I'm trapped.

I’m trapped. It’s incredibly dark, darker than you can imagine. If I could move my hand, I’m certain I wouldn’t be able to see it in front of my face. That’s another thing – I can’t move. Why I start to take a mental inventory. I can feel my body, but it doesn’t really hurt. It doesn’t not hurt, though. Do I feel anything?

“Help!” I scream it as loud as I can, over and over again.

Muffled voices, I can hear people talking. Can they hear me? Wherever I am, is this soundproof? I keep screaming. I hear what sounds like my daughter, or maybe my wife. Both of them? Am I at home somewhere? My thoughts start to race, the possibilities of where I am. Am I trapped in the basement of the farmhouse? Maybe I fell and they’re looking for me?

“Anita! Aimee!” I yell, suddenly aware that whatever is happening, this may be my only shot. I hope they can hear me.

* * * * *

“Mrs. Owens? It’s time. Is your family here?”

“It’s just me and Aimee. The others are at the house. It’s been overwhelming.”

The doctor nods solemnly. “Let’s go in.”

The sound of beeping assaults the woman’s ears. She thinks that she should cherish the sound, as it’s the last sound she will hear from her husband. “It’s the right decision. Right?”

Again, the doctor nods before speaking. “His body tried to fight but it has become obvious that the condition he is in is not sustainable; he will never recover and if he does, he won’t be the same. He’ll be reduced to a shell. His cognitive abilities would be those of an infant, maybe a toddler. His living will is clear – this is not what he would want. Not for himself, or for you.”

* * * * *

I can hear a third voice, a man. Did he do this to me? Whatever this is. I continue yelling, but I’m acutely aware of the fact that I cannot feel the words leaving my throat. “Anita! Anita, please help me!” I can hear beeping, a cacophony of high-pitched electronic noises all at different rates. I hear a muffled sob, and I try one last time to yell to my wife, the love of my life. I think of our daughter, how much she’s grown and how proud I am of her.

I wonder what this man has done to them to cause such distress and pray that they aren’t in pain. I feel a pressure on my right hand. Somehow it’s getting even darker.

I feel like I’m falling.

* * * * *

The beeping stops.