Torn awake by the sharp pain like a burning knife stripping his flesh. The dream still fresh in his mind he tried to raise his arm expecting to see the same putrid rot.

But his arm did not move. He screamed out in agony at the waves of sharp pain moving from his chest to his arm, as if ripping apart from the inside. Even with the will to move his body didn't obey.

Summoned by the screams of pain, several nurses entered the room with worry on their faces. Many were familiar with Mitchell as he had been a patient since he was a child.

Such an outburst of agony was highly unsual, in the past when he began to lose his legs he would occasional complain of pain. But not to this degree, a new symptom meant new worries.

Michell cried out as nurses fawned over him to get a grasp of the situation, assuring him the doctor was on their way. Cold sweat had dampened his sheets and his breath was shallow as he tried to endure.

A nurse that had come and go from the beginning returned with a new IV, it was most likely laced with a type of strong pain reliever. He turned his head over to get a look of his arm.

His gown had been pulled off exposing his chest and shoulder, the rot from the dream was nowhere to be seen. But the pain was there, his arm was convulsing painfully, though he had no control of it.

A pin prick from the IV barely grasped his attention as his arm clenched and twisted as though possesed. He cried out again as the sharp pain exploded through his arm, one of the nurses began restrianing his arm and frantically asked for the doctor to hurry.

Having bite his gums while he clenched his jaw, the wound slowly seeped blood from the corner of his mouth. He stiffened as the pain slowly began to subside, still expecting the spasms to assualt him again.

SFX/ haah hah haah...

He panted at the moments relief, relaxing into the bed and closing his eyes. He willed himself to sleep, to return to the rotten wasteland where he not even feel pain. But he was soon pulled back when a nurse roused him awake.

He turned his tired eyes to look at her, not even willing to move his neck an inch. Her familiar face filled with worry and her blond curls even more messy then they were before.

She had heard the news about Michell's sudden painful spasm and had taken to checking on him herself. Although when she asked him how he was feeling he just closed his eyes.

He felt extremely drained, his usually fatigue was now an overwhelming exhaustion. He didn't have it in him to move an inch, let alone speak, so when he saw her worry he felt more resent for this curse of his.

He just wanted to sleep. Fall into a deep sleep without dreams. Even if it meant never waking up again, in this life without freedom, he could only suffer.

As his breathing slowed and he was taken by sleep, the young nurse felt a aching in her chest. Even as a nurse in an inpatient facility, such an ilness is something she has never seen before.

She felt like he would die the moment she looked away.

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SFX/ bep beep bep bep

stirred by the sound of his beeper at his waist the senor doctor rises from his work. He had been reviewing the history of his patient again, only to be called for an emergancy from said patient.

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

If his heart had stopped again, the hospital staff would have revived before I arrived. By the urgency of it, it was something new. A new symptom.

Such news panged the man with anxiety as he made his way to Michell's room. A new symptom could mean either a break through towards recovery and diagnosis, or the deterioration was excelerating.

SFX/ tep tap tap

His feet quickened as he came to the inpatient ward. Although it is called the inpatient ward, this ward particularly was for unstable patients in need of quick attention. Within a ten minute walk from the staff offices, making quick responses to any emergancy.

He came to Michell's room panting slightly, but not out of breath. Before him was a familiar nurse. A new face to this particular hospital, she only started a couple of months ago.

In that time she has become attached to Mitchell and can often be seen wheeling him around the ward in his chair. he was surprised when he had heard, the antisocial Michell would frequently enjoy her company.

As the doctor entered the room she startled slightly, stuttering about his condition as she filled him in.

'Upon waking he had cried out, as he was known to be a quiet patient the nurses were rightfully panicked, his arm had begun painfully seizing. He was in visable agony as she stated with a pained face.

It took more then 15 minutes to settle him down, with the administered pain reliever by IV. He was promptly over come by exhaustion after that.'

Reviewing the facts he examined the arm in question. It was still twitching slight, but showed no response to stimulation. The tips of his fingers showed signs of oxygen deprivation, taking on a slightly blue color.

his brow furrowed while trying to grasp the cause. It was obviously the same deterioration that took over his legs, but the pain assaulting his nerves and the spasm were not symptoms of his previous case.

'Over come by a numbness as the legs loses function' and 'joint pain and dull muscle pain slowly fade completely with feeling in the legs' such notes still fresh in his mind after reading the medical history.

Testing the flexability, found the joints stiffened and protesting any movement as they occasionally twitched. the doctor was at a loss, the symptoms came suddenly, the examination from the evening before showed no signs of problems.

The nurse who had stepped to the side watched with a worried expression as the doctor murmured to himself and filled out the new symptoms on a form.

Although torn about what to do, she stuck around silently hoping to be of some help.

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SFX/ heh haah hah

The wasteland unchanged no matter how many times visited.

Michell knew as much. putrid rot dripped from his arm, the rot stopped half way past his elbow, he did not know if it was because of the events at the hospital or that the rot was just satisfied.

He was walking again through the wastelands dead forests. Except this time he moved not towards the but the opposite direction, in the years he had lived this dream he had come to know the vastness of this place.

And with purpose he moved on. Towards a stagnant lake that inhabits what he believes to be the southern edge of the wasteland. The cemetary to the north an endless meadow of dead to the east and painful darkness to the west if traveled far enough.

He soon came to the edge of a large lake. It would probably take a week to travel to the other side by following the shore, unfortunately, he was always given only a short amount of time here.

He sat at the edge looking out towards the opposite shore, the water was just as rotten as you'd expect from this land, but there was no helping it. He dropped his feet into the water. The soles of his feet were rotted away and blackened with putrid necrosis.

As his feet submerged he could feel his feet assualted be a sickening feeling. Even though he could not see beneath the surface, he came to learn of the fish that swam there.

Pulling his feet back the rot has been eaten away, leaving behind his grey foot, half gone, exposed muscles and tendons rapped loosely around exposed bones. He did not know why they would eat the rot instead of spreading it, but he found it useful.

He lowered his arm into the water and grimiced as the sickening feeling assualted him once more. As if they were licking inside his brain with their cold tongues, he pulled away his shoulder when the sensation ended.

His muscles spread away from the bone like a sickening flower. Fresh blood dripped as he ripped the rotted gown sleeve, he did his best to rap the muscles back together, it was hideous to look at without skin.

He sat back resting leaning on his good arm and looking out to the lake. Without noticing his feet slowly repaired themselves, weaving together new muscles and fresh skin spread out from the edges of the torn feet.

This often happened here. Alone rotting away, the young boy Michell has adapted to cope with his forsaken fate.