Exchange

This can’t end like this, not now. It was hard to deny that I was dying. Each breath I took was a painful reminder of the hole in my lung. Dammit, why me. Couldn’t that robber pick a different ally to stick someone up? There was so many things that I wanted to see. I wanted to travel the world, buy a house. Get married. I don’t want to die, not here. These words kept pounding away in my head, wanting to be heard and finally, they broke free. “I don’t want to die, I want to stay alive at all costs.” My voice was a garbled mess, and nobody heard me. Well, I thought nobody heard me. The air changed rapidly, and I felt like an elephant was stepping on my back. A booming voice started ringing in my ears. Do you want to live? What kind of question was that? Of course I wanted to live. Are you sure you are willing to stay alive at all costs? Yes I was sure. I was going to do whatever it took. Speak its name, and you will have it delivered to you. A word popped up in my head, and without thinking, I spoke it. “Exchange.” And just like that, the pain was gone. I slowly came to a sitting position, and I felt around my chest. The hole was gone, and I felt like nothing ever happened. The voice resounded again in my head, and it spoke, I could feel dread form deep within my heart. The exchange has been completed.