March 9, 2032
The Peak City, Old Colorado
Elena asked Michael several questions the next morning and diagnosed that he did have amnesia. She had even asked him about what he had seen in his dreams if he had had any but he had said that he could not remember. Though she could not figure out how he had lost his memory since there did not seem to be any signs of external or internal injuries. He seemed to know general things about the world but all those seemed to belong to the time before the respawners had arrived. It was as if he had been in a cave for all these years. He had a very heavy fever and still lay in the bed.
"Thanks… for the help," he said to Elena in a low, tired voice. He also had a slight throat infection which made his voice hoarse.
I'm the reason you got sick, she thought still annoyed at herself. "No problem."
Michael heaved himself up in a sitting position. "I'd have probably been in a worse situation if not for you. Wouldn't have even lasted for much long if not for your kindness. I owe you big time."
That's probably true but still, she thought. I could've done a lot better though.
"Either way," she replied. "You haven't healed yet so you shouldn't be thanking me. You need your rest."
"I feel a lot better from yesterday. Whatever that medicine was did wonders," said Michael. "No wonder everyone here likes you."
She accepted the compliment and let the satisfactory buzz flow through her, but only for a few seconds. It felt like a drug, that buzz, that feeling of happiness and that is why she did not let it flow through her for long. She pushed the compliment out of her mind before she could feel a smile form on her face. That was what she always did when someone said something nice about her. That was what it was like to live in a constant state of denial.
Michael rested for the next few days in which he tried hard to remember anything from his past but failed to do so miserably. He also couldn't remember any of the dreams he had after he would wake up. It was as if the moment he woke up, the dream would hide behind the curtain that was shielding all his memories. It was very frustrating but Elena had advised him to stay calm.
He passed the time getting acquainted with the other patients in the cabin. He had been very shy at first, still shaken by the loss of his memory and the bizarre new surroundings he was in. To him, it felt as if he was in an altogether different world. All this talk about respawners bringing a new world order did not make sense at all. People who could not die, how was that even possible?
The two people inside his cabin were very friendly and made him feel a bit more comfortable. Cole was a middle-aged miner who had got injured on the job while Dave, who was an old farmer, had had a severe headache which was already beginning to subside.
"So, amnesia, eh?" said Cole. "I've seen a few people get amnesia even when they've not been touched. It's the madness outside that gets to them. Though you don't seem to be crazy."
"Of course he's not crazy," said Dave. "If he's forgotten everything then how can he still be crazy?"
"You really don't remember anything, eh? Not even the respawners?" asked the miner. "God, I wish I could forget them too. Nasty people, they are."
"I wouldn't call them people. They're monsters," said Dave. "Though don't worry. We're safe in the city from them. For now, at least."
"Can you describe them to me?" asked Michael. "How can they not die? What do they look like?"
"Ah, so full of curiosity," remarked Cole. "Reminds me of my children when they were young."
"Well, they don't look no different than you and I," explained the farmer. "But from the inside, they're pure evil. They're the vilest of the human race. They existed in the past but have been brought back to life."
"How is that even possible?"
"No one knows. You'd think in the 21st Century, the supposed Age of Information, someone would've been able to figure it out. But no, no one could explain how these people cheat death. We don't really care anymore either. We just try to survive."
"The only disadvantage that the respawners probably have is that they are confined to their zones. If they cross them, then they will just respawn back into their zones. But that means, every corner in the world is not free from their presence."
"What?" Michael was taken aback. "You mean there is a respawner in this city too?"
"Yes, there is a respawner in this zone," answered Cole. "But he's trapped. Some scientists figured a way out to trap him in this chamber or something called the RCC. It stands of Respawner Containment Chamber or something like that. They managed to trap him inside it after the destruction he was causing. I'm guessing you've probably seen the havoc down there. The Nazis have placed him in a secret, secure facility somewhere in the zone."
"Who are the Nazis?" Michael cut in.
"They rule over this city along with a few other cities right here in the US. They've also got a lot of control in Europe too along with alliances in South America. Their leader is Hitler who is the Chancellor of Germany and is one of the respawners. He's already rebuilding his empire in the form of the Fourth Reich," answered Cole.
"But he's got worthy opposition in the form of Joseph Stalin and the Nordic Rulers who are respawners too," said Dave. "Stalin controls most of the United States now after he managed to reunite the Soviet Union. Russia was already prepared for war since tensions were high between them and the US but it took Hitler time to settle the refugee crisis in Germany and Stalin with his Red Army did not hesitate in capitalizing. The US didn't even pose that big of a threat to them since they were hit by the toughest respawners with whom they were struggling to deal with."
Michael was confused. Nazis? Red Army? Stalin? Hitler?Who are these? They made no sense to him and Cole laughed at his confusion. "It's politics son. I won't expect you to understand it. But the main thing is the respawner is trapped in the zone. It's fairly safe to assume that the Reds have spies throughout the city but it seems they have failed to find the facility. Otherwise, they would have set the respawner free to destabilize the zone. They've done it before too when the US still controlled the city. Those were dark days…"
That's when Elena entered the cabin and gave them a warm smile. She had heard them talking about the last time the respawner had escaped. Those were dark days indeed… The respawner who had been trapped initially had escaped after the Reds had managed to infiltrate their facility and powered down the RCC. The respawner had escaped and managed to destroy the city again that the US had been trying to rebuild.
Elena remembered the destruction all too well. She had been in one of the city hospitals with her father when the respawner's onslaught had taken place. She remembered the cries and screams of the injured that were being swarmed inside and her father overwhelmed with the work, his eyes reddened and black circles forming under his eyes. She remembered the strong smell of coffee that the doctors and nurses in the hospital were consuming to stay alert. Miraculously, the respawner was trapped on the same day he escaped. The Nazi army came to the rescue from the south and managed to trap the respawner in the RCC. The US soldiers within the city did not attempt to stop the Nazis. They had had to face heavy losses with the respawner's outbreak and surrendered to the Nazis who had captured one of their first zones in the US. With the respawners giving them trouble and powerful enemies targeting the US, it didn't take long for the US government to disintegrate. The US's most powerful ally, Israel, were not able to save them since they had their own problems dealing with their own respawners and Hitler's Germany that were trying hard to destroy the hub of the Jews.
The Peak city had had a relatively peaceful time in recent years barring a weak bombing attempt from The Red Army which had been countered by the Nazis. The conflicts between the Red Army and Nazis usually occurred at the zones that were further north of the city which were closer to the Soviet Union-controlled zones. There was also the ill-treatment of black people within the city as well as the oppression and murders of the Jews alongside the city where they were forced to live in ghettoes and concentration camps which were in shocking condition. Within these places, they were treated like scum and often forced to survive. The Nazis had one of the largest concentrations camps below in Destroyed Denver. Even if a person had a third or fourth grandparent of Jewish descent they fit the criteria of being a Jew and hence, a second-class citizen in the eyes of the Nazis. The Nazis even brought in textbooks on racial education which taught young children that Jews were second-class citizens and animals. Often times, they were murdered in mass shootings or gassed in chambers if the concentration camp's capacity was being reached.
"You guys shouldn't be talking about all this stuff so openly," she warned. "It's dangerous, they're going to get you arrested for propaganda."
"Don't worry about it, Elena," assured Cole. "We're just bringing amnesia boy here up to speed about what's going on in the world."
"That's a good idea," said Elena. "It could help jog his memory. But keep it down."
She grabbed a jar of cotton balls and a bottle of a greenish ointment from the shelf and hurried outside.
Michael's thoughts moved to Elena as she exited the cabin. He wondered what her story was. She didn't seem to have any family around here.
As if to answer Michael's curiosity, Cole said. "Poor girl. She'll probably never get over it." Dave nodded in agreement with a sympathetic smile.
"Get over what?" asked Michael.
"Her mother," replied Cole. "The respawner in this zone killed her mother. She used to live down there in the city with her family when things were normal. Poor girl had to hear her mother's death cries while she was hidden."
"What about her dad?" asked Michael. "Haven't seen him yet."
"He died a few years ago. He and his assistant went down to the city hospital to search for some supplies. Damned raiders got to them and killed them in cold blood. He was a good man, saved a lot of lives. We'd all been damned too if she hadn't decided to follow in her dad's footsteps and learned from him. She's as gifted as him."
Yet, she still helped me, Michael thought. She really must care a lot about people. Especially considering the tales I just heard about how life was so difficult now.
"I've heard from my son that things are crazy out there because of the blue lightning," said Cole. "People are scared from entering Destroyed Denver now. The Nazis have tightened security all along the city and are making sure that this absurd talk about another respawner doesn't spread."
"We all saw the lightning, Cole," retorted Dave. "You're telling me lightning strikes from a clear sky?"
"But it was blue."
"And that makes it normal?"
"It's not normal," agreed Cole. "But if there was a respawner here, don't you think he would've revealed himself by now?"
"That is true," sighed Dave. "But I've got a really bad feeling nonetheless…"
March 11, 2032
Adolf Hitler is our savior, our hero.
He is the noblest being in the whole wide world.
For Hitler we live,
For Hitler we die.
Our Hitler is our Lord,
Who rules a brave new world.
Six-year old Sidra sang the lyrics of a song she had been taught in class by her nursery teacher Hanna Koch. It was a song that was always stuck in her mind because she loved the way it sounded when all the children in class sang in together. It made her feel closer to all her classmates. Even the ones who she did not like.
She did not sing the song loudly because her mother never liked it. She got annoyed whenever she sang it but she never told her why. It could not be her voice because everyone told her she had a sweet voice. Was it the lyrics? But Hitler was a good person. He was the one who had trapped the monster who had destroyed the city below and killed her father. He was the one who built this city again on the mountains and kept them safe. He was the one who fought so many wars bravely against so many of the monsters throughout the world. She had seen it in the textbooks and the movies that had been shown in class. He was on the banners and posters that were strung all over the city. He provided them with protection and punished all the people who were bad. And yet, her mother had never once said a good thing about him. She never talked about Hitler. He is the noblest being in the whole wide world.
She was sitting on one of the chairs with her teddy bear in Elena's clinic while her mother was being examined by Diamond. She had named her teddy Pooh after her favorite cartoon. A teenage boy entered the cabin while blowing into a tissue. She had never seen him before and she usually knew many people at the clinic because her mother got sick often. He looked very tense and scared. She watched as he lay down in one of the beds with a sigh and looked at the ceiling with a distant stare. She decided she would let him meet Pooh. People in the clinic always liked to talk to her and Pooh.
"Hi," she said approaching him and giving him a smile. "My name's Sidra. This is Pooh. What's your name?"
Michael snapped out his thoughts. "Oh… hi. My name is Michael."
"Why are you here?" she asked.
"I have a fever," he replied awkwardly. "And umm, amnesia."
"What's amnesia?" she asked. She looked at Pooh. "Do you know what amnesia is?" He shook his head.
"It means I don't have memories," explained Michael. "I don't remember my past."
Sidra looked at him with a look of shock. No memories? How was that even possible? "You mean you don't remember anything?"
"Nope," he said with a pitiful smile. "I don't remember anything."
"But how? That's… that's… unfair. You don't even remember your family?" she asked.
Michael shook his head. She could see how much it bothered him. She was about to suggest to him that he could become part of her family. He could be a big brother to me. I've never had a big brother before. But her mother told her it was time to leave. Her mother looked grumpy which was a bad time to suggest to her the idea of making Michael a part of their family.
He gave her a wave as she left and she never stopped thinking about him. She felt pity for him. She couldn't imagine not remembering her mother and father, her friends, her teachers and everyone she knew. And yet Michael could not remember any of them. She hoped she would get to meet him again so that she could make him feel better. Maybe I can help him remember everything, she thought.
After two days, Sidra was back at the clinic again with her mother for an appointment to check up on the progress. The little girl went to Michael with her teddy bear.
"Do you still have amnemesia?" she asked.
Michael smiled at the way she had mispronounced the word. She was cute and he liked the attention she was giving him. Elena was checking up on Laila in the same room and they both watched the scene unfold with a smile.
"Yes, I still don't remember anything," replied Michael. "But hey, I'm sure we'll figure something out."
"Well, I saw this cartoon the other day where they hit the person with amnemesia on the head and he would remember everything," said Sidra seriously and turning to Elena. "Have you tried that out Elena?"
Laila was trying her best not to laugh while Elena replied gently. "No, dear, we haven't tried that. Doing that would hurt Michael even more. We need to use a gentler method."
Sidra continued to probe Michael with questions and eventually, started to play all sorts of games with him. She also started to tell him about everything that had happened in school and Michael listened to her intently. Elena was surprised to see how genuinely Michael treated her. She hadn't seen a lot of patients here at the clinic treat children like that with most of them being very grumpy.
She had heard someone say that you should always judge a person by the way they treat children.
Maybe helping him out hadn't been such a risky thing after all, she thought with a smile.