Prologue - For Life

Staying in bed was best, especially with how dizzy my head felt. Scratching my itchy, sandpaper scruff, I wondered when Valerie would finally show up. She took care of the mail, made out the estate checks, and emptied the garbage. It was annoying when I didn't hear back from her till the middle of the week. I had stuff to do.

My island only had one bridge. I hadn't unlocked the extra night mode after the bonus boss yet. And the newest season of my favorite show was days away from dropping. Why couldn't she just get it done during her break?

I couldn't do it. Walking to the box left me choking and struggling for breath as my back screamed at me. The same thing happened when I tried to cook. My former roommate always took care of meals. At least, ordering delivery was simple.

A single, shrill note blared in my ear, growing in intensity as I rubbed my jaw and yawned. It didn't use to be like this. I used to be in charge of everything, especially the family accounts. My internship at mom's investment firm was leading somewhere. But it all fell apart.

First, my hours were cut. Then, I had to work from home. And finally, mom just sent me money. Though I wanted to work, it was so much easier like this. Just toil through a swarm of entertainment.

A needle prick lanced at my forehead like a shard of ice. Tingling traced my lower lip as it dangled numbly. Something was wrong. I had plenty of scares with spikes of stress and rapid activity, but this felt different.

It felt like a noose had been laced around my neck, not to suffocate me but to hold me in place. The tension streaked down the rest of my body like the marks of ragged claws. No matter how much my apathetic mind tried to assure me this was nothing, a sour memory of an altered state ravaged my broken thoughts.

I took a long dose of nitrous years ago. It was a bad trip. Instead of numb relaxation, I screamed things my buddies refused to repeat. Now, there was no screaming, only sinking where that noose pulled me down.

Though it was a morbid gag, I recounted the quote, "Is this what dying feels like?" If it were, I couldn't say. Silence and darkness met me like the flick of a switch.

In the residue of everything I knew, just one feeling lingered: What now?