The Dark Wind

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

There was darkness all around me, and, for a moment, I wasn’t sure if I was falling or flying. Air brushed my skin, though I didn’t seem to feel anything else. I couldn’t even decide if I was drowning or breathing. I heard nothing, smelt nothing, saw nothing and tasted nothing. All I could do was to feel. I tried to make some noise, to scream. No sound. No voice.

And then there was something. Something more than my scream. Something that formed words.

It’s going to hurt. A lot. But listen to me. If you want to see Anneson, Xavier and Jin again, please hold on.

The voice was strangely familiar; painfully so. I tried to reply, but there was no sound.

I’m sorry.

The sound came again. Sorry? Whatever for?

I felt a slight pinching. At first, it was just plain annoying. It first felt like a bug; irritating. Slowly, it became more noticeable. It became more of a stinging. It spread throughout my whole body, as if I had a body at all. Then the intensity of it increased, and it slowly became a hot boiling. I bit my lips –or my imaginary lips –when a pressure descended upon me –or my imaginary chest –making it hard for me to breathe. Slowly, the pain began to torture me, frying me from the inside out. I kept my lips painfully closed.

The scream bubbled like steam, but I chewed it down.

Hear my voice and hold on, Dru. You know you can do this. For everyone who cares, live.

The voice again. I barely recognized it; barely understood it past the excruciating pain.

Hold on.

I screamed.