No Longer Dead

15

I hear screaming.

I don't know if it's mine or someone else's...

I just hear screaming...

As though breathing for the first time, I gasp and deeply inhale sweet air. The screaming stops. I snap my tongue against the roof of my mouth. Why is the air sweet?

I open my eyes and look around me. I'm in a pale room. There's something attached to my face and I try to take it off but my arms feel like lead and I can't lift them up. Whatever is on my face is covering my mouth and nose. My top lip feels moist.

I look around me some more and the pale room starts to have some features I didn't notice before. A black chair sits in the corner of the room with worn arm rests. There's a window to my right with white curtains. Sunlight shines through the window and onto the floor creating a shadow in the shape of a cross from the window.

To my right is a painting. It's weird and I don't know how to describe it. It has a dark frame. The longer you look at it the more you see different things in it. First it's a hand, then a face, then an animal.

I look down to my feet. I'm under a pale blanket that's very light and soft. Where am I?

"Oh, you're awake." A soft voice says.

I look around until my eyes land on the black chair. A woman is sitting in it. When did she get here?

"Who are you?" I say, but it's muffled from the thing on my face.

"You don't recognize me?" She asks slowly. I take a moment to think. Long blonde hair...brown eyes...

"Lyra?" I whisper. A smile spreads on her face.

"Hi Toby." She says.

"How are you here?"

"We're in your head."

"My...my head?"

"Yes. You are currently suffering from a shot wound and a severe concussion. You are dying."

"I'm...dying..." I look away from her and down at my body again. "Where am I outside of my head?"

"In a room similar to this. You're being taken care of by women and men who claim to be trained in medicine. I don't trust them." Lyra says.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because one of them is hiding something."

"Hiding what?"

"A secret. They're not really trying to save your life."

"Who are they?"

"It's a man. He brought you here."

"A man?"

"Every chance he's gotten he's increased the amount of medicine being injected into your body. He's trying to kill you. You've only just recently slipped into a coma."

"I'm in a coma?"

"I have to go." She stands up abruptly. "They're coming."

"Who's coming?" I ask quickly.

"I have to go." She disappears and the room looses its light.

A cool, raspy voice fills my ears. I recognize this voice.

"Hello Toby." It says. "Long time, no talk."

A/N:
I know, I know, this chapter is pretty shit but I had a little bit of time to update and so I did. Sorry :/
Btw if you guys are confused as to why Toby doesn't have a stutter, he's in his head and I would like to think that he believes the Toby in his mind doesn't have any tics. That at least a part of him is normal.