The Time Travel memoirs: Lost And So Alone

“That was a bold move Mr. Carter.” I opened my eyes to a blank canvas of a room. The whole room was literally pure white. Dream world, I didn’t think I would ever return here, after I was done with the demons. Death stood a few metres away from me, he had lowered his hood and his scythe lay on the floor. He wasn’t here for a fight. “Am I dead?” I asked. Death laughed, he had no flesh, seeing just a skull laugh, is probably one of the weirdest things you can ever see. Trust me.

“Bet you can’t wait to find out George.” I couldn’t help but smile at his response. I shrugged and slouched, I noticed I was lying on the white floor. It was cold. “I don’t really care about going back, everything is lost. My home is dead, so are Susie and Lloyd.” Death nodded, “I understand, but every cloud has a silver lining.” I grimaced, “what do you mean?” Death sighed and began to polish the scythe. “I mean something can be salvaged, you’ll see.” I smiled, “perhaps.”

I looked at death confused. “Why are you here, hell, why am I here?” Death stood up and smiled. “When I met you last mister Carter, it was an on the job visit. I came to kill you as my information told me that it was your time. This visit is curiosity; I wanted to actually meet the person who killed Lucifer.” I arched an eyebrow, “so you are not here to kill me?” Death laughed, “You may be dead and you’re asking me that question?”

I scratched my head uncomfortably. “I know I’m not dead.” In my peripheral vision, I saw death put up his hood. “You know this?” I nodded, “only through some thought, you wouldn’t have told me I could salvage anything if I wouldn’t be alive to salvage anything at all.” Death sighed, “Slip of the tongue old boy.” I got up too and shook his bony hand. No, literally, it was just a bone. I also didn’t want to mention that his quote ‘slip of the tongue’ was unrealistic, as he didn’t have a tongue.

Death sensed that I was about to say something stupid, he held his hand up to stop me saying anything. “The next part of your life is going to be difficult, when you wake up, you will be afraid. You will be on unfamiliar territory. Hang in there and try and recover, mentally and physically.” He clapped me on the back and with that, he was gone. I knew I would see him again, once more.

***

My eyes flashed open, I thought for a moment that I was still in dream world, everywhere was so white. That was until I got a whiff of disinfectant and the sound of people. I looked at my arms; one of my hands was missing, so that happened then. My wrists were laced with clear tubes and needles sticking into my skin, secured by an adhesive tape. I was linked to what was clearly a life support machine. I felt my body going into a panic, my vision was slightly blurred. I could see people staring at me with interest. The beep beep beeping of the damn machines.

Hospitals, they do a lot to help people in need of treatment. They offer the best care and friendly support you could wish for, but I freaking hated them. I always had, I always would. “You’re awake?” I become vaguely aware the nurse was talking to me, but my thoughts were racing. Every one of my senses was getting sharper and more intense. The disinfectant smell was cutting through my nasal passages like sharp ice. The voices, almost panicked, travelled through my ears like a drill. Then everything was clear, I sat up and there stood a doctor.

The doctor looked amazed, he was almost speechless. His expression wavered to bewilderment when I looked him in the eye and asked; “where are my personal effects?” The doctor regained his composure and gently pushed me back down to the bed sheets. “Sir, you have been in a coma for over a year now, we don’t even know who you are.” I began to say something vaguely insulting, but I was knocked back by what he said. Doctor or no doctor, what he said had staggered me. “I’ve been here a whole year?” The doctor smiled and nodded. “You’ve become the department mystery; can we know your name?” I nodded slowly. “My name is Khan Carter, I come from London.” The nurses looked at each other and smiled at my lie. Khan? Where the hell had that come from?

“Doctor, when I was brought in, what did I have on me?” The doctor moved the other side of my bed and opened the small cupboard. The doctor drew out my old torn shirt and black jeans. The same ones that I had worn in when I had killed Beelzebub, the same ones I was wearing when the Majestic blew up. I put my hands to my head so suddenly that the staff flinched. The memories were flooding back; everyone was dead, weren’t they?

I sat quietly until the painful memories quelled. “Khan, are you alright?” I almost didn’t look up in time to make my lie convincing, but I pulled my head up at the last moment to show I was listening.
“You may be in here for another month, I know that this might sound to be a little much right now, but the best thing you can do for yourself now is to sleep.” I nodded slowly. This doctor was talking tripe, obviously trying to protect me from myself. So I decided to find out what they knew. “What happened to me, I mean, how did I enter the coma?”

The nurses exchanged glances, I knew whatever it was must have been obvious. The doctor began to talk once more. “You were found by the side of the road, the police have figured out what happened. They think that, in the early hours of the morning, just over a year ago, you were involved in a hit and run. The car hit you and you were out cold. The driver got out of the car and panicked, he began to cut you up into pieces, hence the missing hand.” I glanced down at my hand.

I cleared my throat. “What made the person stop cutting me up, I mean, I only have a hand missing, so they didn’t succeed?” The doctor shook his head. “No, they must have heard sirens in the distance and decided to flee. I nodded. “What’s best for me at the moment doctor?” I knew the answer before it had left my mouth. The doctor got up and muttered; “rest, then rehabilitation.” I sighed and pretended to turn to the side and close my eyes. When the room was empty of people, I decided to spring once more into action. A sudden thought occurred to me.

You are a captain without his ship or crew, you are lost and so very alone.