The Other Side Ch 5
#5 of The Other Side
Hey all! I'm still not really sure how much I want to post this first scene of chapter five (this is only like 750 words. Not even close to what a third of this chapter should be), but I really like how it turned out and I wanted some feed back on this section in particular if anyone is willing to give it.
Also, I'm curious. Does anyone know the significance of the black paw we saw at the end of the previous chapter? Hmmm? I'm wondering too what your guys' guesses are as to what is up with Mathias. Why can he understand Aela? More importantly, how in the world could he match her pace in an all out sprint?
Legal Jargon: I do not own Pokemon or any other publicly recognizable characters/locations. Original characters and plot are mine. Please no touching without asking. That said, I'm a chill guy and if you ask, you will most likely receive, just so you know.
Please, please, please comment and if you feel like it fave and vote and watch.
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Darkness.
Darkness was all there was for Mathias. Eyes open or closed, it made no difference, there simply was nothing besides the all-encompassing blackness before him. Nothing seemed to exist besides him and the...bed he was on?
He grunted and tried to move in an attempt to figure out what was going on, but strong hands kept him from doing more than shifting slightly. His shift allowed him to realize, however, that most of his body, if not all of it, was wrapped in bandages.
Before he could try to move again though, a voice came from somewhere. "Hey, you do not want to move, trust me. They have some morphine in an IV in your right arm and something else in an IV in your left. I believe the IV in your left arm is what has kept starvation at bay."
Kept me from starving? How long have I been here? Wherever "here" is. More importantly, WHY am I here?
Mathias soon found, to his dismay, that he could do little more than grunt in his current state. Fortunately, the voice did not leave him in the dark, well in more darkness than he was already in. The voice was masculine to be sure, but it was not deep so much as it had a sense of power behind it. Or was it self-confidence? Mat didn't have time to dwell on it though as the voice gave him other things to worry about.
"You have been here for just under a week. Six days to be exact. As you might have guessed due to the fact that you have IV's in your arms, you are in a hospital. Specifically you are in the Rustboro Pokémon Center's ICU."
Six days!?!?! What the hell happened? Why can't I remember?
"I can see your confusion and fear. Do not worry, I shall explain everything. It all began-"
The voice was cut short as a door to Mathias' left opened and the sound of high heels on tile pervaded the room. There was some slight muttering and a little bit of scribbling, before the newcomer noticed something.
"So, you finally decided to rejoin the world of the living, eh?" Said a soft feminine voice. "While I'm sure you have plenty of questions, you aren't really in the position to ask any of them right now. I can answer one of the big ones though."
Here the woman paused and took a deep, steadying breath before continuing, "You sustained third degree burns on upwards of ninety nine percent of your body, your eyes had liquefied by the time you were brought in, and your lungs suffered some minor damage as a result of the amount of searing hot air you breathed in while you were on fire."
"Fortunately for you, you have the full benefit of modern technology to help you recover. The burns will ache for a good while after you are released from this hospital, though there shouldn't be any lasting damage. Your new eyes will be ready for surgical implantation this time tomorrow, and during the surgery we are going to fix your lungs as well."
"Most people are quite surprised at what we are capable of, but is it really that surprising? We live in a society where humans and Pokémon, immensely powerful and dangerous creatures that could level an entire human city without too much trouble, interact constantly throughout the day. Granted most of the technology we have at our disposal is rarely needed, but it was all created during the Great War when these things were actually very sorely needed and in rather short supply."
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to knock you out again. I'm actually here to begin prepping you for the surgery. I know I said your eyes will be ready tomorrow, but given the amount of damage to your system, we want to have everything in place for a good amount of time before the surgery so we can be sure nothing is going to go wrong. Don't worry, when you next wake up you will be able to see and talk. And the bandages on your face will be gone!"
There was a sudden pinch in Mathias' right arm and he slowly began to feel the other darkness, the darkness of oblivion, calling out to him once again. Before he succumbed to the drug, however, he heard the first voice as if from across a great distance say "Sweet dreams, Mathias. I look forward to..."
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Mostly I want to know how well did the whole "keeping the reader in the dark with our hero" thing work? I was a little unsure of how to do it in third person, but I think I pulled it off rather well. Please tell me if you feel differently and what I could work on to make it better. Thanks