Learning to Fall

“Good morning miss.” I heard a voice say as I awoke. I opened my eyes, letting them adjust to my surroundings to see I was in a hospital bed. Just great, I hate hospitals.

“Uh, where am I?” I asked trying to sit up.

“Take it easy there, Miss.” A guy wearing a white coat replied as I grabbed my forehead. I found it bandaged up.

“I am Dr. Richards. You were in a serious car accident and are lucky to be alive right now. We want to keep you overnight for observations. You suffered a mild concussion and some bruised ribs. Your legs have bruises to and we fixed that nasty cut on your left arm.” He explained as I noticed my arm was bandaged.

“Do you remember your name?” He asked shining his light into my eyes.

“Alexandra. I’m Alexandra Harris.” I replied. “Does this mean I can go home now? I remember everything. I don’t want to be here when I can rest in my own bed.” I said taking the doctor aback. He just laughed a bit.

“Sorry, Miss, but we need questions answered about your wreck.” Another voice replied as I looked over to my left to see two police officers in my room.

How long have they been in my room? What did they want with me? I wasn’t drinking if that is what they thought.

“Don’t take too long?” The doctor replied. “My patient needs her rest.” He added after he finished his exam. He left me alone with the two officers.

“We would like some answers about last night. Were you drinking last night, Miss?” One officer asked.

“No!” I wanted to yell.

“You know if you are lying, your blood tests will tell us your alcohol level.” The other officer chimed in.

“Look, I wasn’t drinking last night. I got my mind distracted and wasn’t paying attention to the road. My boyfriend stood me up last night at a restaurant and so that was on my mind. I know that is no excuse. By the time I looked back at the road I saw a man in the road and swerved to miss him. That is when I hit the tree. My legs were pinned and I couldn’t get out. I remember there being five guys and one of them was the one I swerved to miss.

None of them wanted to help me. I think they wanted to hurt me. I passed out and the next thing I knew I was in the arms of someone who pulled me out. Then I was out again and the next thing I remember, I am here.” I said choosing to leave out some details. I doubt the cops would believe me if I told them the men had fangs.

“Well, we’ll call if we need more information from you. Give us a call if you remember anything else.” One of the cops said turning to leave.

“Hey, wait!” I shouted as they were walking out.

“Yes?” One of them replied.

“Do you have any idea on who brought me here? I would like to thank them.” I said.

“All the nurses in the ER told us was that it was a young guy around your age. I wouldn’t worry about it. If he wanted you to know who he was, I think he would have stayed here, don’t you.” The cop snickered.

I hate cops and I hate hospitals. They can go ahead and think what they want. I wasn’t drinking and I know I saw fangs. Fangs belong to vampires, but they don’t exist.

I slouched down into my bed. My head hurt too much to think at the moment. Maybe I was imagining it as I was falling in and out of it.

I reached over and grabbed the phone off the nightstand. I dialed Jeff’s number. There was still no answer. Where could he be and wasn’t he worried about me?

After no word from Jeff, and the doctor and nurses checking on me every few hours I was bored. There was nothing on television and I barely ate my dinner they brought in. I just wasn’t hungry at the moment. My mind kept playing the car crash all over in my head. I couldn’t stop seeing the men and their teeth shaped like fangs. I finally closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

I started to dream right away. I was dreaming happy memories, yet these weren’t my memories. I wanted to wake up but I couldn’t. This was all a nightmare. How was I dreaming, someone else’s memories?

The first dream was a happy one. The girl I saw looked like me only her hair was longer where mine was shoulder length and a little darker red. Her eyes were green where mine was blue. Then suddenly it seemed as if I was looking out her eyes; I became her.

I was shown a memory on a beach with a guy. It was her boyfriend, yet, I couldn’t see his face. The sun was setting and everything seemed perfect. Next, I was shown a ring and I felt her joy. Her boyfriend had just proposed to her.

I wanted to wake up. I didn’t want to feel the happiness in someone else’s memory. I didn’t get my wish, however. I was shown another memory through her eyes.

This one was scary. It was dark outside. The girl and her boyfriend had just left a restaurant and were walking down the street. All of a sudden, these guys come out of nowhere, presumably an alley, and started to attack her and the fiancé.

I wanted to scream and fight with her but I was powerless. All I could do was to watch. Her fiancé was down on the ground after fighting for their lives. He was overpowered and she was held by two of the thugs. The next thing I saw, was one of the thugs approach her. It was the same man I almost ran over.

I felt her fear and I saw a fire in the man’s eyes. He laughed and pulled the girl’s neck to the side and then I saw it; fangs slid out of the man’s mouth. He leaned in for the kill, biting the neck. I screamed with the girl and seemed to feel her pain and then just like that, it was over.

I awoke in my hospital bed in a sweat. I instantly reached for my neck. There was nothing; no bite marks. What was happening to me? Had I hit my head too hard?