For Myself

Jenny leaned against the railing, hearing it creak as it took her weight, but it didn’t move. So much for that idea. Her fingers twitched as she grabbed the rail and struggled to her knees, arms shaking as she panted. This was a lot easier when I could walk. Mugetsu’s voice crackled through the laptop speakers.

“How are you doing, Jenny?”

“Fine, I guess… I’m going to have to let gravity do most of the work and pray I pass out or something.” Is it even possible to pass out from such a small height? The rail only added a couple of inches to the bed, but it was barely three feet high when I arrived.

Mugetsu’s whisper did nothing to reassure her. “Be careful, Jenny. I’ll help you meet Chloe, but you still have to do this part by yourself.”

“I know. You keep telling me…” Is there something he’s not telling me? I still have no idea who he is or how he got into my computer… But she couldn’t deny that her body wasn’t normal. Jenny was glad she didn’t feel any pain from her finger, but the blood flow was too odd to be normal.

Even if this turns out to be a sick joke, I’m already in a hospital. I have people who want to take care of me, like Miss Yumi. Jenny moved forward, letting her arms guide her stomach over the rail and lean against it while she tried to get her legs to cooperate. Mugetsu’s voice was full of warmth as he cheered her on.

“You’re doing great! You might want to cover your head, though!”

“What for?” The rail cracked beneath Jenny, sending her to the floor with a screech. Jenny winced as several wires were ripped from her skin by gravity and groaned. How could I have forgotten about the wires hooking me to the machines, and… and why aren’t they going off?

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She wasn’t. Jenny could see more of her blood beginning to leak out of the fresh cuts and shuddered. “Did you do something to the rail, Mugetsu?”

“No, that wasn’t me. I promise! The doctors probably bought defective equipment since they thought their victims would be too out of it to fight back by now.”

Jenny tugged the blanket free and rolled onto it. Hopefully, this stops the blood from giving me away. “You keep confusing me. Why would anyone need to fight when the treatments are mandatory? Everyone needs them.”

“I think the blood loss is getting to your head. Did you forget the reason you’re on the floor, with no means to call for help except to scream your head off and hope for the best?”

Well, when he puts it like that… wait! “Mugetsu?”

“Yeah?”

“I… don’t feel any pain, like at all.” I hit the floor with my whole body. I should be sore, at least. Jenny raised her head, but she couldn’t see the screen. “Are you still there?”

“I’m here.”

Jenny sighed in relief and got her hands beneath her, raising her chest like the wrong way to do a pushup as she giggled. “Don’t go all quiet on me like that. It’s your fault I’m on the floor. You need to keep talking so I don’t lose my nerve and start screaming.”

“Is that a threat?”

Jenny nodded, giggling again at the confusion in his voice. “It’s a promise. And if I start screaming. I won’t stop, and… and I’ll throw the laptop away.”

Maybe Miss Yumi will let me use my phone. It’s been ages since I talked to anyone… not including the staff and Miss Yumi, of course. Mugetsu chuckled. “I see. Then, I better think of something good to say.”

“Yeah.” Jenny began an awkward crawl by attempting to use her hands to pull herself across the floor without letting the blanket trip her or slip away. This is what you get for not being a gym rat. “Tell me how you’re going to introduce me to Chloe. I need to mentally prepare in case this turns out to be a dream or something.”

“You’re not dreaming,” Mugetsu insisted quietly as Jenny reached the corner of the bed with a soft grunt.

“That’s exactly what someone in a dream would say.”

“I like that you’re more optimistic, but don’t lose too much blood…” Jenny paused, waiting to hear more, but Mugetsu only sighed.

“What’s going on up there? Don’t tell me you want me to scream?”

“No, I don’t want that! I just…”

“I know it’s not normal.” Should I tell him that the floor will need to be deep-cleaned once this is over? Not to mention, the blanket has to be replaced. There’s no way they’ll be able to get the stains out. Maybe it was a side effect of the blood loss, but the thought didn’t bother Jenny the way it should have.

This better not be a trick. My body feels so heavy! Mugetsu sighed. “It isn’t. How close are you to the door?”

“I’m getting there… I still don’t know how you’re going to open it, but progress is being made.” Once this is over, I should look into upper body exercises. The door showed no signs of magically disappearing as Jenny finally reached it, her body covered in sweat and blood that wouldn’t stop leaking onto the floor.

Her lungs burned, but she lightly tapped the door with a chuckle. “I… I did it… I’m at the door.”

Silence greeted her. Jenny turned her head but didn’t see her laptop on the bed. She didn’t see anything. Her room, her world for as long as she could remember, no longer existed. She was in a void with only the door for a reference point. “Mugetsu?”

Calm down. You probably passed out and are having a bad dream. That explains how bizarre this situation is. You’re dreaming, and you need to wake up. But calm was the last thing Jenny felt as she looked around desperately. “Mugetsu?!”

A soft knock came from the other side of the door above her head. Jenny stared at the door in shock, a small whimper escaping before she could stop it as a voice called out. “Jenny?”

Jenny’s eyes widened. That wasn’t Mugetsu. That was… “C-Chloe?”

The voice sounded closer to her ear as if the owner was kneeling to hear her better. “Oh, thank goodness. I made it in time! Listen, Jenny. I’m opening the door. Take a deep breath, and don’t scream, okay?”

“Why would I”- The door opened into the hall. Jenny was certain it should have opened into the room, but she wouldn’t complain about a small miracle. Not when a greater one stood in the doorway, grinning at her.

Chloe gasped and gently placed her hands on Jenny’s shoulders. “Oh my gosh. This is worse than we thought. Everything is going to be alright, Jenny. I’ve got you.”

“How?”

But Chloe was looking into the hallway. “She’s in here. Hurry up and bring the transport. We need to go before they notice us!”

What is going on? Jenny could feel the warmth from Chloe’s body slowly sinking into hers, and she watched enough streams to recognize her face and voice anywhere. But the rest of the world made no sense. The hallway looked normal when Chloe opened the door. It had the same tile pattern as her room, and the walls were still trying to look cheerful under their sickly yellow wallpaper.

But then things began unraveling. It started with the wall connecting to her door. It began to look moist as if someone had failed to dry off properly and left a trail. Then, it turned translucent like a soap bubble before quickly fading into inky blackness. The sight almost broke Jenny’s mind, but then she heard his voice.

“I’m coming. I’m coming! Jeez, you people seem to think I can snap my fingers and make things appear.”

Chloe laughed as she hugged Jenny tighter. “Well, that is one of the things you’re good at, Mr. Transdimiensoinal Mage.” Chloe looked at the fading floor and sighed. “I was hoping we had more time than this.”

“It can’t be helped. The security in this world keeps adapting to us…” Jenny wasn’t sure where to focus on first as he appeared. The head that reminded her of a mascot character was twice the size of hers, but the rest of his body appeared human… not including his bright yellow foam-like skin and long clown shoes.

He smiled kindly as his eyes glowed purple and helped Chloe pick her up. “Hey there, Jenny… They got you good, didn’t they?”

“Mugetsu?”

He nodded and placed a finger against her lips. “You have many questions, but you must settle for this answer. Chloe’s streams are a bridge between worlds… and we found you… We’re taking you to where you can be fixed, okay?”

Jenny nodded mutely. The world had stopped making sense. Her body didn’t make sense… but at least she could listen to Chloe for a while longer.