~DEREK K.~
Lying under a tree in the middle of a clearing is where Derek awoke. He had no idea where he was, this place didn’t seem at all familiar to the boy. He groaned as he sat up, thinking maybe this was some strangely painted room in the hospital. Unfortunately, he could see that this was not the case. Derek was aware of a diminishing pain that was by his lungs. He took a breath and realized how strange that seemed. He didn’t need to breathe. Suddenly Derek was afraid, was this what it was like to be dead? The place where people would talk about? Was this the heaven he’d never believed in? Was this the wrong kind of hell? It occurred to him that if it was heaven then he’d have someone he loved with him, he’d have wings. But there were no wings on his back, no halo on his head. Where am I?
This place, it was strange. It seemed like a single tree in a giant meadow that didn’t seem to end and ended all the same. All the colors were off, this kind of thing would normally give him a headache, but he felt none. In fact, he felt no pain at all. He didn’t really feel anything, it was like every part of him went numb. He was aware it was there, but couldn’t feel it as though it where his own. He could feel the grass, the root of the tree overhead but he couldn’t feel himself touching these things though he knew that he was. Shock? Maybe. Or maybe I’m just a dead man, and this is what it’s like. For some reason this thought continued to penetrate him.
He could hear what sounded like the distant screams of his friends, calling his name, but at the same time it seemed silent. Suddenly it hit him as though he had been run over by a freight train. He could remember the cave, it was like time lapse photography with bits and pieces missing. A crumbling cave roof and a distinct scream. Flash. Suddenly Danny was in his arms and he was running just ahead of a roaring mass of rock. Flash. He was pushing Danny out of the cave when a sudden pain occurred at the back of his head. Flash. He couldn’t breathe, nothing but dust filled his lungs which were being compressed as it was. This time the “dream” didn’t flash. The part he wanted most not to see was reeling in front of him like a horror movie that never stopped, never turned off. His lungs felt like they were on fire, he couldn’t get a breath as much as he gasped to get one. He attempted a scream, but it seemed only to be echoing back to him. Suddenly there was nothing.
Derek opened his eyes with a gasp; he was still under that tree. He had died, there was no pretending he hadn’t, it was too obvious. That wasn’t a dream, it was a memory. A memory that wasn’t too far off. Panic filled him, he was dead. No coming back for Derek, he was trapped in this place, wherever this place was. He felt other presence, but at the same time saw nothing. It was like he was suffocating all over again, he couldn’t breathe though he didn’t have to. He was terrified of the feeling of never feeling.
((My apologies that it took me so long before I posted. I wasn't sure what to write, even this seems a little strange. xD))
