Shadow Dancing | K.TH

All Of Me

I wake up with my forehead slick with sweat and my breathing rapid.

The blankets seem hotter than the sun, suffocating the life out of me as I struggle to untangle the covers from my body. Even though it was dark, the room is blazing with heat— and it has never seemed so small. It felt like the walls themselves were closing in on my figure, threatening to crush under its grip.

I needed air.

Right now.

Gasping profusely, I fling the heavy blankets onto the bed as I hurry to rip off my cardigan. The exposure of my arms provide only a tiny bit of relief as I bury my sweaty face in the warm clothing, wiping off the blur in my vision.

Lord.

Why was it so hot in here?

For a second I'm tempted to just simply leap out of the window and into the cool night air. But then logic gets better of me, and I rush to escape the house in a more civilized way.

The moment I'm out of the house, I'm dismayed to find that the night wasn't as cold as I'd thought it would be. Even though the window panes had given me slight relief, the actual air outside was only a bit better than the air inside.

Biting the elastic I always kept around my wrist, I gather my thick, long hair into a ponytail, attempting to reveal the back of my neck. It felt so hot that it nearly drove me to the point of dizziness.

Fading all over the place, I roll up my sleeves until they nearly reach up to my shoulders. My heart rate was absolutely out of control— and so was my body.

It had been flickering dangerously for the past minute, which had sent bursts of dull pain streaking up and down my form. But somehow, the suffocating warmth was more of a deal for me than the sensation of pain. It was choking— heat leaving traces of flushed red all over my skin.

Aiming to calm myself down, I lean against the cool cement and take a deep breath. There's a slight breeze in the air, and gradually I feel the firm hold loosen as I let my heart rate normalize.

Had I been dreaming nightmares? I hadn't gotten like this since a few years ago— when I hadn't been used to my father's tests yet. And then I had grown to accept my fate, and the terrible dreams had stopped.

Why would they come back now?

When I place my hand against my heart, I can feel it jerk rapidly against my chest, pounding in my ears. The tips of my jaw feels warm, like it was flushed completely red from the heat.

Why was I doing this?

But one thing was clear— there was no absolute way I'd fall asleep tonight. There just wasn't a possibility. I was too afraid to close my eyes, find myself acting up like this all over again.

And worse, I didn't even remember what I'd dreamt that drove me to this state.

I unconsciously press my palms against my neck, hoping to help the hot skin cool down faster. There was a peculiar burning in that specific spot that didn't seem to subside any time soon.

The night is silent— broken only by the roughness of my breathing. When my gasps calm enough so that I can't hear it thundering against my ears, I hear something else that makes the hairs on my arm stand on its end.

Clank.

Fear suddenly blows away the heat as I watch a shadow shift in the darkness of a distant alley. My mind freezes with horror as a coldness takes over my body, making me forget about the overwhelming warmth that I'd fought through just a minute earlier.