For Me,There Is Only You |18+|

24. Balance Of Nature

I lay awake, engulfed in the suffocating embrace of darkness that lingered long after the world had fallen asleep.

My mind was a battlefield, a chaotic maelstrom of memories, regrets, and fears that refused to be silenced.

The dreams that haunted me were not of restful reprieve but of twisted nightmares, each more vivid and harrowing than the last.

And I lay awakened gasping for air, my body drenched in cold sweat, my mind reeling from the onslaught.

The past few days had been a relentless barrage, leaving me battered and weary, unable to find solace even in the sanctuary of sleep

With a heavy sigh, I glanced at the clock, its luminous digits casting an eerie glow in the dimness of the room. It was four in the morning.

Another day of relentless insomnia had passed, of tossing and turning in the suffocating grip of my own mind.

The weight of the past few days had borne down on me, pressing against my chest like a leaden blanket.

Gathering what remained of my shattered resolve, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and rose unsteadily to my feet.

Each step was a struggle, every movement an act of defiance against the invisible chains that bound me.

But still, I pressed on, even when my muscles protested every movement, as if they too were weighed down by the burden of my despair.

The events of the past few days replayed in my mind like a broken record, his touch, his words, each moment etched with pain.

Walking into the bathroom, I stood in front of the mirror, my reflection a hollow-eyed stranger staring back at me.

How had I let it come to this?

How had I allowed myself to be consumed by this suffocating darkness?

With a heavy sigh, I forced myself to get dressed, the simple act feeling like an enormous task.

The darkness outside felt oppressive, closing in on me from all sides as I made my way downstairs.

True to his word, I found Ezra downstairs, sitting on the leather sofa in the living room, with a book in his hand.

As I reached the bottom step, he looked up at me with a smile, as if he had been expecting me. "Hey,"

"Finally, you decided to show up," he said softly, his voice a comforting presence in the heavy silence. "Are you ready?"

I nodded, unable to articulate the whirlwind of emotions stirring inside me.

I followed him outside into the cool morning air, noticing the tattoos covering both his arms and left leg beneath his dark grey t-shirt and long shorts.

The sky remained a deep shade of indigo, with the first hints of dawn just starting to streak across the horizon.

Ezra began leading me somewhere, but I didn't ask where we were going and followed him silently.

After walking around for twenty minutes in silence in the forest, Ezra finally glanced over his shoulder.

"How's your stamina?" he asked.

I frowned at his question, a bad feeling creeping over me.

A mountain loomed before me, its jagged peaks disappearing into the misty veil that hung heavy in the morning air.

Was he going to ask me to climb this mountain? I stared at the imposing peak ahead of me in horror.

"Just top-notch. I do marathon sprints in my sleep," I replied. If running away from reality in my sleep counted, that is.