Chapter 23 - Death's Shroud

The pain was intense, even with the medications Laci knew were being pumped into her. She gripped the sheets, consciousness brushing her senses, only to drag her away again. She heard screaming, and at first thought it was hers, but she was lucid enough to realize her mistake. Then who?

Light surrounded her, bright and warm, almost fuzzy in the way it appeared, giving everything a shimmering cast to it. The air, which had reeked of antiseptics just a moment ago, now held a fragrant aroma of hibiscus and jasmine wafting around her as she strolled… She panicked. How could she be walking? She tried to open her eyes, but the weight of the drugs kept her eyelids pinned shut. Yet, that didn’t make sense either, because she could see the surrounding fields, the weeping willows drooping in the distance as the sun bathed the grassy field with a warmth that chased away the icicles of the hospital air-conditioning. Where am I?