No Escape

"May we go over what exactly happened?" Doctor Mary asked.

"Again?" James muttered, he didn't seem very interested in going over the story once more.

"Yes, again. From the beginning." He insisted.

James let out a heavy sign before he began.

It was a night like no other, James was sitting at his desk sipping on his late night coffee when they were dispatched to an asylum in basically in the middle of nowhere. James and his partner quickly loaded in their car and set off to the scene. The ride was rather short, considering they were speeding and blasting their siren the entire time.

Getting out of the car, James felt a wave of dread wash over him as he planted his feet on the ground, leaning against the car to hold himself upright. Something about this place didn't feel right, but he was there to do his job, not to listen to his feelings. With his gun at the ready, the two of them headed into the building.

As soon as he stepped foot into the door, he was overwhelmed with the scent of blood and mold. It was revolting, almost enough to make him upchuck whatever he had consumed earlier but none the less, they carried on. Inspecting room to room until he found one of the patients had closed herself in, she was crying and rocking herself back and forth. She seemed to be hysterical.

"Miss..." James tried to get her attention as he lowered his gun, approaching her slowly. "Miss, I'm not going to hurt you." He gently placed his hand against her shoulder.

The woman wheeled her head around, though her body didn't turn with her. Her face seemed twisted, inhuman. James snatched his hand away as the woman tried to grab him though she managed to dig her nails into his arm before he ripped it out of her grasp, falling to the ground with a hard thump as he hit his head.

"And then I woke up here."

"Here?" Dr. Mary asked.

"Yes, here."

She scribbled something down on her clipboard before she spoke again "What year it is, exactly?"

James fell silent, giving the woman a confused look. He rubbed the cuts made by the woman, though something felt strange. As he glanced down they seemed to be gone, nothing more than scars remained.

"Mhm..." she scribbled something down once more before she brought her attention back to the man in the hospital bed. "It seemed you hit your head when you fell." She said simply, taking a long moment to think before she spoke again, "When you did, it must have induced a coma. 20 years. They almost pulled your plug, loosing hope for you. You've been asleep for 20 years."

James simply sat there, continuing to rub the scar on his arm. "20 years...." He repeated before he broke into a laugh "You've got to be kidding me!"

"James please calm down." Dr. Mary seemed to be getting worried.

Suddenly, a young adult with an older gentlemen burst in. The young girl threw her arms around James "I was so worried! They were telling me you weren't going to make it!" She began to cry, her tears staining his hospital gown.

James sat there still, unspeaking.

"Do you remember us?" One of the men asked, "We're your kids.." the girl chimed in.

"Elizabeth and Ray..."

"You're both so..." James muttered, last he saw of them Ray was but a small child, Elizabeth not even born yet.

"Old?" Ray asked with a light hearted chuckle "You're not so young, yourself pops."

James gave an awkward chuckle before the two visitors were forced to leave the room.