The Time I Almost Died Drinking Soda

I remember it like it was yesterday... Most likely because that's when it took place. I had just woken up from a long night of sleep, and normally the first thing I do is head down to the 7-11 right downstairs of my building to pick up an energy drink.

I haven't eaten, just rolled out of bed... and as I walked to the fridge, I hesitated and thought to myself that I need to be pulling back on the Red Bulls, the Monsters... I ended up grabbing an Arizona instead, but rather than the usual Red Apple Green Tea I've come to love, I went after the Cherry Lime Rickey Soda. Not the healthiest choice, but I could begin to scale back.

_{A questionable delight.}
I sat down on a ledge for a moment, as I opened the drink. I was pretty parched this morning, and immediately after opening the over sized can, I took a giant gulp. Needing to suddenly burp, but being unable to, I felt the carbonation sink into my stomach. Sharp pains began to wash over me, as what felt like two hands reaching into my gut, strangling my kidneys. Before I knew it I couldn't breathe, and everything around me started to blur.

I removed my beanie only to find, that I had broken out into a cold sweat all over. My body normally runs hot, but not like this. Sweating buckets I wipe my forehead in horror, remove the long sleeve button-down I was wearing over my t-shirt, wrenching in pain, unable to move, covered in sweat, trying to find the energy to breathe. I thought to myself.

_{Rubbing the sweat from my forehead in disbelief.}

This is it. Death comes with no warning, and for some reason I feel like I was being poisoned from an unknown vial a serial killer would pour into a beverage. I tried to calm myself down, by telling my body; "no you're not poisoned, this is soda", repeating the thoughts to form a mantra- All the while realizing that dying from being poisoned is not the way to go. This is what I would imagine a heart attack to feel like, as I stared at the ground, it looked more comfortable than how I was sitting...

I needed to resist.

After managing to walk at a slow sprint, I made it back to the elevator. Stepping inside, key... pressing the floor. Every moment, watching the number increase slowly up to 31, my energy draining. I got back inside, stripped down, and with the AC on full blast, laid in bed, waiting for the pain to subside. Hoping the pain would subside. Death comes quickly, like playing a game of tag with life, it doesn't care for your deeds, or you as a person, but sees another number, and can sweep you off your feet at any moment.

Although not the best horror story, it is true. I had awoken maybe an hour ago, after being asleep for a day, wondering if this was a mishap, or an underlying health condition that was beginning to rear it's head. Death comes in all forms, instant or drawn out, accidental or intentional, and sometimes-

disguised as a sugary beverage, ready to take hold.

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