Darkness. Confusion. Fear. Those three things came first, before the realization of pain ever registered. It was like waking up from a nightmare disoriented only the disorientation wasn't abating and she couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Something heavy was on her, weighing her down and crushing her body in on itself. Was this what death felt like? Was it time? This wasn't what she'd expected. Where was the light? There was supposed to be a light! She'd read numerous accounts of people dying and coming back and what they always saw was a light. Never crushing darkness like this.
Open your eyes.
Sydney's eyes lifted though they felt so heavy, like the rest of her. She blinked once, twice. The floor? What happened? Why couldn't she move, why was it so hard to breathe? Something or someone...more than one someone was lying on her. She felt bones and flesh and something sticky warm. Sticky. Warm. And, oh god, it hurt. But not her head, no, it was her side. Something sharp and stinging, something poking its way inside her flesh but she couldn't move to see what it was or to remove it. Get it out!
Sean. Where was Sean? If she could just move...and breathe. She closed her eyes again and focused on taking tiny breaths in through her nose but she nearly choked and the tangy taste of rust filled the back of her throat. Blood. Her nose was bleeding. Her lips parted and she took in the smallest breath, too small to lift her chest or really inflate the lungs that were too crushed to inflate anyway.