It hurts so much…
And I can't breathe….
Everything was silent. And it was almost completely black. Black, black, black… with various shades of green and blue misting by throughout the blackness. There wasn't any light. It felt as if I were floating, sinking, and falling simultaneously. My heart pounded so heavily I thought my chest might explode, my stomach twisted and turned as if I were on a never-ending rollercoaster ride, and all I wanted to do was weep. But how could I cry when I still couldn't even breathe? Closing my eyes, I prayed.
And suddenly a blinding steam of light pierced through the darkness. My mind was as fuzzy as my eyesight. I blinked, shut my eyes for a few moments, and blinked again. With a mental sigh of relief, I tried to focus as I cautiously opened my eyes fully, adjusting to the bright light.
What had happened?
Were those remnants of a dream?
How long have I been asleep?
Am I awake again?
My breaths were short and heavy. Sweat beads journeyed from my forehead and down the sides of my face. Gazing around, my eyes met with the plain white walls of an empty hallway. To my left, at the end of the hallway was a single closed door with a sign on it. I was too far away to read the writing. To my left, there was nothing – the hallway seemed to trail on endlessly, an expanse of never-ending emptiness. It was quiet. The only sound was my breathing. As I walked down the dimly lit hall towards the lone door, the echo of my shoes clattering across the linoleum floor accompanied my panicked breaths.
Where am I?
Why am I here?
Is this a dream?
The sound of another set of footsteps echoed across the linoleum tiles behind me. The musky odor of cheap cologne filled the air. Turning my head around just in time, my eyes met with a deeply wrinkled face that I didn't recognize. Well, old was an understatement. His skin was so withered and pale that it almost seemed transparent. Besides a few silver wisps, his hair was nonexistent. That poor, shriveled, toothless soul was the type of ancient that should be marveled at, like an archaeological artifact behind glass in a museum.
"Excuse me, miss." The elderly man spoke in a frail voice, slowing walking past me with a wooden cane in hand. He was so feeble, his steps remarkably slow, as if he was if pain. With each sluggish step, I swear I could hear the creaking of his bones. The tremors in his hands became noticeable as he reached for the door knob. There was a flash of bright light. And he was gone.
The sign dangled from a metal hook on the wooden door. Open? It was so simple and inviting.
Footsteps echoed against the linoleum tiles again, except this time the sound of stiletto heels filled the air. Behind me, a plump middle-aged woman in a hospital gown approached with a pleasant smile. She seemed friendly enough, but I could't stop staring at the clumps of makeup caked into her wrinkles, the flaps of skin hanging from her chin, the dark brown of her roots beginning to show within her bleached strands.
"Honey, aren't you going to go in?" Her raspy voice pierced the air.
Hesitating, I looked around stupidly as if she could be speaking to someone else.
"Yes. You." The old woman laughed. "You're not going to find anything else in this hallway. This is it; the end of the line. You should go inside."
"Um…" I look at her, at the door, and back at her. Unsure how to appropriately respond, I nod. "Okay."
The eerie echo of my footsteps filled the hallway again as I approached the door. Placing my hand on the door knob, I let out a deep sigh before turning it and entering through the mysterious stretch of light. Pushing through the blindness, my eyes began to focus clearer and I was met with the realization that I was standing in a waiting room. The room was adorned with a few dozen plastic chairs, mostly occupied. Despite the handfuls of people sitting in the room, the silence was only interrupted by the obnoxious ticking of a hidden clock. This room reeked of broken hearts and dreams that would never again see the light of day. Adjacent from me was a receptionist's desk and behind it staff seemed to pace back and forth in slow motion – they were lifeless, almost un-humanlike with their expressionless faces. Unsure what to do, I slowly made my way up towards the receptionist's desk. Once I was a few feet away, my feet stopped themselves and I couldn't continue any further. It was all just so bizarre.
"Welcome!" A pale young man with neon yellow hair was sitting behind the counter, his coworkers pacing back and forth behind him. Despite the eeriness, he happily greeted me as I approached. He was dressed in the same scrubs a nurse at a hospital would be wearing. "Miss, please come closer." Noticing my apprehension, the neon haired nurse called out to me again. A smile graced his lips. A smile so very pleasant… yet, that very smile caused my heart to throb with fear.
The waiting room, the nurse, the hallway, the silent people here. Everything is so otherworldly, so strange. Despite the cold shudder running down my spine, I can't help but feel that I'm not out of place. For some unknown reason, I'm supposed to be here. So, I decided to take a few steps close to the counter.
"We're so sorry that we've kept you waiting this long." The nurse smiled at me once again, placing a closed hand out onto the counter. Opening up his hand in an offering gesture, he reveals a little pink pill. With a happy gesturing nod towards his open hand, he spoke again, "Miss, please?"
Unable to make sense of this situation, I stare at him dumbfounded. What was the last thing I could remember before the blackness, before the hallway, before this? Absolutely nothing. I couldn't explain what was happening. "I don't remember…" I allowed my confusion to escape from my lips. "I don't remember anything."
With an almost childlike chuckle, the nurse replied, "Of course you don't. Please, just take this. It'll help you feel better."
For some reason that calmed my nerves and my suspicion began to fade into curiosity. I was still apprehensive, but I took another step closer.
The nurse, that pill, everything about this waiting room is just… right, the way it's supposed to be.
"So, that will make me remember?"
"That's right." He still wore that pleasant smile on his face as he answered me. He reached his hand out further. "Here, take it."
Breaching the distance between me and the counter, my slow steps felt almost dream-like. He smiled with a nod of approval as I took the little pink pill from his hand and into my own. Examining it briefly, I didn't notice any markings or anything unusual about it. Then I brought the little pink pill to my mouth and swallowed.
Keeping his eyes focused on me, the nurse let out yet another eerie smile, "Good luck, miss."
Immediately, I was dazed as I am swallowed by complete darkness. Stretching my mouth open to scream, I found that I couldn't make a sound as the breath began to escape from my lungs. I felt weightless and numb as if I were disappearing. I flailed my arms around hoping to grab onto something. But it was too late. Everything drifted away into the darkness.