Bridging The Gap; The Final Records In Unova: An Autobiography

Hittin' The Old Sandy Trail

"GGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The pain traveling through my body was excruciating. I could barely even feel my own arms, legs, neck, or face. My entire body was motioning through the sand on the ground on its own. My arms swung around in the air and smacked at the ground, my feet joining in kicking up more sand. I choked on the sand flowing around me, going into my throat. Saliva was also filling my mouth uncontrollably, but it hurt to swallow. Trying to spit it out of my mouth wasn't working since I wasn't in control of my body and I couldn't turn my head to spit at the ground, so during my few successful hack ups, I ended up getting globs of my own saliva on my face, running down my cheeks and chin.

June sat far away from me, holding her hand wrapped in gauze. Kai had given June an icepack she had in her bag and applied an antibiotic ointment to her wound, also giving June some ibuprofen. June's pain had ended after another ten minutes, and she had been quiet ever since, though tears continued to roll down her eyes.

"A sting from a tarantula hawk doesn't last for very long!" Kai had explained to June, screaming over my pained cries as she went to take care of me. "Just be careful of that hand for the next few days. It's gonna be very sensitive." She turned to me. "As for you..."

"I'm dying!!" I screamed as I rolled on the ground, shivering hard, choking on my own drool and sand. "I can't breathe! AAAAUUGGGHH!!!!!"

"Gary, please calm down," Kai said calmly. "You're gonna be just fine. You weren't bitten that badly. Stop moving! You're only gonna make it worse if you move like that!"

"Kill me!! Kill me now! Please! Get a gun and SHOOT ME!!!! Right in the head! Right in the-!" I begged Kai.

She held me down, trying hard to prevent me from moving. "Gary, your wound isn't even that bad! Will you stop being such a baby? I already gave you an antidote for that kind of bite! If you just relax, you'll be up in no time! You're very lucky!"

I was crying hysterically, my neck burning and throbbing, feeling thick and heavy and like it was weighing me down. "Please!! June! Kai! Just kill me already!! I don't wanna live anymore! I can't take it!! I can't take it anymore!!!"

Kai frowned and let out a sigh of frustration as she struggled to keep me still, growling.

It had been several hours of intense pain, sweat perspiring down my face continuously despite it being nearly winter. I had finally managed to relax and breathe a little easier, the back of my neck feeling slightly sore as I laid still on the ground, breathing quickly in short bursts, choking on the sand in the air, my heart beating fast, my eyes closed.

Kai was sitting next to me, talking about the spider that had bitten me. "-known as PhTx3. This is a calcium channel blocker that prevents calcium uptake, glutamate release, and glutamate uptake in the neural synapses. We got to the wound so fast, but if it had been a more serious bite, or if we hadn't been able to act so quickly, such things as loss of muscle control, breathing issues, paralysis, asphyxiation, intense pain, and inflammation could have occurred. You see, the venom has an excitatory effect on the serotonin 5-HTF4 receptors of sensory nerves. This stimulation to the sensory nerves causes-"

I listened to her nonsensical jabbering quietly, not understanding most of what she was saying, and not fully convinced she even knew what she was talking about, herself.

*

I felt so warm and comfortable. "Mmmmm..." I said softly, and I nuzzled my face against something soft, gentle, warm, comforting, and familiar. A smile crept over my face and I let out a sigh of relief. I was back home, in bed. "Aahhh..." I sighed peacefully and buried my face in the pillow. "Home." I reached my arms out to rub my smooth bed. My hands and arms scraped a rough surface beneath me. "Hey!" I cried out in surprise, opening my eyes.