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FYI: The 360 is a collaborative story that is anonymously written throughout the month by various writers in our network. Each writer adds 360 words to the story, then passes it on for another to continue. The results are one-of-a-kind, and often chilling...
Ever felt like you're going to die? I don’t mean being depressed or suicidal. Those are plain feelings. More tangible. Identifiable.
My eyes opened that morning. Light danced on dust circulating in the room to the backdrop of the ceiling. Cobwebs hung there still, suddenly rustling from movements of a trapped black butterfly. The glare from the curtain clearly showed I was late but there was an subtle weight on me. I stayed there, slightly puzzled, but resigned to the feeling that gnawed on me.
Wordlessly, I got up and got ready. Shouldn’t everything be drab and muted in colour? Shouldn’t I be upset or sad? Shouldn’t I be afraid? Maybe I’m going through shock.
A horn blew outside. It was Raymond, a friend of mine I had to help in the mountains today. Sunday. I stepped out, walking towards his truck. The sky was now overcast but somehow brighter. Even then, the brightest light could not hide that darkness that’s present. Is it just me or is it really out there?
I can feel the shadows wisping around me, icily brushing my skin and embracing my body. Smokey fingers slowly blinded me while my mouth opened slightly to compensate for the amount of the inky vapor that has risen into my nose and stopped my breathing.
“Hey. Bevin. You alright?”
I turned to Raymond, now sitting in his truck.
“Yeah.
“I’m fine...”
but was he??