looking around, "must be difficult running this farm."
"Ever since Evelyn passed, I've been taking care of things on my own. I have a few local boys help out with the harvesting and planting."
The men continued chatting until the doctor arrived."Hello there." the doctor had just arrived and was currently looking her over. Doctor Holland asked many questions. All of wich went unanswered as the girl remained silent. He checked her vitals, looked at her sunburned skin, and saw the signs of dehydration and a slight fever. After a few minutes, he straightened up and turned to the three of them, a warm expression on his face. "She’ll be fine," he assured them, "Just needs some rest."The officers took the girl and said their goodbyes. They said they would follow up at a later date.Doc patted Jacob on the shoulder. "Not many would have done what you did in such a situation. It’s good to see that kindness still exists."
"I just did what seemed right." he responded.
"Well, you did more than most would. She’s lucky to have found you."There was a long pause."Ya know, I believe in fate," the doctor said, packing up his things, "sometimes, it leads people to exactly where they need to be, even in the most unexpected circumstances."
Jacob nodded, "You think it was fate that brought her to me?"
"Absolutely!" the doc exclaimed, holding out a finger, "Fate is resourceful."
His words resonated as Jacob watched the girl get in the police car, still watching him."From where I stand, you were there at the right moment, ready to help when she needed it most. It’s as if the universe conspired to connect you both." He sounded like a preacher in that moment. So sure of his own wisdom. "I s'pose you’re right, Doc."--Turns out our little nowhere town didn't have much in the way of taking care of orphans back then. A woman from the church suggested he legally adopt the girl. "Well, I cant quite adopt a child without a name, now can I?" I heard him say. We finally settled on Lilly as it was my favorite flower.My name is Lilly Miller, and this is the story of how I met the man I would eventually call Dad. The altercations with my real father left me mute so I had no way to communicate how appreciative I was when this man set aside his life and raised me as his own.At the end, I was the one taking care of him. The cancer had him confined to a hospital bed and from time to time I would visit and show him stories I had written about our adventures together.I'll never forget the last thing he ever wanted in life. It was late summer, the leaves beginning to turn. The wheat harvest was soon upon us and I wouldn't have much time left to visit. He motioned for me to lean closer and I did, kissing him on the forehead."I'd like to see the sunset over the field one last time."