Timekeeper part 5

The sixth and seventh chapter in a book I named Timekeeper where a boy finds himself pulled into a world that’s not his own, where much is expected of him. Friends turn to enemies as the boy is dragged deeper into the long dead world of Tithus discovering secrets that should have been left secret, medalling with powers that could lead to their own fall, just as the Timekeepers before them. Enjoy as the mystery unfolds..."

Chapter 6-Alive
Samuel opened his eyes sitting up abruptly. Someone was screaming and he could hear the clatter of something being dropped. He could see a man possibly in his sixty’s wearing bio suit, like the ones in the crime investigation TV programs, when they did autopsy’s on diseased body’s. Then it hit him, he was in autopsy. The woman that screamed stood a little way back, still screaming. “Oh,” was all he could say.
The elderly man seemed to have come to his senses, “well theirs a first for everything. Oh do calm down Mrs Scott and call management telling them I have a very much a live Master Davies on my table,” he walked over to the boy smiling and checked his pulse. His heart was happily beating away. “Welcome back to the land of the living Master Davies,” he smiled “I’m sorry about my assistant she’s only a student and we don’t normal get a lot of patience that wake up if any, you gave use quite a fright,”
“I’m sorry…”
“Oh don’t be!” he chuckled. “Being alive is nothing to be sorry about,” Everything seemed to be in order and the man removed his bio suit head peace, placing it on the side and began putting the assortment of scalpels away, humming an old tune as he worked. Samuel discreetly checked his wrist, 009:28:17 and counting down. He was lucky no one had noticed, it didn’t seem to be glowing as bright as bright as it did on Tithus.
Mrs Scott was back and had calmed down considerably, “Doctor Jones would like you to take him up to wing 5. He is informing the family as we speak,”
“Very good then, Mrs Scott if you could finish clearing up I’ll take him right away. Can you walk?”
“Yes, I think so,” he wriggled his toes.
“Easy does it,” the pathologist helped Samuel to his feet, for a small man he was surprisingly strong. He guided Samuel gently to the lift. “Up we go, do tell me if you feel faint,”
“I feel fine Doc, a bit wobbly but for a dead man pretty good,”
The pathologist laughed, “Oh I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself, Nick, Nick Wright. I must admit you did appear a bit too fresh, you were still warm and pink, or though the lack of a pulse and lack of breath would normally suggest that you were dead and the fact you’ve been out for nine hours but we’ve been wrong,”
“Thanks?”
The lift doors opened revealing the hospital alive with Nurses and Doctors rushing around, some nodded to Nick as he weaved his way through the bustle of hospital life, guiding Samuel to wing 5. A Doctor stood waiting a look of surprise on his face as they entered the warm white wing but, it was soon replaced with a smile as he ushered Samuel into a fresh bed smelling strongly of disinfectant.
“Here you go, one very much alive Master Davies,” Nick said winking at Samuel
Smiling back Samuel quickly hid his arm under the thick covers, not wanting any one to notice the clock.
Nick and the Doctor shared a few hushed words before Nick said his goodbyes and went on his way. The Doctor walked back over and checked his vital signs, “Well you seem extraordinarily fine compared to your previous visit. Do you remember what happened?”
All I remember was feeling sick all day then fainting. Next think I know I’m on a cold table about to be chopped up.”
The Doctor laughed but his faced soon turned back to confusion, “I don’t get you, nine hour ago I signed you off dead, no pulse nothing and know you lie here healthy as any sixteen year old would be. You were dead for nine hours, does that not shock you?
“I feel fine.”
He shook his head in disbelief “Do you know how hard it is to bring someone back from the dead, the amount of paper work! Where going to need take some blood tests, is that ok?”
Hesitantly he agreed not knowing what they might find.
“Oh by the way your parents are on their way, you have no idea how long it took to convince them! Hardly believe it myself.” And he left the room still shaking his head and chuckling to him glazing back just before he went round the corner.

A nurse soon appeared with a needle and Samuel quickly offered up his right arm not wanting them to find the green clock tattooed on his left arm. It was 10pm and his parents weren’t going to arrive for another hour, he was in the Nottingham hospital for his autopsy and they lived all the way back in Lincoln. And then it suddenly accrued to him, he had an hour, all to himself; he could go back to Tithus! “If Charlotte was right all he had to do was close his eyes and he would be back, right? One hour, it makes sense because he only had nine hours left on the clock which means he would have to go back there at seven in the morning latest!” he thought. He looked around the room, all seven patience that he shared the room with where asleep, and it’s not like he was plugged into any machine that showed his pulse. He checked the clock on his arm just to check that it was actually real, 008:48:79, still their counting down. He settled back and slowly relaxed taking deep breath not knowing what to expect. His body slowly became numb and he couldn’t move his arms or legs any more. Then all at once they began to lose feeling altogether, he could hear is heart beat getting slower and slower, scared he opened his eyes, the world around him slowly pulled its self apart like a 3D canvas being ripped away with nobody but himself noticing until nothing but blackness was left, minuets with nothing happening then suddenly a planet came into view, then a familiar broken city. He quick thought of the space ship he was brought too picturing its dusty body and the way the light had danced through the broken walls casting colourful patterns over piles of derby and then…nothing.

Chapter 7- Back Again
Samuel opened his eyes; his vision unfocused. He was lying on the floor naked; he could see the ship door open and Charlotte’s familiar red hair poking out. He caught her eye and she nodded in greeting then disappeared, reappearing moments later with the musty blanket he first woke up too. She silently rushed over throwing the blanket over him then helping him to his feet, “Welcome back, and so soon,” she whispered while helping him back into the ship. Upon entering Ferric passed Samuel the bundle of cloths Charlotte had brought back. “You know the way to your room?” she asked.
“Yep,” he mumbled
“You want some help?” Ferric chipped in.
“Nah I’ll be fine.” Charlotte led him to the corridor propping him up on the wall so he wouldn’t fall and went back to laying the table.
Samuel stumbled along the corridor using the pipes for support. He passed a man in a tank top, bits of shaving foam still stuck to his face. He nodded in greeting looking just as tired as Samuel.
He soon found the ladder with his name on it and descended; dressing into the cloths he was given. He rolled the sleeves up this time so he could keep an eye on the time, he knew here nobody care that he had a green clock counting away on his arm. Feeling much better he quickly made his way back.
Ferric gave him a mug of the burning liquid, taking small sips which rid the rest of the dizziness.
“Care to join use for breakfast Samuel?” asked an elderly woman.
“Must be Lauren,” he thought. “Yeah go on then,”
The man he met in the corridor was already tucking into a bowl of what appeared to be grey sludge; Samuel was having second thoughts on breakfast. Ferric and Charlotte soon joined them at the table and Lauren starting dishing out bowls.
“How long you staying,” Ferric asked digging into his breakfast
“Only an hour had nothing better to do.”
The man in the tank top laughed, “So you thought you would join use,”
“More like I was checking this place was real,” Samuel poked the bowl of grey sludge with his spoon; everyone else seemed to enjoying it.
The man chuckled again, “Charles by the way, you had the welcoming speech yet?”
“Yeah, my previous visit,”
“Good, so what do you think of her,”
“Who?” He dared a spoon full of the grey matter, “to be honest it taste like porridge”
“Tithus, City of the Timekeepers, what do you think?”
“Could do with a fixer upper,”
Ferric laughed but Charles looked offended, “It’s beautiful!”
“Well you know nothing else but this place,” Ferric added.
“What’s your story then Charles,” Samuel questioned
“This is where I was born and raised, planet Tithus,” he extended his arms “ I was born back in an old rebel camp many many years ago, mum and dad where both Timekeepers you see. But then the Dreamers raided the camp taking them both and we three ran off here, Lauren Ferric and I, we picked up little old Charlotte here latter,”
“What about your parents couldn’t they just disappear back to earth?”
“Charlotte didn’t tell you? Well they have these collars, if they catch you your stuck here, don’t ask me how they work I’m no scientist,”
“Oh, are there any rebel camps left?”
“Narh they all got killed off a good century ago, everyone’s either in small groups or…”
“Dead,” Lauren finished, “We don’t even know how many demi Timekeepers are out there, last one I remember was Charlotte here and that was a good 70 years ago, you’re are new hope,”
“We haven’t see any others out there for months, and where getting more sightings of Wraith,” Ferric added.
“Do you think their close?”
“It would explain the Wraiths,” Charles said through a mouth of grey sludge.
“Wait what? How I’m I your new hope! And close to what?”
“Time!” Charles smiled “you’re the only one who can find Time, only a Timekeeper can touch it,”
“Oh,” was all he could say.
“We can’t have the Dreamers finding it!” Charlotte said.
“Let’s not get hasty, we don’t even know if their close and it’s not like we haven’t been looking,” ferric added gruffly
“But we’ve got Samuel know and it must be close if he appeared here.” They all looked at Samuel.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Guys calm down, we haven’t seen Dreamers in months, after breakfast Ferric and Charles will go and see if there are any dreamers digging around in the dirt just don’t get caught! And Charlotte, you take Samuel out and see if he can feel anything, I’d start in the tunnels under this building” Lauren ordered, taking control of the situation.
“So that settles it,” Ferric got up and put his bowl in the kitchen, breakfast was over.