Page 77 of Alpha & Omega

Something else?

Fuck, whatelsecould he have suffered?

I braced for impact.

I’mtrappedinsideabox. I can’t get out. It’s so small, and I’m suffocating. My fists pound on the metal, calling for help, but no sound comes out. The darkness is all-consuming, like it’s a living thing, swallowing me up.

“Help me. Help me. Please,” I cry out.

I’m trying not to panic, so I can think clearly, and find a way out, but there is nothing—no sound, light, or anything. I’m deprived of all senses except the pain in my head and leg. It’s excruciating.

Suddenly, there’s a loud banging, like someone is taking a sledgehammer to my metal box. The vibration isjarring.

The scene clears as if my eyes have just opened, and I’m face-to-face with a monster. It’s as black as night, with gleaming teeth and salivating. Its eyes are literal flames. The thing is huge, hovering over me. The beast raises its massive hammer over its head. I cry out before it slams down on my body.

The scene suddenly shifts. I’m gasping for breath, shocked to find I’m still alive.

Voices. Doctors. Nurses. Talking about me. Flashing lights. Poking me. Sticking me with needles. I can’t move. I’m trying to talk to them, but I can’t. I need to warn them about the monster. Everything moves together, garbled… light, sound, pain. I’m struggling to make sense of it all.

I feel like I’m being yanked into another world…

“Make sure he can see you when his eyes open,”said someone. It was a woman’s voice. She sounded kind.

My mind felt like I was walking through a thick fog. I heard things, but they were fuzzy, echoey, and disorienting. I didn’t know where I was or what was going on. The last thing I remembered was driving to Tony’s apartment.

I felt numb all over, yet achy and… heavy.

My eyes blinked open. Everything was blurry and the dim light was blinding. I saw figures… heads hovering over me, but I couldn’t make out any faces. But as the fog lifted in my head, so did my vision, and it started to clear. Soon, eyes, noses, and mouths appeared, and I could see color.

“There he is. I’m Dr. Torens, your orthopedic surgeon. Can you tell me your name?”

Doctor what? “King…ston.”

“What’s your birth date?”

“October… twelfth… nine… nineteen ninety… five.”

“Good. And what year is it?”

“Twenty-twenty-five…”

“Do you know where you are?”

“Uhm… hospital, I think.”

“Excellent. Are you currently feeling any pain at the moment?”

“A little… weirdness in my left leg. My body aches.

“Can you describe the pain in your leg?”

“Tingly… burning a little. My head hurts, too.”

“On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate your pain?”

My eyes rolled into my head, still trying to focus and wake up. “Uhm… six?”

The doctor grabbed my hand. “Can you feel this?”

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