Every week I come to this place and every week it looks even worse.
Saint Maladies Hospital the cheapest and most reputable hospital on what remains of the west coast. Of course every day there's less and less land as reality falls apart. There used to be much more reputable places, before they were consumed by Twilight.
It all started long before our parents were born. One scientific experiment gone to far, or had bad contaminant, or was uncontrollable. Nobody is quite sure but what ever happened unleashed an unsustainable particle into the world. Rather than creating zombies, monsters or letting in eldrich horrors, reality just started dissolving.
Slowly at first, voids of twilight expanded and gradually eat into the world. Stars disappeared, physical laws began degrading, yet humanity ever enduring persisted. Now generations later we live on what are essentially islands tied together by anomalous materials in an ever expanding twilight sea.
Shaking of the distraction of irrelevant history I push forward into the dingy lobby of the Saint Maladies. I ignore the familiar stares and politely decline the almost aggressive attempts to start conversations with me. I know they only have greedy and selfish intentions and I don't want to waste the free time I fought so hard for on them again.
-
Multiple Nurses watch as there conter parts are eligently rejected by the Silver Prince yet again. Every week he comes to this dump to spend time with his fragmented toy, not that the hospital staff would ever oppenly complain about his presence or the constant rejection.
After all the Silver Prince provides a third of the hospital's funding. Not to mention that the blond haired tanned skinned beauty is just about the only thing the hospital residents look forward to seeing in this bleak world. Luxuries such a a simple tan have become a prominent sight of wealth ever since the sun was engulfed by the ever expanding twilight. Something only the rich and influential can afford.
Weath, good looks, and a kind personality make him a grade A catch. With him being the 'Prince' of the Silver Wood Company, which owns one of the only reliable sources of wood in the form of an ever regenerating tree. One might think the Silver Prince blessed and Happy from the outside. Yet he suffers in his own ways.
-
Finally having reach the 7th floor of the hospital and the Silver Prince looks longingly at a closed door.
Many thoughts fill his head. How the floor smells like death mixed with cheap cleansing chemicals. That the door looks damaged and how all the nurses seem suspiciously absent from what's supposed to be the long term care floor. He pushes open the door having braced himself for a familiar sight and putting on his best smile.
" Hay buddy I'm back … I know I'm a little late this week, but it took a bit more effort than usual to slip free from the schedule Uncle set for me. But I found another book to read to you! This one's on… meditation?… I really need to check the discriptons when I buy these at the auction." I sigh awkwardly to the quiet cluttered room before taking a seat.
Just about the only good thing to come of reality falling apart was the gradual extinction of just about every known illness. Viruses, infections, allergies, cancers, and even birth defects are now functionally none existent. All because having one made you more susceptible to more anomalies ailments.
Shattering, dissolution, phase instability, spontaneous eraser, gravity loss, ect…
My brother suffers from Shattering a condition that sees your body falling apart via perfect self manifesting cuts. Specifically he has a sub variant known as being Fractured. To have whole portions of his flesh cleanly cut through, but leaving the veins and bone marrow intact. One wrong move could have him fall apart like a cheaply stitched doll. Many would consider it a blessing to die should a single seem open upon them. But I still distinctly remember my brothers pleas, his desperate desire to survive no matter what we went through.
So now he lays here in this dingy hospital strapped, stitched and glued together while careless nurses use his room a personal storage!
I without hesitation grab a hand bag off my brother's chest and chuck it out the window into the endless twilight.
" s sorry about that bud I. I'll talk to the hospital head again on my way out."for just a moment the Silver Prince could swear he saw his brother smiling but then it's gone.
Humerisly the Silver Prince compairs his an his brothers appearance "At first glance we don't really look related do we? I'm 6'6 your barley 4'0". I have blond hair, yours is dark brown. I have blue eyes, you have green eyes. I'm heavily tanned and have noticeable musculature and your pale as paper covered in freckles and almost just skin an bones. But when we're side by side any one would recognize that we have almost the same face. Sharp yet soft with big expressive eyes and bushy eyebrows." I smile remembering a happier time.
"Why don't I get to reading you that book." The Silver Prince say to his Fractured sibling before returning to his seat.
-
Hours later the Silver Princess frowns as his phone rings as a familiar person calls, reluctantly answering it and putting on his smile " HI Auntie! How you, did something happen?"
"Were are you! We have a meeting with the Owners of Last Rock at little garden in 2 hours! We need our spokesperson prepared! You have scripts to read, logistics to memorize, and make up to get done! So get back here NOW!"
Swallow back all his scathing thoughts." Yes right away Auntie…I'll be back at the company in an hour. Send all the files to my phone I'll go over and I'll read it on the way."
"You don't sound like you're taking this very seriously little Prince. This is First Rock the owners of the one of only 13 known Pillars! Suppler of 30% of all stone and stone products across our broken world! We need them to become a subsidiary!"
"This is infact the third time we've met them this month Auntie, perhaps we should stop trying to purchase them and instead form a partnership like they keep requesting."
"PARTNER! With lead blooded, dirt covered, rock sails men! They should be honored to become a subsidiary of Silver Wood Sales! Thay should lick our boots and beg!—ect, ect, ect…"
The Silver Prince mutes his phone knowing by heat at this point every insult his 'precious' Aunte is hurling at there potential partners. "I'm sorry bud, I." Huffs "I have to leave, I'm sure you heard her, even on muted I can still hear her shouting…I'll be back next week. Take care." The Silver Prince lighly pats his brothers left hand as to not disturb any of the bindings that barley hold his brother together.
The Fractured sibling gazes back at his brother having finally open his eyes. A new seem is evidently forming slowly split his left eye in half. Nothing is said, yet the Silver Prince smiles seaming a familiar fearce desire to survive in those eyes. A will that defines the weak damaged body that confines it.
"Don't worry I've dealt with her and Uncle alone for 7 years already I can handle them."
The Fractured sibling close his eyes as faint smile grows on his lips at those words.
-
The Silver Prince fumes as his makes his way down the hospitals stairs. It's unacceptable for his brother's room to be used as a general storage. "I'll have to start looking for a new hospital soon anyway since the twilight is so close to the building now… might as well start tomorrow after this meeting. Then I'll relocate the donations I'm sending here. Hopefully Aunti won't question why I'm moving the good will fund around again."
Many nurses try and get his attention and fail some even try bumping into him but he doges them, painfully familiar with this tactic.
It's only once he reaches the lobby dose he stop as the ground begins shaking, Everything is shaking! The Silver Prince braces himself against a wall rail, releasing an annoyed grunt as it immediately gives way causing him to crumple to the floor as a booming indescribable voice invades everyone's heads, Sight, and other senses.
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