One Last Sunset

[~Chapter Three~]

There were lights, flashing lights that were blue and red.

Everything was so blurry, and Calvin's ears were ringing so loudly it felt like his eardrums were going to burst. He couldn't hear anything except the ringing. He couldn't even hear himself screaming.

The pain in his head was almost too much to bear, and it was only getting worse. It felt like a mallet was being smashed against his skull, over and over and over. He screamed and screamed, so much so he tasted blood. Suddenly he felt himself being lifted into the air and set down on something leathery and soft. Then he started moving, towards the flashing lights, which he soon realized were coming from an ambulance. He saw the silhouette of Scarlet standing over him, screaming words he couldn't hear.

Calvin was now in the ambulance. The medics inside closed the doors and it sped off, sirens wailing nearly as loud as Calvin's screamed. He felt gloved fingers touching him all over, and a bright light was shined in his eyes. The pain became so agonizing that he almost wanted to die just so it could end.

Suddenly it became too much for him to handle, so he fainted, and the world he knew was eaten by wisps of blackness.

***

Calvin awoke to the sound of thunder and strange high-pitched beeps.

He groaned and sat up and wondered if what had happened was just a dream, but that was a stupid assumption. When he opened his eyes he found himself in a hospital, in one of those uncomfortable beds that felt like plastic. The pain in his head was mostly gone, and the ringing in his ears had stopped.

What the hell happened to me?

After a short while, Calvin's vision fully returned. He looked around for a minute, considering if he should try to get up, but he could barely feel his legs. Then a sudden wave of nausea washed over him. A burning bitterness rose into his throat and he gagged. Frantically, he searched for a trashcan. He found one beside the bed and grabbed it, and vomited.

Once he thought he was done, he set the trashcan down. Right after that, he heard the door open. It was Scarlet, her face pale with exhaustion. But she lit up instantly when she saw Calvin.

"Oh, Calvin!" She was at his side in a millisecond and kissed him. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

Calvin couldn't speak even if he wanted to. His voicebox felt drier than sand. All he could do was wrap Scarlet up in a hug and burrow his face into her neck. He felt himself crying.

Scarlet broke the embrace. "What the hell happened to you?" She demanded, her eyes flooded with concern.

Calvin tried to speak, his jaw bobbed up and down as he tried to form just a single word. It was like he had a stutter.

"H...hea...head-headache," he croaked. "B-b...bad...headache."

"Jesus Christ." She hugged him again, caressing his shoulders with the lovingness of a mother.

"H...how...how long was...I out?"

"Two days," Scarlet said.

Suddenly Calvin's throat felt super dry, and the taste of vomit lingered on his tongue. "W...wa...wat...water." His voice was almost inaudible.

Scarlet looked confused for a minute, then she cringed because she smelled something foul. She glanced down at the trashcan and looked away quickly when she was what was inside. She nodded and got Calvin a small paper cup of water. He drank four of them.

"Better?" Scarlet asked.

Calvin nodded. "Yeah." His voice wasn't as much of a croak now.

A loving smile grew on Scarlet's beautiful face.