New Rogue in Town

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

It reeked of blood. The tangy metallic scent of metal that filled my mouth and tongue. Had I bitten my tongue or was it my surroundings? I breathed in air, only the movement was painful to my chest. Each heave sent a great soreness of pain to my head. What had happened?

I turned my head to the side. Bars? I blinked to clear my eyesight from the blurriness. I had been correct. Long silver bars stretched out in front of me. I stumbled onto my feet with my hands out to steady myself. They touched a thin sheet of material and a mattress. My head turned round fully taking in my surroundings. I never thought this would happen to me. It couldn't be possible. I who had never committed a sin in my life was trapped in a cell.

I didn't know whether it was the lack of oxygen that was flowing to my brain or the horrid stench that filled the air but my knees gave out and I collapsed to the floor like a sack of potatoes. My chest heaved with each gasp of air. Faster and faster. A great pain spread across my chest. Was this an anxiety attack? The feeling of being unable to breathe made my head spin. I tried my best to suck in air through my mouth but it felt as if I was gulping down nothing.

Nothing was flowing down my trachea. I tried to breathe faster. Why wasn't I breathing? If I didn't get enough oxygen, I'd die.

More air. I needed more air.

My mouth was wide open gasping like a fish out of water. Nothing, I could barely hear anything anymore. Sweat ran down my face from the exertion of panting. I was barely surviving from this, there was no way I could breathe faster but I had to try. Keep moving my chest up and down.

Darkness started to creep around the edges of my sight. My eyes were slowly losing their focus as my body directed all its energy into breathing. Blurry, everything was bcoming blurry again. The grey floor with splatters of white paint was blurring together with my body. I couldn't see the clothes I was wearing. Clothes? Was I even wearing clothes? What if I wasn't?

My head snapped up, my eyes still weren't focusing. It was all becoming dimmer. I couldn't see. Why not?

Breathe! It wasn't working. I still couldn't breathe and I was blind. I felt my hands raise themselves into the air. I needed help.

Help! No! I couldn't speak, my voice was lost with each gasp of nothing. It was pump after pump of nothing. My heart was working overtime yet I was fading. Fading while the drumming increased. It became louder, reaching the insides of my ears. How could my brain focus on this noise? The tempo I could understand was ticking insanely fast now, no one would be able to dance to this speed.

Where was it even coming from?

Oh... my heart.

"Hey!"

I gave up trying to decipher the outside noises. My breathing was reaching a maximum speed now, there was nothing I could do except for let my reflexes take action. A gulp before my body shook and then a collapse as my lungs deflated. These actions on repeat for what seemed like eternity.

Someone hit the fast forward button.

Gulp, shake, collapse. Gulp, shake collapse. All to the beat of my heart.

"Halo!"

Gulp, shake, collapse.

"It's me! HALO! You need to breathe!"

Gulp, shake, collapse. Slower, that one was much slower.

Gulp... Still nothing but something else... I could feel something else. Arms, strong arms. A whisper of a sentence that held pain but I couldn't understand the words.