What You Learn

Chapter 8: The Clock Strikes Guilt

*It's the middle of the night. Sam sleeps alone in the darkness of the infirmary. His horde of nightmares are his only company tonight. We begin to see inside the mind of Sam as he dreams and wonders*

Sam's immediate midnight perspective is this:

Well, the condensed version of my current situation is that I'm wielding a sword through a very dark and impressively sizeable cavern. I find myself yelling, "echo!". My response rebounds like a thousand boomerangs from within this colossal rock empire. However, that's not the only voice coming back to me from the darkness. I hear a woman screaming in the distance. For one moment, I quake with fear and wonder as the gears in my brain shoot adrenaline through my body. The scream reverberates again from deep with the cavern when I realize that I recognize the voice. 

Astrid!

I can see nothing when suddenly, up ahead, flames shoot from one of the cave's tunnels. I run toward the flames with my sword drawn. I reach the channel where the flames are erupting. The heat threatens to melt my flesh when I catch a glimpse of Astrid. She is trapped under the dragon!

I'm coming Astrid! 

With no regard for what comes next, I plunge sword-first through the flames toward my distressed damsel's captor. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wake up in a cold sweat. I'm still in the hospital bed. In fact, I'm still strapped in the hospital bed. They let me have one free hand since the restraints have to be undone by a key. I use my free hand to grab a nearby glass of water. It's pitch black, but the darkness is still crawling with the effects of the dream.

Wow. Astrid. You are something else. I'm giving God a round of applause, because you are a siren. Your beauty rivals the fiercest sunset on the horizon of ALL unexplored territory.

Yep. I meant that how it sounded.

Seriously though, Astrid isn't just attractive. She's flawless. It's obvious she has weathered storms, yet overcame. Her natural persistence is a weak shield for what she is truly feeling. I find myself searching for words to describe her.

Shit.

How did I end up here? More importantly, how did I end up here with her? This can't keep building. I'm on a mission. I cannot be distracted. I have to be stronger than my feelings for her.

Fuck my feelings.

Amen.