Inkling 2023 - Flipbook - Page 10
What They Won’t
by Isabelle Peverley
My vision was hazy as I lifted my
heavy eyelids, blinking a couple times
to fully cross the line of unconscious
and conscious. I tried to scream, but
my lips wouldn’t move. My throat was
raw and all I could muster was a slight
choke of a word. I tried to move, but my
limbs were paralyzed. Every muscle in
my body felt like they were too heavy
to move. A bright light shined over top
of me like at a dental office. The harsh
light bounced in my vision and blinded
me. It made me want to close my eyes
and curl back into a ball. I heard muffled
voices suddenly over the ringing in my
ears. My senses were starting to come
back to me. I tasted lingering metal on
my tongue and my nose crinkled in
disgust at the overwhelming stench of
bleach.
I…I couldn’t remember who I was. I
reached for memories, anything, but
my mind was a vast empty space of
darkness. A burning sensation started
in my head as I burrowed through the
darkness, and each moment, panic
had its hold tighter and tighter on
me. Finally, bits of a memory came
to me. They were like shards of glass,
cutting through my head and making
me bleed inside. Me, alone in the
INKLING 2023 | 10
forest. Lightning. Man in white coats.
Darkness.
I felt disoriented, pain biting me like
red hot coals underneath my skin. I
could feel the faint thumping of my
pulse under my pale wrist. I found
enough strength to tilt my head to
see around the room. My vision was
still fuzzy, but I could see two people
beside a white curtain about 10 feet
away from me.
The person closer to me was barely
silhouetted, the only attributes I
could see were the dark hair and the
doctor’s coat. The other person was
quite clearer. He had a black cloak
pulled over his head, covering his
head and his whole body. I could see
wisps of smoke trailing around him,
thick as fog, almost coming out of
his cloak. It looked like a Halloween
costume. When he turned, I tried to
get a good look at his face, but all I
could see was gray with ancient,
blazing orange eyes.
“Is she awake?” I saw him gesture
to me and I squeezed my eyes
shut quickly. I tried to regulate my
breathing, but it had quickened into
pants.
