A Demon Made Me Do It(35)

I want to die.

A sharp cracking noise whips through the air, and I’m bombarded with a brilliant, sickly yellow light. Nausea floods through me once more, and I squeeze my eyes shut.

When I open them again, I’m lying on a bed of scorching white sand. The air feels like it’s coming from a blast furnace, and my eyes are so dry the lids are like sandpaper.

Slowly, I sit upright. I squint to block out the painful brightness as I assess my new surroundings.

Nothing.

I’m all alone…not a soul is in sight. There are no signs of life anywhere. The air is dead and stale—as if no life has ever existed here.

This place feels like death.

Empty, lonely, vacant, death.

Hello? Hello?! Is anyone here? Can anyone hear me?

Silence. Sickening silence…unlike any I’ve ever experienced. Everywhere there is absolute stillness.

I am completely alone in this desolate wasteland.

Totally, utterly, shamefully alone.

I no longer exist. Have I ever existed?

Hello! Anybody! Please, is anybody out there?

…Nothing. Even my thoughts are barely a whisper.

Hello?! Somebody! Anybody! Is anyone out there? Can you hear me?

My heart races uncontrollably as I wipe the perspiration from my brow. Barely able to feel my legs, I force myself to stand. I need to get out of here. I need to go somewhere else. But where? Each step is exactly the same as the one before it. Every view and angle of this barren desert of death is exactly the same. Miles and miles and miles of flat nothingness, expanding for eternity.

With me in the center. Alone.

The realization of what this means hits me full force.

I’m doomed. Eternally doomed. Damned to walk this barren wasteland alone, tortured with everlasting isolation. I’d thought watching Michael and Kayla die was horrific; I’d thought seeing Bones’ true colors was heartbreaking.

This is so much worse than those. Infinitely worse.

I fall to my knees, my silent cries no longer audible even in my head. My eyes are too dry for tears. I can’t swallow, and the brilliant light curdles my blood.

Please, please, let me die.

Or am I already dead? Is this my eternity?

No, this is worse than death. This is…nothing.

Hours pass…days…I don’t even know. Time does not exist. I can’t think clearly anymore.

From somewhere, a soothing voice is calling to me. I’m hallucinating, hearing things…

Come back, wake up…you’re gonna be okay. Open your eyes…

But my eyes are open. There’s no one here. The disembodied voice speaks again, louder now.

“You’re safe, I gotcha, open your eyes, come back to me. You’re strong… fight it… remember who you are…where you come from…where you want to be…”

Suddenly, I’m spinning again. Rainbows of psychedelic colors blur and swish around me. I’m falling…floating….

…I’m lying on wet grass, freezing and shaking. Trying to gasp the fresh air, I choke on my own breath and cough. Where am I now?

“There you are…atta girl…I got you…you’re safe. Just breathe…”

There’s the voice again...coming from right behind my ear.

Only my legs are on the grass, the rest of my body is propped up on something strong and warm. Something with arms wrapping around me…

I struggle to break free, but can barely move.

“Let me go…” I croak.

“I can’t. You aren’t strong enough yet. Try to relax for a few minutes. You’ll feel better,” the masculine voice says in my ear.

Is some stupid Sapie really trying to save me?

I’m too weak to fight—I have no choice but to stay where I am. And where I am feels good. Warm. Safe. My head begins to clear, and I realize how much I need to be held right now.

“Who are you?” I whisper.

“A friend.”

Gradually, I feel myself return to my body. Objects around me slowly take shape. My senses re-engage; my breathing and heart rate stabilize.

“Where are we?”

He props me closer to his chest. He’s warm. Very warm. Definitely not a Sapie. I must admit, if I can’t move, this is a very comfortable resting place.

“We’re in Baymore Park. Do you remember what happened?” The tenderness in his voice reminds me of how someone would talk to a wounded child.

“I…I was walking…I...I saw an Altrumina…and then…and then—”

“He laid the whammy on you,” he finishes.

“No…that wasn’t it… I went places…I saw things…”

“Trust me, that’s what happened. I saw everything…well, almost. I got here right as he touched you.”

My head is clearer now and my body feels strong enough for me to sit up on my own. Reluctantly, I disentangle from his protective embrace, briefly meeting his concerned eyes before I glance around. He’s right; we’re sitting on a patch of grass in Baymore Park, not ten feet from where I encountered the Altrumina.