Woohoo for predictability.
Taking advantage of the brief reprieve, I pull on black leggings and a white tank-top before quickly braiding my hair to the side. Then, I grab my room key and wallet and head out into the hall to make my way down to the lobby.
I pass no one in the hall or elevator, most either still outside or having already turned in, and the quiet eases a bit of my anxiety. I may have the strength to make my way outside, but idle chatter is not anywhere close to being on my mind. It takes energy, and I have very little these days.
Offering the lady working the front desk a slight wave, I head out onto the street and suck in a deep breath. The night air surrounds me, the chill in it temporarily beating back the heat. The relief is, as I said, temporary though, and within minutes, I’m already sweating again as I set out for a walk. Sometimes, if whatever is wrong with me is feeling lenient, a walk can help alleviate some of the discomfort. It can also exacerbate it, though. A gamble—fifty-fifty at any given point.
But given my options are pain, or more pain, I’ll take those odds.
As I walk, I offer smiles to passersby, keeping my eyes trained straight ahead so no one gets a good look at me and forces me into a hospital bed for fear I’ll die on the sidewalk.
An older man with salt and pepper hair curling from beneath a black cap turns onto the sidewalk and offers me a wave. “Too many pints there, lass?”
“Yes,” I reply with a smile.
He nods. “Been there a time or two myself. Hair of the dog is what you need.” He winks at me and continues on his way.
My head begins to pound, yet another wonderful side-effect from the increase of blood flow caused by any type of physical activity. Just ahead, an iron gate stands tall, drawing my attention. Huge trees flank either side of it, and as I move inside the lush green park, it feels as though I’m entering another world entirely.
A world consisting of me and the trees. No people, no lights, just the stars overhead. The farther I walk, the less debilitating the pain becomes, so I continue to wander. What is it they say of nature? It’s rejuvenating, right? Isn’t that why people pay thousands of dollars for mountain retreats?
Shit, I’d pay thousands of dollars for five minutes of feeling the way I do now.
The garden is magnificent and full of luscious topiary and bright flowers, and the only structure is an empty gazebo with a single dim light dangling from the pitched roof.
Turning my attention to the bordering trees, I take another idle turn, feeling more like myself than I have in years. The pain is gone, the sweat dry on my skin.What is this place?I turn in a slow circle, expecting to see the city at my back, but there’s nothing.
Nothing but more trees.What the—how did I get here?Shifting my attention forward, my gaze catches sight of a light shimmering just ahead. Focusing on it, I’m overwhelmed with a feeling of calm; of peace that I haven’t experienced in far too long. So, I continue forward, curiosity pulling me closer and closer.Has it always been there?
Humming builds steadily in my ears, blocking out all other sounds until I can hear nothing else but the steady tune. The light hovers just in front of the trunk of a large tree. Which, if I were thinking logically, I would know makes absolutely no sense.
But I’m not thinking logically. Not anymore.
I reach out and touch it. The thing sparks beneath my fingertips, shooting a jolt straight through my arm. I cry out and try to withdraw my hand, but I’m unable to. Before I can open my mouth and call for help, or even try to get away, my vision swims, and my body overheats once more. The fire slams into me, an inferno in my veins.
The world begins to fade away, my vision blackening as I slip into the abyss of unconsciousness. But before I’m completely gone, a deep baritone breaks through the overwhelming humming.
A throaty voice mutters three words that send my already panicked heart racing.“There you are.”