9Lucas
Voices. Distant beeping. More voices.
The sounds fade in and out, as does the buzzing in my ears. My head feels thick and heavy, the pain enveloping me like a blanket of thorns.
Alive. I’m alive.
The realization seeps into me slowly, in stages. Along with it comes a sharp throbbing in my skull and a surge of nausea.
Where am I? What happened?
I strain to make out the voices.
It’s two women and a man, judging by the differences in pitch. They’re speaking in a foreign language, something I don’t recognize.
My nausea intensifies, as does the throbbing in my head. It takes all my strength to pry open my eyelids.
Above me, a fluorescent light flickers, its brightness agonizing. Unable to bear it, I close my eyes.
A female voice exclaims something, and I hear rapid footsteps.
A
