Reverse Time, Forward Events

I awake with a jolt. Gasping for air, I inhale deeply. Dank, moldy air fills my lungs. I’m completely enveloped in pitch black darkness. Lying there, I try to move my arms. It’s been a long time since I moved my arms. Slowly, I lift them from my sides, only to hit something just a few inches above them.

Making a fist, I rotate my hand and knock on the object in front of me. THUD THUD Wood. And it sounds solid. The air is thick and putrid. I sputter and wheeze, trying to expel years of dust. My whole body moves, and my knees hit a bit too hard on the wood above me.

Trapped, like a nut inside a shell. Methodically, I maneuver my arm to reach the metal broach pinned on my jacket. Removing it, I work it to an angle that I’m able to apply an upward force. I scrape and chisel into the wood. Hours go by. The stagnant air ripe with sweat and tainted body odor. I can feel wood shavings on my wrist and arm. Several hours later, I’m still scraping and clawing, my wrist and forearm burning from over exhaustion.

The oxygen in this wooden box is dangerously low. The heat and rancid air burns my lungs. Perspiration pouring from my body, mixing with the mold making a kind of “sweat soup.” My mind reeling with utter determination to escape this wooden prison. The wood above my hand starts to buckle and I can feel dirt and debris pelting my hand. Mustering every last ounce of strength, I force both my hand up and the wood gives way. Dirt and rocks flood in, and adrenaline kicks into high gear.

Clawing, and climbing, I make my way forward through the loose soil. My hand suddenly pops through. Freedom. Pushing myself out of the dirt and into the daylight, I survey the area. I can hear scratching and digging around me. I can see other holes where others had already made their way out.

I shamble over to the water fountain in the middle of the graveyard. Thirsty, after having dug myself out, I’m about to drink from the fountain when I spot my reflection in the water. Still missing the top of my head and jaw where I used the shotgun…