(Subconscious POV)
It was a strange, deep blackness that seemed to stretch on forever. Was I dead? No; if I was dead, there wouldn't be any pain: and there was a bit of that. A faint throb in my head and a dull ache in my chest, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember how they got there. Then, with the force of a gentle breeze, it all started coming back: singing, dancing, falling, a loud crack and an explosion of pain.
The blackness was strangely calming; it felt like I was floating on an invisible cloud that was sitting in limbo in the middle of space. I had stayed this way for quite some time now, but suddenly something felt different. Something seemed to be dragging me down, putting weight back into my body and as it did, the pain grew more intense. I tried to shift into a more comfortable position, but I couldn't move. The tugging was getting stronger, and now there was something else.
There was a voice out there, somewhere, and I strained my ears to listen to what the voice was saying. It was as if I was trying to listen to a whispered conversation taking place underwater, but slowly the voice started getting clearer until I could recognise the soft, raspy baritone.
Walker.
"…..told me you would always be there if I needed someone to talk to, well, I need that now, so forgive me if I start to ramble."
Don't worry Walks, I won't mind.
For some reason, the voice drifted away, and then I realised that the darkness was getting darker (if that was possible). Fighting the darkness, I focused all of my attention on Walker's voice, and slowly it came back.
"….I even considered going back to New York to escape for a while. Does that make me a horrible hypocrite? Doing what I had seen the rest of the group doing?"
No, it makes you human. I wouldn't have blamed you if you had gone, you know.
"…what I feel most ashamed at is that I was angry at you. Imagine that! You hadn't done anything, and I was blaming you for what was going on with the others."
Oh it's okay; you're just behaving like a normal human being. I'm not gonna bite your head off for thinking it buddy.
There was silence out there now, and for a moment I thought I had lost him, but then the voice slowly drifted back into hearing range.
"…Julia's talking about doing the tour without you. I don't think any of us want to, but we promised the fans, and if we have to do it then we have to do it. It just won't be the same, and I know the fans would be so disappointed if you weren't there."
Just do it, if it won't get your mind off what happened, then it will please the fans. We're doing this for the fans remember?
"…..Please, please just wake up…"
I'm trying Joe.
"….I don't want to do this without you."
Oh Joe.
Wait, are you crying? Joe, don't cry!
Absentmindedly, I tried to comfort him in any way I could, and I was surprised when I found that I could actually move my hand. I could feel Joe's large, slightly calloused hand holding it tightly, and I gave it a comforting squeeze.
Immediately, I felt stronger, as if Joe's hand was a lifeline that I was clutching while being pulled to shore. The darkness started to grow lighter and the more it did, the stronger I felt and the more aware I became. I could hear a soft beeping in the background, and I noticed that the crying had stopped. Then I heard someone softly whisper my name.
