Phasing in and out of reality, my eyes flashed unfamiliar memories of people through my mind; seeking each and every warmth of comfort it could muster before unconsciousness, and yet I still found no reason to find a happy memory.

With realizing the value of my life–its worth of forgettable memories gained me a loathsomely thought, all of my regrets, all of my unknown suffering–locked within forgotten shells that has the impossibility to be discovered. 

LINDEN: (Ah…I’m going to die..)

For what I was regretful for, I cannot remember; it was only then for a brief moment that I came back into reality.

Glancing at Alaine, the gesture of reaching out her hand looked convoluted with her distressed face of anguish.

Feeling the drips of saddened rain

Its telling of companionship deepened my sombering face which grew empty upon quick succession as I finally fell back into flashes of the uncanny warmth.

Seeing the figure of my mother–her face; blanked.

LINDEN: (I’m sorry mother..)

Seeing the figure of my father–his face; unread.

LINDEN: (...Father..)

Seeing the clear figure of Natalie–her face, to me; welcoming.

LINDEN: (And…who..are you..?)

The blood from my mouth ruptures out as it overflows from the metallic debris lodged from within my lung, making me choke on my own blood and spit as it slithers out each orifice of my face.

And yet, with each breath I took, I ignored all of my discomforting pain, my unease was still on the girl who just warmly smiled at me–as if she were a fiendish angel.

Running out of time to come to grasp the ends of an understanding shiver–the ground finally showed its forward brute by battering the canvas of my back.

Rolling down its misshapen slope, the gaining of fractures and twists along with each pummel made each of my bones break all the while battering my flesh. After its fiesta of joy mending my body to its content–I finally came to a stoppage. 

Laying on my back my eyes stared straight up at the muckful clouds blurring and captivating its doubled nature toxicity.

Find a desperate breath; I exhaled what I found to be my final words.

LINDEN: I’m…s..orry…

Darkness finally fades into my senses as the world becomes dull.

The sounds of my heart no longer in-tuned with the earth's storm as the feeling of null closes in my spectral view.

My senses of taste and smell all numb as the sounds of the silent winds shut my hearing.

Darkness–its peril knows no bounds as my consciousness becomes one with its being again, it's been like this for..

Probably for as long as existence wishes to exist.

And with each new birth of life–it itself carries an implanted core of dark within its being. Upon their end, the cycle will inevitably continue until the decimation of all things.

Goom!

A sudden shift out from the darkness comes with a thump.

Goom!

 A rumble.

Boom!

A roaring muffle.

The quivering dark shook as waves of its body wobbled like a gel that'd been impacted by a throwing stone. An undetectable flipping of time and space–the light punctured its sense of and it was then I remembered who I was.

I panned around in the void of a gradient white and black for some time.

It wasn’t until I regained my sense of wholeness, the noticing feeling of no physicality nor weight.

Eventually willing it within my mind–as it was the only reality I knew.

This in turn–gives me an invisible weight along with an invisible ground for me to stand. Of my conscious memorizing, my instability to remember each experience of the ever-after, I found it hard to see the flashes of trying to capture each moment as the light at the end of the tunnel shined ever so bright–although never burning my new sense of a vision.

Instead–its harmony has given me warmth; a familial warmth.

At the same rate of my discovery–it was then I remembered every aspect of my person, from dislikes to likes, niches to hobbies and innocence to crimes. 

I’ve uninvitedly embraced my being contradictory to me willingly, and purposely trying to forget every aspect of myself from what I could remember; leaving only a guilted husk which never knew of what crime he was to be guilty of. 

Ironicism at its finest. 

Although with all of my unwitting knowledge unlocking every sense of sin, my habit of paying attention elsewhere becomes the norm. 

Standing in the light were the figures of my parents–giving me smiles and welcoming me with unreadable yet embracing eyes.

I was too far away to understand their expressions, I needed to get closer; to greet them, to apologize to them.

And to embrace them in my arms.

I needed to quench this sore that had taken me one last time; at the end of my existence.

Reaching out my hand–it's tinted blue astral dissonance called for my parents.

Tup, Tup, Tup.

The sounds of footsteps suddenly appeared; uncaring I was for not even thinking about it.

Tup, Tup, Tup.

Its sound falls fast–its beat, slow.

Tup, Tup, Tup.

I didn’t notice another presence until the face of my parents stinged at the sight of the one walking. It smiled with intention; letting them all know I was now part of its sadistic existence.

Disgusting strands of negative cosmos quickly gripped on every part of me, holding me from moving forward and back. I struggled as best I could–struggled to try and reach my parents. Struggle to deny their expressions of hesitation and complication. 

Putting a hand to my mothers shoulder, my father simply shook his head with a begrudging disapproval before the both looked back at me with disheartened frowns. I too, took upon a frowning face of uncertainty afore the cosmos twistedly ripped me apart into its domain.

With now a new darkness blocking my sense of light–my eyes of the dead become souless as the color of its shine fade into null.

VOICE: Well ain’t that sad?

I fastenley turned around to see another..

Me.

But it was shifted–the placement for where my eyes should be were replaced with a bright yet chaotic glow.

My being looked twisted, a figment of who I would become–given a more..heinous life. It tinged a disgusting color–similar to a rotting purple.

LINDEN: W-Who-

ME(??):Am I?

Cutting my question, I was unable to ask before ‘it’ asked for me.

ME(??): Guess you can call me–God.

ME(??): Since I saved your life and all.

Shrugging its shoulders in a casual manner–its attitude for taking me away from my parents seemed unsympathetic along with the behavior of sociopathic teasing.

Looking around the void–I soon spoke again.

LINDEN: Well..where are we anyway?

It then looked around and said.

ME(??): Honestly, I’m not too sure.

ME(??): Usually the human consciousness would have something related to an earth biome and what-not.

With an understanding of unawareness; I lowered my guard enough to figure out where we were–but as soon as I did, the other ‘me’ decided to say something I was unwilling to answer.

ME(??): My, my–maybe this IS a world we’re in..!

ME(??): Interesting–how very interesting…

I stared at it with puzzlement as it started smirking with a sinister smile, with my face. Pulling each face muscle into a disgusting grin.

ME(??): This might be the worst one yet!

ME(??): I might like my new home!

With the mixture of confusion and fear–my legs moved on their own.

I ran, ran away from it–ran away from this being called–insanity.

Without sprinting even a meter away–I was in front of myself once more.

ME(??): How about a deal?

It’s smug face appeared in front of me as if I haven’t even moved an inch to where I was.

ME(??): Why don’t you rest a bit while I take over, hm?

Standing in shock, the control over my body won’t function to my commands.

ME(??): Don’t worry, this won’t hurt–well at least not too much.

Closing a finger towards my vision I am unable to resist as darkness once again surrounds my entire–disconnecting me from the unconscious before transporting me towards my reality.

Flinching the lids of my eyes open, the ceiling of hardened concrete sand reminds me of the strange dream–but before I get to comprehend its familiarity, the sound of snuffling and sniffing to my side catches my attention. 

I turned my head to the sound of weeping to spot a distraught Alaine–curled up in a ball. Eventually she looked up with teary eyes and the shape of her eyebrows furrowed as if they were going to wail a million.

With the silent stare between the two of us, she finally comprehended that I wasn’t a dream. Her eyes widened with astonishment as the drop of her jaw mumbled some words.

ALAINE: D-Dax..

Sitting in a corner with his head down, Dax paid no attention–in his own inner thoughts

ALAINE: DAX!

Finally lifting his head up–his face looked with a stinge of caution.

ALAINE: H-He’s..

But before even saying anything–Alaine’s teary eyes burst into falls of pouring rain. She graspingley hugged me as if to make sure it wasn’t a fluke that I arose from the dead. Her embrace was full of relief and guilt.

I had no power but to accept her gripping hug.

Snot and all.

Dax patted her back and comforted her.

With his expressions–he seems to be holding back a say–letting Alaine’s grief breath new air. 

Finally letting go of me–Dax and Alaine sat next to each other, opposite to where I rested.

With some of his big brother instincts showing–he wiped some tears from Alaine’s face.

DAX: So..Linden..

He awkwardly asked.

DAX: What..can you remember before you passed out?

I reframed a little before putting a hand to my chin to try and remember anything before falling into unconsciousness. Though all I could remember was the amount of pain and the sense of death.

LINDEN: I remember…

LINDEN: Falling off a cliff and then..

LINDEN: Nothing much after that..

Still sniffling–the gloss of Alaine’s eyes became flushed.

Turning to her–Dax said.

DAX: You..want to let it all out?

She lowered her head and stuttered her lips.

ALAINE: I-It..was all my fault, I couldn’t protect..Linden..

Sobbing again, she wipes her tears away to try and compose her emotions. With another comforting pat, Dax looked at me with an unread emotion.

DAX: Maybe we should take a break for the day, why don’t I fill you in later.

With whatever sunlight burning into an unforgivable black, the sharpening of my senses kept me from my slumber.

Their clearance has become rather annoyingly adharrent.

Though difficult to explain–if anything, it feels as if all my five senses were replaced with newer and even better pieces. Though they can also be disrupted by the disturbance of grinding and gnashing of Daxs’ teeth, alongside the slumbering noises Alaine's somber snores.

At this point, sleep will never accept my invitation to become comfortable as long as these two machines are still willing to operate. Sitting up–I eventually got up to my feet.

Walking around the room–I observed my surroundings before coming across a small opening close to the top of the lowered ceiling. I stared out looking at the mucked sky.

There, I felt a sense of emptiness. Not sure why as to though.

Sitting down–my thoughts began to run through my mind, clouding the reality of my vision which deluded me into thinking about..

Something..

Though as quickly as it came, my library of thoughts concluded as soon as her voice echoed within the confines of my mind.

VOICE(?):Whatcha’ thinkin about?

The moment of shock reverberated in my widened eyes.

Just as quickly–the turning of my head was a surprise of my own will.

Sitting next to me was..

No one.

My sense of reality has been compromised; knowing who or what I am isn’t the main issue anymore–it's now the delusions that will follow me forever until the end of my days.

Curling my arms and legs into a ball–I looked around with a discern expression.

Shutting my eyes tight–I pray that the voice of reason goes and finds another master.