1 Premonition

Voices echo in my ears, my vision is as hazy as my mind. I can't tell if the voices are in my head or somewhere around me. I sit up and feel the coldness of the stone pedestal I was lying on. I try to look around but my eyes are dry and my vision is still hazy. The room is dark and bleak. I try to rub my eyes, only to find my hands are shackled. The voices are louder, I still can't fully make out what they're saying. The only word I can make out is key.

I feel around with my hands to find a key with no success. Something feels wrong in my throat, it's sore. I gag and feel something hard and cold in my throat. Then I hear the jingling of the key as it lands between my legs. I grab it, it's cold and wet, gross. I unshackle myself and urgently rub my eyes. I can finally see. I look around the room I'm in, it's entirely stone with cliche cobwebs around the roof. The only light source is a distant one coming from the wooden cage door. To my surprise it isn't locked.

I walk into the next room expecting something to happen, but nothing does, just the sound of dripping and the quiet voices in my head. This room is like the other, but better lit. In the corner I see a mirror. I glance at myself, I look horrible. My clothes are torn in places and they're filled with holes. The most visible oddity is a scar on my forehead, It spans from ear to ear. It's morbid, but treated like I was in a hospital, maybe better. The scar makes me anxious, it makes me feel wrong. I hesitantly lift my arm to feel the scar, as my hand gets closer the voices get louder. My hand is almost touching it and the voices silence everything else. I touch it.

An image flashes in my head. It's dark and I'm driving. I can't remember. I can't remember anything. Did anything happen before this? My mind is uncomfortable, I can't grasp reality. Where am I? Why am I here? The panic in me is rising. I drop to the floor, onto my knees. The voices become quiet. Only one is whispering now. "Don't give in". The voices are all gone. I stand up with the rest of my energy, trying to grasp my sanity, this is not how it will end. I hesitate, but walk.

Up the stairs I go. I look at my hand, it's shaking. My breathing is faster than usual, even though I don't even know what the usual is. I reach the next floor. It's beautiful, like the living room in a high class house. It's almost comforting. I want to sit down on the chair and forget the panic and fear I'm feeling now, but I can't. Something won't let me. Why can't I control myself?

I take all the comfort I can with me and go to the next room. A beautiful car sits in the middle, the room itself is not as impressive as the last. The car is heavily dented and broken, it's almost as if it was purposely destroyed. The voices get louder as I get closer to the car. The panic is rising in my stomach, I feel uneasy. I want to go the other way, I want to go past the car, I want to go to the next room, please. My hand extends itself, shaking uncontrollably. I touch the hood of the car, and another image flashes in my eyes. It's like a memory.

My phone chimes, I received a message. "It's late." I think, "No one's driving this late, I can look at it." I look at the message, I don't recognize the name, but my memory does. A car is swerving all around and coming at me, I don't see it.

The memory ends. The grim thought appears in my head. I'm dead, and this the afterlife. I shove it far from me, but it creeps in mind, latching onto my thoughts. I don't want to continue. I shiver from all the pressure, am I having a panic attack? I feel so empty, so disgusted. The voices whisper their whispers, if not a little clearer. I think of all the sins I've committed in my life. What act brought me here? What did I do to deserve this?

My legs involuntarily take me to the next room, I don't even notice amidst the panic and fear I feel. I stop when I feel my legs hitting bottles. The whole room is full of them. Empty bottles of alcohol. This room is broken and cheap, who would live here? The stench of the room is awful. I try to tread through the room. The bottles make this really hard, they keep shattering under my feet. How long have I been walking for? Is the door moving away from me? I walk forward and the door goes back. The more steps I take the more bottles appear beneath my feet. This room is inescapable. I look behind, but the other door is so far away that I'd rather chase the moving one.

The door finally stops, the bottles are already up to my neck. The door is locked. I feel around my pants and shirt, to see if the key is hidden in my pockets. I finally feel it around my chest. I lift the shirt to see the key jabbed in my heart. Why there? I feel dizzy, I feel like I'm going to pass out. Open it, the voices say. I can't, I won't. Please. You're fine, open the door. Tears in my eyes, I rip the key from my heart. I fall on my knees. Why? What is this? Please, let me out. I can't even process anything, I just open the door. I step into the darkness. Another memory.

My vision is shaky. My head is heavy. I'm in a car. I'm not moving. I'm in a ditch, and my car is upside down. I'm bloody all over. I think there' s someone else in the car with me. I look to my right and see a blinding light, it's another car, it's on fire. My head hurts so much, my forehead is bleeding. Is this how I got my scar? Everything seems to be in slow motion, I see blinking lights, red and blue. An ambulance? A figure approaches me. A hooded robe, he reaches out to me. I grab his hand.

The memory ends. Are these even memories? I can't remember anything. Nothing feels clearer. I'm just more confused and terrified. I step into the darkness once more.

Voices echo in my ears, my vision is as hazy as my mind. I can't tell if the voices are in my head or somewhere around me. This time it's bright, and I'm lying on something soft. I rub my eyes, my arms aren't shackled. I see someone looking at me. Welcome back Mr. Herrington. You've been in a coma for 3 weeks due to a heart attack. A coma? Your family is here to see you. The voices, were they the people around me? What happened? Why can't I still remember anything? I drift off, I don't feel very well. You might feel a little dizzy, but you're good to go home. We entered my wifes car. It's dark out. I'm glad I'm not dead. My breathing gets heavier. We're driving now. No other cars. Bling. It's a phone. My wife looks at the message she received. I see lights coming at us. I can't say anything. My arms are null. Slow down, stop. Please. It's too late. A bright light, and then, darkness.