still breathing

primo capitolo

It was strange waking up in a metal tube. I was confused how I got there in the first place, I had no recognition of any days before,  and my mind seemed to be thus of a newborn baby's. I was numb and in shock, so in no way was I panicking (which is what any sane person would have done). Instead, I dazedly sat up, and gathered in my surroundings; large cut wires, a bow and quiver full of arrows, and about a meter ahead, an exit. I crawled towards the exit, given that the ceiling was low. The exit must have been burnt shut, because it was nearly impossible to open. After a few minutes of struggling I finally managed to shove open the door. It swung, and I tumbled out onto hard sandy ground. It seemed that this metal tube was in a junkyard in the desert. Before me I could see broken electrical wires leading towards a street.

I began towards the road when I tripped on a small metal hair clip. The crescent moon shape was beautiful, and even though I had this strange understanding that I shouldn't touch it, curiosity got the better of me and I picked it up. The moonlight radiated off the silver clip as the atmosphere abruptly turned eerie, like if all living entities had been wiped off the face of the earth. I quickly pinned it in my hair and started faster towards the road, but as I was 5 meters away the ground rippled and a half a dozen skeleton's with bows materialized around me.

Oh perfect, first I have had to wake up with no reconciliation of anything at all, with nowhere to go and now the undead want my head on a platter? How much weirder could this night get?

Apparently weirder. As soon as that thought entered my mind, the people who control the universe decided to test my livelihood. My gut wrenched and I yelled, my voice echoing out into the distance. A chasm opened up, swallowing each skelton at once.  Once again the night was eerie, the only sound being me gasping for air. I crumbled to the ground, exhausted and scared. Sobs wracked my body as I curled up into the fetal position.

Ten minutes must have passed before I heard a car in the distance. I managed to pull myself up and tread towards the road, waving my arms around like a deranged person. Fortunately enough, the person behind the wheel saw, and slowed as they got closer to me. The man had long hair, down to his shoulders and a peace sign hanging on his rearview mirror. CDs were scattered around the passenger's seat, which he quickly threw in the back. "Going somewhere?"

Now, I believe there is a catchphrase that goes something like "Don't get in a stranger's car." but at this point, I was a scared twelve year old girl stranded in the desert with this man as my only way out. "Um, nowhere in particular sir, I just need to get out of here."

The man nodded as if he understood. "Tell you what kid, I'm driving up to Seattle right now to see a Pearl Jam concert. You can join me if you want, and then call someone there. Is that cool for you?"

I was about to mention that I knew no one to call, but decided that giving out too much personal information could only hurt me. I nodded instead.

"Dope. Hop in."

I pulled myself into the passenger's seat, and buckled my seatbelt. The car smelled a bit earthy, like you had just burnt a tree. I decided against mentioning it.

A few minutes in, the man grabbed one of the CDs from the back and popped it into the car's radio system. A guitar began strumming as the song began. Then a hoarse voice started singing.

Yes I understand
That every life must end
As we sit alone
I know someday we must go
Oh, I'm a lucky man
To count on both hands
The ones I love
Some folks just have one
Yeah, others they got none
Stay with me
Let's just breathe

The man in the car began singing along as he drove. I watched the desert night pass by as I listened to him sing.

Practiced on our sins
Never gonna let me win
Under everything
Just another human being
Yeah, I don't want to hurt
There's so much in this world
To make me bleed
Stay with me
You're all I see