Barracks (War of Hearts)

1- Behind

Behind the veil of damp eyelids, reality can distort. Life may seem devoid of color, while death appears glorious. Happy endings are reserved for fairy tales, and tragedy is the harsh truth of reality.

A raucous noise shatters my trance, and an uncanny sensation sweeps over to my passenger seat. I glance at the rearview mirror to find the cars that were once trailing behind have vanished. I dismiss it at first until another roar disrupts the soft hum of my Beetle.

Grey clouds loom overhead, foretelling a torrential downpour. A hurricane could be brewing, but I wouldn't know. How could I? I'm not one to concern myself with news and weather. I press the accelerator, the needle on the speedometer swiftly veering to the right. I wipe the tears from my eyes and strive to focus on the road. Thunder unnerves me, and when driving, rain becomes my adversary. As predicted, the droplets on my windshield grow larger with each passing second.

As the rain intensifies, my anxiety escalates. In the confined space, claustrophobia presses on my chest. Despite my best efforts to keep my eyes on the road, the storm thwarts me. I ease off the gas pedal and lean closer to the steering wheel for a better view. The encroaching darkness takes me by surprise.  

I squint as I drive past a man walking in the rain. In a world rife with wickedness, I can't bring myself to stop. Instead, I watch him from my side mirror, his face obscured by the heavy rain.

His walk is so mesmerizing that I forget my own sorrows. A part of me tries to convince me to stop. I know him from somewhere, but where? That's strange.

Then, like a bolt of lightning hurled at me by the god of thunder himself, a ball of light streaks across the sky, plummeting directly from the heavens, my way, and into the water. It's so swift that I lose sight of it. I slam on the brakes in an attempt to dodge it, but the road is slick. The height from the cliff vanishes as I lose control of the wheel and my voice.

Contrary to popular belief, dying is nothing like they say. They claim every significant memory flashes before your eyes as your last breath draws near. As the car spins in mid-air and hurtles towards the edge of the cliff, my family is the only thing I can think about. It happens so fast that there isn't enough time to delve into the important things I've done, but instead, the things I haven't. It's as if time has stopped. Pieces of glass float around me, and I'm bewildered by how a beautiful scene akin to the Milky Way could potentially be the instrument of my demise.

It affords me enough time to ponder one crucial thing. I could've at least bid goodbye the proper way. After all, I shouldn't have resented the decision my dad made. He was only trying to protect me. Another uncontrollable scream escapes my lips before the car hits the ground with a solid thud.

It could've been seconds, minutes, or hours when I open my eyes. They feel heavy and wet. I survey my surroundings, and the more I try to think, the more elusive the thoughts become.

I shake my head and open my mouth to stretch my jaw and silence the ringing sound echoing in my ears. The smell of gasoline is so potent that I double over to vomit.

I reach for the seatbelt and unbuckle it without much effort. In one splash, I drop into the streaming water. It's bone-chillingly cold, and my body freezes for a fraction of a second. Water floods the car, rising rapidly every second, threatening to finish the job the broken glass started. In full panic, I search with my hands for an exit, as my eyes are taking longer to adjust. I kick the windshield until it shatters completely.

Behind the veil of my damp eyelids, reality seems to warp. The water isn't as deep as I'd imagined. It cascades in small waterfalls, flanked by pine trees on both sides of the river.

"How far have I fallen?" I ask myself, bewildered by the scene.

Am I dead? Is this a dream? Or is it a second chance at life? I don't think so. I don't deserve it for all I've done. Wait. What have I done?