Deterioration

As I lay in Hange's arms, I felt myself slipping further and further away, my mind dissolving into a sea of incoherent thoughts and feelings. My body felt heavy, my limbs weighed down by an invisible force that made it hard to move. I tried to breathe, but my lungs felt constricted, as if they were struggling to expand. I let out a small, pitiful cry, my voice barely audible even to my own ears. Hange's grip on me tightened, his voice a soothing murmur in my ear. "Baby, it's okay, I'm here. You're safe." But his words were like a distant echo, a faint whisper that I couldn't quite grasp. I felt a wave of panic wash over me, my heart racing with a primal fear. I tried to suck in air, but my breaths came in short, ragged gasps. My vision began to blur, colors bleeding together in a swirling mess of pink and blue. Hange's face hovered in front of me, his eyes filled with concern. He reached out to brush a strand of hair behind my ear, and I let out a tiny whimper, my body trembling in his arms. "What's happening to me?" I whispered, my voice barely intelligible. Hange's expression darkened, his eyes scanning my face as if searching for answers. "I don't know, baby," he whispered back, his voice laced with fear. "You're...you're regressing. I've seen it before, but never this fast. You're...you're getting younger." I didn't understand what he meant, but I felt it, a creeping sense of disorientation that made it hard to think. I tried to focus on Hange's face, but it kept slipping away, like sand between my fingers. As I struggled to breathe, Hange's arms tightened around me, holding me close. "Don't worry, baby," he whispered, his voice a gentle hum in my ear. "I'm here. I'll take care of you." But I couldn't shake the feeling that I was disappearing, fragmenting into a million tiny pieces that were scattering across the floor. I let out a small, keening cry, my body arching in Hange's arms as I struggled to find my footing in a world that was rapidly spinning out of control. Hange's voice was a distant echo, a soothing melody that I couldn't quite follow. I felt myself slipping further and further away, my mind dissolving into a sea of infantile thoughts and feelings. "Mama?" I whispered, my voice a tiny, vulnerable thing. Hange's face contorted in pain, his eyes filling with tears. "Baby, I'm here," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. "I'm your mama. I'm here to take care of you." But I didn't understand, couldn't understand. All I knew was that I was scared, and alone, and struggling to breathe in a world that was rapidly fading away.