Lightning Bolt

CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE

SOMEONE HOLD ME,

I'M DONE WITH THIS GAME

I opened my eyes, the light shining through from my bedroom blinds piercing through the darkness, slowly bringing me round.

I felt terrible, my body ached from the inside out. My face hurt, my right eye barely opening. A dull throbbing lay heavy behind my eyelid.

I reached my hand up to feel the damage. It was swollen under my touch and I knew before I even looked into a mirror I had a shining black eye.

I tried to recall what had happened but my mind was still under the curtain of fog it had fallen into the night before.

All I could remember was drinking, drinking heavily, wanting nothing more than to stop the pain which continued to lash at my gaping wounds. To stop the torment in my mind. To stop thinking of Thea!

My temperature dropped to below freezing.

I needed to find my phone quickly as a flash back entered my head;

Me hovering over the little bright screen contemplating texting her. Trying to focus on the anguish I was feeling, not knowing what to say. Then deleting anything I did write down.

Did Rob confiscate my phone?

I shook my head as it spun wildly.

The ache in my eye was nothing compared to this. It felt like a large container lorry was rolling over my brain, a heavy brick hitting continuously over my head.

I could smell a strong odour in the air like antiseptic. I licked my lips feeling the rough edges of a cut and the coarse hair of my beard, a sharp stinging pain making me wince. Through the layer of acid alcohol which laced my dry mouth I could taste an essence of antibacterial cream mixed with the metallic taste of blood on my tongue.

What the hell happened last night?

I remember the fight vaguely.

A big set balding guy, a typical look of a bouncer on one of the doors to a nightclub, hitting me hard in the face. The feeling of falling to the ground returning to me now, the concrete rushing to meet me. I recalled the pain in my stomach as he kicked me while I was down.

I wanted him to do more damage yet I knew he couldn't simply kick my torture from within me. Still I prayed he would succeed. But after this there was nothing! A complete blank... darkness.

How did I get home? Was Rob still here?

I managed to scramble to my feet landing on a patch of wet carpet, the smell of cleaning products and sick being disturbed beneath me as the acrid scent rose up to my nostrils.

My stomach instantly protested, bile rising to my throat, my insides feeling empty of food and drink. I realised then I must have been sick last night.