I awoke from the absence of pain. Numbness everywhere, the sensation like high-frequency waves aimed at my skin from close proximity. A rhythmic humming echoed in my eardrums.
I tried to open my eyes, but then realized I didn't have any. I tested my fingers, but only the complete lack of sensation responded.
Follow the Call, a voice said in my head, but I didn't understand. Warmth flared inside of me, its power so staggering that it would've choked me if I'd had lungs to empty.
A sound, a taste, a feeling so familiar—and yet, I could not place it. Why couldn’t I remember?
I grasped and clawed at it, begging it to stay. But it slipped away, leaving me alone once more. It was only then that I began to feel the cold seeping through my skin as it raced to stretch itself over my body.
I tested my eyes again, and this time, I found them. I cracked open a lid but had to slam it shut immediately. Too bright, my body screamed. Faster.
Gingerly moving my fingers, I felt the presence of warm metal behind me. There were sirens wailing, I noticed—growing louder and louder—now that the vibrations in my ears had stopped.
I took a deep breath. Smoke. But also damp. I forced my eyes open, ignoring the stinging.
I was upright, standing in front of a broken window. My pupils adjusted, and I registered that it was dark, wherever I was. In the ghostly glow of the moon, I could just make out a part of the wall that had caved in.
The sirens were deafening now. It was time to leave.
But something was missing. Why couldn't I remember?
Follow the Call, the voice urged.
So instead, I began to run.