Prologue. Contemplation

I was vaguely aware of the state my body was in.  My arms were limped and my feet were cold.  My head spun that even my slightest attempt at thinking made it throb in pain.

The darkness made me open my eyes in slight panic.  I still couldn’t see.  Whether it was too dark to make out anything or I hadn’t really opened my eyes, I couldn’t say.  All I could make out was the distant droning in my ear.  I didn’t know where it was coming from either.

I was at least glad that I could still feel myself breathing.  The slow rising and falling of my chest was the only thing that assured me that I was still, somehow, alive.  Not being able to see anything or feel anything – at least to the extent that I could tell whether my skin touched anything – wasn’t really the most comforting of situations.  I was actually surprised I wasn’t hyperventilating yet.

I concentrated on the one thing I had access on – the distant droning.  It sounded like something was continuously vibrating beside me.  On the other hand, there was still the possibility that the buzzing was because of the total absence of sound.  Again, I couldn’t tell which.

My curiosity was satisfied when the sound started to grow louder, like the source was coming closer, approaching me in a graceful and slow manner.  It didn’t bother me.  On the contrary, it comforted me in an unusual, inexplicable way.  Now, it sounded more of a chanting.

At first, I couldn’t make out what the voices were saying.  Nothing made sense.  It was like a murmur within a crowd, the kind no one was supposed to understand.

I started to feel frustrated.  The voices did not comfort me the way it had when it was still mere droning.

Suddenly, there was a distinct sound.  It was a word that made perfect sense to me.

“Cameron…”

I was like an animal, reacting to a word that I was trained to respond to – my name.

My body jerked as the voices repeated the words in my ear.  My once limped arms shot up before it went back to my sides.  My cold feet were suddenly burning like I was standing on red-hot coals.

All in all, it was a strange feeling.  It was like I felt my body moving but didn’t really feel the tug from my arms and legs, like I could feel my feet burning but I couldn’t feel the pain.  There were no right words to describe it.

My name rang clearer and clearer by the second.  The voices slowly decreased in number until there was only one voice that called me.

“Cameron.”

It sounded firmer than before.

“Cameron.”

This time, I could tell that it was calling me.

“Cameron.”

I knew the voice.  But I couldn’t seem to come up with a name for it.

“Cameron.”

The voice sounded sad – sorry.  It was like it was apologizing to me, as if it was telling me one final goodbye.

My instincts told me not to let the voice go, that I should hold on to it like my life depended on it.

And then, I could feel my eyes slowly opening.  This time, I was sure it was for real.

For the first time, I knew what I felt was pain.  It was stabbing me hard in the chest.  It felt heavy, like a treasure chest had been placed above my ribs, crushing them.

“Cameron.”

The voice was faint now.  It was leaving me. 

I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop it anymore.  I was too late.

“I love you.”

Author's Note

I added this chapter after I figured out where I was going with the story (Ripples).
But if you haven't read my original work before, then I just hope you enjoyed this one. ^^

Reviews

[Lady Sothis]

I love the feel you have to this story! It's very solemn, very sad. The descriptive details you use really add depth enough so I can really feel for your Cameron. The struggle is very real as are the thoughts. Well done!

You only had one typo that I noticed ("I was at least glad that I could still feel [[my self]] breathing." "My self" should be one word, obviously). Well done with that, I wish I could cut my typos down that far. ^_^ The only other comment I'd make is that you start quite a few paragraphs with "I". You do it often enough so that it may just be a stylistic detail, but if that's what you're trying for I'd recommend doing it a bit more consistently (not just in the beginning half of the piece). If you're not trying for a stylistic touch then I'd recommend shifting around the beginnings of your paragraphs so not all of them begin with "I." That really would be pretty easy to do though.

Over all, excellent job! This is a wonderful prologue, it makes me want to swiftly turn the page and read the rest. Ah well, for right now I'll content myself with reading your other work.

I anticipate the next chapter!