[h3][b][i][color=7ea7d8]September 1st
[sub]Prior To The Incident…[/sub][/color][/i][/b][/h3][hr]
"Raymond Aaron Davis! Hurry up, time doesn't wait for you!" 

An irritated mother's yell echoed down the hall to the ears of her youngest son. The boy was fresh out of the shower. As of late, she'd been tired of him simply being home during the day playing video games while she was at work. She wanted him to be proactive and shit. Like he didn't just break free of the laboring he did to graduate. 

It wasn't like he wasn't grateful she wasn't kicking him out, nor like he didn't have a job. Joe's Pizza wasn't exactly the dream job, it helped with rent but his mom had high expectations. A pizza chain wasn’t gonna be his future, she told him. His work hours started in the late afternoon, which meant this morning, he was getting out to do something. 

Empire State University was starting a new program next semester and he was gonna be on the front lines of the new frontier. Whatever the fuck that meant, it was just a tour for potential students. Regardless, here he was, on his way out in the only white collared shirt he had. It was hard to balance this shirt in among his regular swag but Ray found a way. He knew how he should probably dress, but as of today, he didn’t really care. The finishing touch was Cello’s necklace, tucked right under the collar like a tie.

When he finally made his way out of his room, his mother stared him down momentarily before sighing. Normally she’d probably make a comment about his clothes, but she noticed something that stole the attention from that. There was a certain gentleness in her usually firm voice. “You still wearing that jenky ol necklace huh?”

Ray didn’t answer her, barely even acknowledging that she asked him about it. He slipped passed her to grab his backpack. [color=7ea7d8]“Alright Ma, I’m heading out.”[/color]

“Don’t get into no trouble while you’re out there.”

[color=7ea7d8]“Me? Trouble? Nah.”[/color]

[hr][h3][b][i][color=7ea7d8]September 5th
Greenwich Hospital[/color][/i][/b][/h3][hr]
[sub][url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c265UW68RSE]Play This![/url][/sub]
Was he alive; Was he dead? 
Was he on the way to hell?
Blood and roaches sprawling,
His skin was nothin but a shell.

Was he alive; Was he dead?
Raymond couldn’t even tell.
How many days done passed?
How long it been since he had fell...?

Was he alive; Was he dead? 
He might be just as well.
This pain was somethin the 
embrace of death could only quell.

Was he alive; Was he dead?
He couldn’t stand the smell.
Outside Mama was crying.
He wished he could hear her yell.

Ray didn’t believe the doctors when they told him that he was in and out for four days. He’d been in a hospital bed before, but it was nothing like this. This was a whole new breed of pain. In the small periods he was awake he heard her voice. She wouldn’t stop calling their phones. It was barely a conversation though, he was physically incapable of even arguing with her. The bastards tried to take his phone away, fuck that. Ray promised her that he wouldn’t end up in no fucking hospital again. How did he get here? It wasn’t even his own fault this time.

Every time he moved, he felt a pulse of pain through his heart. Like somebody strangled a soaking sponge. He felt the blood bubble up under his skin. They put a blanket on him, sweat made it hot and cold at the same damn time. His arms and legs had been restrained initially, because he apparently had been seizing at some point. 

What kind of disease was this? Some kind of Virus? Bacteria? Voodoo? Something that made sense? The doctors couldn’t tell him. He just kept hearing ‘the attack.’, or “the incident”. Like some kind of bomb went off...? What kind of shit was that? Isis was back in New York? 9/11 really wasn’t enough, 9/01 now?

This period of staring up at the ceiling, like he could see Tupac in heaven smoking, was probably the longest he’s been awake. Ray started to relive his whole life lying in this bed. Memories of Mama, Pops, Cello...even watching Kenan & Kel for hours. Kel was a dumbass. All that led up to this? The hell was he even doing four days ago? 

The last thing he remembered was taking that tour..[color=7ea7d8].[i]Oh shit![/i][/color] Was she here?! She was with him at some point that day. On god she’d better be okay. One of them doctors slipped the fuck up when they were talking about people had died already. Like they thought he couldn’t hear them because his eyes were closed.

Speak of the devil, one was coming in now. “Oh good, you’re awake.-”

[color=7ea7d8]“-Is Kim in here?!”[/color] Ray’s voice was strained, clearing having hadn’t used it in a while. The nurse gave him a quizzical expression.

“There’s a lot of people in here. It’s-”

[color=7ea7d8]”Muthafucka! Little girl, blue hair! Seen her in here or nah?!”[/color] Ray’s expression hardened. His heart rate jumped, and it was evident by the meter beeping faster with each passing second. The woman held a cautious yet steady glance.

“I’m not exactly allowed to give out information about other patients-”

[color=7ea7d8]”-Is she breathin’ at least?”[/color] His tone tremored almost, a clear crack in the armor of his aggression. He hoped the lady said no. Fucking damnit...There was a pause followed by a sigh.

“Yes.” A wave of small relief hit him, and he managed to calm himself down. Got him all worked up just to get tired again. 

These doctors played too much…