Bleeding Out

Chapter One

Chapter One

Callum

"A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more." - Rosabeth Moss Kanter

 When I woke my head was pounding furiously and I cupped my forehead as I stood up. I was shocked when I opened my eyes, a fog had engulfed everything around me, hindering my ability to see. It mimicked my hazy mind. I felt confused, as did the weather. It was out of whack, although it snowed, the air felt warm to my bare skin and every breath I released it lingered in front of me. Beneath my bare feet I felt soft summer grass despite the thin white blanket. Even the wind racked against the leaved tree limbs but not a breeze touched me.

 My ears rang when I heard a scream, followed by a child's laugh. The fog swirled around until it cleared, revealing a small family. A father, a mother and their little boy, playing in the tall grass. The warm summer sun shown down on them, almost like a halo.

 As I walked closer I caught myself smiling but my happiness quickly melted away with the blood from my face. I knot clogged my throat as the father turned around. He shot his brown eyes in my direction, they were warm, gentle and familiar. I knew him because he was my father.

 "Dad?" My voice was a raspy whisper. Absentmindedly I reached my hand out to touch his arm but the entire image shattered like broken glass.

 The vision turned a sickening gray, my family seeped through the cracks and disappeared, all except my father who now lay on the broken pieces. He lay on his death bed, with a stiff hand over the left side of his chest. Dried tears clung to his cheeks as did a painful grimace.

 I placed a shaky hand on his shoulder and broke into tears. This was the memory I had when my father died, it had been almost fourteen years now. He had died of heart failure at the age of 31.

 My shoulders trembled just like they had when I was six but something was off. I could feel I wasn't alone. A sadistic laugh came from behind me, causing me to spin around with such speed my head spun.

 I man around my age stood before me. His hair looked damp and one string of it hung over his forehead, which shook as he laughed. When he spoke he made shivers run up my spine, "Callum, Callum, Callum." He took a step forward and that's when I noticed he held something wet in his left hand. It looked like it was throbbing, and that was when I noticed I couldn't feel that throbbing in my chest. My eyes widened as I looked at him.

 "Wha-, wha-?" I couldn't speak.

 All in the same moment a blond girl with a red bandana in her hair appeared next to the maniac and a sharp pain shot through my chest.. Her eyes looked familiar and pleading for me despite her tight grip on the man's arm. As I grasped at my chest I said her name over and over, "Maebelle, Mae..." I choked, "help me please." Tears began to well up.

 The man laughed, "Quit your begging."

 I dropped to my knees from the pain and hunched over. My tears dropped to the ground, I could hardly breathe. When I looked up a sinister looking grizzly made his way towards me. His head low. The angry bear roared viciously. I felt panic well in the spot where my heart should have begun to beat against it's cage. One more laugh burst from the man and the bear lunged forward knocking me backwards

 I never hit the ground that should have been there though, I just kept falling and oddly it was peaceful. That sensation continued for what seemed hours but must have only been a few minutes. I smashed into the ground, or something that felt like the ground.