Gone: Haze – Ch. 5

The alarm echoed through my house. I swung my arm over to find the snooze.

I scuffled with my phone. It went down, still screaming.

I kicked the covers off my feet, reached down and shut it off. The clock read 7:30 a.m.

As I set the phone back on the nightstand, I could feel sharp pains ripping through my head. My head pounded as I stood. I placed my hands on my temples and contemplated calling in sick. How was I ever going to make it through this day?

I made my way to the shower and turned it on. Letting the water run, I ran my fingers over my eyes and took a peek at the frail ghost that stared back at me from the mirror.

My eyes were still sore and puffy, a rude reminder of my new reality.

Steam came flooding over the top of the shower curtain. I stepped into the hot water and tipped my head back. The heat felt soothing to my skin. I didn’t move for a few minutes, a few peaceful minutes.

As I came back to reality, I quickly finished and grabbed my towel.

My stomach grumbled. I couldn’t remember the last time I ate and from the looks of it, you could tell. It had only been a few days, but the harsh time had clearly done a number on me.

I wasn’t ready to face the world, but I didn’t have much of a choice.

I grabbed the first thing I saw in my closet and threw it on. Foregoing makeup, I grabbed my coffee and headed out the door.

No doubt I looked disheveled.

The rest of the week was a haze. I couldn’t separate the days, or remember what I had done.

I had to triple check things at work, as I noticed I had started tasks, but had not finished them. To tell the truth I didn’t remember starting them.

I rolled back and forth through floods of tears and fits of anger. There were few moments in between where I enjoyed feeling numb.

As the weekend began to show its sweet face, I knew I would find the comfort of my bed soon.

Friday afternoon I left the office – wanting nothing more than to hide from the world.

I walked in my front door, shut it behind me – and shed my clothes as I made my way to my bedroom.

Throwing on a tshirt I found on the floor, I climbed into my cool bed. The slight chill of the pillow felt so good on my face.

I fell into a light slumber that I prayed I wouldn’t wake up from.

Next Chapter – Gone: Peace and the Lake