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John and Mary meet.
Of course, this isn’t the first time they’ve met, she feels. Mary could’ve sworn she had seen John hundreds of times. In her dreams, of course not. Mary doesn’t dream, after all. Around town, on her college campus, on the TV. His voice is something she could’ve heard just a few minutes ago, talking to one of her other male friends.
Although, something is strange about John. He speaks, she hears a voice definitely from him, but his mouth...
The teeth are there, okay? The lips move as he talks, the tongue shifts as you’d expect it to, but the mouth shapes do not seem correct. As if he were saying one thing, but she was hearing another.
Mary does her best to ignore it, but it tugs at her mind. While she does not dream, she does envision.
Mary’s visions are... interesting. Sometimes, they seem so real that when she re-registers her situation, she can’t tell whether she experienced reality or a vision.
One day, sitting in her class, she sees John. Usually, he’s sitting right next to her, but instead he’s at the door. He beckons to her, mouths a sort of “this way”. She excuses herself to follow him.
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Madge looks upon Mary.
“Any updates?” she asks Fred.
Fred sighs. “No improvement. May be worse. She’s still fixated on completing college. Poor soul, it’s been months since she was admitted.”
“Medications?”
“A little more than last week. We have been monitoring, though.”
Mary stirs, and mutters. “John...”
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“...where are we going?”
He doesn’t answer, just gestures towards the cafeteria, with some kind winning smile. Teeth almost appear to be peeking through the lips, but she brushes it off as being tired.
He takes her to the cafeteria, pulls out an apple, and unlocks the door.
No, a lock.
No, a key.
Yes, a key.
They enter. There are so many foods, more tasty than anything the mess hall’s ever served. Thousands of drinks line the luncheonette, from pasta to paintings. Mary looks to John, and he motions to them.
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“Are you sure she’s able to take her own pills?”
“We’ve been watching closely. If she were to try anything, we’d be able to stop her in time.”
Mary reaches for a bottle, shakes out a couple, and swallows them. Next bottle, same thing. She turns back to the first, apparently finding those better. Fred finds it strange, but continues to look. Mary usually finds her medication unpalatable.
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It’s the best thing she’s ever tasted. So many flavors, why were these foods never offered before? She’s never felt so hungry. Or tired. Or tired. Or tired. Or tired. Or tired.
Is this what they mean by “comfort food”?
Each bite only seems to make her hungrier. She tries something else, same result. Still tired.
She’s on the brink of collapse. John walks over, crouches down.
“You’ll be okay. Sh...”
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“-it! Get someone, quickly!”
“Right away.”
Fred doesn’t know what to do, he was only supposed to call for help if something went wrong with Mary. He thinks he should try to intervene, but he was warned to never approach a patient without someone else present. All he can do is hope Madge will come back soon.
Mary lays down. Definitely not a fall, she seems to have done it voluntarily. “John...”
It is silent. Fred breathes as quietly as possible, to hear from the room. A fluorescent light hums.
Mary whispers. “Won’t you try some too, John?”
She giggles, as if John had said something funny. “That’s true...”
She stirs a little bit longer. Fred can’t hear breaths anymore, but stays outside.
Madge returns, three doctors in tow. One has equipment to check her vitals. If Mary is at least alive, they can perform more detailed tests. They go inside, and check for a pulse first.
The doctors leave the room, no visible emotions.
“Mary?”
“No pulse. I do hope we can get this sorted out quickly, there is another individual hoping to check in a friend and I would hate to lose business.”
“Yes, Doctor.”