The world doesn't change abruptly, let alone in a fortnight.
That is how long Ried Brown thought he had been unconscious for after his surgery at New Armsterdam hospital.
Reid's consciousness clawed it's way back to the surface. Sluggish and disoriented. His eyes fluttered open and for a moment, he wasn't sure if he was awake or still under the heavy influence of anaesthesia.
Reid sat up still feeling dizzy, his head pounding and thoughts disjointed.
" Fuck! Fuck ! Fuck! Wtf !! Nurse...? " Reid called out loud, panic stricken by the sight above him.
The sterile , controlled environment of the hospital was gone and in it's place , he was greeted by a surreal world of muted greens and soft flickering sunlight refracted by shards of glass that were scattered near what seem to be an opening.
Above him, was a hollow space whose sides was blanketed in a chaotic weave of vines and growing green glowing fungi.
Still panicked, Reid tried to run from whatever this situation is.
Fight or flight. It was never even a debate in Reid's mind. Running away was all he knew when forced to a corner or a shitty situation like this.
Reid pushed his body, scrambling to get himself off the bed , but to his horror , he couldn't move his lower body and...
thud !!
His legs betrayed him, he tumbeld forward, the lower half of his body refusing to respond.
He fell with his face straight to the wet, muddy ground which met him with unceremonious force.
Reid's face pressed into the damp earth, the scent of moss and decay overwhelming him as darkness claimed his senses once again.
He passed out.
Twelve hours later, Reid woke up to the same muddy embrace. His face smeared with grime , felt cold against the ground.
He shifted, feeling the sensation of cool uneven ground meeting his skin. Beneath his fingers, he felt velvety moss and the rough texture of bark , a strange contrast to the cold metallic smoothness he half- remembered before falling on his face.
The air was thick with the scent of life, an overwhelming blend of damp moss, loamy soil and the floral sweetness of wild blooms.
Ried breathed in and suddenly,he felt his senses highten, his mind expanding with unnatural calmness as he took in his sorroundings. The air felt intoxicating as if it was making him..
'high'
Reid took in a deep breath , his dry mouth catching the sharp tang of something warm on his tongue ,mingled with the sweetness of the air. It was as if the forest itself had seeped into his senses, every breath bringing him closer to the realization that the world he had left behind was gone.
His face contorted as he felt a mix of emotions from this realization.
He recalled aurguing with his brother Leonard at the lobby of the hospital.
" Why are you doing this Reid ?
Your tumur isnt malignant and can be treated with chemo !! Right..?"
Reid nodded
"So why are you risking surgery !!"
Reid just stayed silent
" Say something goddamit!!
Why are you rushing it ? Since when were you this impulsive ..?
Just be your ussual cowardly self and do the chemo! "
Leonard shouted , finally gaining the attention of the staff and patients in the hospital.
But Reid still remained silent.
' He never did understand me '
With a groan, Reid pushed himself upright, his body tingling with unfamiliar vitality and out of his reverie . His body still felt strange, sluggish but tingling,.as if every nerve was reawakening after a long dormancy.
To his surprise he could feel his lower body, more accurately the same intoxicating feeling running through his veins distributing vitality all over his body.
His body seemed to vibrate faintly , an invisible current of energy brushing against his skin, prickling like static.
' It's the same feeling ... Intoxicating !'
He thought , it's presence undeniable.
Reid felt a strange mix of emotions. Panic!, yes , but also an insatiable curiosity that gnawed at the edges of his fear.
In front of him ,vines crept over everything , weaving a green uneven web that seemed to be pulsing with the same intoxicating energy that was emmited into the air, their glow faint and mesmerizing.
Reid turned his head, taking it all in , accepting his new reality as excitement stirred within him.
And then like a spark reigniting a fire l, he remembered, he recalled the answer that couldn't come out of him when confronted by his brother...
' Exploring the world Leonard? That's why am risking Surgery!! The excitement of meeting new people, seeing new places, experiencing culture and everything else that makes life worth living.
I want to experience it all.. and for that !!!
It's worth the risk ."