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The Kingdom of Gears [ Chapters: 1&2]
First Chapter: A Compassionate Man
I was sick, and it was bad. I knew it the first moment that I woke up on that first day, and I knew it even more so by the third day. That was the day I began coughing up blood, and the day when Joe, my neighbor who had been taking care of me, caught the disease, and died that same day.
The shear horror of Joe’s death drove me to seek refuge at the hospital, where I not only hoped to cure my illness, but if nothing else I’d hoped that they would keep me quarantined to prevent the spread of infection. However, the doctors were less than pleased to see me when I showed up in their waiting room. I was poor financially, dirty from being sick for so long, and our doctors were still not that well versed in medicine, and I guess that was probably the reason I was looked on with so my distain as I covered my mouth with a cloth and explained what had happened. The doctors and nurses on the other hand, remained unconvinced, but I got my wish anyway.
I was moved into the oldest room in the building, the one that had no source of heat in the middle of winter and was apparently often used as an extra place to store the corpses of people who could not make it through the frigid weather. Considering it was empty, I was probably meant to be it’s first resident, but at least this way I wouldn’t hurt anyone else. Or so I thought…
With only a small woolen blanket, to keep myself warm, the cold some how managed to slow my illness somewhat, but slowing it was the only thing it did. I was still dying, I could feel that much, and the next few days were only a fight to keep curious on-lookers and those that had thought to bring me food from touching me!
“Please…” I begged them over, and over again, using the blanket as a small shield when they tried to grab ahold of me. “Please, don’t touch me!”
It was soon after that, when I would start coughing up blood again -as I had been doing more and more often as the days passed- and upon seeing it, they would scream and run from the room to finally, finally leave me alone… Eventually, people stopped coming altogether, and I could finally rest. In the next few days after being left alone for so long I still don’t know how I survived, but that was when the end came.
My vision was blurred, and blood came up and then went into my lungs with every breath… But the cold did not chill me anymore, and I felt warm. Sleep was coming for me, and with that death, after which I could only hope the disease wouldn’t spread while they were disposing of my body.
The squeak of the metal door could suddenly be heard in the room, as I looked over to see a figure entering the room and coming towards my bed. I moaned, trying to feebly wave them away from me, but knowing I was too weak to do anything about it. “No, please…”
Blood gushed...
I was sick, and it was bad. I knew it the first moment that I woke up on that first day, and I knew it even more so by the third day. That was the day I began coughing up blood, and the day when Joe, my neighbor who had been taking care of me, caught the disease, and died that same day.
The shear horror of Joe’s death drove me to seek refuge at the hospital, where I not only hoped to cure my illness, but if nothing else I’d hoped that they would keep me quarantined to prevent the spread of infection. However, the doctors were less than pleased to see me when I showed up in their waiting room. I was poor financially, dirty from being sick for so long, and our doctors were still not that well versed in medicine, and I guess that was probably the reason I was looked on with so my distain as I covered my mouth with a cloth and explained what had happened. The doctors and nurses on the other hand, remained unconvinced, but I got my wish anyway.
I was moved into the oldest room in the building, the one that had no source of heat in the middle of winter and was apparently often used as an extra place to store the corpses of people who could not make it through the frigid weather. Considering it was empty, I was probably meant to be it’s first resident, but at least this way I wouldn’t hurt anyone else. Or so I thought…
With only a small woolen blanket, to keep myself warm, the cold some how managed to slow my illness somewhat, but slowing it was the only thing it did. I was still dying, I could feel that much, and the next few days were only a fight to keep curious on-lookers and those that had thought to bring me food from touching me!
“Please…” I begged them over, and over again, using the blanket as a small shield when they tried to grab ahold of me. “Please, don’t touch me!”
It was soon after that, when I would start coughing up blood again -as I had been doing more and more often as the days passed- and upon seeing it, they would scream and run from the room to finally, finally leave me alone… Eventually, people stopped coming altogether, and I could finally rest. In the next few days after being left alone for so long I still don’t know how I survived, but that was when the end came.
My vision was blurred, and blood came up and then went into my lungs with every breath… But the cold did not chill me anymore, and I felt warm. Sleep was coming for me, and with that death, after which I could only hope the disease wouldn’t spread while they were disposing of my body.
The squeak of the metal door could suddenly be heard in the room, as I looked over to see a figure entering the room and coming towards my bed. I moaned, trying to feebly wave them away from me, but knowing I was too weak to do anything about it. “No, please…”
Blood gushed...
