Dark Chirp

What…hey… where… What happened? Where am I? Why can’t I see?

Thoughts not feelings running through his head. All he senses is darkness. No feeling, no movement only darkness and confusion. The last thing he remembers is leaving the house this morning to go fishing... now only darkness.

“What’s that?” goes through his mind as he hears a noise. His hearing the only thing that seems to be working. No feeling in his body at all. Nothing. Unable to move, unable to see, he tries to yell out but nothing. No movement at all.

“Where am I? Why can’t I move or speak?” Only darkness around him, his mind races as he hears a sound like a chirp in the darkness. “What’s that? Help me!!” Nothing escapes from his mouth. His mind struggles to get his body to move but nothing happens. He tries to concentrate on his fingers and getting them to move but nothing happens. He realizes that he can’t even tell if his fingers are there or not. All he knows is he can hear and there is nothing but darkness. He tries to calm his mind and think back to what may have happened. Struggle as he may all he can remember is leaving the house this morning. He got in his truck and pulled away that is that last he remembers.

He pauses and listens trying to figure out where he is. Utter and complete silence. No wind, no noise of any kind. “What was the chirp I heard?” he thought to himself. He concentrates on the dark silence listening for any noise to figure out what is going on. Chirp… “There it is again… wait it’s in a different place… I think!” Chirp… “Again!! It’s not a cricket. It’s not a water drip…”

His thoughts go back to earlier in the day. “What happened to me? I got in my truck and pulled out of the driveway. That is the last thing I remember. What happened? Why can’t I remember? Was I in a car accident? Did it happen at the lake? WHY CAN’T I REMEMBER!” He tries again to take inventory of his body and any sensations. He can feel nothing. He can’t feel his feet, legs, arms, hands, fingers, nothing not even his head. He can hear and that is it. He can hear himself breath but other than that nothing.

Chirp…chirp. “There it is again! What is it? God help me! What is it?” He tries to relax himself and let his mind calm down. He thinks back to the day before and the time he had spent with his kids. How he hoped he would see them again. Chirp…he tries to ignore the chirp trying to stay calm. “Someone will find me. I know they will.” He remembers playing with his son and daughter in the yard yesterday. Chasing them and playing tag, running through the sprinklers and the cook out. What a happy day that was.

Chirp… “What is that? What is making that chirp noise?” Chirp. “That was in a different place I know it was. There are two of them!” He listens intently to the darkness for any noise other than the chirps. Something is there but what? Is it an insect? Reptile?

He concentrates and stares into the darkness. At least he thinks he is staring. He can’t feel his eyes or eyelids so he doesn’t know for sure. He listens intently trying to pick out any sound he can to give him answers. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just utter silence and darkness so black. He tries to calm his mind again and just listen. For several minutes no thoughts going through his mind as he just listens to the blackness. He begins to wonder how long he has been here already. He knows he left the house in the morning but now he has no idea when he ended up where he is…where ever that may be.

Chirp. “That was closer or at least louder. Is it getting closer? What is it? Where am I?” Chirp…Chirp. “There are two of them and one seems closer than the other. They are moving but what are they?” His mind races with all the possibilities. Was he in a car accident on his way to the lake? The road twists and turns through the hills. Did he run of the road and end up in a ditch? If so then why isn’t there any light? Even if the truck rolled over and it was night out there would be some light there is a full moon. He should see something. He should hear the leaves in the trees or even the water or crickets. He can’t be along the road. “God where am I?” He tries to think if there were any holes near where he fished. Maybe he fell in a sinkhole? No not possible. He knows it’s all hard rock where he is. He tries to think of anyplace that he could have gotten himself that would be this dark and quiet. There has to be an answer he just needs to find it.

Chirp…….…Chirp…Chirp “Three? No wait two. One of what ever they are chirped twice or did it?” He listens for any kind of noise but there is none other than his breathing. “HELP!!” he screams in his mind concentrating trying to get the words to come out of his mouth – nothing but silence. “What is going on? WHY is this happening? Where am I? What are those things? WHY ME!”

He continues to try and recall what happened. His memory is blank. What is more perplexing is that he feels nothing. He doesn’t even feel himself breath only hears it. His only perception is sound. What could have happened that he wouldn’t feel anything at all? Why can he only hear? Questions and more questions build in his head but no answers. Chirp…Chirp………Chirp… Chirp… Chirp “There! Three of them! What are they? They don’t sound like frogs or insects. Bat’s don’t chirp.” He exists in silence trying all he can to sense something, anything to tell him where he is. He concentrates hard trying to feel other parts of his body. Nothing.

His mind is devoid of questions for hours or so it seems to him. Time has no reference. He has only darkness and silence except for the occasional chirp from his mysterious company in the dark. Thoughts begin to come back to his mind, thoughts of his family and his life before today. CHIRP “That was closer. When did it move? Why couldn’t I hear it?” He strains his concentration to see what is around him but the darkness never gives in or waivers. “What is wrong with me? Why can’t I feel anything?” CHIRP… “That was closer…Are they getting closer? They must be but what are they?” CHIRP. CHIRP. CHIRP. CHIRP. “They are right here next to me. Four of them what ever them are.” After what must be hours already he tries to calm his fears and thoughts.

He tries to focus on his body again. He concentrates on his fingers. Can he feel them? Can he move them? Nothing. He slowly concentrates on different parts of his body to try and “feel” them. No feeling, no movement, nothing. Just like the black nothing that surrounds him.

His mind wakes from where ever it had gone. “What? Huh? Oh here… still here. Was I sleeping?” He listens to the darkness. CHIRP… CHIRP… Chirp… Chirp “Four. There are four. Well at least there aren’t more. Wait! What the? My toes. I can feel my toes. Yeah! My feet too.” He realizes that he can feel more of his body. He tries to get something to move but nothing does. He can at least feel so things are looking up. He tries to relax and take inventory of his body again. He notices after a few minutes that he can feel more of his body. Still he can’t move anything. He begins to feel his fingers and hands. Next his arms and shoulders and neck. “Why do I not feel any pain? I have feeling in my body but no pain? What happened to me?” He waits patiently hoping he will feel more of his body and his sight will return.

CHIRP… Chirp… Crunch, Crunch. “That’s different. What is that?” He listens to the crunching noise. CHIRP… CRUNCH, CRUNCH. “That was right next to me! What is going on?” He realizes that he is beginning to see blurry images. “My eyes!” He listens to the crunching and continuing chirps. He realizes he is not in total darkness but dim light. He focuses…. “AHHHHHH! NO!” As his vision becomes clear he can see the strange creatures he had been hearing - two of them eating his legs and one on each arm. “NO!!!!! THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENEING!!!!”

His vision begins to fade his mind screaming in fear… then silence.