Dream Catchers ( Slow updates )

Chapter 3

LEVI

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The fall did end...spectacularly!

I hit, what I suspiciously believed as several branches of a tree, and then I planted the ground with an almighty crash...and sickening crack!

I was more or less certain I'd broken something. In fact, I was more or less convinced I was dead. However, the searing pain that assaulted my shocked senses gave evidence to the fact that I was - amazingly - still alive. I wasn't sure how pleased I should be about this? It was altogether very unrealistic. I mean you fall from a height, you kind of expect to zero out when you splat the ground? Huh...maybe I was semi scrambled eggs on the rocky ground, maybe I hadn't quite landed hard enough to successfully kill myself? The irony of it all amused me...almost death by tripping...classic Levi.

For what seemed like hours, I lay there, on hard rocky ground. I was stunned, disorientated, unable to open my eyes, or even feel my tongue to call for help. I briefly considered that I had died, and for my sins - of which I probably have many - I was sent to some kind of painful purgatory. Although I did think that terribly unfair, I mean yes, okay, I told a few lies, took a few lovers, smacked a creep up the face with six brioche buns and a silver tray...but was that really so bad? In comparison I could have done a lot worse in my almost twenty-seven years.

I halted the purgatory thought...I remembered Pancake...I remembered coffee...I DRANK THE COFFEE!!!

If I had the ability to hyperventilate without perforating my lung, I probably would have. Sadly, all I could do was silently scream at myself to wake the hell up! I had to open my eyes, I had to get up, I had to find out where in the seven seas I was, and then pray to god that I could get out of this nightmare.

Best case scenario, I was drugged with LSD laced coffee and everything I felt was a bad trip.  Worst case scenario...I swallow a painful lump in my throat...worst case scenario Ormo, or Irmo, or whatever he is called, has taken me hostage and I'm probably part of some trafficking ring. After all he did offer me work, in a weird loyal Mafia thing. Oh good god no! Oh Lee you half-wit...how are you going to get out of this?

I probably fell apart at this point, I cried pathetically for a bit, but with the free flowing tears I began to get some power back in my eyelids. Once I gained this bit of control...I got mad...really mad.I fought and wrestled with myself until I took command of my body and my senses. I wasn't going to go down without a fight, they'd have to kill me first, and I was surprisingly okay with that. I'd rather die, at least there was liberty in death.

For several minutes I wrestled with the heaviness of my eyes, and the weight of my painful limbs. The glaring overhead light reminded me I was outside, in the cold, a fine misty rain soaking the gravelly earth were I lay. I scraped at the stones, and huffed and puffed, until finally I managed to get onto my knees and against a boulder.

Coughing and wheezing, I checked myself over. There was a throbbing pain in my side when I moved, it made me feel sick and so I decided best not to prod to much. My head was splitting, I felt like someone had played marbles with my skull and my brains were now all mushy. Not a pleasant feeling I can assure you. Other than a pain in my ankle - were I had went over on the heel of my boot - I was pretty much all in one piece.  Oh sure, I felt a bit like a rag doll, and my chestnut hair was hanging in wet limp rags about my face...which I'm pretty sure looked paler than Casper the ghost on a good day...but I felt like I could still swing a decent punch.

Weakly I used the large rocks as leverage, and hauled myself to my feet, testing how much weight I could take through my banjaxed ankle. It was sore, at least painful enough to bite my lip and cringe back a yelp, but once I got moving I could bear it.