A hand squeezed my shoulder and turned me around. I locked eyes with the older man that spoke to the captain. He greeted me with a sarcastic smile and said, “Please follow me and we’ll get you some food and rest.”
I followed him to one of the large buildings that spanned the compound and stepped inside. I found myself in the main lobby of an office building. It seemed pretty deserted; The floor was neatly covered in camouflaged sleeping bags. Each bag had a pillow, a canteen of water, and a sandwich on top of them. There were two women sitting at a clerk’s desk, but besides that, the room was completely empty.
The heavy scent of cleaning products filled my lungs, giving me a racking cough as I walked up to the clerk’s desk and greeted the women. They warmly greeted me and asked me to have a seat. I pulled up a chair, waiting for them to begin questioning me. They asked me some routine questions about my age, occupation, marital status, and how I came to be there.
I hesitated when answering my marital status; I gave the women a pained look as the word “widowed” flopped out of my mouth and landed on the paper. They seemed to understand as they looked at each other with grief. After this, one of the women told me to go upstairs to the survivor’s floor where I’d receive some food and a bed for the night.
I thanked them and headed up the flight of stairs leading to the second floor. I treaded carefully up the stairs, reminiscing the fall I had in the hospital that had graciously given me my dislocated jaw and broken ribs.
At the top of the stairs I saw the second floor clearly. It was filled with a sea of people. I scanned the room; the floor was strategically covered in cots to create wide aisles in the room, there were tables on the far side of the room with soldiers serving food to people, and all of the windows of the room had been covered up with large sheets of metal. I picked out a few faces in the crowd, but for the most part I focused on finding some food and rest. I entered the nearest line in an attempt to wait for food. I spent much of my time running my tongue around my mouth, taking the time to feel around on the left side of my face. My tongue glided over various gaps in my mouth; No more perfect smile. There was still some blood oozing into my mouth, but it wasn’t a big deal.
After an eternity of waiting, I reached the front of the line. As I stepped forward and asked for some food, a soldier pulled up a sign that read “Out of Food” and placed it on the table. I looked up at him with a confused look, to which he responded by shrugging his shoulders and walking away. I looked to my left, at the other lines spread across the room. Each one was longer than the one I’d been in, and I wasn’t willing to wait any longer.
I told myself, “This is ridiculous. Forget about the food and just get some rest. You can always get food in the morning.” I made my way to a cot on the far side of the room, away from all the foot traffic. I found a cot that was spread out right up against one of the walls. It had a pillow, a canteen of water, and a blanket. I lied down on the cot and tried to make myself comfortable. I took a drink of water to wash out my mouth, and then tried to go to sleep. My stomach growled ferociously, but I ignored it. I pulled the blanket up to my chin and held it there with clenched fists. I closed my eyes and hoped to find sleep.
I awoke the next morning; at least what I believed was the next morning. I woke up in a different room than the one I’d fallen asleep in the night before. This room wasn’t widespread and full of people; it reminded me of a prison cell because it was so cold and lonely.
After snapping out of my sleepiness, I glanced around the room. The walls were covered in army recruitment posters and framed pictures of important soldiers receiving recognition. Other than the walls, the room was completely bare. I found myself on a cot, missing my blanket, water, and pillow.
I sat up in a panic. Immediately, my stomach called out to me. The message it sent to my brain made my whole body hurt. I really needed food. I licked my lips, only to find them chapped and bloody. I stood up shakily. How had I ended up there?
I walked briskly to the door and opened it. I was greeted by a young nurse as I entered the hallway. She said, “Good evening. I’m glad to see you pulled through all right. You’re probably wondering why you ended up in that room. Four days ago, you made a huge disturbance in the middle of the night. You were writhing on your bed and screaming nonsense. We had you moved to this smaller room where you couldn’t scare any more people.”
I looked blankly at her. She continued on: “I believe you were having night terrors based on your experiences from the day you arrived. Don’t worry, you just need more rest and they’ll eventually go away. You can rest now, or, when you’re ready, we can go and find you some food and water.” I immediately said, “Please, lead the way.”
I followed the nurse down two or three empty hallways. We passed a few offices where I saw soldiers shuffling papers and putting information into computers. She led me to the end of the hallway and through two huge, oak doors. I entered through, back into the room I had apparently been removed from four days ago. I saw the sea of people once again filling the room.
My stomach rumbled vigorously in my body, filling my ears. I continued following the nurse through the room. I was led to the front of the nearest food line and received food and water. I gratefully thanked her for her help as she handed me a plate of mashed potatoes, broccoli, and a chicken breast accompanied with a cold canteen of water. She told me to eat up and return to my room so I could keep resting when I was finished.
I looked after her as she walked away, disappearing into the sea of people flooding the room. I spotted a chair on the wall nearby and headed in its direction. I glanced into the faces of people as I headed over; I saw a few angry faces, probably due to the fact I’d been able to pass them in the line. I also saw a few frightened faces, probably because of the night terrors I had a few nights earlier. One woman pulled her little boy to her side as I came near, telling him aloud not to talk to me.
“I’m not a monster” I said to her harshly, to which she responded by gently saying, “Please, just go.” I walked away angrily and sat down on the faded wooden chair. I ignored the people walking by who were looking in my direction and whispering suspiciously.
I focused on the banquet I held in my hands. I slammed the broccoli down my throat with my fork first; It tasted so fresh and green. Next, I turned my attention to the creamy mashed potatoes. I ate these slowly, savoring their smooth texture.
I stopped to take a large gulp of water from the canteen that was cold to the touch. The water glided down my throat with ease, giving me a cool sensation that spread throughout my body. I had to take a second gulp, and then a third. By the time I reached my sixth heaping gulp, my lips found the canteen empty.
There was only one thing to do: I had to finish the plump chicken breast waiting for me on my plate. I used my steel fork to saw the large chicken breast in half. The juices seeped out of the skin and spread across the plate as I cut my way through. I took a second to admire the chicken before me; two succulent pieces of chicken looked back at me, ready to be consumed. I pierced the first piece of chicken and threw it down my throat. It was perfectly tender, and tasted divine. I pierced the last piece with my fork and began to move it slowly towards my mouth, preparing myself for the climax of the meal.
I was only halfway when I saw her; then my life changed forever.
Tape #5