As if someone had flipped a switch, what I could dream up was now reality. I remembered hearing people talk of what it was like to trip on mushrooms or acid. Walls with paint blistering and running off, talking animals, seeing someones face turn into an orange. It was probably the number one reason why I never had a desire to do more than smoke a joint. I never wanted to actually see what I dreamed about...with my own awake eyes. But, I did now. Or at least, was starting to. Part of being consumed by the virus, I guessed. Either that, or the effects of a high fever.
It was hard for me to say what was real and what was a creation of my slipping mind during the whole 'save me' process. A big black wolf in the room, snowflakes falling from the ceiling, balloons that filled with blood, glowing text on the walls...thankfully, none of it was too disturbing. The fever eventually caused me to pass out.
When I opened my eyes, the room was pitch black. Something that I still wasn't used to yet was how dark it was at night, without electricity. No street lights, no lights from gadgets as they charged, no alarm clocks. But, if you were outside, you had the experience of the brightly twinkling heavens. There wasn't even any light pollution from Portland to dim the stars. They were able to shine with all their magnificent glory.
"Mitch?" I hoped that he didn't leave me alone in the room...in the dark.
I heard him wake up. "Anna." He slipped his hand into mine and squeezed.
"Do you have a flash light or anything? It's so dark in here."
Mitch sucked in a sharp breath and was silent. I turned my head towards him, my eyes searched the black for answers.
"Your eyes," he said softly.
"What?!" I felt a little alarmed. How did he see my eyes in the dark?
"Josh..." Mitch said. Who was Josh? I assumed it was the stranger, but had no way of knowing.
Steps came towards me and I could feel someone getting closer. "I was afraid of this. Anna, can you see anything at all?" It was the stranger.
"No..." I said angrily. "What's going on?! Tell me what's happening!"
Mitch was the one to speak. "Your eyes are clouded over...I can barely see your irises."
"What...so I'm blind?!"
"It's about 10am and the sun is shining in the window right now." Mitch grabbed my hand and moved it into the sunlight. I could feel the temperature change. It was warm.
So, that was it. I was blind. My heart sank into the bed that I was on, no longer was a part of my body. Colors, shapes, sunsets, flowers, faces... all gone. I might as well be a zombie.
Mitch tried to comfort me, but I was numb again. I knew I couldn't live this way...not in this world anyway. Being blind would only cause me to be a burden on our group. I was too stubborn and too proud to be a burden...on anyone. "Mitch..."
He didn't answer.
There was no way for him to have known what I was going to ask, or did he? I continued anyway. "You remembered what I asked you?"
"I won't do it, Anna."
"Mitch, we don't even know if the virus is done. For all we know, this is one of the symptoms."
"Your fever is gone."
The fever. We assumed that the fever was what killed the thinking part of the infected, making them unable to speak, reason and act human. It looked as if our assumptions were correct. Could what Josh have done to me stopped the virus? What exactly did he do? "Josh, Mitch... You guys need to find people and let them know about this possible treatment. Perhaps if it's administered early enough, it won't cause blindness."
"You can tell them, Anna. You are the proof." Mitch said.
I knew that he desperately wanted me to stay with him, but I was getting annoyed. "Mitch, I won't be anything but a burden to the group. There will be nothing I can contribute and someone will have to watch out for me at all times... and nobody wants that."
