Project Ashren

Chapter 3- Keefe

Hehe! This chapter was written in Keefe's perspective, sorry it came so late, I've been dealing with some stuff, so sorry. Just wanted to make sure ya'll saw the Keefe's perspective part.

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I gasped for air and heard a small yelp from across the room and a quiet thunk. My chest was heaving and I sucked in air but it was like nothing was coming in. I heard shuffling and the sound of glass clinking together, and I tried opening my eyes, but they wouldn't come into focus. Someone was talking, but the noise was faded, and I couldn't make out what they were saying. Everything was white, shiny white, my eyes were burning from the white light. But I wasn't sure if the light was there at all.

My head was clouded, it was hard to concentrate on a single thought, even harder on the tons racing around my head. Each few moments a single thought would come front and center, there was a loud pang in my ears, like a gun shot, and I slammed my hands against my ears trying to quiet the noises and the... the voices. I can't tell what they're saying either, just snippets of sentences.

Light.

Hate.

Good.

Curse.

Never.

Birds.

Life.

The only words I could make out in the madness, but I don't know what they mean.

My eyes started to clear. I was lying in a cot closed of by grey dividers in the corner of the room. There was a small circular table next to my cot and a figure was frantically grabbing vials off wooden shelves lining the walls and crowding them all onto the small table. A comfortable looking chair sat in the corner of the room a book splayed across the floor like it had been dropped. There was another table, bigger on the other side of the cot. This one was covered in cards, Prattles, mood candy, servings of mallowmelt, ripplepuffs, custardbursts, and a lot more Prattles.

My vision cleared fully and I recognized the figure, now with his back turned, grabbing bottles of shelves. "Elwin?" he jumped almost dropping the vials in his hand and spun around. His frantic stare transformed into a beaming smile and I grinned back, trying to make it look convincing.

"Keefe!" Elwin beamed. "You're alive!"

My eyebrows shot up causing an avalanche of pain in my chest and I quickly lowered them. "Alive? Was I dead?"

Elwin cleared his throat nervously, "well, no... almost... not really..." he paused and then said in a small voice; "Just a little bit..."

"That's comforting to know," I said. Elwin just gave a small, awkward smile, and stuffed the jars on the table. Four cylindrical jars teetered on the edge of the table for a few moments before tipping over the edge. The moment the four vials hit the floor, millions of gunshots fired in my head. My hands shot up to my ears, my eyes squeezing shut, a small, pained scream forced its way out of my mouth. The gunshots were replaced by loud, frenzied pulses and spontaneous bangs! like someone was randomly clashing pots and pans against each other, but to the tenth level. Sirens were blaring against my skull and I groaned, letting out raspy, shaky breaths.

I heard Elwin calling my name but it was fuzzy and soft despite the chaos of sound pounding behind my eyes. Elwin reassuringly put his hand on my shoulder and thousands of goosebumps crawled their way across my body. I shrugged off his hand, causing another pulse of goosebumps and pressure in my head.

"Keefe?" Elwin's voice finally-partially-patched in. "Keefe, can you hear me? Nod if you can hear me, Keefe."

I slowly forced a small nod, sending another wave of pain in my head. I scrunched my eyes farther shut.