Lady in Red

Chapter 17-Breathe

I could feel my reality slipping as the car tumbled beneath us, the engine purring a soothing vibration that eased my consciousness in one of oblivion. I lost feeling in my hands a while ago and my vision blurrs, my ability to focus dwindling. My chest struggled to rise and my joints screamed with every bump. I felt like I was a geriatric with crippling arthritis.

My body was hot—boiling from the inside out, but no matter how hard I try to strip, Daryl would fight me and start flapping his jaw in protest. It got so bad that I couldn't understand his redneck gibberish—or it could've been because of my current state. The only reason I stopped trying to strip was because of the pain.

"Open your eyes," The cranky man in the drivers seat ordered as he glanced at my debilitated state. I release a long breath in response, my ability to speak left me as I focused all my strength on thinking of ways to toss myself out of this sauna on wheels. I ignored his words and kept my eyes closed both because of tiredness and because the movement of blurred trees passing made me nauseous. "Eden," he reached his arm out and shook me by the shoulder. I let out a low groan—I think. I felt the vibration in my throat, but the sound never reached my ears. I felt his growing panic as his hand tightened on my forearm and his voice got louder, but quieter at the same time.

I knew he was screaming, but it was like someone stuffed cotton balls in my ears and shoved my face into water. It was muffled and fading. I should be alarmed, maybe a little panicked, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

I inhale a sharp gasp as the car jerked. My chest felt like fire as my bones rattled together. My hands shook in my lap, my jaw beginning to chitter as my conscious woke back up a little. "Hot...," I breathed, my eyes cracking open to stare at the window that fogged by my breath. Nausea rolled in my belly as the outside flashed by so I snapped my eyes closed once more, swallowing the bile that worked its way up my throat. The acidic reflux burned as it traveled back down.

"Ya ain't hot, you're freezin'," he explained, his voice muffled—probably because of his thumb in his mouth.

The darkness behind my eyes did nothing but make me hallucinate the abyss like it was spinning. My brain felt muddled and my equilibrium was tilting. "Damnit Eden, stay  awake," He cursed.

It's hard to breathe. My lungs tightened, limiting the oxygen coming in. I felt the car swerve as he cursed once more, his mouth becoming much like a sailors.

My reality shifted one more, the darkness becoming nothingness behind my eyes, my muscles loosening like they gave up a fight, my mind calming—the thousands of screaming miniature Edens inside finally shutting up. The heat no longer bothered me as I couldn't feel it. Maybe I was dying. Maybe, Daryl lied.

I don't like liars.

I lie though, maybe that means I don't like myself either.

Oh, who am I kidding, I never liked myself.

Suddenly, I heard a click, silence, then another click before I was falling to the side until I was caught by something—no, someone. I heard their muffled pleads of anger and desperation as they moved my body onto the wet ground.

I didn't feel the car stop.

I heard the zipper of my jacket, then a cold breeze brushed over, soaking through my hoodie and shirt beneath it. I barely felt the freezing touch as it quickly faded. It was like my senses were leaving me—touch being the second to go.

Pain.

A sense that I was willing to let go of for an eternity.

I would've screamed if I could move. My ribs felt as though they were shattering beneath the weight of a fucking rhinoceros as something pressed repeatedly onto my boobs.