What Do You Want the Most

I was in a pitch black room. The faint outline of the chair I was tied to was all I could see. My breathing was heavy and a sharp pain in my back kept me awake even though my body was past exhaustion. Dried blood on my forehead cracked as I struggled uselessly against my bonds. My wrists were rubbed raw and both legs shuddered in pain from the loss of blood. I could feel my conscious slowly drifting. Remarkable I was still able to hear the screams of a woman in the other room. I should do something, help her. But the pain was too much. Even thinking was a chore. I felt the room around me grow colder and soon the blackness was complete.

My own scream of terror woke me. Never had a vision been so intense, so pain filled. And for the first time it was in first person. Had I just glimpsed my own death? Perhaps it was just a dream. No, it felt like a vision. But not of myself. I knew the person wasn’t me, but there had been a strange connection.

The green glow from my clock showed it was 3 am. I sighed and wrapped my quilted blanket close to my body. I was sweating all over, but I felt so cold. I heated myself some tea and decided, as always when in distress, to bake. Tucking my blanket firmly under my armpits, I began my mission in the kitchen. Digging out sugar, chocolate, flour and other ingredients, I began crafting my grandmother’s recipe for brownies. Playing some upbeat music to forget the terror filled vision, I did my best to enjoy myself.

About two hours later I sat on my squishy couch eating brownies, sipping my third cup of tea and crying my eyes out as I remembered the vision. I just couldn’t escape it. Who was the person in the room? And who was the woman screaming? Taking my tea and brownies with me, I returned to bed and lay, curled up I ball, until sleep claimed me again.

I called in sick to work later that morning. Continuing to eat my brownies, I searched the web for anything that might help me. No such luck. And I knew that time was short. I spent the day searching and hoping for more of the vision, though dreading it at the same time. I needed more information. Who had I been and where was I? I felt obligated to help this person. For some reason I thought this time could be different. Maybe I could save them.

Ever so slowly the next three days past. I kept getting glimpses of the vision, but they were only of pain. I knew that by tomorrow the person would be dead. And there was nothing I could do to help. My work was slowly declining and my boss took me into her office to discuss what was wrong. I explained I had been feeling under the weather and that I was under a lot of stress. She understood and suggested I take a short vacation, three to four days, go to the beach, she has a beach house I can stay in, relax, and then come back good as new.

I took her up on the offer and was packed and ready that night. I drove to the east coast. Driving all night, I stayed awake listening to good old rock and roll. I told myself I wanted to get there quickly, but my real reasoning for not sleeping was I didn’t want to feel the pain anymore.

When I arrived at the beach house it was midnight, but my coffee that was to keep me up while I was driving was still working. I took a walk down to the water’s edge and watched the moon and waves. A gentle breeze stirred my hair and the sand was warm and wet between my toes. That’s when it happened. For the first time I received a vision while awake. The same one, but from a different point of view.

A man, no older than early twenties, struggled against tight rope. His breathing was ragged and his blond hair was streaked with red. A large puddle of blood surrounded the chair he was confined to. I saw knife wounds and barbed cuts all over his body. I ran over to him and began crying with him. But I have never been able to act in a vision! Everything was going crazy. Suddenly I felt his breathing ease and watched as he died in my arms.

When I snapped out of it I was laying in the sand. I knew that it was already too late. When I had first had the vision I only had four days at the most, and time was already up. The man was dead. So why was his vision still coming to me?

Uncurling myself I tried to stand but my muscles felt as though they had received the same pain and I nearly passed out. Staggering towards the ocean I had no idea what was going through my head. Perhaps I wanted to kill myself, escape the horror of what I had seen. Maybe I only wanted to clean the sand off. By the time I was waist deep I began screaming and crying. It was then that I realized my distress had come to the notice of someone else. I saw them running down the beach towards me, sprinting with true expertise.
They waded over to me and grabbed me just as I collapsed again. Their arms encircled me. From the muscle and feel of the arms I could tell it was a man. I felt bare skin and noticed that this man wasn’t wearing a shirt. I tried to shut up and clear my throat so as to speak and explain myself.

“Miss, are you alright? Do you need help? Can you hear me? Miss?” His frantic voice only upset me more.

“Shhh, its okay, I’ve got you. Just breathe with me. That’s it. In and out. You’re fine. Everything is alright.” He had realized that a crazy woman like me obviously needed a calmer voice. My breathing slowed and tears began to cease. But when my tears were finally gone I fainted. The man who held me was the one from my vision.