[12] Firewall

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My eyelids felt as if they were carrying tons of lead

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My eyelids felt as if they were carrying tons of lead. A faint glow filtered through my closed lids and I felt my consciousness working its way out of the depths of darkness. The space around me was diffuse, unfocused, as if viewed through a veil. My heart raced wildly in my chest as I became aware of the strange noises that had nothing in common with my apartment, but reminded me strongly of a hospital - the monotonous beeping of a monitor, the buzzing of electronic equipment. I wanted to open my eyes, but fear held me back.

The idea of being in a room full of people made my insides tremble.

I opened my eyelids with difficulty and was greeted by a dazzling light, and I squinted to soften the sudden burst of brightness. Little by little, my eyes adjusted and the sterile atmosphere of a hospital room was revealed to me in blurred outlines.

I couldn't remember how or who had brought me here. All I could remember was that I was in this strange, lethargic state after not eating or drinking for days. After my panic attack, I just lay in my bed and waited for death, which eventually came in the form of my sister. Her face looked eaten away, her movements erratic and she tugged and pulled at me with these groaning noises. She had turned into a zombie too, so surely I was dead.

Or was I?

Then why did my surroundings look like a hospital?

And why did I still have this horrible racing heart in my chest from my agoraphobia?

I could feel the omnipresent fear spreading through me.

People - they looked like walking shadows, living corpses, the sight of which quickened my pulse. The thought of being trapped in this environment choked my throat.

"Beomgyu, you're awake."

My sister's soft voice penetrated the fog of my thoughts. Her face was blurred, but I recognized her outline. She stood at the edge of my field of vision, her eyes filled with worry. Panic flooded through me. I tried to pull myself together, but my muscles barely obeyed me. My sister stepped closer, her hand gently touched my shoulder and a shiver ran down my spine. The touch felt foreign, which made me panic even more. This feeling of a delicate, feminine hand resting on my body.

✔ 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈, 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠Where stories live. Discover now