OOM: New Memories

Two days later and Kim's managed to piece together some notes. She knows she needs to leave the room, but she feels safe with the gun and the money and her files.

Slowly, things are starting to come together. And she's having memories she hadn't had before, confusing her with their clarity.

She remembers being at Tony's funeral.

It's a memory that knocks her back for a moment, because it never happened, but she sees Michelle standing at the graveside and Ryan with his hand on her shoulder and what the hell, Ryan's still alive?

Another memory -- seeing Chase being led away bruised and broken and seeing her dad standing there in a white bloodstained shirt.

That never happened either. But she felt the betrayal and hurt of Chase being a terrorist and horror at what her dad did, even if...

She closes her eyes, no, these aren't her memories.

Most of all she remembers the dead and dying, watching the news reports about the quarantine zones, her worst nightmares come to life. And the rumors started that her dad was somehow involved, that he'd turned and his name was soon all over the news as a co-conspirator. She hadn't wanted to believe that it was true until those men came to her door...

She rubs her head, what men?

They had guns. And badges. She remembers running into her bedroom and grabbing the weapon her dad insisted she have for safety and sneaking down the fire escape, because she'd claimed she was just running to the bathroom and the rest of it's a blur.

Chloe's friend Andrew had known where to get fake ID. Chloe was an unlikely ally but she couldn't believe that what they were saying about Chase was true. Andrew was a conspiracy theorist. He was convinced the government was hiding something...

Kim blinks because that memory wasn't *there* an hour ago, but suddenly she remembers Andrew telling her to get to Canada before they closed the borders.

She remembers sitting in her Ford and waiting on the long line. She knew they were testing at the border, the guards were all wearing decon suits. Her heart was racing and she checked her nose and mouth, but there were so many people around and even one of them had the virus...

They barely looked at the passport, much more concerned about the test results.

Once inside the country she started traveling East. It's hard being in Toronto and not looking up her grandmother's family. But she doesn't want to put them in danger, isn't even sure what the danger might be, and she's running out of East.

She fears it's like that movie, where if you spend too long in a changed world the one you remembered fades from your memory.

'I need to pack' she thinks and quickly does so, putting everything in the two suitcases she's found. After the room is clean (and some small voice in her mind tells her to wipe down all the surfaces she touched) she puts the laptop bag over her shoulder and turns off the lights. But it feels like she's inhabiting someone else's life and she's afraid that she might never get back to hers.

Before she leaves she tries the bathroom door one more time, but she only sees the inside of a hotel bathroom, not her friends and family. She forces herself not to panic, but she remembers Meg telling her about her friend and the thought of spending years in this place is the most frightening one she can imagine. She shuts the door again.

"Please let me back in," she whispers, leaning her forehead against the door.

But when she opens the door she knows the truth, she's trapped outside. She doesn't know how long she was here before, but she knows that she has to go before someone, anyone finds her.

The virus's almost contained. It may be safe to try and re-enter America soon.

Even if America's dangerous, the thought of seeing it again is almost comforting.

She picks up her bags and exits the hotel room.