Tina awake
I awoke next to her, our heads inches apart. I savored the feeling of her breath on my neck and wasn’t going to interrupt that. She was still sleeping so I let her be. I rose and discharged the ugly task of entering the dead couples unit and retrieving two food cubes. I placed them on the table and tried to wake her.
But she wouldn’t wake with me calling to her and briskly shaking her shoulder. I realized that she’d fallen back into the deep dream state, something I never expected. I had to put the cap back on her head but the bedside lights were dead. I dragged her limp body to the bathroom and pinned her against the wall standing up so the wire would reach. That socket was live. Once again the miracle happened and in ten seconds she was blinking and opening her eyes, and she too was ‘live’.
“Jack, thank you for waking me again. I remember all you said. Whatever you’re doing I’m living in both worlds. I spent the whole night in my favorite palace realms, in my Babylon, partaking endless feasts of joy, cavorting with lovers and playing games. But I’m glad to be here with you”.
“You shouldn’t be telling me of avatar lovers. It makes me jealous”.
“My dearest” she said, “we’ve all had imaginary infidelities since time began, ever since we’ve had imaginations. I intended no insult or hurt to you. I was only roving in my mind. I’m sure you do the same. Haven’t you ever pictured another woman at times, someone you chance to see in the street even when I’m at your side. It’s fine and as long as you keep it a mirage, it’s perfectly normal and acceptable. Tell me, what does your imaginary dream girl look like?”
This question caught me completely off guard. But I had to admit she was right, and the intimacy of our newly restored relationship opened my heart fool heartedly, and I replied foolishly.
“I’ll tell you if you tell me. My perfect girl looks exactly like you, in shape and size and personality, only she might just be a red head. But I’d be an idiot to chase after that, so I’ll love you all my life”.
“Deary” she said, “You’re so cute and honest in your admissions and that’s why I love you so much. Maybe I can dye my hair from black to red”.
“So now it’s your turn. What’s the appearance of your perfect lover?”
“There’s no one avatar. In my dreamscapes I dance and sport have sex with many types and races but I know they’re all incarnations and unreal. It’s a box of chocolates and I taste them all. But I love only you and always will. I’ll learn to adapt to this new reality as quickly as possible and hold your real hand and squeeze it often, knowing the rest is all false and unreal”.
Then she said, “I’m sure you’d love me more if there were a little more meat on my bones”.
“No, my darling. I can feel your heart beat all the closer to mine when we hug”.
She kissed me.
We went back to the table. I told her my idea of the night before, that we might wake up another couple like us, if we could find them. Then I had to reveal that I’d only checked out two units so far and that the second contained only death and that I had no idea what the others might reveal. She seemed hesitant but willing to help. I took her hand and kissed her and we walked on down the hall.
At the third door I tapped gently again, then loudly. No answer. I pushed it open. None of the doors had locks and it was vacant too, like the first. I wasn’t going to waste time so I proceeded, almost dragging her to the next. As I pushed this one open we could plainly see a couple in their bed fast asleep.
We entered. There was a young man, about our age, snoring beside a pretty woman with red hair, their white sheet tucked up neatly to their necks. The apartment had only a few pieces of refuse on the floor. The scene seemed surreal, sedate, civilized, and I decided right then to wake them up, like it or not. I turned to Mary and she agreed. We went back to our unit and talked about it and had to wait until dusk, till their lamps came on.
But we weren’t idle. I brought Mary a meal in the early afternoon. She spent the whole time organizing our apartment and all our belongings, washing clothes in the shower and drying them over the two chairs and a string I’d run. She even went through the garbage I’d thrown away in the other unit and salvaged a few items. She looked into that suitcase too, found a purse and several pieces of clothing we could use.
That evening we dressed, Mary in a longer skirt and long sleeved shirt, to cover up her limbs and I likewise in trousers, shirt and shoes. They felt strange. We’d spent the whole time up to then in our underwear perfectly comfortable. I guess after five years it was a hard habit to break. We could have been perfectly comfortable as nudists, and the clothes felt itchy and constraining. We proceeded down the hall to our sleepers. As the lights came on I administered the shocks.
We’d talked about it at length and the plan was that I give the male a strong jolt. If I could take it so could he. I needed an ally, awake as much as me. But the female, Mary convinced me, should only be given the same tingle she received, and so it was. The man woke up with a startle after a minute of shock, rising immediately to a siting position in his bed, just like one on the electric chair, like a bolt.
Mary held his shoulders. He was disoriented and just waking up. But before he did come to, in case he might try to interfere, I quickly switched the cap to the woman’s head and administered a ten second charge. She too opened her eyes, slowly, opening and closing them several times until she acknowledged my presence in front of her opening her mouth with a look of surprise.
Before they could react I said loudly to the both of them, “we’re doing this to save your lives. We live in a unit down the hall and other people are dead. If you could shower and dress and meet me there shortly I’ll explain everything while we eat”.
I asked Mary to stay with them and assist. I had to collect another table for our conference and two portions of food for each of us. I could see these two were just as emaciated as we were. My task was easy. I soon had two tables, four chairs and eight cubes set up, by pillaging the empty units and the ugly one. A few minutes later Mary ushered in our guests.
