▲Time Dilation▼ (English Version)

Chapter 3: Reality

Gasping for air, Jill was startled out of her bizarre dream. In her waking state, she realized that her thoughts had become much more coherent and the pain was radiating through them. Carefully, she turned her head to one side and then the other to get a closer look at her surroundings.

According to her expectations, she should have woken up in a white, disinfectant-smelling hospital room. However, what surrounded her was not even remotely close to such a room. Instead, she was lying on a black camp bed in a dimly lit tent. There were more camp beds lined up on one side, and a few tables with supplies and medical instruments adorned the empty spaces across from them. The overall impression told her that this was a makeshift medical station. Perhaps there were no hospitals in her vicinity, and she had to be treated on-site, the only logical explanation for her.

Encouraged, she tried to sit up, but she felt a throbbing pain in her ribs. She carefully felt the area with her hand and suppressed a pained groan to avoid drawing attention. Anxiously, she let her hand drop again, which was connected to a thin, transparent tube with a half-filled IV bag.

Listening intently to the sounds and noises outside, which sounded like muffled conversations, footsteps, vehicles, and the loud chirping of insects. Filled with curiosity, she let her inner drive guide her and pulled on the needle secured with a plaster that protruded from the outside of her hand. A relieved, soft sigh escaped her lips as she carelessly threw the tube behind her onto the bed.

She couldn't just lie here, she was already too alive for that. She needed answers to all her questions, so she wanted to find someone who could enlighten her.

The sunlight falling into the tent caught her eye. Slowly, she let each leg slide off the sickbed and forced herself to exert a little strength to prop herself up on her arms and finally sit up. With a strange feeling of weakness, she slowly placed one of her trembling legs in front of the other when suddenly a burning pain shot through it. It felt like an electric shock, causing her to quickly press her lips together to suppress the urge to cry out in pain. Reflexively, her leg gave way, causing her to almost fall to the side.

Before this could happen, two warm palms were placed on her waist. Her head was lowered, so she noticed the bandage on her leg. Bewildered, she glanced at the strong arms that had saved her from the impact.

"You should be lying down," a male voice said critically. Only then did she actually notice her vulnerability. The thin white shirt only reached to her thighs. Instantly, she felt hot, and a blush colored her cheeks. Ashamed, she raised her head to look at the man who had come to her aid.

She didn't recognize him, as he was a stranger. However, she remembered the moments before when she was alternating between consciousness and unconsciousness and had seen or heard him repeatedly. She remembered his scent, yet he was a stranger to her. Jill found the situation surreal and unusual. It was hard for her to grasp that he had been constantly near her and yet she did not feel safe.

He was indeed tanned, as she remembered. His face was unshaven, as if he hadn't needed a razor for a few days, and his brown hair was tousled. He was much taller than her, and his defined shoulders made Jill estimate the extent of his strength. She had to refrain from staring at him directly and remind herself that his mesmerizing eyes were to blame. The bright green was adorned with umber flecks. He held her intense gaze for a brief moment before pulling her back to the bed and gently placing her on the edge. "Thank you," she said softly, and he nodded.

Her now cool body looked forward to the soft fabric of the blanket that had previously covered her sickbed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath slowly to process the events once again. Everything took much longer for her after the accident than usual. This led her to conclude that her body had to expend enough energy to heal her wounds even without additional movement.