Breathless ✓

Two ✔

My eyes burned from the intense staring competition I had with the ceiling. It had been hours since I had lain down on the couch, the small speck of hope that sleep might come slowly fading into the impenetrable darkness of the room. I flinched as lightning illuminated the window, casting ghostly shadows across the furniture and sending a jolt of ice into my veins. The thin blanket draped over my shoulders did little to keep out the fear that slithered around my heart, filling my lungs and sending waves of uncontrollable shivering through my body.

I glanced at the glowing numbers of my wristwatch. 5 a.m.

It felt like it had been an eternity, and my mind was still refusing to let my muscles relax. I couldn't control the thoughts that ran rampant in my brain, causing as much damage as the storm that was currently wrecking my neighborhood. I could hear the wind rushing through narrow gaps and crevices, howling into the night like a monster that escaped from the depths of Hell.

Letting out a shaky breath, I forced my tired limbs to move. My muscles still ached from my late shift at the hospital, and I wanted nothing more than to sleep; to fall into a dreamless oblivion, to feel safe and secure, wrapped in heavy blankets that would protect me from the monsters that resided in my thoughts.

I just wanted to sleep.

A lone tear slid down my cheek and settled at my lips, coating them with a salty taste. I swallowed a rising sob before it could break from my lips, forcing down the burning sensation in my eyes.

I didn't have the energy to cry. Not today.

Stumbling into the kitchen, I flipped the switch to a small light above the counter. My eyes squinted to the sudden glare, but quickly found comfort in the warm glow that filled the eerie room, chasing away the black shadows that seemed to crawl into every corner and crevice of this house.

I filled the kettle with water and grabbed a mug from the cupboard, pouring some of my favorite coffee into it.

Sleep be damned.

A sigh fell from my lips as the last drop of hot liquid traveled down my throat, calming the ache in my chest and filling my stiff limbs with a tranquil kind of warmth. I wished it could always be like this. Peaceful. I cherished moments like these.

Once the small hand on the kitchen clock landed on seven, however, I got up. No matter how much I wished I could just sit here in silence all day, I knew I had to start at some point.

Making my way over to my room, I risked a peek inside. The man still seemed to be fast asleep, looking almost peaceful with the subtle rising and falling of his chest as the only indication of life. As I walked past the bed toward my closet, it was clearly visible that his condition had improved since yesterday; his skin was more radiant, the golden olive color of his Southern European heritage shining through.

I'd looked through his clothes to find any indication as to where he might live and whom I could notify of his whereabouts, but he had no possessions on him. All of his pockets were empty, nothing but a blank piece of paper which I'd thrown in the bin.

I grabbed a set of clothing and got ready for the day, making sure to avoid eye contact with myself in the mirror; I had no desire to stare into the hollow abyss of my own eyes, I already knew what would look back at me.

I took a second to put on a smile before leaving my room.

I had a mere hour before work started.

The rain had eased up a bit, coming down in a soft drizzle rather than the smashing force with which it had pelted us just the night before. Soft rays of golden light peeked through the ashen grey clouds, bathing the world in a shimmering blanket of crystal. Each and every surface was covered in glittering jewels, and, even as I watched, the rain ceased; the clouds parting to let the pastel blue of the sky shine down.