Outside the Lines: A Novel

All David knew was blackness. Drifting in and out of varying shades of gray. Heat seared up his arms, voices shrieked inside his head. Is this hell? Have I finally ended up where I belong?

Days passed. Or maybe it was weeks. It could have been only hours. David didn’t know, nor did he care. Violent images sprang forth in his dreams: vicious, rabid monsters bared their teeth and ravaged his flesh. Every breath felt like glass had shattered inside his chest. Occasional soothing tones combated the screeching noise between his ears, along with gentle touches urging him to open his eyes.

David didn’t listen. He replayed the last thing he saw over and over in his mind—his daughter standing in the doorway, about to watch him die. He punished himself with that vision, the angst on her face, the terror shining in her eyes. This is what it came to. This is how it all came to an end.

“Open your eyes, David,” a voice said. The sound was muffled and echoed as though it traveled underwater to reach him. “My name is Sue, and I’ll be your nurse today.” There was a pause, and she touched his arm. “It’s time to wake up, David. Can you open your eyes?”

A nurse. He wasn’t in hell, then. Or was he? A nurse meant the hospital, which meant he had survived. This was a whole other version of hell. He had done the unthinkable and his daughter witnessed it all. He’d never be able to undo that kind of damage. He never wanted to open his eyes again.

There was nothing left in this world he wanted to see.