Warm Hallucinations and a Teary Moon

Anthony was revelling in this moment of ecstasy that was before him. Like a young curious baby, he went to every corner of this room which happened to be just a compartment of this large bunker.

Anthony, ventured into what looked like a dark hallway as he turned his back to this room where Sophia was, still unconscious.

He hadn't been to any part of the bunker besides this entrance where he'd just been. The walls didn't beam any light or anything but he was breathing just fine as he exhaled and inhaled deeply to be certain that his breathing was not merely a placebo effect from his recent overdose of dopamine from the awesomeness of this bunker.

He traced his hands on the walls that were of the same material as that of the room he'd just come from. His hands met an edge and right after, a surface that felt like a door.

Still in this dark, he pushed the door which creaked lightly. Anthony was no fan of Eli Roth or any less horrific surprises but somehow his inquisitiveness kept him going.

As the door opened, he looked inside, hoping to see light or anything like it, but it was a dead sight.

"Anthony, you can figure this out" he said to himself in a lowly voice that even he could barely hear.

"No shit. We can" Anthony said out loudly in a rush to motivate himself, and he didn't fail at that. He somehow motivated the room to light up too.

The walls glowed just as they'd done in the other room earlier. For Anthony, Eureka was a feeling that could never get old. He let out a chuckle and a feeling of satisfaction and pride ran through his skin.

Rubbing his hands through his "Roddy Rich- dreadlocks", he smiled like he'd seen paradise or in the very least, a glimpse of it.

*****. *****

Sophia; hallucinations.

*******. ********

Sophia, who lay on the ground in this unconscious state had drifted into a stream of unending pixels-perfect hallucinations.

Prior to her being carried into the bunker, the Oxygen shortage had caused her to pass out.

For Sophia, this was a blissful escape from the apocalyptic nightmare that had dawned on her. She started out in the clouds. Isn't that where we all secretly wish to be, hanging out with the moon and blowing kisses to the sun?

She saw her first love, her first crush smiling from within the clouds as Sophia was slowly ascending into the warm blue clouds that only felt like peace and every other beautiful light feeling that words couldn't describe.

Her first love was Tate McRae, the singer whose 2022's music she couldn't get enough of. Sophia was in awe of her smile and heaven really threw a party on her blushing cheeks.

"Wait. Tate. Is this really…?" Sophia who was speaking slowly and her cold spring tears were forming faster in her eyes while Tate gently lifted her hands to touch her cheeks and slowly slid her fingers to her lips to get her to stop talking.

Sophia couldn't resist the tears that yearned to escape her loved-up eyes while she rested her face on the warm palms of Tate McRae. Was this what Xenophanes had described as belly-bubbling warmth?

Slowly, Tate was fading into space with her body vanishing slowly from Sophia's sight.

Sophia was thrown into panic but somehow she couldn't feel it as much as she wanted to. What was this place? She couldn't feel the feeling of panic.

"God. Not yet." Sophia said with all of her breath in one go.

Right after she said these words sadly, a voice that sounded familiar whispered in her ears, "God is dead. Hegel didn't miss that"

She looked to her side trying to find a face to this voice, but she was all alone in this cloud. Tate was completely gone and the voice which she remembered now as that of her therapist was gone, too.

She was floating in her feelings, mainly grief and fear and slowly, she was falling from the clouds with her back.

As she was falling, which felt like forever, the moon she saw from afar appeared to be crying. What was this?

In less than what a few seconds could he be likened to, she'd fallen right back into her consciousness with a rapid breathing accompanying her while she panted, with fear and anxiety getting the best of her.

She paid attention to where she was now and it didn't look familiar to her in the slightest given how dark it was.

The fear in her screamed out loudly with tears rebelling, "Hello"

As this scream hit across every corner of this room and farther parts of the bunker, the walls lighted up brightly.

She was freaked out and only heaven knows how she managed to get up without falling right back to the ground.

Anthony had heard her scream from this empty room which had three large wardrobes which Anthony didn't care to check before running to Sophia.

He recognised that scream and figured she'd probably been freaked out with a dozen questions on the edges of her mouth.

"It's okay, Sophia. I'm here now." Anthony said to the startled and weeping Sophia who immediately ran towards him to hug him.