Before & After

2 | Mending Me Back Together

Even through the darkness I can still faintly here noises around me. Is this a dream? Have I already died without even knowing it?

"What's th-?"

"What does- lik- idio-!"

"Let's mo- insi-"

I feel hands grabbing onto me, I no longer feel the ground beneath me. I feel myself begin to sway as if I'm being carried off. But I don't feel any pain, my body...

I hear a faint creak of a door, out comes different sounds from music to laughter all blending into one explosive soundwave. Where am I?

"What's this?"

"We just foun-"

"Well, I th- w- shoul- get hi- band-d up-"

The voices around me continue to mutter words that I can't understand but the voices from afar along with the music begin to fade as my body feels like it's going upward with slight bounces. When it suddenly stops and feels like I'm being lowered. Where I am now is cushiony, unlike the dirty ground I was on prior.

My mind is still foggy, the voices that were unclear begin to come into understanding slightly.

"Look at his clothe-"

"He must have gotten attac-....somet-"

I feel a cold breeze across my chest as if my shirt is no longer there. There is a sudden silence, the voices cease. My body jerks out of surprise because of a cold item being placed on parts of my chest. The numbness fades and I begin to feel pain explode throughout my body.

"Oh man- let me try and do this qui-"

The cold substance was then wiped a few more times on various places around my chest, my ribs, stomach, and neck, I then felt something else get put on, something of cotton. I try and open my eyes, but they don't want to open...

"He's lost a lot of- blood."

I hear other voices jumping in speaking, but my brain can't process it all, my brain is kind of foggy. I think I hear a woman's voice, and two different men. My brain feels so foggy. There are flashes of blurry people in my mind but then nothing. Who am I? Where am I? I feel confusion circle around my mind. I snapped out my thoughts when I felt a surge of pain run through my arm. My arm feels like it was lifted making everything from my shoulder downwards hurt so badly. I feel a hand on my arm then something soft being wrapped around my arm. I don't know what's going on. It hurts so badly. I feel more hands touch me and moving me around making my body scream in pain even though I can't move any part of it. The pain is too much. It all hurts too much. My brain is screaming for my mouth to say something, but it doesn't move. Nothing can move. The pain is too much, and I feel my mind darkening completely as voices and pain fade away.

                                                                                        ***

I feel the darkness clear as my brain begins to process a bit. I try to open my eyes, but they won't open. My body feels heavy and numb, none of the pain from before. After a few more tries, my eyes eventually open, blinking a few times I noticed two men, one standing over me, looking at someone beside me, and another leaning against the door frame, and a woman seated next to me speaking quietly to each other. I gasped slightly for air, making the strangers around me all turn for me.

"Hey, young fella! Can you hear me, okay?"

"....."

"We understand your scared honey... Do you know where you are?" The woman next to me asked, putting my hand in hers, squeezing it a bit, making me wince in pain once more.

"Come on Ezra, leave the poor kid alone! Let Tank check the boy's bandages!" A man with lots of tattoos and a crazy looking face says to the woman.

"Don't speak to Ezra like that you old fool!" Tank says looking over his shoulder to the man leaning by the doorframe.

"Both of you fools enough. You are probably frightening the poor boy, Derrick!" Ezra says raising her hands for silence.

The men shut their mouths immediately, making me relax a bit. The men exchange dirty looks before turning and focusing on me, along with Ezra.

"Do you know what happened to you? Or where you came from?" Ezra asks calmly, touching my leg gently.

I don't say anything, unsure how to answer or how to even speak. I try to think, searching for an answer in my brain. It all feels so empty. I just stare between the three people, not responding.

"Can't you speak boy?" Derrick says sternly still leaning on the door frame across the room.

Tank shoots him a death glare before focusing on me. He smiles at me softly. I watch as he grabs my hand holding it gently.

"You are safe now. We aren't going to hurt you" Tank says gently his eyes full of kindness.

I feel a warmth fill my heart at his kindness. I believe him. I take a deep breath.

"Who am I?" I manage to whisper