A Touch of Hope

Chapter 10 - The Ritual

Flipsey awoke with a sudden raspy breath, gasping for air. As he sat bolt upright and looked wildly around, his arms flailed around the sheets, pulling at them as he let out a cry of anguish. Sunlight came streaming in the now open curtains, filling the room with a warm glow but even this wasn't enough to expel the eerie cold gloom that hung over Flipsey. Beads of sweat covered his skin, sticking the bedclothes to him as he tried to untangle himself from the sheets.

This was not an unusual occurrence, he would often find himself needing to wash the sweat out of his bedding multiple times in a week.

He lay in bed for a moment, calming his breathing as he tried to relax his muscles and remind himself that the dream was over. He wouldn't have to deal with it for another 16 hours. He reflected again, as he did every morning on the visions he'd seen but they made them no better.

With a sigh he spun his legs over the side of the bed, sitting up and put his head in his hands. It was going to be another long day.

He padded across the room, over to the shower, beginning the same ritualistic routine he does every morning. The steam from the shower billowed out across the room, swirling teasingly as it filled the room. It moved in a way not unlike the fog that rolled through the city on most nights but in a way less threateningly, warmer and more playful. The hot water pounding down on Flipsey did nothing to help his state of mind, he still felt unclean, and no amount of water or soap was going to change that.

Shoulders slumped, he turned the tap off, water cascading down his body, following the grooves and folds along it. Flipsey stepped out of the shower, feeling the crisp, dry mat between his toes. The moisture in the air laughed and played as it spun around him, wrapping him in a cocoon, protecting from the morning air outside. Picking up a toothbrush, he wrapped himself in the towel and sauntered back into his room, his mind focused on the day ahead. He had a lot to do today, lots of meetings, lots of stress to deal with. He wasn't looking forward to it, especially after such a stressful night. He felt physical exhausted despite an apparently restful night's sleep.

Flipsey paused for a moment as he took his shirt out of the wardrobe. He looked around in horror. Something wasn't quite right, something he couldn't explain. He couldn't recall ever opening his curtains this morning.