The End

When I woke my vision was blurred and indistinct. Maybe it was the blow to the head or it could have been all the tears in my eyes that were clouding my vision. The only thing I could make out was the faint glow of the lonely swinging bulb that hung from the ceiling. Something or someone had forced me out of the infirmary door and tossed me into the hallway like a rag doll. I could barely move let alone breathe. I was paralyzed, helpless. I wished I could slip away into unconsciousness there and then but my agony was keeping me in the moment. Throughout all my pain all I could think was why. Why was this happening to me?

My hand instinctively went to my waist. Looking down that whole area of my body was soaked in blood and was covered in gaping puncture wounds caused by the large panes of glass that now littered the dingy hallway. I was almost certain that my fate was sealed; my current situation was dire.

I could feel myself becoming weaker, due to the massive blood pool that had now formed around my limp body, my mind started to recall the recent events that had just unfolded. I was in the infirmary when everything happened. Chaos. One minute everyone was there going about their business, the next... Gone.

That's when I felt something yank my hair from behind, I tried to scream but the only sound I managed to make was a pathetic whimper. I couldn't think about who would do this or what, I had to focus all my efforts on struggling to free myself. Unfortunately the entity that was dragging me towards the door, completely over powered the small amount of strength that I could muster. That's how I ended up here, lying on the broken floorboards that felt like they were going to collapse under me.

There was only, a deep and all-encompassing, silence that hung in the air like a thick fog. Despite all my begging and pleading I knew there would be no positive outcome to this situation. This was reality and I had no choice but to accept that fact, no matter how much I wished it weren't true.

I think the hardest part of dying isn't having to say goodbye to life and to those who you hold dear, but rather delving deep into the unknown, desperately trying to delay the inevitable. Trying to let go and as I waited for the end to come I faced the harsh reality that there would be no next chapter in my story; my life was over before it even began:

In loving memory of

Valerie Odell

Age 23

You shall be missed dearly

I guess it's true what they say about silence, it screams the truth, and my truth was that if someone had ever said to me this would be how my life would end, I'm not sure if I would've believed them.