The static finally cleared up and Cyrus's' voice filtered through.
"Well, hello Ms McKlarik, and how are you today?"
I closed my eyes and tried to make him go away with the power of my mind, but that never works, so I ignored him, which works most of the time.
"Very well, Ms, but I warn you I'm an extremely patient man and you will have to talk to me sooner or later".
As he left I could've sworn I heard something else behind these words, as if he'd said something at the same time as saying that quite chilling sentence.
"Greatness requires sacrifice".
Which made me think of people being drowned in rivers and stolen money exchanging hands.
I lay motionless in the bed trying to work out what the hell was going on. I kept getting the feeling there was a puzzle piece I was missing, whatever was going on I needed something else to completely understand it. This all seemed to have something to do with Khun and my mind was drawn back to the incident the other night. As I was lost in my thoughts a nurse entered and coughed politely to get my attention, when I turned my head to look I could do nothing but gape. In her hand she held the biggest needle I've ever seen and hopefully ever will. She smiled apologetically and motioned me to give her my wrist, and as her fingers clamped over it an ocean of pain swelled up and crashed over me, but through these tidal waves I could see faces and places, people I'd never seen before and areas where I'd never been to. I got the remote detached feeling one normally gets in a dream where you can watch someone (most often yourself) live out their life as if you were right there watching them. I felt connections to these unknown images and clips of what I presume to be as memories, the nurse's memories. I felt like an intruder in someone's home or a tourist disturbing a sacred temple. My body seemed to disconnect from my mind and as it did it convulsed violently but I wasn't there, I was far away engulfed in darkness and miles from caring.
As I returned to the world I could tell something had changed, in me, in everything. Something had sparked the world's brilliance and it was all so much more beautiful, mysterious and so alluring, every aspect of the good of Mother Earth hid her poison, every step concealed a fall. I could see it all and feel it as if I was surging through the veins of creation, which I know sounds corny but it's the closest thing to what I felt and how monumental it really was. I was on top of the world and for that briefest of moments I knew everything. That counts for something doesn't it, doesn't it?
I turned my head and stared at the whitewashed wall, my heart filled with determination as I swung my legs out of bed and stood. As if without a care in the world I washed in the bathroom, splashing my face with cold water and changed into a pair of scrubs that were lying clean on the desk outside. I wandered out of the room and down the corridor, relishing in the absurdity of it all, feeling the adrenaline in my brain as it rushed through my bloodstream. I stepped out through the double-doors and watched the world in a perfect moment, the sun shined unparallel, the grass glistened with morning dew and everything for once stood still as my mind took a photograph, I even watched a bird sweep into my line of vision. Perfection had nothing on that moment. And as I took my first step as a new person a van pulled up to the kerb and out stepped Cyrus Kriticos along with a entourage of muscle. I went to run, but they got to me first and bundled me into the back of the van. Even as a scream formed in my throat a cloth was stuffed into my open mouth and the world turned to a rushing waterfall of colour until it ran dry and all was black.