A World of Fire

The first things I felt were the suns rays warm upon my skin and the cool grass beneath me. The second thing I felt was a pounding headache radiating from the base of my skull. I struggled to remember what had happened and where I was, I certainly didn’t recall being outside. My eyes opened and I slowly evaluated my body, flexing my feet, curling my hands into fists. Everything seemed to be in working order. I turned my head to get a better look around and was immediately met with regret. A spasm of pain let me know that, that was not a good idea. My hand reached up involuntarily to see what the damage was. My hair was sticky with partially dried blood and my fingers were met by a lump the size of a golf ball. After focusing on my breath for a few minutes I tried to cautiously sit up. Whew, that was bearable I thought. To my left I saw an open field that stretched on as far as I could see, to my right I saw a massive grove of trees that looked majestic and very old. Where on this earth was I? It certainly didn’t resemble to dry, arid desert of Phoenix that I called home. That was when I had a hazy recollection of the night before (or was that two nights ago?). I was out at a bar with some friends, I had recently moved to Phoenix from Kansas for a change of scenery, and was trying to put myself out there. These girls weren’t as outgoing as I was and seemed content to stay in the corner of the bar chatting amongst themselves. As someone who had been in a relationship the majority of my adult life I was ready to put myself out there. Certainly I had no intention of getting into another relationship, but I was ready to flirt and mingle. I walked up to the bar and asked the bartender for another whiskey and Coke. I surveyed the club, seeing writhing bodies on the dance floor in cathartic motion, groups of people dispersed throughout, like my friends in the corner. Then my eyes fell on him. By all accounts he looked like a loner, dressed in all black with a floor length leather duster, I couldn’t help but smile and think of the heroines of my favorite fiction books as a kid. I sauntered up to him and sat down on the stool beside him. He was staring at his drink intently, a Modelo, not out of the ordinary for people in this area. Maybe he could use a friend, same as I could. “What’s your name stranger?” I casually asked as the bartender handed me my drink. He glanced at me but his gaze quickly returned to the bottle. A man of few words, a refreshing characteristic I thought to myself, but now I was intrigued. We sat beside each other at the bar not saying a word for almost 45 minutes before my friends came over to tell me they were heading home. It wasn’t even 11pm yet. They asked if I wanted to go with them, but I looked over at the man beside me and told them I’d find my own way home. They hugged me and went on their way. “You should go home with your friends, or perhaps bug someone else with your presence.” He said cooly. Ouch. The first guy I feel attracted to brushes me off like it’s nothing. This is the world of dating I surmised. I rolled my eyes, ordered another drink for myself and a Modelo for him. After I paid the bartender, I took my drink and left the bar to find another person to ‘bug’. An hour or so later, after an invigorating conversation with two guys about the importance of transmission maintenance, I was about to call the night a bust and head home. As I was making my way to the front door I noticed him, still at the bar. I apparently couldn’t help myself and walked back towards him. “I hope you found better company tonight.” I said. I was treated to a moment of silence and quickly took that cue and turned to leave. “You really shouldn’t talk to me you know.” He said gruffly. “I don’t even know who I’m talking too.” replied. “My name is Luciano.” He said. “And my name is Indigo.” I replied. It was nice to be able to put a name to the face that has captivated me all night. “Hey, do you wanna get out of here? Grab something to eat? I’m starving.” I asked him innocently. He quickly finished his beer and stood up. “Alright, let’s go.” Was all he said. We exited the club and walked together in silence. I was learning that he was comfortable with long silences, something that intrigued me even more. I glanced over at Luciano and asked “There is a great Mexican place a couple blocks up if that sounds good to you?” He stopped suddenly, turned to look at me and abruptly said “Why did you sit by me tonight? Why did you approach me again after what I said to you? Why didn’t you leave me alone?” I was taken aback by this line of questioning and I wasn’t prepared to answer him. Mostly because I wasn’t even sure myself. Before an answer could fully form, I said “You remind me of someone, a character I used to write stories about when I was younger.” I was slightly embarrassed by this revelation, I never told anyone about that. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and ground myself in the present. I needed to focus on what lay before me. What did all those survival TV shows and books talk about? Water. That was the first thing I needed to find. The rest, including my foggy memory, would need to be addressed later. I set off towards the forest because that many trees must need a pretty substantial water source. Not to mention it provides cover, I hate this feeling that whatever or whoever happened to me, might comeback and I wanted to be prepared for anything that could happen next.