Distant beeping. More voices. The sounds fade in and out, as does the buzzing in my ears. My head feels thick and heavy, the pain enveloping me like a blanket of thorns. Alive. I’m alive. The realization seeps into me slowly, in stages. Along with it comes a sharp throbbing in my skull and a surge of nausea. Where am I? What happened? I strain to make out the voices. It’s two women and a man, judging by the differences in pitch. They’re speaking in a foreign language, something I don’t recognize. My nausea intensifies, as does the throbbing in my head. It takes all my strength to pry open my eyelids. Above me, a fluorescent light flickers, its brightness agonizing. Unable to bear it, I close my eyes. A female voice exclaims something, and I hear rapid footsteps. A hand touches my face, a stranger’s fingers reaching for my eyelids.
