Plague Doctor

Chapter 466: Room

Like a drowned man breaking through the surface of water; like a burning man having the fire doused; like a strangled man tasting fresh air again.

“Ah...” Gu Jun took in a deep breath and started to gasp. His vision changed from blinding light to taking on clearer shape. He blinked with difficulty before his eyes focused again. Everything was still white. It was white walls, he was inside a small white room. ‘Where am I... What happened?’

Gu Jun’s head pulsed. He shook his head. He was physically present. He laid in a simple bed, he was still alive. His last memory was the blinding light that consumed him. The altar was disintegrating and then... His memory blurred. It was as if his consciousness was given a firm yank. He woke up from a seeming nightmare and here he was. After the dizziness passed and he felt better, Gu Jun studied his surroundings. It was a room about 10 cubic metres. Other than the bed, there was a sink with a mirror and a toilet. There was a camera at the corner. The door was made from stainless steel and it had a small window.

‘This place looks like a quarantine room...’ The thought shocked Gu Jun. Was it possible that humanity survived the apocalypse? He survived and he was now treated at Phecda or Mysterium’s quarantine sickroom? After all that would be the standard protocol considering no one knew about his mental state and whether he was contagious or not. ‘Did the prayer work? A different source of power came to disturb Nyarlathotep... an unknown source of power...’

Gu Jun forced himself to sit up. He saw that he was wearing a robe with blue and white stripes. This was not the colors common to Phecda. ‘Where is Dirty-minded Yu, Yu Chi and everyone else? What about Mo Bei?’

“Is anyone there?” Gu Jun called at the camera and then waved. “I’m up, is anyone there?” At that moment, he noticed there was a bell beside his bed. He pressed it and waited for service. He shook his head again. He was sure his brain was hemorrhaging back then. But somehow he survived and not in a surgery... Gu Jun then worried about Dirty-minded Yu and their baby, as well as Cai Zixuan and the rest.

‘Why are these people so slow?’ Gu Jun pressed the bell again. Then he stood up and slowly moved to the sink. His reflection inside the mirror was still himself but his hair had been shaved. Was it because they had to conduct a cranial surgery? Gu Jun was confused to realize that some of the original wounds on his head had disappeared. Due to his craniotomy, there were supposed to be several long wounds on his right scalp but they were gone now... As he extended his hands to touch his head, Gu Jun noticed new discrepancies. “Wait, my fingers...” Gu Jun frowned as he studied his left pinkie. He turned it back and forth. He confirmed the pinkie was perfect, without missing any segment. That was strange because in the Nightmare House, he knew he had to chop off the last segment of his left pinkie to stay conscious. Gu Jun squeezed on his left pinkie and it felt real. Then he touched his right forehead and tapped at it. It felt... different.

PEEK polymer was ultimately not made from bones so it would feel a little different from a normal human skull. But now that feeling has disappeared. These discrepancies caused his heart to boil with anxiety, the surroundings turned dangerous with unfamiliarity. The quarantine room now looked more like a prison cell.

Tat tat tat. Footsteps came from outside. Soon the door opened and a woman in white came in. She was Caucasian, blond and looked about 30. She had light grey hair and she spoke through her mask. She asked in English, “Mr. Gu, how do you feel?”

“Hello.” Gu Jun answered in English, “Where am I? Who are you?” ‘Am I at FBM’s base?’ But he could only see helplessness on the female nurse’s half-revealed face and not a bit of excitement from his recovery. Even if he was at FBM, there should be more than a nurse to come check on him when he woke up... It was not that Gu Jun was being proud but with his name, he assumed he’d be considered a person of importance even at FBM.

“Mr. Gu, did you forget your medication again?” The blond nurse walked to the toilet and saw several pills floating on the surface. She sighed. “Next time, I’ll have to stay to ensure that you have swallowed all your pills. These medicines are good for you, you have to cooperate with our treatment to get better.”

“What medicine?” Gu Jun was confused. He glanced over and did spot several pills inside the toilet. “What kind of illness do I suffer from?”

“Schizophrenia.” The nurse answered in a gentle voice, “You have an acute form of schizophrenia and you need medication to control it.”

“Wait a minute...” Gu Jun’s head pounded. ‘Schizophrenia?’ His eyes widened. In that case, the pills in the toilet should be medication like actargil, Haldol and so on... ‘Is it possible that my mental strain has accumulated to cause psychological trauma... but the nurse said I am suffering from acute schizophrenia... Furthermore, no matter how long it has passed, it’s impossible for a finger to grow back, right... Or Phecda has mastered that kind of reconstruction technology?’ Thoughts bounced about in his mind. He took a deep breath and then asked evenly. “I wish to ask you some questions, please answer them honestly.”

“Okay, shoot.” The nurse played along. Patients with schizophrenia needed to be handled carefully and they shouldn’t be given too much pressure.

“What time is it?” Gu Jun asked, “The year, month and date.”

“2022, April 5th, 4 days after April’s Fool.”

‘Then not long has passed since the apocalypse...’ Gu Jun frowned, ‘That was less than half a month ago...’

“Where am I?” He asked again, “The planet, country and location.”

“You’re on Earth.” The nurse complied. She was not surprised by these questions due to her experience working in the mental ward. “You’re in America, Massachusetts State, Arkham City, Arkham Sanitarium.”

Gu Jun was stunned. He was not at the Phecda World, Mysterium World, Wasteland World but the Massachusetts World?!

“How long have I been admitted?”

“4 days.” The nurse replied softly, “Mr. Gu, your schizophrenia acted up on April’s Fool... It was your family who checked you in.”

Well that was not an answer Gu Jun was expecting. Family?! Now who’s crazy?

He looked around and thought, ‘Is this a dream or an illusion or a trap...’

“Where is Wu Siyu?” He asked tentatively, “Yu Chi? Keziah Mason?”

“Mr. Gu,” The nurse shrugged. “I’ve answered that question many times already, they don’t exist.”

“Oh.” Gu Jun was unfazed. This answer was better than ‘they’re dead’. They might not exist in this world but they might in another.

“When who am I?” He asked again, “My name, age, identity. Please tell me everything you know about me.”