Snooze Button Hit 15 Years Ago

YOUR ROOM — Your eyes shoot open at the sound of the alarm clock. Your head, already throbbing with the coming hangover. You knew you had to open today, but you stayed out late anyway. You reach a groggy hand over to the blaring clock, and snooze it. Drifting soundly back to sleep. When you wake up, you can’t believe your eyes. 

You're in a hospital. Confused, you sit up. Your bones ache, a nest of tubes snake their way in and out of your body. Including a massive one down your throat. Disoriented you start to struggle, one of the machines next to you starts beeping. The tube down your throat automatically retracts. 

Just as it fully retracts, and you start to take your first painful breaths on your own, a nurse comes in. At least you think it’s a nurse. It looks to be an eight legged automaton wearing a lab coat and holding a clip board. It enters the room, and spiders its way to your bedside. 

A red light appears in the middle of its face and it scans your body. It speaks in an offputtingly human voice. 

“Hello there, you have been asleep for quite some time. Most of us here at St. J. Donaldsons Hospital thought you would never wake up. It seemed the exhaustion that caused you to hit the snooze button sent you into a catatonic state. However, the tension your body held knowing that you still had to work in a few hours, managed to keep your heart beating.” 

You stare at the robot confused. You attempt to talk, but the robot stops you. 

“Do not attempt to speak. Any attempt would likely result in permanent damage to your vocal chords. This may come as a shock. But you have been asleep for fifteen years. The current date is October 19th 2041.”

2041 it can’t be? That’s impossible. You pull the sheets off. Your body is a third of the size it should be. You manage to lift your arms but they feel heavy. Your muscles scream with atrophy. Reality starts to sink in. Everyone you knew and loved just seconds ago relative to you, has likely thought you were dead for nearly a decade. You manage to ask. 

“Work?” 

The robot gives you a sympathetic beep and says,

“Admirable, you’ve been awake for mere moments and are already eager to rejoin the workforce. Unfortunately after some failed attempts to get your unconscious mind to pilot a delivery robot. The restaurant you worked at fired you in 2030. However, lucky for you they are still open and you have been scheduled to open tomorrow.” 

At press time, you just need five more minutes before you get up.