Storytime

Chapter 5~ Excrutiating Pain

Collapsing, retching, coughing, groaning. Something snaps inside of me and suddenly I am transformed into this weak, useless girl. Nausea sweeps over me and my heart pounds yet again. Groaning continues to emerge out of my mouth as I try to figure out what's wrong with me. My insides twist and contort and my body refuses to hold up. Stomach seizing up, I fall onto my back, squirming and retching for no apparent reason. Bile drips from my lips and yet again I find myself groaning. Unsurprisingly, my vision starts to blur for the second time today. Images of Josie flash through my head, causing it to throb. A searing pain, like a lightning bolt through my head, emerges, making it impossible to move. Ears ringing, I begin an attempt to sit up. At first, unsuccessfully but then, somehow, I build the strength to pull myself up. But, to no avail. The throbbing in my head only worsens and the sickness in my stomach grows to an unsustainable rate. I'm sure that if this carries on any longer, I will pass out.
"Mum..." From the depths of my throat comes that one word.
"Mum..." Painfully, I crawl towards my bedroom. Before I even reach the foot of the door, my ears ring and the strength is knocked out of me. I use the last bit of force I have to push myself down the stairs, only making the pain more excruciating. I sit on the bottom step, fighting hard to sustain an upright position. Hands trembling, I take my phone out of my pocket and shakily dial my friends number.
"Hello? Illeya? Are you alright?" The bile and saliva content in my mouth makes it almost impossible to say a word but as my mouth opens, words tumble out.
"Come, quick. Please. Something's happening I can't..." My words trail off as the burning in my head flares for a moment.
"Illeya? Illeya? Alright I'm coming! Just hold on!" My fingers shake too badly to end the call and as I groan again, the fight for correct posture ends and I collapse forward, losing the war. My stomach churns, causing more and more gagging and retching to erupt out of my mouth. Large quantities of a mix of bile and saliva drip out of my mouth onto the rug below my head. As I close my eyes in a hopeful attempt to block out the pain, a burst of pain erupts in the lower parts of my body. The endless stinging and burning feels like the poison from all the snakes and scorpions in the world is coursing through my veins. When will the pain end? When-
An impossibly deadly pain targets the left side of my chest, like my heart was being wrenched out, painful as a bullet to the brain, quite ironic come the circumstances. As if in a dream, the front door bursts open, blinding me with a sudden burst of bright light.
"Illeya!" She yells.
"Stay... Back!"
"What? But Illeya!"
"You don't want... To get covered in... Sick I imagine." I manage a slight laugh.
"I'll call an ambulance."
"It's... No... Use." The groaning gets louder as the heart wrenching throbbing grows stronger.
"They... Can't... Help..." I retch again, dribbling another load of bile on the carpet.
"You need help!"
"There... Is... No... One." I strain, growing sicker and sweatier.
"What do I do?"
"Get.. Josie. Tell... Her... Sorry and... I need... Her. Mmm..." I squeal in a high pitched voice, fending off a scream. Without hesitation, she runs out of the house, slamming the front door. I laugh, ending it off in a gurgle. "Uh..." I groan, lying my head on the odourous, wet rug. The pulling in the rim of my chest feels as if someone is playing tug and war inside, and I'm the rope.
"Mm..." I whimper, holding back tears.
"I... I got Josie." I hear a wheelchair roll in. No guesses as to who's inside.
"A... A wheelchair?"
"Doctors say I'm not stable enough to walk yet. But by the looks of things, your condition is much worse than mine."
"Mmhm." Is all I could get out. My retching continues and little specks of blood find their way into the rug.
"Ambulance, now!"
"No! No... Use. Impossible." I whimper again.
"What do we do then?"
"Just... Stay. Although I... Recommend you... Don't watch." They both laugh and turn away.

Finally, after an hour of torture, the contents of my stomach appear in front of me. To be honest, it's a relief, apart from the fact it caused lots of coughing. My mum seems oblivious to the outside world. You'd think she would've noticed by now. As I drift out, I hear the sound of a car door slamming outside. I sigh and let my eyes close for what seems like it may be the final time...