Cheating Death
This story came to mind after reading Tiger Khan's story, I forget the name, but if he's reading, he'll know.
Enjoy, and Credit goes to the guy.
Cheating Death
Chapter 1: Restart of Dark Days
"Death is a debt we all must pay" - Euripides
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"Geez... what the hell happened?" I question myself as my sight returned from the blackness of closed eyes, but my answer was felt more than explained and immediately. Slowly opening my eyes to the swirling dancing colors of red, orange and yellow, they felt near and far at the same time. I knew what it was that I was feeling right away. It didn't a genius to figure it out.
"Fire..."
Nothing but fire no matter where I looked.
Up, down, left, right... It was everywhere and I could feel it as well. From the bottom of my feet to the tips of my ears, I felt the hellish heat on every inch of my form, regardless of my clothes providing minimal protection from this scorching blaze about my form. In this kind of situation, a normal fur would use his or her arms to shield themselves from a fire that was too close for comfort, but in my case... I can't do that, not anymore that is...
I looked up above, into the fiery inferno and beyond it to what rested before me. Lo and behold, what I was was the cause this fire and my problem... My car was resting above me, mangled, dented, turned over and battered, being held up only by the trees that were cover in the dancing conflagration, slowly but surely eating away at the back... wouldn't be long till they gave way. What else I saw was that the windshield of the beaten car was widely cracked open, most likely I was thrown out and landed here, and that's the reason why I'm covered in glass and gashes... Heh... it's almost funny the way I ended up like this, when I think about it, I don't know what's more ironic: To be killed by a fire that I started or being crushed to death by the very same car that my fiancé and I first made love in... you can decide which... I really don't have the energy to...
Looking down at my body to see large shards of broken glasses protruding from my blood soaked clothes, they were stuck in random places from my shins, to my thighs, to my waist and abdomen, even my chest was pegged, most likely near my heart, but not exactly, otherwise I would be dead man by now and here lying in blood-soaked heap of fur... but the weird thing is... I feel nothing.
No pain...
No suffering...
No anguish...
No agony...
Nothing.
Not even fear. In this situation, anyone would be flipping their shit at the fear of dying or going out like this... but not me... in fact, as weird as this might sound, I feel at peace, even in this slowly creeping fire that was making its way towards my limp dying body. As I lay here with the blood draining from my body, moments; my memories, they began to flood back to my still functioning mind in torrents, like the dam of my reverie just burst wide open and showed no intentions of stopping either. I remembered everything... every important event leading up until now.
I remembered...
The death of the girl who was trying to be nice to me when I was an ass to her...
The death of my favorite teacher, the only person, aside from parents, I really cared about...
The death of my mother who died in a car accident...
The death of my fiancé's father, who was a kind man that died in fire, much like this one
And last, but certainly the most painful, the death of my fiancée herself. She, like her old man, died in the exact same fire as him, the only female other than my own mother, was capable of seeing past my rough, tough, loner exterior and getting to know the real me, the me that I never show anyone, not even my own relatives.
...
The mere thought of that goddess like feline, brought tears to my eyes, and I never cried.
Never. Never ever.
Everything about her simply caused me to cry harder, harder than I've ever cried for in my entire life.
Her smile.
Her fur.
Her warmth.
Her being.
Her personality.
Her presents.
Her love...
All in all, Her herself.
The only female capable of loving someone like me... gone from my life... gone forever. And there was nothing I can do about it.
Not then and not now, even as I lay dying here, slowly.
I take back what I said about not feeling anything. That was a lie... the things that I was feeling right now was Sadness. I felt sadness for the girl I dare say, love that has long ago passed away...
Guilt, I felt guilt for the girl I mistreated and ignored...
Sorrow, I felt sorrow for my teacher for not knowing he had a disease and I did nothing to help him
Sympathy, I felt sympathy for a father that I was leaving behind in this world
And lastly: Guilt, I felt guilt for taking my rage out on my fellow colleges killing some of them when they had nothing to do with this. All of it leading up to the moments before my macabre, yet ironic demise.
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Heh...
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Here I am, lying in this burning roundel, moments before dying off this earth, and I'm doing a freakin' monologue before I bite the dust. What a way to go huh, well, burning to death and/or being crushed by a car might be a tad merciful by the situation at paw, but no. As I keep silent, letting only the crackling sound of burning wood and the metal creaks of an automobile suspended above me being my only final sounds, I could feel my eyelids grow heavy. And by now, what sight I had left, have finally left me, All I could see was blackness and only that. The sounds were starting to fade, and that cold feeling was starting to settle in.
Well, I guess this it. Look out Hell, here I come...
But at least it's better than living in this God awful world... a world without her in it.
"Annabelle..." I whispered out, my ability to speak beginning to dwindle in the darkness. "If I could... I wish... that I... could... make it... up... t-to... you..." And with that, I felt my consciousness fade out...
Falling into the blackness...
Soon... I felt...
Nothing...
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"Oh no no no dear, you aren't allowed to die so soon, not now and not today... Michael. You have much to do, now, wake up."
Upon that single command from a firm yet feminine voice in the darkness that called my name, my eyes snapped wide open only to have them shut close again from the harsh light that entered my eyes and stabbed into my vision...?
Wait minute... Light?
I began to open my eyes, very slowly, letting the apparent shine in while growing comfortable with the amount that was already there. In the midst of all the light that was returning to me, the color spectrum of blue was also with in my vision as were bits of white above me. At first I was in disarray upon waking, but then realization had set in and I knew what I was looking at and some calmness washed over me...
"The sky, huh, been awhile since I last it this clearly... wait a minute, the sky?" Just as that concept hit me, another one hit and it was much faster than the first. I felt this familiar feeling beneath me. It felt wavy and smooth, but at the same time, broken up and rough at the edges. I turned my sight from the blue, ocean-like sky and towards the left. My left eye being closer than my right, was able it before both visions merged into one and looked at the sea of green that extended far beyond me and joined the sky at the horizon, along the way, the green sea was swaying to the wind I was feeling and shining to the sun, which I was also feeling.
"Grass. Lots and lots of grass. And a blue sky to boot. Huh, didn't think Hell was this nice." I couldn't help chuckle to myself as I sat up, but weird thing about, I wasn't feeling any pain at all. Last I remember, I was bleeding out like crazy and implanted with large ass glass shards, and now, nothing. As different as it felt, it was true. I sat upright and ran my paws up and down my body. Just as I thought.
No glass and no blood.
"Then, I really did kick the bucket. Oh well, guess it wasn't as big a deal as I thought. So this is Hell huh? Thought there'd be demons, fire, wails of agony here and the like. Seems like all the Religious Christianity crap was a load of bullshit after all. Oh well, I guess I can spend eternity here. May be boring, but it's better than burning forever. This is kinda nice." I fell back to the ground with a gentle thud, and let my eyes close and the wind sweep over my figure, letting my thoughts wonder once more.
"Still, I can't but wonder whose voice that was, let alone, it belonging to a female in the first place." I decided to let that sit and went into thought. "Who was it that called my name? Better question, how did the voice KNOW my name?"
"Why don't you open your eyes and see for yourself, Michael?" said the voice once more
!!!
My eyes shot open again, only to have seen a snow white, furred face hovering over me and it was smiling widely and clearly female.
"Holy Shit!" I swore while shooting up into an upright sitting position, clearly taken by surprise from the face that was looking at me. My heart was beating quickly and I was breathing a little harder with my paw on my chest. I kept in that form till I calmed down a little, regaining my composure.
"Have you calmed down yet, Michael?" Asked the female, a chuckle followed suite.
Normally, I'd be pissed if somefur snuck up on me like that. If it was a guy, he would've been decked, if it was a girl, I'd give her an ear full, full with swear words. But given what's happened up until now, no male bitching for this female, but that didn't mean I would be a sailor talker.
"Dammit, who the hell are you?" I demanded, trying not to raise my voice as I was turning to face the female that was now behind me. When I did, I was, honest to God, stunned by her beauty. She was standing at full height (up to my shoulder, probably my neck thanks to her white pointy ears) with both her paws resting behind her back and her tail swaying from side to side while behind her. Red eyes, deep as crimson rubies, and she was wearing that same smile she had when she spooked him. I also noticed that she was wearing completely black clothing that was surprisingly modern, at least from what I'm seeing. She was sporting a zip up hoodie that nicely clung to her chest, if my guess was right, she was a double D cup, she was also wearing skinny jeans, that once again, clung to her curvy figure, showing off her perfect hips. Color me perverted, but whoever this vixen was, she's a looker, I'll give that. But that still didn't change the fact of who she was or how she knew my name and especially the fact that I was still annoyed about her sneaking up on me.
"I asked you first. It's only correct to answer a question that was asked of you." The white vixen answered her smile still present and tail still swaying to and fro.
"That's not the point right now. Who are you... and how do you know my name for that matter?" I asked, still wanting to know.
"Oh come now Michael, it's impolite to ignore a girl's question like that." She said once more, still grinning, and it was starting to irritate Michael, and he was not a big fan of being irritated, especially by someone he knew nothing about.
"Screw that, I wanna know who the hell you are and how the fuck you know my name, now spit it out!" I growled as I could feel nearly the last bit of my patients evaporate out of its container. Yeah, I'm running on empty, so sue me.
"Oh man, you are some piece of work aren't you? Very well, you overgrown crybaby, if it'll stop your bitchin' and moanin, I'll tell you. Though, you should know who I am. Everyone does." Said the while white vixen, letting out a groan of exasperation, along with her head falling forward while shaking it.
"I'm not 'Everybody', so that renders you previous statement invalid. Now, who the hell are?" I growled once more, annoyed that she was stalling, but at the same time, we were finally getting somewhere instead continuing to the play a retarded game of 20 Questions.
"Geez, ever since the very beginning, you mortals are till as arrogant as ever I see." She said lowly, but I heard it clearly and a cord was struck.
"Wait, what?" I asked, my anger gone while in return, my interest peaked. I was sure I heard that right, but I was still skeptical. "What do you mean by 'Mortals'?" I just had to ask that.
"As I said, you mortals are still as arrogant, even after eleven millenniums have passed. Though I will admit, you mortals have surprised me from time to time, with your desire to survive and stuff, no matter how bad the odds are against you or grim the outcome." She said while standing back up to full height, her smile now gone, but her demeanor is still sincere, even though clad in inky black.
And that still rattled my nerves.
"See, you just said it again! And how do you know that mammals have been around for 10,000 years and why did you say it so casually?" I asked her. Yeah, I was going off like a moron, but shit wouldn't you if some female said something like that. And the way she said so calmly, as if she herself was there and witnessed it all, that was the part that made me arch and eyebrow in question. "And do you mean by 'Mortal'? Aren't you mortal yourself?"
"Well aren't you full of questions now. Calm down Michael, I'll explain what you wish to know, even how I know your name. Tell me, would like a long winded explanation or how about we just cut to the chase?" The white vixen asked.
"I... think that answer speaks for itself." I replied sarcastically while keeping my guard up. Even though she seemed sincere, I couldn't be too careful, for I learned that the hard way.
"Of course, I knew you wanted that answer Michael. Well, long story short and endless lists of explaining aside, you should already know who I am as I said before, but I'll just make it easier on you. My name... is Death." She answered while smiling again, thankfully it wasn't malicious, but it still disturbed him out.
"Death... as in Death; reaper of souls? That kind of death?" I asked, still finding that hard to believe, but that theory was thrown out the window, cuz I knew she had that kinda aura about her. "And you're a chick?" I just had to ask that, thanks to my eyes running up and down her curvy form... Curse my obvious male observations!
"Of course I am; do you not see these massive jugs on my chest? How'd you think I would look like? Tall, boney, creepy and in a black cloak with a huge ass scythe?" She asked.
"Yes, yes, yes and yes pretty much." I replied while still being weary of her.
"You need to stop watching those stereotypical movies of me. I'm nothing like that. And as you can see, I'm MUCH more appealing. But the point of the matter is, I'm not to be feared, Michael. If anything, I'm your friend; I'm a friend to all mortals, perhaps even a mother to them. But, that's not important right now. I'm guessing that you want to know why I know your name right?" Death asked, smiling gently this time.
"That would be nice, seeing as how you know my first name, and I never told you." I replied. I could see that she was chuckling again, but it wasn't directed at me, rather it was directed at my response.
"I figured that. Well don't worry about it, anyways; I know your mother's name, your father's name, you teacher's name, everyone's name and even your full name, Michael Sophocles Hughes." Death pointed out while lightly giggling. Normally, I'd be freaking the fuck out and runnin my ass away as fast I could from here, not looking back. But here I still am and listening to her. Weird part is; I'm not freaking out about. Five points for nerves of steel.
"Okay, so you know my full name, I'll give you that. But on to my next question, do you know ANYTHING about me?" I asked, a bit of smugness hinted in my voice as I crossed my arms. I know, I know, this is Death I'm dealing with, the shadow that follows everyone from birth till our dying hour. Still, I just had to test her. Why you ask? I'm a curious to see if she does, I'll admit and more importantly, I'm a prick like that. No two ways about it.
"Well, let me take a look of your life record.," She said while rising her paw a little while letting a black flame engulf it. She felt no pain; rather she had a bored look plastered on her face. Black flames huh, creepy as they looked from where I'm standing, they did look kinda cool, kinda. After for what seemed like a minute, the black fire dispersed and returned to the air from whence it came, and in its place, what appeared a manila folder was resting in her paw and it was stuffed, to the point where I could see strands of paper sticking out from the sides and top. Still, a folder, I thought it'd be more upgraded and junk. "Well here we go; you're entire Life Record. Wow, didn't think it'd be this full. You are one special individual. Now, let's take a look inside. And I'm guessing you don't feel like hearing the entire rerun of your life am I right?" Death asked while looking at him.
"Not really, no. I've lived it, so no need for a trip down memory lane. There are some things I'd like to forget." I said while looking off to the side, the pain of losing 'Her' is still fresh in my mind. "By the way, how come you have a folder instead of something more...? I dunno, up to speed?" I asked. I just had to.
"Budget cuts." Death answered in a tersely manner.
Okay, now I had to stay on this topic for a bit after hearing that.
"Budget cuts? You mean you actually have budget cuts and a job?" I asked, still finding that hard to believe.
"Of course, all otherworldly entities have a job. As you may have noticed, it's my JOB to gather souls of the deceased and guide them to their eternal resting spot, wherever it may lead them. Besides, how do you think I got these clothes?" Death asked while still flipping through the mass of pages in the folder. That did make sense I suppose.
...
Who the hell am I kidding, at this point, nothing was making sense.
"Well, that's something I never knew before. Anyways, so about me, did you find anything?" I asked.
"Yep, but I'm going to read a couple of pages, because I have to get on with what I was ordered to do. Okay, let's get started.
Name: Michael Sophocles Hughes.
Age: 20
Height: 6'0
Weight: 189 pounds.
Species: Wolf
Blood type: O positive
I.Q: 99
Interests: Movies, reading, writing, being alone and... porn. Aren't you a naughty boy?
Secrets: I'll skip that one
Personality: Loner, introspective AND extrospective, philosophical, rude, indifferent and a jerk. Nice little description you got going on about you." Death said while slipping the the paper back into its place. I could easily hear the sarcasm in her voice and if this was anime, and thank God it's not, a plus like temple would suddenly appear on the left side of my temple at the remark that was made about me.
"Hey shut up! Who asked you anyways?" As soon as that reply came out, the obvious answer just whacked my brain as hard as I did a faceplam when I realized it. "Oh, right." I muttered, obviously embarrassed.
"Nice to know that I didn't have point it out. Just saves time. Now for your love interest. I caught a glimpse of it before putting the paper back..." She was silent for a moment, as if trying to find the right words for me. I didn't need to guess what she was going to say next, I already knew. The fact that she was trying to find the right of how to get it out, I dunno. Maybe it was insulting, maybe it was kind gesture. I guess I couldn't fault her for that. "Michael, I know this is still a sore subject to you still, but I think you deserve to know this about Annabelle." Death said in a sincere voice. I could tell that she wasn't joking around and she was being serious and the fact that was about Annabelle, she was treading lightly, respecting my feelings about her.
"Okay, what is it that I needed to know? I know that was going to be my wife in May, she loves taking walks on the beach during the evening hour on a full moon night, she hates bullying, even her favorite color is red. You meaning there's something I don't know about her, even after all the time we spent together? What is it that I don't know about her?" I asked, trying not to get worked up about it.
"Michael, what makes Annabelle so special to you, is that she was your soul mate. You two were meant to be together. She was your other half Michael. Don't you remember how you were a complete asshole before she came along and how she was the only one who didn't annoy you like everyone else?" Death asked while letting the file be engulfed with black flames once again only to have the fire go out and the folder nowhere in sight.
"Yeah, I remember all too well. She was the only one I opened up to, and I was happy when I did too. To be honest, I can't remember the last time I was happy about anything. It was all so great... until she died in that fatal fire accident that day." I said while letting out a sigh, holding back my tears as the happy yet painful memories ran through my mind.
"I know. Those were the best days you've ever had, and you were slowly changing, becoming less annoyed by everyone, and you were starting to become nice and more open. She was The One that was meant for you after all the crap you were put through. I was happy for you, honestly... But there's more to her death then by mortal standards Michael." Death said in a serious tone of voice, along with a poker face, showing that she wasn't joking around when she said that.
"What? You mean to tell me that her death was NOT an accident?" I asked calmly, but anger was hidden and laced in my voice.
"That's correct Michael. The fire that she was in, wasn't an accident, it was intentional. That fire was started by an arsonist." She stated. At this point, I could feel my blood start to boil; wanting to explode from my body. The word 'Arson' was what I just heard with my own two ears, normally I'd be screaming bloody murder and ranting like a bitch about how unfair it was, or try to pin the blame on her, but that was not the right way to act, so I kept cool for now.
"An arsonist did it huh? So, who was it? Was it a man, a woman, a teenager, a pyromaniac, a douchebag? Who?" I demanded; wanting to know who the fucker was that robbed me of my chance a being happy.
"It wasn't a mortal, Michael. It was caused by the supernatural as you mortals call it." Death pointed out in a nonsense voice, still looking serious about what she just said.
"What? Is that supposed to be funny, because I'm not laughing! What the hell do you mean the killer wasn't mortal? It's some kind of ghost that can kill people or some shit? Don't gimme that-"
"Michael, right now I'm being very serious about this problem right now. I know you're still hurting from the loss of your fiancé, but ignoring what I'm trying to tell you will NOT help, not you or her. So listen to what I'm trying to tell you and maybe you'll understand and not freak out on me." She said in a firmer tone of voice, cutting me off from popping like a tin can in a microwave oven. Still, the supernatural was involved in her death? That was just too unreal. I'm a no nonsense kinda guy, a skeptic if you will, who doesn't believe all that ghost crap mumbo jumbo. All I care about was finding out who killed her and making him pay with my own two paws. But as I'm sure that you're reading this, you already know that not possible. So, I'll head by her words and listen to what she has to say.
"Okay... okay. Fine." I said with a breath of calmness following. "I'll listen to what you have to say, even if it sounds incredibly ludicrous. So, about the 'Supernatural' killer, who, or in this case, what was it?" I asked, still skeptical but find myself to believe her words.
"About that, tell me Michael, do you know what a Wraith is?" Death asked.
"A Wraith? It's an entity of mass amount of energy, solely made up of negative energy, I.E: anger, sorrow, hatred, despair, and their favorite: Fear, lots and lots of fear. Not only that, there are also spirits of the dead that foretell of an individual's impending demise. That's about all I got, why?" I asked, curious as to why she would ask me about that.
"Good to know that your studies of the paranormal are still accurate, even after leaving it alone for the past year. Okay, what about a Lich, do you know what that is?" death asked again.
"Again with the questions?" I sighed and decided to answer her. "A Lich is an undead corpse that has the intellect of its former life as a magician while in pursuit of gaining enteral life. Is that what you wanted to know?" I asked her, still unsure why she wanted to know about that. And yes, I take an interest to the paranormal. Call it a Guilty Pleasure if you will.
"Perfect, that saves the explanations by 15%. Now with that out of the way, Michael, as I tell you this, I'll be expecting you to be shocked, but it's imperative that you try to understand the situation. Do you understand?" Death asked while looking at me with an expression that clearly pointed out that she wasn't gonna have of my denial bullshit. And could I really blame her? With what I was going through or about to go through, I really didn't have a choice.
"In this situation, I really don't have a choice now do I?" I asked in a sarcastic voice. "Well, may as well it over with and hear what you have to say." I added.
"Good, it's nice to see that some Mortals have common sense. Now Michael, listen to what I have to say. You know about Annabelle's death and what it was that caused, that much I told you. And I also said that her death was caused by supernatural means. Well Michael, the one responsible for her demise was a Wraith and it was orchestrated by a Lich from behind the scenes." Death pointed out, still keeping a poker face present.
"Back when I was alive, I thought something was off about the sudden fire. I didn't question it, because I didn't see a lighter, a firebomb or anything that could start fire. Well, that answers one of my questions. The question is, what about her soul, where is it now? I asked the Grim Reaper, wanting to see Annabelle so dearly, even if only for a few minutes. Now that I was secure and knew that she was resting in Heaven, free of any pain, she was alright even though I knew I was going spend forever in damnation, but that's fine, at least I'll have the satisfaction knowing that she's okay. And that I would be given the chance to apologize to her for not saving her.
"She's in Limbo right now Michael." Death said plainly; bring my hopes to screeching halt while giving rise to my surprise and fears.
"L-Limbo, what do you mean she's in Limbo?!" I shouted, still not able to believe what she just said to me.
"As I said Michael, she's in Limbo this very moment, trying to make her way through it." She informed while I was still trying to take in what I was hearing. "And it's not just her Michael; she isn't the only one there." Death added. That caught my interest real fast, Surprise now leaving me as confusion began to set in.
"She's not the only one, what do you mean Annabelle's not the only one there?" I asked, anxious to find out about her and save her from there. Yes, I was willing to dive headfirst into the realm of Pain and Forgetfulness just to save her. Wouldn't you if you loved someone that much?
"As I said, she is in the realm of Limbo, but she's not alone there. Everyone who you've grown close to, are residents of Limbo. Your teacher, your deceased fiancé's father, the sweet girl that you knew, even your mother Michael, they're all there in that realm. They were the ones who died by supernatural causes, those five, you included. Your car accident was no accident, it was intentional. All of it. Do you understand now?" Death asked once again, gaining my attention.
"Okay, I understand that much, but the question, why. Why are they there, who put them there and-"
"Calm down Michael, I was the one who put them there; I had to for good reason Michael, they needed to be forgotten by world, but not you, you're the only one who remembers then clearly while the entire world doesn't even know who they are anymore." Death said in a gentle voice, interrupting mines so I could clearly hear her and what she said. When the part where she placed them in that place traveled through my ears, I was about to go off like a rail gun, but the part where she 'had to' also followed, I decided against it, wanting to know the reason why she did what she did.
"Okay, what reason could you possibly have for placing them all in that place?" I asked now, still holding back my rage.
"They needed to be forgotten Michael, from the world, the people and from the Lich that's hunting down their souls." Death pointed out while placing her paws on her hips, her tail swaying from right to left and back again.
"They needed to be forgotten by the world and everyone else? Was all that really needed? I mean, how can the thoughts of people affect their souls?" I asked, still not understanding why all that was needed for something so simple.
"Michael, the thoughts of people are more powerful than you or anybody else gives them credit for. Say you were looking for your favorite game which you lost in your house, if you think about it long enough, it'll be sure to turn up sooner or later. Or a better example, say you think about a person more and more, your thoughts will form a connection to an individual of your mind and vice versa. You can tell if that specific is okay, sad, doing well, sick, or hurting. The same principles apply to an individual's soul while they are still in the world they recently departed from. That can also be dangerous too. Think too much of the person's soul can form a chain that binds them to this world. That's why it's important to grieve for them at their passing, and keep them in your hearts and memory as you move on rather than your minds and dwell in the past. The point I'm trying to get across Michael is that. That's the reason why they are in Limbo right now, so their souls aren't devoured. As cruel as what I did to them, it was the only way." Death explained. I was standing there with my mouth opened, normally I would think that she was spouting bullshit tome just to set off my nerves, but the way she explained it and pointed out something I never thought was possible, I had no choice to believe her, what other option was there?
"Okay, I understand that but why didn't you send them to Heaven? Wouldn't they be safer there?" I asked.
"No, that wouldn't work. For the Lich, he created the Wraith that was meant to illegally harvest souls in the most brutal of ways, one of them bringing an untimely end to its targets. What's more, the Wraith is an illegal fallacy that was not created by Him, meaning, that thing isn't listed in the Akashic Records.in other words, it can do whatever the hell it wants under the command of the Lich." Death informed while taking a breath. But it's that true, then what of everyone else? Does that mean that everyone is victim? It that question holds water, then what's to become of the balance?" I asked; wanting to know what'll happen if nothing is done to stop this problem. Just as I saw that she was about to answer, she turned her head skywards to the left and looked off into the blue yonder, like she was drawn to something. I followed her line of sight, but saw nothing there. I wonder was she was seeing that I wasn't.
"you're sure about that? But I didn't tell him about that yet. Yeah yeah yeah, I'm getting there. You worry about dealing with the problems over there, I got it covered here. Stop worrying so much, I've got under control. I'll update you later about the situation, and can we do something about those old files? What?? Aw c'mon, throw me a bone here." Death whined while talking to the open space. Like any normal person that would witness something out of place, I looked at her with an expression of confusion, like a watching a crazy person claiming that they were a messiah or some shit.
"Okay, okay. I'll wrap up things here and pick up my 7:30 departure. Yes, I'll give him what's needed. Okay, see you later then." With a sigh, she turned back to me with a lopsided smile, trying not to chuckle at my expression. "Sorry about all that. He can be so pushy from time time, but he's right also, I'm running behind on my schedule." She added.
"okay, two questions. One - who were you talking to? And Two - What do I have to do to save the people who knew me?" I asked.
"to make things short and in order; I was talking to God. Yes, He's just as busy as I am, and as for the second question. You are going to participate in my game to save them from dying the way they did. To start things up and speed it a little, I'll grant you a bit of my power, for I bequeath you with the power of Death-Warning." Death stated while placing three paw digits together and snapped them, causing a small spark to erupt from her fingertips. Just when she did, I felt a sudden but brief sensation of discomfort go throw my eyes. On response, my paw went over my eyes, trying to sooth the pain, thankfully it was brief, otherwise, I'd of been on the ground scream like a little bitch. Still the power of Death-Warning huh? I thought that was cool, but then a sudden thought hit me.
"Death-Warning... Wait a minute, this isn't going to be some Final Destination shit is it?" I asked pessimistically, wondering it this'll be exactly like that.
"Again with the negative portrayals of me. No Michael, it'll be nothing like that, so don't worry. Now, normally I'd give you more in-depth details on how they work, but I'm out of time, I gotta get back to work. Listen to me and listen well. I'm going restart that last five months of your life where you and those you know are alive and well. This time, you're going to save them. I'll still be doing my job to collect their souls, but I'm on your side, I'll lend a paw from time to time, but you have to be the one who saves them. Got it?" she asked. I only nodded, not really seeing a reason to question her. "good, now close your eyes and keep them closed." I did as I was told and shut my eyes; on the other side was nothing but darkness.
"Okay, they're closed what do I do now?" I asked, somehow not liking where this was going.
"All right, two things. One - Stop talking in first person, and Two - Wake up." She commanded as I heard a familiar finger snap.
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Michael's eyes shot open on command. He could see that familiar ceiling that he always looked towards when he laid down before sleeping, that when it hit him like a bulldozer that lost control, he was back in his old room, he back in his parents' house... He was alive again.
"I'm... I'm alive...! I'm Alive!" He shouted while jumping up from his bed and was examining himself, seeing that he was patched up completely. No cuts, bruises, or blood. He was completely healed. It was weird, but in a good way. Before, he hated being alive, doing the same thing, day after day until Annabelle came into his life and left it so abruptly and became an empty husk of sadness and rage. But now, that he was given a second chance, he felt invigorated and motivated just to get out there and redo his life again once more. Just when he was still taking the time to be glad that he was among the living once more, a familiar, feminine voice called to him that both surprised and filled him with joy.
"Michael honey, time to get up, your classes starts in one hour!" said his mother from the other side of the door.
"Mom is alive, just like death said," He said to himself while moving towards the door. Placing his paw on the cool spherical handle, he gripped and turned it, swinging the door open to reveal the snow white wolfess that was before him in a light blue night gown. She was smiling at him and was about to say something, but she didn't have the chance, as he brought his mother into an warm embrace, it took everything to keep himself from bursting into tears, but he held them back, right now he was glad to see her alive and well again. He felt her paws rest on his back and chuckle came from her muzzle.
"Oh my, usually you're not the hugging type anymore, what brought on this change?" she asked while gently pulling back to see her son's face with a smile on hers.
"Oh... uh, I had a dream... where I lost you." Michael answered, even though it was partially true and partially false.
"Oh honey, I'm not going anywhere, not until I have me some grandpups and I know that you'll be okay." She replied with a motherly smile, while gently stroking his cheek. "Now chop-chop. I have breakfast ready downstairs and you know how your father tends eats. Get dressed Hon; I'll save you a plate." She said before turning around and headed down the stairs, until she was out of his sight. Michael let out a sigh and stepped back into his room, closing it behind. Once he was alone in his room, the cell on his bedside stand, let go a little melody a few times before stopping. He knew what it was, but it still surprised him.
"A Text message, I never gave out my number to anybody, I wonder who it could be." He said to himself while walking over to it, "Probably spam." He predicted. Once he reached his Android, he picked it up. He read the screen to see who the message was from. "It's a message, from... D?" he asked while looking on for a few seconds. "May as well read it." He pressed the button and allowed the message to pop open so he could read it. It read,
"Hey Mikey!! It's me Death ;3 surprised ya didn't I. Well, guess what, I got a cell phone too! Yippee!! This is so cool We can totally text each other now, isn't that awesome? <3 Well, normally I go on and on, but I still got work to do, we can txt more then. So, catchya later buddy. Love Death. Hugs and kisses... what the?" He asked himself after reading his text. "that was so weird... wait a minute, how the hell can she afford a phone?!" He nearly shouted while reply to the text. Once he finished, he exited the app and proceeded to get ready, find a pair of jeans and a shirt nearby. While doing that, his phone went off again. He didn't hesitate to read it. He opened it and it only read one simple sentence, and it didn't even bothering to reply to his text question. Rather, it made him gulp loudly.
"Welcome to the Restart of Dark Days."
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To be continued...
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Well guys, what did you think of my new story?
Took me a while to finish, but I think I did a good job of making a good intro and first chapter. I know my last few stories weren't so good, but I got a good feeling about this one, and yes, I will be adding more chapters. Also, depending on how this story goes, I just might add characters to this story to make it more interesting along the way.
Leave a vote and comment with your honest opinion. Till then, see y'all next time :3
Starting point and credit goes to Tiger Khan. Thanks dude.