Page 1 of Phoenix

Prologue

Case

I’m dying.

That’s the only thought in my head.

Lungs burning. Can’t breathe. My limbs are flailing about, searching for the surface but only meeting plastic.

Chlorine is starting to overtake my senses. All of them. Not just taste. It’s burning my skin, filling my mouth and nose, stinging my eyes, while the silent roaring of the water is pulsing in my ears.

The darkness is coming even as I thrash and fight against it.

I don’t want to die.

I’m not ready.

Don’t make me.

Please. Help me. Someone.

Please. Please. Please.

I feel it. A hand grasping my ankle in the cold water. It’s pulling me down, dragging me into the abyss to keep me forever.

It hurts. Its claws are digging into my skin and fighting me. I’m losing my strength. I can’t make it.

Darkness.

Black.

Nothing.

Death.

“No!!” I shout into the darkness as my eyes pop open.

Sweat is beading on my brow and pouring down my back.

A nightmare. Another fucking nightmare.

With shaking hands, I reach to the nightstand for a bottle of water and slowly take a long sip, letting the coolness coat my dry mouth.

I thought I was past this. I’m a grown-ass man. I shouldn’t be dealing with this shit.

I toss back the covers, sit up, and scrub my hand over my face.

The sun is just barely peeking through my curtains, casting a slightly orange glow over my bedroom, telling me it’s likely six or seven in the morning.

I move on autopilot now, preparing to do the one thing I know helps me work off this feeling.

I pull on a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt, pulling the hood up to cover my face and slip into my running shoes.

My therapist suggested this to me years ago, and I’ve done it ever since.

Running.

I don’t even grab my cell. I leave as I am and hit the pavement. My shoes collide with the hard surface over and over until my legs ache.

I will run until my limbs burn and bleed into numbness.

I will run until I’ve chased the demons away.

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