I open my eyes to a hazy darkness surrounding me. Blinking slowly several times, my half-opened eyes won’t focus to give me any clear indication of what’s around me and where the blurry, flashing lights above are coming from. My body feels heavy. Still unable to see clearly, I know that I’m laying down somewhere. A cool dampness near my left cheek reveals itself as a slight gust of air brushes past my face. Sliding my right arm up the side of my body like a snake, my fingers creep to my lips. Drool — or, at least I hope so.
Two large and oddly shaped figures materialize in front of me. They are so close, only a foot or two away. Voices suddenly emanate from the now more defined silhouettes. Their speech sounds muffled and trails off into the distance even as I try to concentrate on their words. Who are they? What are they saying? Why can’t I understand them? One of the voices almost sounds feminine.
Another indistinguishable sound gradually becomes more apparent as it grows louder and the ringing in my ears subsides. It’s the engine of a car. My brain finally starts to put the fuzzy pieces of evidence together. I must have fallen asleep in the back seat. A familiar smell creeps into my nose that reassures me — my mother’s perfume.
My throat squeezes out in a raw, breathy, hoarse tone, “Mom?”
“We’re almost home, dear,” her voice replies in a low, sluggish tone.
A sudden rush of nervousness enters my belly. The car feels as if it’s flying down the road like a rocket ship as the speed of the flashing lights zooming above my head all blur into one.
“Mom!” I shout, but not a single sound escapes. Confused, I try again. “Mom!”
She doesn’t hear me. I don’t hear me.
A single, bright white light races towards us, growing larger by the second. My mother turns her head towards me, smiling. Why doesn’t she hear me? How does she not see the light?
Again, with all my might, I shout, “Mom!” My voice trails in my head like a deafening siren, stabbing my ears like a knife.
Time stops at this very moment. I can see everything with complete clarity as I stare in horror into my mother’s eyes—no, Joe’s eyes. I can’t move. My mouth is left open, screaming without a sound. I can’t hear anything besides a piercing ring that echoes in my brain.
My body lurches back as I scramble to grab anything.
“Wake up, Emma!” the voice beckons.
Ignoring the command, my nails drag over the flesh of my mother’s body, reaching to yank the bloody, metal object from her stomach. Black liquid oozes from her mouth as her eyes appear lifeless.
“Mom!” I finally hear the sound of my own voice as I claw at the protrusion in her abdomen. Tears run down my face, blocking my vision as I jerk at the metal object to remove it from her cold, stiff body. “Mom…I can’t get it out.”
I’m thrown back when the voice echoes, “Emma, wake up!”
With my mother’s body no longer within reach, I scramble to get a hold of one of her legs. Using all of my strength, I pull myself over and grab onto the metal.
“I need to get it out,” I cry as I’m snatched away again. “I need to—”
“Wake up, Emma!” the voice orders.
My eyes fling open as I scream out in horror. Disoriented, my body shakes as tears stream down my face. “I need to get it out!”
“It’s okay,” a voices cracks.
I feel a tender, warmth drape itself around my shoulders.
“I need to get it out!” I sob. “I need to get it out! I need to get it out!”
“I’ll be right back,” the voice instructs.
“I need to get it out!” I repeat, trembling as all I can see is the image of my mother’s lifeless body and the blood that is everywhere — it’s all over my hands. I sit rocking with my legs curled into my chest and my hands out-stretched, not wanting to get any more blood on me. “I need to get it out,” I mumble to myself. “There’s so much blood. I need to get it out.”
“I’ve got you, Kitten,” a different voice claims as something wraps around my body. “I’ve got you. It’s okay.”
“I’ve got to get it out. There’s so much blood.” I inform it. “I’ve got to—”
“I know you do. But, you can’t. It’s not real. Remember?” the voice reminds me gently. “Come back to me, please.”
“It is real. Don’t you see the blood? Look,” I attest.
“No, Kitten. It’s not real,” the voice declares while gripping my face. “Look at me, Emma. Come back to me. Come back to what is real.”
I pinch my eyes shut, focusing on his words.
“It’s not real?” I ask, not believing him.
“No, Kitten. It’s not real. Open your eyes and see. Come back to me.”
Choking in breaths, my eyes open as I exhale to find Jared’s face a few inches from mine. I reach to wipe the single tear that has escaped his right eye.
“There you are,” he says.
Relief consumes me as I bury my face into his chest and cling to his body with all of my strength.
“I’ve got you, Kitten. It’s okay.”
I overhear some commotion in the room but deliberately choose to ignore it. I don’t care at this point. I’ve got Jared and I know I’m safe.
His chest reverberates as he pets my head and reminds me, “I’m here, Kitten.”
I drift back to sleep as hushed voices dance in the room.