I want to say something. Anything.
But the darkness closes in.
FUCK!
Chapter Three
Khai
Beep… beep… beep…
“Hello, Khai.”
Beep. Beep. Beep.
My head feels thick, heavy, like I’m trying to surface from deep water.
Where am I?
“It’s day nine.”
Why does everything sound muffled? Distant. Like I’m hearing it through layers of glass.
“You’ve been extubated today.”
Pain blooms everywhere at once. Not sharp, dull and consuming. It presses into every part of me.
“The doctors are very optimistic about your prognosis.”
My body feels like it weighs a thousand kilos. I can’t move. Can’t respond.
“I hope today is the day.”
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The sound grows louder, faster.
I feel like I’m floating upward, breaking through the surface inch by inch. Sounds sharpen. Light bleeds through the darkness. And then.
A scent.
Something sweet. Familiar.
Perfume.
“Your friend has been here every day,” the voice says, closer now.
That voice.
Soft. Clear. Angelic.
The beeping spikes.
“What’s happening?” someone says urgently.
Warmth touches my shoulders, hands grounding me, anchoring me. The contact sends something through my body, steadying my breath.
“Khai?” The voice wavers. “Can you hear me?”
