He was in the hospital about to die. Sterling could feel it. The nurses and doctors said he’d be okay and that he'd be fine and that he’d be back in no time just let them do all the work. Deep in his chest he could feel something growing next to his heart. It was like he had a second heart pumping in his chest. 

It was wrong, just unfair. He was seventeen about to graduate next year but had caught “it” Otherwise known as the ascendance. But the millions of people that lay in hospitals for the last century was a stark show and tell of its power.

 Now he was walking into a room surrounded with people as young as fifthteen and as old as twenty. 

There has been no recorded case of a person getting infected over the age of twenty four; it is theorized that whatever it does needs a host that isn’t too old yet not too young that the bodies are useless for inhabitation.

Sitting down in a chair he slumped down onto the cold cheap plastic the hospital used for this. Exactly like the ones in those presentations that school uses cheap to be able to buy in bulk. An old man walked up, he was balding his forehead a mile wide and his cool blue lab coat touched the floor. 

He spoke in a nasally voice that  burned Sterling's ears with sulfuric acid or that's what he felt. 

“Now kids, I know this is all hard for you. We’re facing something unprecedented with this condition, often referred to as 'The Ascendance.' Unfortunately, there’s still a lot we don’t fully understand about it.

What we do know is that it affects primarily younger individuals—those between fifteen and twenty-four. It seems to have a peculiar connection to your bodies, as if it needs a host that’s still developing but not too young to be viable. Once it takes hold, it can lead to a state we call 'hollowing,' where the body becomes comatose.

We’ve seen many cases over the last century, and the number of young lives affected is staggering. The specific nature of the infection, how it spreads, or even why it targets certain individuals remains a mystery to us. Researchers are working tirelessly to uncover more, but answers have been elusive.

Right now, our main focus is on keeping you comfortable and stable while we learn more about this condition. We're here to support you, but it's important to be prepared for uncertainty. We’ll face this together, one step at a time.

It’s been predicted that most of you will fall asleep tomorrow so I'd suggest you guys go out and enjoy the fresh air and the sunlight because you’ll need to get seated into the long term ward by eight pm.

Waiting next to his chair standing there awkwardly while the crowd left in total over one thousand people were going to be lost. Not all we’re in the room of course but the amount of buildings to house these people have been increasing day by day.

:_:

“Yoo Usted”! Sterling groaned of all the friends, people he knew in his whole life. One of his biggest headaches had to be approaching him.

“You know this whole thing is very not ski-“. Sterling’s arm shot out like a rocket to stop the idiot from continuing his unending yabber. 

Unfortunately he picked Spanish one for his elective. He should have foreseen that he’d be placed with the people who take that class which is majorly ninth grader to tenth graders.

The problem wasn’t the tenth grader; he was chill; they both suffered in silence.  In that class it was fun just… just the people were annoying they wouldn’t shut up about. Gyatt, rizz, phantom tax or whatever it’s called the worst of the offenders was a word that Sterling didn’t even want to fathom.

“Shut the fuck up please just please… not now” He held his head down his body felt like it was falling apart his eyes hurt his lips were down in a small frown and crusty. Even on the outside his dark skin had a dull look to it almost as if the life had been drained out of every part of his body.

Maxwell's face fell, and he nodded slowly. "Yeah, sure, man. I get it. It's just... you know, it's scary. I don't know what to do."

Sterling glanced around the room, seeing the same fear reflected in the eyes of the other young patients. It was a fear they all shared, a fear of the unknown and the inevitability of what was coming. Despite his irritation, Sterling felt a pang of sympathy for Maxwell.

"Hey," Sterling said, trying to muster some encouragement, "we're all in this together, right? Maybe it's not so bad if we stick together."

Maxwell managed a weak smile. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Thanks, man."

Sterling nodded, feeling a small sense of relief. It was fleeting, but it was something. He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and trying to find some semblance of peace. But the fear gnawed at him, relentless and unyielding.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

As the day wore on, the room slowly emptied, each patient leaving to spend what could be their last moments of consciousness in their own way. Some went outside to feel the sun on their faces, others sought out family members for comfort. Sterling, too tired to move, stayed where he was, his thoughts drifting.

Maxwell just talked and talked to Sterling to keep his mind off what's going to happen.

A nurse approached, then her expression was kind but weary. "Maxwell Ironmen right, your parents are here? They'd like to see you."

Maxwell's face lit up, but Sterling could see the nervousness in his eyes. "Yeah, that's me. Thanks," Maxwell said, standing up and giving Sterling a small, reassuring nod before following the nurse out of the room.

Sterling watched him go, feeling a mix of envy and relief. He had no one waiting for him, no family to share his fear and uncertainty. The emptiness weighed heavily on him, a constant reminder of his isolation. With a heavy sigh, he tried to brace himself for the inevitable loneliness.

The room grew quieter as more patients left, leaving Sterling alone with his thoughts. He closed his eyes, letting the distant sounds of the hospital wash over him. The hum of machines, the soft murmurs of conversations, the occasional beep from a monitor—all of it blended into a soothing white noise that helped him block out the fear.

"Sterling Davidson?" a gentle voice interrupted his reverie. He opened his eyes to see another nurse standing before him, her expression a blend of professionalism and compassion. "Would you like to come with me? We have a quiet room where you can rest."

Sterling nodded, standing up on shaky legs. He followed the nurse down the corridor, trying to steady his breathing. The thought of being alone in a quiet room was both a relief and a burden, but he had no other choice. As they walked, he felt the weight of his situation press down on him, but he forced himself to keep moving forward.

The nurse led Sterling down a series of sterile, dimly lit hallways until they reached a small, private room. The space was sparse, furnished with just a bed, a chair, and a small window that let in a sliver of sunlight.

"Here you go," the nurse said softly, gesturing for him to enter. "If you need anything, just press the call button, okay?"

Sterling nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He stepped into the room and heard the door close gently behind him. For a moment, he stood still, taking in the quiet. The loneliness felt more profound in this confined space, but it was also a strange comfort. He wasn't sure how to feel, only that he was deeply tired.

He walked over to the window and looked out. The world outside seemed so distant, as if it belonged to another life entirely. People were walking, laughing, living their lives, oblivious to the struggles faced within these walls. He envied them, wished he could be part of that normalcy, but his reality was far removed from theirs.

Sterling sank into the chair, the weight of the day pressing down on him. The nurse's words echoed in his mind, reminding him that he could call for help if he needed it. But what kind of help could anyone offer for something like this? The fear and uncertainty were his to bear alone.

He closed his eyes, trying to find some sense of peace. His mind drifted to thoughts of the past, moments of happiness and regret blending together. He remembered his friends, the laughter they shared, and the plans they made for the future—plans that now seemed so fragile and uncertain.

He opened his eyes to see that the sky was a bright orange. With dashes of pink with the clouds being a brilliant white it was as if it was heaven. 

He could feel the signs of the incoming coma coming from him like a hound. The only regret was why didn’t a single friend of his that wasn’t infected didn’t come to see him?  It wasn’t fair he had been a good friend to them for years, always a helping hand! 

But in his greatest crisis the end of his life! Not a single damn one showed up! No one absolutely no one, not a single one! How could they after all he did!  

Long black hands gripped the bed rail intending to make a dent in it, maybe even rip it off its hinges but not a single thing happened, not even a dent.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Maxwell bounded into the room, his smile wide but a bit too forced. "Sterling! There you are!" he exclaimed, his energy almost overwhelming in the small, quiet space.

Sterling opened his eyes and gave a weak smile. "Hey, Maxwell."

Maxwell plopped down on the bed, fidgeting with the blanket. "Man, it's so boring out there. Everyone's just moping around. Figured I'd come see how you're holding up."

Sterling sighed, appreciating the distraction but still feeling the heavy weight of his reality. "Just trying to take it all in, I guess. It's a lot to process."

"Tell me about it," Maxwell said, his tone attempting to be upbeat. “ So you know, imagine we’d get sent to a dream-like world and that’s why no one wakes up”?

“Well I mean that could happen but it wouldn’t explain why someone would just die the day before when all their health signatures were fine”?

“Probably it’s like that one show! Oh shittt what was it uhhhhhh”?

“Sword art online”? Sterling questioned.

“Exactly were placed into a simulator that if we die we die in real life”! He got up and started pacing around in the small room.

“I’m gonna have the strongest ability, maybe even divine”.

Snorting Sterling looked at Maxwell and raised one eyebrow slowly “Really you think you’d get a divine ability you're so dumb you’d trip and fall off a banana and split your head open”?

“What! Bruh I would not die like that, you're just being an asswhole for no reason! Of course an old Eldridge horror like yourself is right at home unc”!

“Unc I’m three years older than you”!

“No you're not clearly your a one thousand years old hiding in the body of a seventeen year old”. Maxwell said this with a straight face not a single muscle was out of place no laugh nothing.

“Well well i uh.” Sterling was left bereft of words he didn’t know how to respond to such an outrageous statement.

“At least my head isn’t shaped like a bean. Matter in fact isn’t this you”? He pulled up a picture of a bean can with the logo on it the indent in the bean had an uncanny similarity to Maxwell's head. Years of wearing gaming headsets would do that to you he guessed.

“Wow okay I see how it is you annoying silverback gorilla”. 

Before he could make a comeback the PA system went off for an announcement.

“All patients please return to their room”. 

Maxwell's smile dimmed as he heard the announcement. “Well I guess that’s it can’t wait to sleep in the void for eternity. See you on the other side”. Maxwell waved at Sterling as he walked outside the room.

Now he was left alone with his thoughts. He decided the next thing to do was to just sleep.

{Challenger get ready your trial to commence}