Falling

My screams were muffled, turned into barely audible whispers.

At first, everything was a blur as I dropped further down. Then bit by bit, I began to slow down. The pressure of the air passing my body decreased, and it felt like I was floating. I could sense myself descending thanks to the air brushing again me, but at the same time, it was as if I was suspended.

Drifting was the word. I was drifting further and further down.

"This is a dream... right?"

I lifted my hand and gave my cheek a pinch. It didn't hurt, but I felt it clearly. I was not dreaming.

"So am I dead? What happened?"

I twisted my neck, trying to look upwards. Or at least what I thought was upwards. Everything was dark here, with the exception of the occasional blotch of dark red. I couldn't tell how close I was to any walls, if there were any.

The last thing I remembered was running away from something, and then I fell into a hole. Or a large crack, to be precise. The ground was shaking. Perhaps an earthquake? No, that's ridiculous. I had seen enough movies and read too many novels to know that 'that' was not a 'natural' disaster.

I closed my eyes, wondering what took place, and why.

"Maybe I'm dead. And I'm falling to hell."

If I was dead, that could explain this eerie calm that had settled over me.

As I contemplated the idea, memories of my past began to surface and fly through my mind.

First, there were my birthdays. I saw my family and my two little sisters. Then my first day of high school, followed by my graduation ceremony. Entering college. A memory of sitting on the hill by myself. On the roof of a tall building. Visiting my friend. Walking out the gates, taking in a breath of fresh air for the first time in years. These were the key moments of my existence, the ones that defined me.

"So it's true. Your life really does flash before your eyes."

I chuckled for a bit.

"After all that, this is how it ends. How ironic."

I took in a deep breath, and let out a sigh.

"I really don't want to die."

These words meant something beyond basic instinct to me.

And as if in response to what I said, there was a deep boom beneath me. It was like a powerful roar that resonated throughout my body. It was soon followed by another, and then another, each one distinct but still echoing through the darkness.

It resembled a thunderstorm, but it had this tone that appeared... animalistic. The hairs on my arm stood up, goosebumps forming. Something was there, causing these sounds. And I was slowly sinking towards it. The tranquility I had felt seconds ago disappeared. I looked around, desperately searching for anything I could hold on to. Nothing but the darkness. Then I heard a laugh.

Hmm? I peered downward, in the direction I was dropping. I still couldn't perceive anything.

"Who's there?" I called out. My voice was now audible and clear, compared to the murmurs they were turned into earlier.

I was answered with a sudden shriek, a wail that nearly ruptured my eardrums. It was immediately met with a reply, a crashing boom. As the two sounds clashed, I pressed my hands against my ears, attempting to save my eardrums from being shattered.

This was when my surroundings finally changed. The darkness slowly dissipated, steadily replaced by a bright mist. The mist eventually covered me, until it was all I could see.

But the noises continued, progressively growing louder. Each of them battered against me, now bringing a sharp pain that stabbed into my body. It reached the point where covering my ears did nothing, and as I looked down, I could see blood dripping all over my hands. My breathing slowed down, and my vision gradually dimmed.

As this happened, the noises started to change. No. The noises stayed the same, but they had a new quality, something I couldn't hear earlier. Words emerged in my head, as if translating an unknown language into something I could understand.

"Do not worry. You will die soon." The words spawned from the thunderous clamor.

"No shit." I mustered the rest of my energy to sputter out my final words.

"Do not worry. Your death is not what you envision it to be."

I didn't imagine dying this way either. There was too much I needed to do. But what could I do? I had nothing.

"Why me?"

"Do not worry. You will be given another chance. A window of-"

Before my mind could translate the rest, everything faded away.

~~~

I awoke in the arms of an angel flying through the sky.

Or I thought it was an angel, and I thought we were in the sky. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. Wrong. I felt the words come out with the air in my lungs, but I couldn't hear them. Something was off.

The figure holding me looked down. It seemed to be a man, but it had incredibly pale skin, almost pure white. Wherever I looked, their body was obscured by the same mist that had surrounded me earlier, like a censor. As his head turned, the mist shimmered like a mirage.

As for where we were, that was hard to describe. The ground was just a wall of translucent white, with the swirling mist blanketing it. When I looked up, the sky was the exact same. It was a ceiling with mist flowing across it, like miniature clouds. This view extended without boundaries, with no end in sight.

"So you're awake!" A voice popped into my mind. This time, it was an actual voice, a man's, with a playful ring.

I attempted to ask where we were, but the figure put his finger against my lips.

"It's alright. You don't have to speak, I can understand you."

'What? Like telepathy? Can he read my mind?'

"That's right!"

'Oh shit.'

"Heard that!"

'You're annoying.'

"..."

For some reason, the cheerful tone pissed me off.

'Can you... explain?'

I still had no idea what was going on. I was being chased, then I fell down a hole, and now I was being carried bridal style by some otherworldly being.

"Nope! Not my job. I just need to take you to her."

I peered closer at the figure. Despite the mist, I could sense a smile on his face.

'Who's her? God? Am I going to heaven?'

Maybe God was a woman? That would be a surprise, considering how much of an absolute dick he is.

"Something like that." The figure giggled.

I was perplexed. There was so much to think about, to ask this being.

'By the way, why can't I speak? I'm trying to but my words won't come out.'

"Oh you can. You just can't hear it anymore."

It took me a few seconds, but it dawned on me as I looked at my bloodied hands again. The pain was gone but...

'I... my ears?'

"Mhm."

'But I thought-'

"And we are here!" The figure suddenly stopped, and dropped me on the ground. The impact didn't hurt, but surprised me. The ground was surprisingly soft, similar to rubber.

I spun around, but everything appeared the same. Just mist and translucent white stretching out infinitely. I couldn't notice anything different about here compared to where we were when I woke up.

'I don't see anything.'

"Yes you do."

'No I-'

The figure leaned forward grabbing my arm.

'What are you-'

He reached out and plunged his hand into my left eye, and then took it out.

'Huh?' I couldn't process what just happened as I stood there, watching him crush my eyeball.

"Now you don't." The figure giggled again as he ripped out my other eye.