Excerpt from Languid

Chapter Five

The cold, crisp air seeped through the layers of my down coat, wool sweater and into my skin. As I trudge through the uncharacteristic couple of inches of snow on the ground, the crunch of my footsteps is drowned out by the music playing in my ears. I take my hands out of my pockets to pull my beanie further onto my head unreasonably hoping that, by making my head warmer, my nose will warm up too. I rub my nose cautiously, barely feeling the touch of my own fingers. As I go to pull my phone out of my pocket to look at my playlist, my foot slips out from under me.

With my one hand caught on the headphone cord being ripped out of my ears, I land on my left wrist. I hear a pop and feel a sharp pain. The scream that escapes from my chest echoes in my ears and the sound of my head hitting the ground follows. I lay on the ground with my eyes closed and my breathing heavy. My head is pounding against the confines of my skull. I slowly open my eyes and can’t help but squint at the bright streetlamps. Everything is a muddy blur through the tears and the pounding in my head.

Mustering the energy, I plant one foot firmly under me. My gait is unsteady - unnatural - as I finish my transition to vertical. I cradle my arm in my coat. I wipe my face to find a combination of tears and smeared blood on the back of my hand.

I check the blur that has become the ground for anything I forgot and pull my phone out of my pocket.

“Can you come pick me up? I fell. I think I broke my wrist and my head is bleeding,” I reluctantly send Marc a message. The tears make finding the right buttons harder.

“Where are you?” he replies.

“I’m on my way home from the diner,” another tear slipps down my cheek as pain radiates up my arm and in my head in warm waves.

“I’m on my way. Please be careful.” Marc was complicated but I could always count on him. I decide to wait by a lamppost at the block on the corner. It isn’t far off, but it seems to take forever. My body wobbles from one side to other as I try to reorient myself. I can’t figure out why my footsteps sound so heavy, and they’re getting heavier too. Am I going to pass out? My breathing gets heavy, my footsteps progressively heavier. My vision is still blurry, but the wind blowing in from behind me catches ahold of breath vapor, and I exhale.

I slowly turn and find myself face-to-face with yellow teeth, a menacing grin and a slightly sweet, chemical smell. The cloth in his hand is pushed into my face and the first inhale is sickly. I feel a slack in my legs and my body as I am struggling to breathe. My already-blurry vision fades to black, and the sound of my rapid breathing is the only thing I can hear. As my legs finally give, I feel the faint touch of someone else’s strength wrapped around my waist.

I whimper when I want to scream. The words that come out of my mouth are a soft whisper instead of a viable cry for help. My body is dropped on a hard surface with a thud. The cold now feels like a slight tingle, and the screaming I hear only processes as a slurred conversation from one room over through thin walls. My ears feel full of water, and my cheeks are wet. I hear a loud bang. My limp body recoils and I wince. Once again, someone else’s strength is moving my body. I rock back in forth in their arms helplessly. Their grasp releases and I’m against something hard and firm - only this time… it’s warm. There’s the soft lull of a vehicle and I drift off to sleep with the distant sounds of a… man’s voice.