A Fractured Mind, Part 6

In the morning, Caleb asked Eric an important question. “Do you still want to find your hometown?”

It was a good question. Eric had never said it, but Caleb must have realized that Eric only wanted to see his hometown because he didn't really believe he was in the future. That had changed, however; it had become all too apparent that he was telling the truth, and if that was the case, this journey was pointless.

In the first place, he still could not remember the name of his hometown, nor its exact location. Normally, as long as he was in the surrounding area, he'd be able to find his way back using landmarks, but who knew if those landmarks still existed centuries later? Furthermore, even if he did make his way back, what was waiting for him there? Nothing.

Even so, he still wanted to go back. Maybe it was just for sentimental reasons, or maybe it was just for his own closure, but he wanted to see his home one more time. If he did, then maybe he could finally put the past behind him.

Caleb sensed he was having trouble answering. “If it bothers you, we can always just go. We're close enough as it is, after all.”

“I don't see the point in doing that,” Hope argued. “No offense, but we've already wasted enough time on this venture. The sooner we get back to regular work, the better.”

“If that's what Eric wants, then sure. But let's let him decide for himself.”

The two of them turned to Eric, waiting for him to give them an answer. He tried to think about it once again, but no matter how he ran over the facts, he couldn't come up for a logical explanation for what he wanted to do. In the end, he could go with his heart.

“Let's go,” he finally answered. “We've already come pretty far as it is. It'd feel pretty bad to turn around when we're so close.”

Hope sighed, but she didn't say anything further. With their destination decided, the three picked up their things and began hiking through the forest again. It was a straight shot to the Seattle region from here on, with no more mountains to make things difficult. There were still some marshes and forests to trudge through, but at the very least there would be no more treacherous terrain to worry about.

Things weren't going to be that easy, though. The area was still full of dangerous wildlife, as well as poisonous plants. Eric needed to keep clear of any hazards, which he was thankfully able to do with Caleb guiding him along the way. With his help, the next few days passed by relatively quickly, and before long they were standing in the middle of what was once Washington state. The landscape had changed much over the centuries, which didn't bode well for Eric. He was counting on his memories of local landmarks to guide him to where his hometown used to be, but it looked like that wasn't going to be much help.

For the time being, they set up camp in the middle of the flatlands. Eric scanned the area as he helped start the fire. Now that he was looking a little closer, he could see small hints of his former world: lakes that dried up and became shallow basins, mountains that were worn down by winds and rain, and roads that still cut across the wilderness despite nearly crumbling to bits. The more he recognized parts of his past, the more his reality set in.

He shook himself out of his sullen mood. He knew that coming in. This was not a surprise. Even so, it affected him much more than he ever believed it would. What reason did he travel all this way for? He still couldn't figure it out, even after several days of traveling. It was to answer that question that he made the decision to continue this journey, but at the same time, he was scared of learning the answer.

By the time morning rose, Eric was no closer to finding that answer. Furthermore, he was still completely lost, and had no clue how to get to his hometown. Even so, he knew one thing: that his hometown was definitely somewhere here, and as long as he could recognize the terrain around him, he could eventually make his way back.

There was no telling how long “eventually” would be, however, and the look on Hope's face told him he didn't exactly have an indefinite amount of time to search. He would have to use as much brain power as he could to find his home with such few clues, and he wasn't sure he was up to the challenge. Even so, he had to try. He couldn't just go back now.

“To start, I'd like to find a place where I can overlook the area. Is there a place like that here?”

Caleb looked around while referencing his map. “There should be a hill just up ahead. If you want, we can check things out from there.”

The hill in question was only a short distance away, and after an hour's walk, the three of them were standing at its peak. Eric scanned the area for any potential landmarks he could see, or at least places he could recognize. As he traced the remnants of a highway through these narrow grasslands, he felt a sense of familiarity spring from his heart.

“Let's follow that road,” Eric declared as he pointed it out to the others. They descended the hill and made their way to the highway below. Now that he was on the road itself, he slowly began to remember where he was. This was the road supply trucks often took back to his town. The soldiers in charge of bringing them food, whether out of a sense of goodwill or just on a whim, decided to let the kids ride with them to the depot one day to pick up the month's supplies. Though the landscape and sky had changed much over the years, standing here unlocked a memory deep within his psyche.

“It's this way,” Eric said confidently as he pointed towards the north. “I don't know how far away it is, but if we follow this road, we should get there eventually.”

“You're not just saying that, right?” Hope asked with an accusatory tone. “We don't have time to entertain random guesses.”

“Don't worry,” Eric replied. “I'm confident about this. I remember this road, after all.”

“You're remembering?” Caleb asked curiously.

“Yeah, but I don't think it's a memory I lost, just one I uncovered,” Eric explained. “I don't think it means my amnesia is recovering.”

“Even so, it's a step forward. Come on, let's get going.”

The three continued their way down the road, keeping a look out for any peculiar landmarks they could find. Though they couldn't find anything that particularly raised any eyebrows, Eric was still certain that he was getting closer and closer to finding his way back home.

A day passed, then another. Eric could feel Hope's eyes drilling straight into the back of his head. Still, he knew he was making progress, even if Hope wouldn't believe it if he said it out loud. The road grew more and more familiar to him, and the corners of his memories felt like they were starting to peel back like a page.

On the third day, they reached the end of the road as it opened up into a wide flat plain, covered with a patchy coat of grass. Crumbling buildings dotted the landscape, giving hints that there was once civilization here. As Eric strolled through the area, he felt that sense of familiarity again, though he could not say for sure if this was supposed to be his hometown.

That question was answered once he arrived at what used to be a busy intersection. Amongst the piles of rubble and faded markings that used to be tall buildings stood a small structure situated along a side road. It was largely indistinct and it had mostly crumbled apart, yet there remained one thing that stood tall even after hundreds of years: a metal cross, browned and rusted from the rain and wind.

Once he saw that cross, Eric understood. He understood that he really was hundreds of years in the future, and that there would be no surprise reveal to assure him that everything was alright. That his old life was gone, and it would never return again.

For a while, he simply sat down on some nearby rubble and simply stared at the cross, unsure what to do or say. He didn't know what to do now, and once again, he couldn't understand why he made the trip in the first place. Why did he want to come here? Because he wanted to know the decision he made, the choice he was faced with. But what choice? What decision?

Suddenly, Eric heard the sound of Caleb awkwardly clearing his throat. He turned around to see the two of them still standing behind him, waiting for him to explain himself. He quickly got up and gave them an apologetic nod.

“Sorry about that. I think you might have guessed from my reaction, but... we're here. This is my hometown. Or it was, at least.”

“I see. I'm glad we were able to find it.”

“Yeah.” Eric turned to face the rest of the town, now unrecognizable to him or his memories. “I guess there wasn't much meaning in coming here, after all. I couldn't find the thing I was looking for, even after coming all the way out here.”

“Is that so?” Hope asked pointedly.

“Yeah. My memories haven't come back either.”

“Then I'm done playing along, Caleb. We shouldn't have done this in the first place.”

Eric was confused by Hope's sudden hostility. “Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Hope, this isn't the time.”

“No! You should've done this sooner, Caleb.” Hope turned to Eric and pulled out her arm. “Eric, do you remember what I am?”

“Of course,” Eric replied. “You're a remainer.”

“That's right. One with a cyborg body. Every remainer has a body like mine, except for him.”

“I know that. Why are you saying it like it's news?”

Hope's face turned grim. “What I'm about to tell you is the truth, Eric. Other than Caleb, there are no humans left on this planet.”

“Huh? What are you trying to say?”

“You didn't wake up from a cryogenic pod chamber, Eric. You just assumed that, and we let you assume it. But that's not the truth.”

Eric turned to Caleb, hoping he'd make more sense. But Caleb simply remained silent, a bitter frown on his face.

“Caleb, what's going on? What is she getting at?”

Hope's brow twitched in anger. “I'm getting at the truth, Eric. Didn't you realize it? You walked all this way here in two weeks, but you're still as fit as a fiddle.”

“Yeah, because of all the breaks we took.”

“No, Eric! Even for a trained hiker, coming all this way without any long-term signs of fatigue is impossible, and you're supposed to be a regular person! Your muscles should be screaming at you right now!”

A dark pit began to form in Eric's stomach. He started to understand what Hope was trying to say, but he didn't want to believe it.

“I know what you're trying to say,” he stammered. “But that's not possible. I remember being hungry and thirsty before you found me. If I was... like you... then how could that be?”

“The brain is remarkably good at fooling itself,” Caleb suddenly interjected. “And nanomachine brains can create sensations that feel just like the real thing. You believed that you should be feeling hungry or thirsty, so your nanomachine brain simulated those feelings for you. In reality, though, if you were actually going without food or water as a human, there's no way you would have lasted as long as you did on what little you had.”

“Caleb, you can't be serious,” Eric said pleadingly, his eyes swimming with panic. “This is a joke, right? You guys are just getting back at me for wasting your time, aren't you?”

Caleb could only shake his head in response.

“What the hell's going on, then?!” Eric suddenly roared out in anger. “And stop dancing around the subject! If you have something to tell me, just tell me!”

Caleb sighed. He knew there was nothing else he could do but tell the truth. “A few months ago, a remainer was terribly damaged during a mission. The damage was so bad that his body needed to be almost completely rebuilt from scratch, and his memory restored from a backup.”

“But there was an issue. The power cut during memory transfer, and the remainer woke up before the transfer could continue. He escaped from the maintenance facility he was being repaired in and disappeared into the desert. We were tasked with finding him and bringing him back to the facility to finish his memory transfer.”

Caleb stared straight into Eric's eyes. “Do you understand what I'm saying, Eric? I'm saying the remainer that disappeared was you.”