Late Night Scene
Chapter Two
Joe’s Point of View
I was in hideous amounts of pain; agony I’d never known could be so strong. I could feel every particle of myself being shredded, devoured slowly and painfully by a new source of life. The seconds ticked by like full hours and the pain showed no signs of stopping or even lessening. I quickly realized that I couldn’t possibly live through so much suffering, and accepted that I would die. It didn’t take long after that for me to wish for it, begging with everything I had left to just let it be over. And then it was.
I took a moment to try and assess my situation. My memory was shit- temporarily fried from the extended anguish. All I could remember was the pain. But now it was over, so what had happened?
A second later, it didn’t matter. A new pain stole my focus, concentrating in my stomach and clawing at my insides as I doubled over with a groan. I eventually recognized it- hunger. I’d never felt hunger like this, or with so much intensity that I wanted to reach into my abdomen and rip the aching organ from my body. And then a smell wafted by, and that pain got a hundred times worse.
Food. There was food nearby, so close that the aroma swam through my nostrils with every inhale. I opened my eyes to see and my vision seemed blurred, but I could see it. I could see the meal, the cause of the mouth-watering and stomach-quaking smell, and I yearned for it more than I’d yearned for death in the midst of all that unbearable pain.
With nothing on my dizzy mind but satisfying my body’s cravings, I lunged forward.
Nick’s Point of View
The back of my head throbbed, my stomach lurched uncontrollably, and the majority of my muscles didn’t feel too great either. I wondered if I had a concussion- Did my head feel foggy? Yes. Was I shaky? Possibly. Dizzy? I’d certainly say so. Nauseated? Definitely.
But there was more that I couldn’t evaluate on my own. I had no way to determine if my brain was bruised or bleeding- I needed a doctor. If only I could get up, I could find a doctor and they could check. But oh, my head…
I heard a groan and opened my eyes, feeling my stomach churn violently. I only got a glimpse of my surroundings before I turned my head, expelling the contents of my stomach and more. I was still coughing up stomach acid when my head stopped spinning, allowing me to take a few deep breaths. My brain took the moment to remind me of what I’d managed to see.
Had that been Joe? He was bent over like he was in pain. Nothing else from the vision was familiar, but Joe- Joe was here.
I opened my eyes again to see him, quickly scrambling back against the wall as soon as I did, careful to avoid my own vomit. Joe was standing, his body leaning towards me, with animalistic snarls escaping between his clenched cheeks. My heart rate increased rapidly as my eyes scanned my brother’s body.
No apparent injuries; not even on his neck, where I was sure I’d seen that man spill his blood. He looked like he was straining to get closer, but was locked to the wall by heavy chains that wrapped tightly against his wrists. I look down to see similar restraints around my wrists, chaining me to the opposite wall. It made sense to me suddenly that he must be worried about me, and I moved towards him as quickly as I could without making myself sick again.
“Joe, it’s okay, I’m-” I stopped when he gnashed his teeth at me, straining more against the chains. They showed no sign of weakening, and it dawned on me that he might be chained up for my protection.
I was in hideous amounts of pain; agony I’d never known could be so strong. I could feel every particle of myself being shredded, devoured slowly and painfully by a new source of life. The seconds ticked by like full hours and the pain showed no signs of stopping or even lessening. I quickly realized that I couldn’t possibly live through so much suffering, and accepted that I would die. It didn’t take long after that for me to wish for it, begging with everything I had left to just let it be over. And then it was.
I took a moment to try and assess my situation. My memory was shit- temporarily fried from the extended anguish. All I could remember was the pain. But now it was over, so what had happened?
A second later, it didn’t matter. A new pain stole my focus, concentrating in my stomach and clawing at my insides as I doubled over with a groan. I eventually recognized it- hunger. I’d never felt hunger like this, or with so much intensity that I wanted to reach into my abdomen and rip the aching organ from my body. And then a smell wafted by, and that pain got a hundred times worse.
Food. There was food nearby, so close that the aroma swam through my nostrils with every inhale. I opened my eyes to see and my vision seemed blurred, but I could see it. I could see the meal, the cause of the mouth-watering and stomach-quaking smell, and I yearned for it more than I’d yearned for death in the midst of all that unbearable pain.
With nothing on my dizzy mind but satisfying my body’s cravings, I lunged forward.
Nick’s Point of View
The back of my head throbbed, my stomach lurched uncontrollably, and the majority of my muscles didn’t feel too great either. I wondered if I had a concussion- Did my head feel foggy? Yes. Was I shaky? Possibly. Dizzy? I’d certainly say so. Nauseated? Definitely.
But there was more that I couldn’t evaluate on my own. I had no way to determine if my brain was bruised or bleeding- I needed a doctor. If only I could get up, I could find a doctor and they could check. But oh, my head…
I heard a groan and opened my eyes, feeling my stomach churn violently. I only got a glimpse of my surroundings before I turned my head, expelling the contents of my stomach and more. I was still coughing up stomach acid when my head stopped spinning, allowing me to take a few deep breaths. My brain took the moment to remind me of what I’d managed to see.
Had that been Joe? He was bent over like he was in pain. Nothing else from the vision was familiar, but Joe- Joe was here.
I opened my eyes again to see him, quickly scrambling back against the wall as soon as I did, careful to avoid my own vomit. Joe was standing, his body leaning towards me, with animalistic snarls escaping between his clenched cheeks. My heart rate increased rapidly as my eyes scanned my brother’s body.
No apparent injuries; not even on his neck, where I was sure I’d seen that man spill his blood. He looked like he was straining to get closer, but was locked to the wall by heavy chains that wrapped tightly against his wrists. I look down to see similar restraints around my wrists, chaining me to the opposite wall. It made sense to me suddenly that he must be worried about me, and I moved towards him as quickly as I could without making myself sick again.
“Joe, it’s okay, I’m-” I stopped when he gnashed his teeth at me, straining more against the chains. They showed no sign of weakening, and it dawned on me that he might be chained up for my protection.