Between Two Minds

Preface

I step out of the house into the chilly weather, the cold breeze cutting through my skin as tears stream down my face. Without looking backward, I get into my car and start the engine. Before I can hear his voice calling my name, I drive. I don't know where I want to go or what my destination is, but all I know is that I need to get away from this situation, this house, this city. I drive mindlessly, wherever the road takes me.

As the miles blur together, I remember seeing the exit sign for Chicago and the entry sign for the state of Indiana, but it doesn't matter; I keep driving. My hands shake as I reach for tissues to wipe some of the tears and snot from my face. It takes me a matter of seconds before a bright light flashes in front of my eyes. I freeze, not knowing what to do. I completely give up, wishing that this isn't how it ends. I want a good life. I had it all planned out. Everything was perfect, until it wasn't.

I take a final breath before I close my eyes, and events take their course.

The world feels like it's spinning around me, and my head throbs with increasing intensity, becoming unbearable to the point where I think death would be preferable, a twisted notion born out of the excruciating pain that consumes me. It's as if I'm sliding through a dark, narrow tunnel, occasionally blinded by a bright light that triggers waves of nausea. I end up vomiting again and again, each time propelling me further into the depths of this abyss.

Amidst all of this, I detect faint murmurs and the distant echoes of a woman's anguished cries. These sounds mingle with the relentless throbbing in my head, adding to the disarray that engulfs me. I have no idea where I am. Just as I begin to adjust to the enveloping darkness, a sharp jolt of pain pierces through the fog, dragging me back into restlessness. But this time, there's a noticeably clear voice cutting through the chaos, "She's been going in and out," it declares. The world blurs once more, I hear the rustling of movement, and the voice returns, this time with a sense of urgency, "She sustained a significant impact to the temporal area. We need to act quickly."

In an instant, clarity pierces the fog of confusion. Memories flood my mind like a movie reel, scenes playing before me in rapid succession. I see myself behind the wheel of a car, tears streaming down my face, the blinding lights distorting my vision. But just as the scene begins to unfold, my recollection abruptly halts. I strain, desperately attempting to recapture the fragments, but they slip through my grasp like sand, leaving behind only a void of darkness.