Chapter Text
Sherry awoke to the beep of her heart monitor and a crushing headache. “It must be time for my next dose of pain medication,” she thought. The doctor should be in soon to review the dosage. She had late-stage cancer, and the growth of the tumors all over her body, including her brain, meant that she likely needed more medicine to remain in some degree of comfort. She remembered that her sister would be coming to visit today; flying in to Seattle from San Francisco. She was going to stay, “As long as she was needed.” That comforted Sherry, but reminded her that they would likely only have a few more weeks together before they had to make their final goodbyes. Sherry tried to stop the thoughts of grief that frequently overwhelmed her. She thought of her sister’s sense of humor; how she could always make Sherry laugh, and tried to focus on how much she was looking forward to seeing her big sister.
Suddenly the overhead light began to blink, then flared up so brightly that it hurt her eyes. She started to see shadowy shapes moving towards her. “No, not again,” she groaned. “The aliens! The aliens are here again! Nurse!” She reached over to press the nurse call button, but she saw another figure approaching. She couldn’t see clearly who it was – everything was blurry. She felt a sharp pain in her arm and could no longer move. Everything went dark.