Mind Eraser: Zapped
by irrcapt
As Drew walked home, winding his way through the vacant lot as he always did, he tripped over a wire that hadn't been there before. As he was falling, he saw what looked like just another piece of broken trash throw out a pulse of yellow light, hitting him in the head, and then he landed.
Drew lay there, dazed for a few moments. That was a tripwire, he thought. Who sets up a tripwire in a junky vacant lot? He tried to shake himself and rise but found he couldn't. His muscles weren't responding, not even twitching. Though he couldn't see it, the yellow energy was coruscating around his head and eyes, disrupting his muscular control.
Great, Drew thought, so I can't move. Just stuck here lying in a... a...
He couldn't remember where he was for the life of him. He knew he'd thought it just a few moments before, but now it just wouldn't come. He realized to his horror that that wasn't the only thing he couldn't remember. He knew he'd just come from a college campus, but he couldn't remember its name or what he studied there.
Whatever hit me must be wiping my memory. I have to concentrate. Hold on to my memories until help comes. People at... wherever I was before now will send ambu... ammy... something that can help people who are sick. They'll do something, help me move... somewhere else.
Drew's memories were draining out of his mind fast. He was trying hard, holding on to the core of himself, but the rest of his memories were draining away. And with each memory that left him, the pull increased on what was left. The beam ate at his memories from both ends. College was gone now, though he no longe reven had an idea of what that concept was, and so were his earliest of years.
I'm a senior in high school, he thought to himself. Just keep repeating that. I"m a junior, a junior, a junmore, a sophomore, a softmore. Wow, being a freshman is hard. You have to keep on thinking about... about... something.
In a few more moments, his past was gone, and all he had left were his name and desires. I have to hold on to my memories. Can't let them get away. Can't let my emotions get away. Can't let Drew, my name get away. I can't lose any of them.
He hold on tightly to them, and at first it seemed the beam might not be able to dislodge this core, but his resistance flagged, and the repetitions began to be eaten into.
I can't let my mem... mum... NO! Can't let my emotions get away. Can't let my name, Drew, get away. Those are the most important... Wait... two? Is that right? Wasn't it more... or maybe... less? That was it. I couldn't let my name get away. It's... it's Du... D something. It's not important. Nothing is im... im.. that word just blank. Blank. Bluwughhhh.
The man formerly known as Drew lay now, still immobile, waiting for something to fill the empty space in his head...
