DARKNESS

DARKNESS | Chapter 12

"People like you are the reason people like me need medication."
- Unknown.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Gasping for air as my chest suddenly and painfully constricts, I bolt upright on Kale's bed. I'm able to intake deep lungfuls of oxygen, but for some reason, it's not enough.

Oxygen isn't enough.

A sharp pain infiltrates my body, spreading from my chest down to my toes, and back up again, followed by a wave of numbness.

It's a feeling unlike any I've ever felt before, and one I do not wish to feel again. It's pure pain.

My heart rate suddenly jumps to race a million miles a minute, and a thin layer of sweat coating my forehead.

I try to call out for Kale, but the mattress on the floor he slept on last night has already been packed up.

He's gone.

I'm alone.

As a tear slips from my eye, I find myself curling up on the bed, succumbing to the pain, hoping it will end sometime very soon.

That, or I'm hoping I can regain my ability to breathe properly.

It's funny how things can change so quickly. The difference between living and dying can form in a matter of seconds. A single choice has the potential to change someone's entire life.

One last breath is all it takes before you never take another.

And that's how I feel right now. My chest is closing in on itself, cutting back my oxygen slightly.

I'm going to die.

Each breath I draw is painful, sending a stabbing pain straight to my heart. Every move I make hurts my limbs, injecting large amounts of pain into my slowly failing body. Every thought I conjure in my mind slowly adds to a large migraine.

Suddenly the door bursts open and I cringe, the noise too loud and my small movement too much.

More tears slips down my cheeks.

"Harper," comes a deep voice. "Harper, open your eyes. Look at me."

The velvety voice is soothing, yet not tempting enough. If I open my eyes, I'll have to remember my pain.

I can't move. I don't want to move.

I want this torture to end.

"Harper, it's Kale. Look at me."

My face twists into a grimace as I struggle to remain motionless, eyelids included.

"I want this to end as much as you do. Stop being so stubborn and look at me. I'm here."

Kale places his warm hand on my forearm, causing a jolt of electricity to race through me.

It momentarily rids me of the pain.

And that's when I realise that Kale's touch is the cure.

I open my eyes to look at him, his facial features almost blank, yet letting a hint of the pain he's feeling seep through his charade.

"Is this because of the attachment?" I mumble quietly.

"Yes," he replies, in the same tone, throwing himself over me and onto the bed.

Kale pulls me into him, letting out a small sigh of relief as our skin connects and our heart rates begin to slow.

The pain shooting throughout my body lessens, slowly dwindling down to nothing. The seemingly heavy weight that had been crushing my chest is lifted, allowing my oxygen intake to revert to normal. The pain is gone.