My head hurts. My eyes are playing tricks on me. I hear a voice but it's deep and distorted, I can't understand what it is saying, can't tell who is even speaking. I'm freaking out. I'm surrounded by women without faces; they won't leave me alone. My vision is blurry and keeps shifting when I move. It's painful but still I try to run from it.
I fall to the ground, bumping into a couple of people. They gasp and move away, I get up again but everything is still the same.
I feel heavy. This whole thing feels wrong, I feel like I'm going to be sick—like I'm burning up from the inside. Someone. Someone get me out. Help me.
"We've got a problem!" I hear a female voice speak. It's clear, loud, understandable above all the din. I don't know where it's coming from, it doesn't sound like it should be here. "I can't anchor him to the memory. Too much psychological trauma, he's rejecting the treatment. Retreating." What is she talking about? I don't understand.
"Desmond," a male voice now. How does he know my name? Who is he? "I need you to try and relax." Yeah. Right. When I don't even know what's going on?
"I'm going to try and stabilize him."
"Focus. Listen to the sound of my voice. Recognize that what you're seeing isn't real, just a picture of the past." What the hell is this guy saying to me? I think I've gone crazy. "It can't hurt you," he continues, but he can't tell what I'm feeling.
"Damn it! It's not working!"
"Give it a moment, Miss Stillman. He'll adjust. The first time is never easy." First time for what? What isn't easy? What have these people done to me?!
"We're losing him!"
"That's enough, Miss Stillman!"
"We need to pull him out. Now."
"Alright, Desmond, we're going to try and bring you out now." Bring me out from where?!
And suddenly I start feeling better. The world around me starts shifting colors faster but I feel myself being pulled away, getting lighter, until I realize I must have been dreaming or something. But now I wish I wasn't.