No Turning Back

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Clairvoyance

Primis' mind began to awaken as the recollection of his past played out its final scenes. The memory of him watching the family house disappear from the rear window of the car began to slowly dissolve leaving only blackness. He began to become aware of his surroundings as his ears picked up the familiar howling wind that plagued the cosmodrome. Primis' body began to feel heavy and controllable again as he continued to float in the blackness of his mind.

His consciousness finally returned to him before he remembered where he was and suddenly sat up with a start. His breaths were ragged and a bead of swear trailed down his right temple. After a few minutes, Primis regained composure as his mind differentiated between his dream and reality.

He looked to his left as he instinctively turned to check on Kiana. She lay beside him tossing and turning as her face crumpled into a look of frustration whilst her eyes moved rapidly beneath their lids. Primis felt a strange feeling overcome him as if something was telling him not to intervene. Somehow, Kiana's discomfort seemed to be a necessary part of her dream. But, he still both wondered and worried about just what was causing such a reaction. He wished he could be there inside her mind - supporting her.

Kiana's dream began as a turbulent sea of mixed emotions and incoherent thoughts. But slowly, these images and feelings soon turned more sinister. The images slowly came into focus as they worked together to form a scene. The sea then suddenly calmed leaving Kiana laying on her back and looking up at the ceiling of a dimly lit room. This was a place she had never been in nor seen before.

As Kiana looked up in a panic; she eyed the decrepit ceiling tiles which were covered with mould and rot. She then realised she was laying on an extremely cold surface as it seeped through her clothing and into her body. The bodily sensation felt strangely numbed and dull - as if she was both in control of her body yet also spectating. Kiana moved her left hand confirming that the surface she lay on was indeed something metallic - yet there seemed to be an edge that lead to a drop.

She froze as she tried to assess the situation and understand her position in the room. Gingerly, she sat up whilst keeping her muscles taught with tension and suspense. As her head rose; she began to get a clearer view of the room. Her eyes slowly fell from the ceiling as they eagerly scanned the room. They hovered past the blackened ceiling cornice and down to the wall in front of her; which was just as dilapidated and shrouded in mould and rot.

Kiana looked down to her right as she quickly realised she was laying on top of a metal trolley - the kind they used in mortuaries. She felt her heart swell with fear as she hastily looked around the rest of the room to try and gain more information as to her whereabouts. Amongst the darkness she could faintly make out a desk, a chair and various papers strewn around the room. The floor was cluttered with debris and pools of water stagnantly lay scattered about.

Kiana slowly swung around her legs and got up off the trolley. She felt the almost vivid feeling of her shoes becoming drenched as she appeared to inadvertently step into one of the pools of water. But there was something off about the feeling. Just like the cold trolley; the bodily sensations she was experiencing seemed dulled or muted. Kiana could barely feel her limbs as they seemed lighter than normal. She tried to move her arms around but the movement felt slowed and cumbersome.

"This feels like a dream", she mumbled quizzically to herself.

"But, I'm consciously aware... this is some kind of lucid dream", she continued as she felt a strange familiarity about the experience.

"Oh no..." She sighed as she then realised when she had last felt like this.

"Samantha...?" She concluded with a tangible grumble.