𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲 𝐌𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 ✧ (𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐝) [on hold]

✧ Chapter 1 : The Awakening ✧

The Emptiness.

It doesn't feel so dark until you finally see light for the first time in what felt like an eternity to me. It was so dim but it quickly grew brighter. If I had been conscious and able to think, I would have thought I was going crazy for good.

I fought with all my might to cling onto what seemed like a way out. The now vivid light swept away the darkness and I felt myself being dragged upwards.

Pain radiated throughout my body as I was fighting to cross that barrier between the void and reality. I didn't even know why I was doing so. I just felt that I had to.

Something was dragging me out and telling I needed to come back. And then, my mind was violently projected into reality, into my own body.

I saw an actual color then. A dark shade of red. Then I realized it was just light piercing though my closed eyelids. Even through them, it blinded me and stung my eyes.

I shut my eyes tighter, which was my first real movement since I was back. I couldn't open them quite yet. Too hard. Too painful.

Then, I immediately felt the tubes in my nostrils and the wheezing that caused a burning sensation in my chest. It was really uncomfortable, like a cage trapping my chest, keeping me from breathing normally.

I was feeling. I was feeling so much it was overwhelming.

It almost hurt being attacked by all these sensations I was no longer used to, all at the same time. I sensed the sun and bedsheets warming my skin. My chest rising and falling along with my breathing. I even felt the throbs of my own heart beating in my chest.

Alive, I'm alive.

"That's it, he's waking up." I heard quite clearly. My sense of hearing is less numb than the four others, I guess. I also started registering a regular beeping sound next to me.

I made a tremendous effort to flutter my eyes open. Everything was blurry, etheral, and too bright for my liking. I began making out shapes and colors. Silhouettes.

I emitted a weak grunt, barely audible. I began to be a little more self-aware then, and reckoned I was lying on a bed. My vision precised but I was still feeling dizzy.

I looked down at my arm that was stinging me and saw tubes coming out of it. White sheets were wrapped around me and beeping machines surrounded me. So that's what I've been hearing..., I thought. There was some weird clothespin on one of my index finger.

From the time I actually woke up to this very instant, it took me about a couple of minutes to realize that I was lying on a hospital bed.

Why, though? Did something happen to me?

"Buddy, are you with us?" I heard a feminine voice. My gaze slowly trailed up to a woman's face. She smiled at me. I blinked confusedly, my eyes still watery, adapting to the lights.

"Go get the family," she told one of the two nurses and turned back to me. "Welcome back with us !" the same woman greeted.

I couldn't speak yet, but I managed to hum gratefully. The lady introduced herself as Dr. Williams and told me she had been in charge of me.

"H-hi..." I said ever so faintly.

"Shhh." A nurse in white rested a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Save your energy to stay awake. Can you do that?"

I hummed and blinked lazily at her. Dr. Williams started asking me questions, which was odd because I had no idea of what was going on and I should have been the one asking questions.