Endurance by T. J. Blake Page A

drop onto the ground. It gathered at his
feet and he kicked it aside. He quickly grabbed the shirt and blue
jeans and got dressed.
    He looked at
himself; he imagined the grass stains from Jubilee Gardens on his
knees, the loose grass on his shirt and bits of grass floating to
the ground from his hair as he wiped his head.
    Tom looked at
the drawers where his clothes were. Next to the drawers were a pair
of white Nike trainers and a pair of socks. Tom picked them up and
sat on his bed. He put on the socks and forced on the white,
undersized Nike trainers.
    ‘ Mr.
Williams, are you okay?’ Miller’s voice sounded muffled from behind
the door.
    ‘ Yes, I’m
ready now.’ Tom said confidently.
    As the door
unlocked and swung open, Smith walked into the room. Tom launched
himself at him and swung his fist. Smith ducked under Tom’s arm and
grabbed his torso, lifted him up, and slammed Tom down onto the
ground. Tom let out a grunt as he landed hard on his back. Tom
grabbed Smith by the collar and threw another punch toward him. His
knuckles dug into Smith’s eye, forcing Smith to lose his grip. Tom
kicked Smith’s face over and over; Smith covered his face with his
hands.
    Smith held
his eye in agony. Tom turned to the exit, but was confronted by
Miller, holding a rifle. He fired at Tom, who felt a sharp pain in
his neck. Feeling drowsy, Tom slid his fingertips down his neck,
grasping something pointy and sharp.
    He attempted
to pull it out, but the room became dark, and his eyelids felt
heavier and heavier before he finished. Tom lost all feeling and
thumped to the floor.
     
     
     
     
     
    13
     
    Miller’s
voice faded in and out. The words were unclear.
    Tom began to
regain his senses. A cooling breeze caressed his body; he heard a
light drone of traffic and children’s laughter nearby. The sun
began to touch his skin; he smelled hot dogs and
sunscreen.
    Tom opened
his eyes and sat up. As his sight improved, he recognised the
sounds and smells of the location; he knew exactly where he
was.
    ‘ Hello, Tom,
nice of you to join us, finally,’ Miller said smugly.
    He looked
around Jubilee Gardens, looking at the grass, the trees, the birds,
the River Thames and, of course, the London Eye.
     
    How can this
be? I saw all this; it was mud and was completely fucked. Maybe I
did dream it, and I’m really ill. There’s no way I could see the
Eye destroyed like it was and it still be here now.
     
    Tom didn’t
speak and didn’t listen to Miller who was speaking to him. Tom
looked at Miller, he was moving his mouth, but no sound was hitting
Tom’s eardrums. Miller’s voice was overpowered by Tom’s shock and
disbelief and the noise of the laughter from the surrounding
crowds.
    Smith stood
next to Tom with his arms folded, looking down at Tom.
    ‘ I… I cannot…
can’t hear what you’re saying Doctor.’ Tom stuttered in
disbelief.
    ‘ I said do
you want an ice cream?’
    ‘ I… I’m not
hungry.’
    ‘ What about
you, Smith? Want a hot dog?’ Miller looked up from where he sat,
squinting in order to see Smith.
    ‘ Yeah,
alright then, cheers.’
    ‘ Fantastic.
Get two hot dogs, then. I don’t want any sauces.
Thanks.’
    Smith looked
confusingly at Miller, then pulled out a leather wallet and walked
away.
    ‘ Right, Mr.
Williams, do you believe me now? You told me once that you came
here and it was all dead, everything was burnt and there was no
grass and the Eye was gone. Well, here you are, at Jubilee Gardens
in the rare sunshine here in London.’ Miller looked at Tom, waiting
for a response, but Tom only stared at the green grass. Miller
continued, ‘This is the real world. The one that seemed so real to
you is not real. There is no virus or any lunatics running around
and Anna is still alive.’
    ‘ To me she
isn’t.’
    ‘ Tom, you can
move on and live a happy life. You can recuperate mentally and try
to regain your normal self and live the rest of your life. Do you
want to meet her?’
    ‘