In Another Life

VIII o'Clock: The key to the door

Nothing. There was nothing. It felt like a second. A blink of the eye. But it must have lasted an eternity. Maybe not even that. Maybe it lasted longer. Maybe it didn't last at all. Maybe there was no time at all. Maybe time is just an illusion humanity created. In the end time isn't real. A clock is just a machine made by humans. It's turning but it's counting nothing. 

It's just ticking. Tick, turn, tick, turn, tick, turn... 

But even a clock doesn't tick forever. 

And then there was something. 

An intense, sharp light appeared in the darkness. It was small. Like I was looking through a keyhole. Then it slowly became brighter and bigger and after a while it lit up the whole void.

'Too bright', was the first thought that appeared in my mind. I was barely conscious.

All at once the light disappeared and everything went dark. After a little while the light began to flow in again. This time it felt less sharp. Kind of nice. It softly lit up my sight and I began to see shapes now. It felt like I was being born. Like a baby who opened her eyes for the first time. A new life. A new world. A new beginning. 

Stripes. 

Slowly I began to get conscious.

I saw stripes. They were dark colored. The rest was white and green. Blurry.

As I became more conscious, my sight became clearer.

Woods. I was in the woods. Why was I in the woods? Suddenly I remembered what happened before this. The boy. Oh god. What did he do to me? What did he do to Haley? And Jonathan...

Soft panic ensured I woke up from my unconsciousness. I could see everything perfectly clear now. I realized I was lying on the ground. Covered in leaves. I felt cold and wet. As if I was buried in snow.

I had the feeling it was morning. The woods were foggy and the sunlight shone softly through the trees. The birds were singing. The leaves were dancing with the gentle wind. Everything seemed so peaceful. 

I stood up and looked around. I was alone. What if I'm dead, I thought, what if I'm a ghost that's woken up from its body? Is this heaven? Is this death? If it is, it's not so bad after all.

When I took a step the leaves crunched under my shoes. I was still wearing my dress from Jonathan's birthday party. It was all soaked and smudgy, sticked with leaves and branches and mud. I must have looked horrible, like a zombie. Where do I have to go, I thought. I had no idea where I was. My first thought was to find a way out of the woods. But as far as I could see, there was no end to this forest. I decided to just walk then. There must be a footpath somewhere.

Somewhere.

As I walked, I felt the fresh sun on my skin, and the birds sang a song to me. It was weird. I didn't feel scared at all. It felt like what happened last night was just a dream. I wish it really was a dream.

But what if it was real... How can I be so calm? Haley is dead... She can't be. It's impossible. She's probably sleeping in Jonathan's bed now, to wake up with a hangover later. Regarding Jonathan, he's probably cleaning his house now before his parents come home.

And I must have been drugged by someone so that I hallucinated the whole night, to wake up this  morning in the middle of the woods.

My parents are probably freaking out right now. I should've been home by one. I hope they've informed the police and that they're searching for me. I hope they'll find me and take me in their arms. I hope everything will be okay. I hope it was all a dream. Please God. Let it be a dream.

Please.