Survival
Felicia heard voices.
"Who is there?" She thought. The ability to transform thoughts into sentences seems to be stopped by an obstruction in her throat.
She realized she was parched.
There is a smell. Chemical, aseptic, mingled with... blood?
"What happened?" Another unspoken thought.
Suddenly, as if they were there all along, several distinct yet unified voices penetrated her skull.
"Don't fight it." The voices said, then they fell away into individual chatters.
"You wanna bet she won't make it?" A creaky voice. Scrapping with a metallic quality. Unfamiliar to her. Loneliness. Felicia identified the sensation jabbing at her chest.
It was a good day to go riding. She decided. Not too hot, not too cold. The new helmet she bought the other day was calling her. Felicia was attracted to the subtle rose gold colour. If the hair gets messy, I might as well look good with a pretty helmet. She reasoned with herself to justify the expense.
"My dear, don't fight it; let them do their thing." Gentleness in this one. A calming caress on her forearm and a refreshing feeling flowed into her. Felicia wanted to lean into it. She doesn't know what she is supposed to be letting go of, but she can get on board with this gentle sound.
She had ridden as a kid, but the fearless of the youth had given way to caution. There seem to be more cars and trucks than ever, and bike lanes are inconsistently spread out in the city.
She could have driven, but the day was sunny with a beautiful breeze. Felicia wanted to do her part to ease the congestion and pollution, even if it was just for a day.
"Do you want to remember?" The gentle voice again.
"Who are you?" Felicia asked
"It's better that you don't know us." A high-pitched voice ended with a giggle.
"OUCH!" A sudden, visceral pain churned in her navel area, and she cried out.
"You need to detach, then you can see." The gentle voice said.
"DETACH! DE-TACH!" The voices started chanting.
Suddenly there is light.
She had just come out from under the bridge. It was dark and not her favourite part of this neighbourhood. There was always never-ending construction in this area. She was glad it was almost over. She could feel the wheels rolling smoothly on the newly paved road, so Felicia stopped peddling and let the momentum carry her.
A pair of headlights smashed into her.
"Oh my lord, this is so cliche." Felicia thought as she floated above herself, covered in sterile blue drapes. A group of people hovering over her, dressed in gowns of a similar blue. Some of them had gloved hands deep in her belly. She looked around, wanting to see if she could identify the voices' owners.
"We are not humans." As if knowing what she was thinking, the gentle voice chuckled.
"Do I have a body?" Felicia tried to pinch herself and felt nothing.
"It's better this way, dear." The voices said.
"Why can't I see you guys? What's happening to me?"
"We are here for you until the worst is over."
"Are you taking me to the afterlife?" She pushed a bit further.
Didn't people say your life would flash before your eyes when you are about to die? That was her thought when her body flew above the truck that hit her. Yet her life movie didn't start. She was just suddenly transported into this darkness with all these voices.
"We are only here temporarily. When we say goodbye, you will wake up, and it will be painful. There, they are closing up. It's almost time for us to go."
Indeed, some voices start to fade away—a tinge of pain.
"I will stay behind a bit, just till you feel ready." The gentle voice said.
"Her eyes are moving!"
"Sean?" Felicia wanted to call out his name, but something was stuck in her throat.
She struggled to lift her eyelids to let in a sliver of light. Sean's concerned eyes looked right at her. Behind him, a bag of fluid suspended on a stand, the liquid slowly being massaged by the IV pump and fed into her vein. Felicia knew she was going to be okay.
As she stood there in the alley, her heart raced with a mixture of fear and anticipation. Turning her head towards the bum, she noticed that he had produced another coin in his palm, its silver surface seemingly imbued with secrets and possibilities. He nodded and tossed it towards her. She caught it this time, and with one swift motion, she hurled it towards the brick wall.
The air seemed to ripple as the coin connected with the wall, and the world around her wavered for a split second. But when her surroundings stabilized, she returned to her luxurious penthouse apartment. The scent of opulence filled the air, and the glittering cityscape lay before her.