Iris

01 | darkness

      I gasped for what felt like the millionth time, attempting to fill my lungs with the air they had been pleading for and attempting to settle down the fire that had been burning my chest over the past hour.

Dazzling lights made the white ceiling above me a lot brighter than it originally was. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them repeatedly in my failed attempts to stop my surroundings from spinning around me.

Faint whispers or perhaps yells disrupted the annoying sound that had been ringing in my ears for what seemed like an eternity.

"Stay with me, hun." I heard an unfamiliar voice say in the distance.

I painfully twisted my neck, attempting to find the source of the voice but ended up erupting into hectic, painful coughs. Moreover, it felt like I was tethered to the place my body was resting on. Tears welled up in my eyes at the metallic taste that had filled my mouth and at the helplessness that had taken all over my limbs.

A stinging pain shot from my abdomen to every other part of my body, causing a hoarse sob to escape my lips and causing my chest to tighten more.

Too much pain. Too much.

It felt as if sharp daggers were being pierced into my skin, causing burning blood to seep out of my open wounds and burn my skin.

"You'll be fine, hun. Countdown to ten," repeated the voice. It sounded too faint and low. Furthermore, my mind couldn't quite process what was happening. Was this another nightmare?

Something was placed on my mouth and nose. My breaths slowed down and heaviness overtook my limbs. Everything around me started fading into nothingness as my eyelids started to close.

A cloud of darkness surrounded me. A peaceful one that I wished I could spend the rest of my life within. A peaceful one that made all my pain and worries fade away. And a peaceful one that was way better than the cruel world.

- - -

Every beautiful thing eventually comes to an end. All the peace you wish to spend the rest of your life surrounded with starts to fade away once the cruel world decides that you no longer deserve it.

My ears registered a beeping sound. One that became louder and clearer the more I felt the darkness fade away. I didn't want to leave that darkness. It was a friend I made years ago. A friend that my heart yearned going back to.

Nevertheless, I knew that it'd eventually come to an end. And that I'd have to go back to the cruel world.

My eyelids felt heavy, just like every other part of my body did. My eyes scanned my surroundings, attempting to discover where I was.

I blinked a few times, trying to block out the bright lights that had lit up each and every corner of the dimmed room before turning to my left. Different equipment surrounded me.