1 Chapter 1: Light
Just like any other ending, a blinding light from the sky consumes me. I noticed my senses to feel, hear, touch, smell and see were fading until I felt someone's intertwined with mine, that someone calling out my name, but I don't even know my own. I can finally see their face, but it was already too late when everything turned black. I asked myself, "Who am I?", no answer was given to me, of course, no one's here but me.
-
"Hey, wake up." I hear a voice above me, but I ignored it. Slowly but surely, I can feel things around me, the grass, the cold breeze that swept just from my right and the soft chatter of the crickets in the background. It was peaceful, like a comfortable bed from the master's bedroom. I could have stayed on the ground for God knows how long, but the comforting silence was interrupted by a deep, stern, feminine voice and a soft kick to the leg. "Get up." I ignore it. "I know you're awake." I hear it again, but it was more firm. In annoyance, I try to open my eyes, it was a success, until, somehow, the black sky littered with white dots blinded me. Immediately, I closed them but I eventually got used to it.
I look around my surroundings, it was like how I thought it was, a soft shade of green was painted on the grass below me, there were colorful and vibrant flowers with butterflies collecting pollen off of them, and trees with mother birds feeding their young ones. But what I didn't expect was the eerie black sky that I knew was supposed to be comforting light blue, and just behind me was a young woman in a dark grey jacket, leather black jeans, white shirt and a pair of rubber shoes. She had long brown hair, a nice nose, her lips were a shade of soft pink, and everything about her just seems right for some reason. And that's how I noticed I was staring. "Hey," she said, ",you're naked."
Just right after the woman said it, I felt the grass just beneath my thighs and the leaf that fell on my naked shoulder. I yelp and frantically look around to see if anyone else was looking, I sighed with relief that no one was here, but then the woman's voice reminded me that she exists. "Don't worry, just try to focus on some clothes and you'll find yourself wearing them." How does that work? I ask myself but I didn't question it. I try to get my mind to focus on some clothes, but for some reason. all I could focus on was a black shirt with a logo printed on it, bachelor blue hoodie and some ripped jeans.
"You can stop doing that now." The woman said to me, I finally open my eyes to find myself fully clothed. I sighed in relief and silently thanked the Gods. A pounding headache suddenly came out of nowhere, just like a computer, folders and folders of data was uploaded into me, flashes of families going out on picnics, someone eating a burger, an airplane and all other things, but for some reason, it was too much and it eventually left out the folder for my personal information except for my name.
While my headache numbed everything else, I didn't notice myself tumble over some branch and tripped face flat on the ground till I was just mid-air. The woman chuckled as she watched me scramble all over the ground. She offered a hand, I took it. "You alright?" She asked me, I replied with a thumbs up. Wait, isn't she a stranger. Why do I feel like I need to trust her? I ask myself. I went towards the girl, but then she started walking away. Where are we going? The journey was silent, the air between us growing more awkward by the second. I decided not to say anything and just look around me. The sky that was black faded into blue, but it was in no way comforting. The ground was now littered with flowers of many kinds, and a body of water just towards us. Of course, for us to pass, there needed to be a bridge, the bridge looked old but sturdy enough to hold fifteen marching bands.
Screw it. I'll just ask the question. But before that I can do that, she already answered it for me. "I'm Alyanna." Alyanna said. My name, I should say my name. "Oh, you might not remember your name, it's-" I cut her off. "Oh, um. I'm Venice." I said automatically while the tall woman looked at me in shock before going back to her default expression. Venice? It's my name but why did it feel so foreign on my tongue? I wanted to start a conversation, so I could know the place and her better. "Where are we?" I ask. The place looked like something that came out from a fantasy movie, there's no way this place could be on Earth. "In case you're wondering, we aren't on Earth." I looked to over her with my eyes wide and my jaw on the ground. I panicked. "What do you mean we aren't on Earth?" The brunette grinned as if she were about to tell some interesting secret. "Because we're in the Purgatory." I stood there dumbfounded, just like solving a puzzle, it made sense, but how can I be so sure? "We're dead?" I ask slowly. "Yes." Alyanna said, and then continued walking.
We're dead. I'm dead. "How do you know?" I ask, trying to get as much as many answers from the stranger. Alyanna paused and looked at the ground without looking at me. "I just know." Then she continued as if she hadn't said anything. I follow her anyways. After an hour of a silent journey, I could see some cabins. Relief filled me when I noticed other people walking around, the more the merrier. "Come here." The tall woman grabbed my wrist, and led me to the door of one of the cabins. When I entered, an image of a child with her parents in a cabin that looked awfully the same as Alyanna's, two loveseat with a zebra print, two mattresses with covers on the floor, a coffee table and a functional clock. Except, the brunette's clock didn't look functional, the batteries probably died. "Sit here." Alyanna's voice brought me out of my train of thoughts, her hand signals indicating that I should take the seat beside her. "Coffee?" She offered, I shook my head.
"You're confused, right?" Who wouldn't be, I deadpanned. "You don't remember anything and you're scared." I nod. "Well, ask your questions. I'll try to answer them." Finally. "Does God exist?" She nods. Great, cross out that from the list of 100 queries. "Why can't I remember anything except my name?" "Well, we don't know if that's your actual name or a nickname, but we don't know why." Alyanna said as she took a sip from her coffee. "How do you know we're dead?" I ask. People would tell stories of purgatory as a waiting room or a road full of obstacles. How would they know? They weren't actually dead and then they came back to life, that was impossible. I noticed the dark look painted on her face, I shut up. Have I said something wrong? "Like I said, I just know." The dark look turned into a forced smile. "You have any other question?" I nodded, pretending that I didn't see anything just now.
-
"Well, you can sleep here." Alyanna pointed out to the mattress near the window, it looked less cozy than the one beside it. I nodded, where would I stay anyway, but I didn't want to intrude her. "Then where will you sleep?" I ask. She shook her head. "Nope." Confused, I repeated it. "'Nope'?" She smiled at me, and just left the cabin leaving me all alone. I huffed, whatever she's going through is not my business anyway. I plop down to the mattress near the window and tried to sleep but I only felt paranoia and nervousness. I wish my parents would comfort me, but I don't even know who they are. I closed my eyes, and again, I was consumed by another blinding light.
