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Bright lights assault his retinas. His arms are too heavy to move. Only when he tries to sit up does Tyler feel the aching of his torso, and the burn of his muscles as if he no longer had skin to protect them. He felt darting pains that cut from his tip of his right hand through his veins and into his heart.
Tyler attempts to speak, but only musters an unhealthy crack in his voice followed by painful coughing. His yelp must have also torn his vocal cords. Somehow, despite all this pain, his neck remained the most tormenting part of his body, heated to match the discomfort of the situation.
Determined to be aware of his surroundings Tyler painfully turns his head, first to his right. A window covered with blinds - and an empty chair. Turning to the left, gritting his teeth in agony during, he finds an iv in his arm, and a large machine that seems to be monitoring his every breath.
As he regains his senses and feeling throughout his body he realizes that his right hand and arm has an irregular pattern of bandaging. Tyler also discovers a deep pulsating pain on the back of his head. He must have fell hard. Tyler decides to look at the bright side; he now has time to himself to think.
In reality this couldn't be farther from the truth. Thinking too hard aches his head, and thinking about anything too emotional could alter his heart rate and gain the attention of the hospital staff. Despite this, Tyler's mind wanders.
Unable to move. Unable to think. Is this what they mean by "existence is pain"?
This saddening thought, convinced Tyler's head to let go. He couldn't do anything right now, so why fight it? He starts to feel drowsy, but not the kind that leads to sleep. Refusing to sit in silence, Tyler begins to count.
10... 30... 60... 1 minute
10... 30... 60... 2 minutes
10... 30... 60... 5 minutes?
10... 30... 60... 10?
As Tyler begins to fall away, and his pains start to drift elsewhere, his heart rate lowers enough to trigger the machine's alarm.
He didn't care anymore, for this one moment he didn't care. As nurses stream into the room and forcefully check his pulse, Tyler realizes that he can no longer move. His head begins to feel cold.
He feels as if he is falling, back and down deeper into the trapdoor that is his body. Falling and falling through the cold breeze and past his regrets; nothing mattered anymore.
He realizes that nothing ever mattered, it was only his own mind that said otherwise.
His wistful sinking continues. He watches his cascading regrets decline sinking hills of anxiety, forever downwards, dropping his mind deeper into the depths of this depressing dive. He feels as if he is slipping, but unable to catch himself. For the first time, he feels the shaded shadow over his mind; the barrier of anxiety and regret that is always weighing down upon his shoulders.
He feels the pull begin, he feels the veil starting to raise.
