What Happens Next?
1760 Words
Chapter two: What happens next?
Have you ever had a dream where… At the end you just barely don't die, and when you wake up you're plagued with the thoughts of what happens after that? I guess it would depend greatly on what your religion says will happen, no? But you just think about it. Does it go black? Does your life flash before your eyes? Is there a light?
It all went black.
Then the sound of rain on metal coaxed me out of the darkness and I opened my eyes to see what was happening around me. I was standing in the rain. However, the rain wasn't cold. Nor was it wet. It was like I wasn't really there. I was under the '123' overpass that leads out of woodbrook and Tillicum. Before me was a very familiar bus. Upside down and badly crunched with several cars around it, still familiar though. It appeared the cars had managed to dodge hitting the overturned bus. Up above, the bridge's railing was blown out. We had drove through the barrier and flew through the air into oncoming traffic.
The realization that I was dead came on hard and fast. Yet it wasn't as horrifying as I'd have expected. I was immediately worried about Alex and Jack, my two sons, and about their father David. He had just barely gotten back into the workforce again, his degree in hand I had a feeling he would be fine though. We were young. He could find a new wife. Hopefully one that would be kind to the kids. Sadness came over me like a tide of the ocean. I would miss them. No more hugs, kisses, and pets. Our nightly routine. Selfishly I hoped they would miss me.
"I-I!" Came a familiar stuttering. "I can't believe this happened."
I turned to look over at Kaia. She stood next to me with her face a bit pale. She was practically shaking. It seemed the calmness wasn't universal. Must be my emotional detachment or something, even in death my poor childhood still haunted the emotional side of me.
"Our luck huh? Get on a bus to get you antidepressants and now we aren't even corporeal anymore."
Kaia looked at me, her face serious. "I didn't even really get to live! I never had a job… My own apartment… Or Went to school… Rose. I don't want to be dead!"
I lifted my hands up in a shrug. "I'm not exactly pleased either. I'm leaving my seven and nine year old kids."
The reminder seemed to calm her. She looked at the mess of a bus it seemed police were starting to arrive on scene.
"What happens now?"
Kaia asked the question out loud, in that same lapse of silence, I thought the same exact thing.
"In my religion a personal guide is supposed to bring me to the city of hell." I told her offering the little I knew.
"Okay… So am I supposed to see a light or something? I really didn't even think to ask how the moment after death happened. You think I'll get into heaven, right?" she asked her head craning to try and see some mysterious light in the sky.
"Yeah, I mean I'm pretty sure you will. I'm exactly sure I won't though." I laughed humorlessly, casting my eyes across the gathering crowd of people and vehicles. The demons all normally look like traditional angels. So, I was scanning myself for anything suspicious.
"I think we are literally ghosts right now." I said as I caught sight of my own arm. It was there at my side faithfully yet it lacked the look of the rest of the people around. I could vaguely look through myself and see the wet pavement below.
"Ghosts, huh?" Kaia sighed and put her hands on her hips. She then walked forward and leaned down examining the damage to the bus's carriage.
"Any chance you think that we are still alive in there?" She called back to me. I made a circle around the bus to examine the other side.
There I was. My face and body crumpled against the window I had so patiently been looking out. I couldn't remember if I said goodbye to the boys. We were in such a rush to catch this bus… What if I had just let us be late?
"I know I'm not. If I am, it's comaville for me." I said exasperated. Kaia walked up behind me and gagged a bit.
"Oh man! I'm sorry. Looks like I landed on you and made it worse."
It was then I took notice, a head was on my torso there indeed laid Kaia. She looked like she definitely had some broken bones but her overall damage didn't look too terrible, she honestly could still be alive.
"If you aren't dead… You'll look after my kids for me right?" I asked, glancing back at her. She nodded her head vigorously.
"Yes, of course! No doubt."
A soft thumping noise had us both look up, the third bus rider on the lonely bus came limping out from the front of the bus. He looked very grumpy. Maybe it was because even in death he was still old and had a limp.
"The damn bus driver is still alive. Public transportation should have seat belts." he growled. It's true a seat belt might have kept us from the top of the bus and the ground on impact.
I shrugged and Kaia crossed her arms.
"Any idea what happens now?" she called to him.
He looked us over and then smiled widely. "I'm atheist. So good luck." he laughed dryly. Then moved on walking down the halted freeway.
The two of us exchanged glances with each other. "Should we follow, try to go home, or just sit and wait here." I asked and Kaia just looked at me shaking her head unknowingly. She seemed stressed. I hooked my arm over her shoulder and sighed. This was no ideal situation. We didn't even have remotely similar religious ideas. So it's not like we could comfort each other in this moment really.
"You can go, go look at your kids." she sighed and rubbed her face.
I smiled and pinched her cheek, earning a very irate look. "I can watch over them, everyday, from now on. My promise was to stay with you, right. I can't keep an eye on you if I don't know where you go. For all I know they are gonna save you and that's invaluable information. I'm staying right here, till your mysterious light appears or… Whatever."
Kaia smiled and leaned her head on my arm heaving a little sigh of annoyance. The ambulance and firefighters were now working together to try and get the four bodies out of the crumpled bus. It was quite interesting, and infuriating, to watch. The bus driver was indeed alive but with shards of glass in him. The body of the old man was next. He apparently got thrown across the bus in his death. Next was Kaia, the ambulance seemed to have high hopes for her. They strapped her up and put her in the ambulance with the bus driver. Kaia perked at this watching with sparkling eyes. Lastly was my body. It was the way of the old man, done for.
"I wouldn't get too excited there!" Came an incredibly jovial voice from behind. The two of us spun immediately to look at this new spirit speaking to us.
Behind me was a very attractive and yet very feminine looking man. He had shoulder length blonde hair and red colored eyes. His facial features were particularly ambiguous. But his body was shirtless revealing a males chest and a set of speckled wings. They were mostly white but had black dots all over them. He looked very cheerful. His pants were leather of some kind and a set of chains hung from them. On one chain hung a small black book. This he picked up and flipped to a page.
"I'm here to escort one Rose to the grandeour city below." he said and flashed us both a smile.
"Well, that's me but, can we hold off until Kaia gets picked up? I don't want to leave her." I admitted worriedly.
The man looked over at the girl beside me. Arching an eyebrow he smiled again. "Aren't you a healthy mix. Quite interesting. Well… Kaia, I do believe that you will be getting picked up any moment. Your trachea was crushed and it doesn't appear the ambulance is fully prepared for that. Your fading fast."
The word fading made me look at Kaia again. Holy crap I hadn't really noticed but, she wasn't corporeal like I was. Or at least she hadn't been. Now I was starting to be able to look through her on the limbs.
"So I did survive…" she whispered tears coming to her eyes.
The man nodded his head still smiling. "Yeah! It's why your guide isn't here. You were still too connected to the flesh bag. Seems your riiight about to be, officially dead." His words made her sob and she crumpled into me. He frowned for the first time. A fang catching his lower lip. "Aye, don't trip lady. Life is hardly even the first chapter. So much more goes on after death. And if you like life that bad, every soul gets reincarnated eventually. You just don't want to stay here. This place is limbo and it ain't the best. It's like life but much harder. You can't eat but you experience hunger. When your guide comes you need to follow." he warned darkly.
Kaia nodded her head, tears staining her cheeks. I rubbed her back once more before a new voice greeted our trio.
"If you're quite done, Kaia. We have a busy schedule to get on to." I looked up and saw a woman standing behind Kaia. She had long flowing hair that was an odd shade of silver. Icy blue eyes and the purest whitest wings.
Kaia saw her and sighed. "I just croaked didn't I?" The new Comer seemed much too busy to deal with any tears and she held out her hand impatiently.
"We must get going. Now come along. Or stay here." she said sharply.
Kaia looked at me. Her face set stubbornly.
"I will find you again. Our friendship isn't over."
Grinning, I nodded back. "I will find you as well. We're a team. Love you sister!" Kaia's arms went around my shoulders and I hugged her back as well.
Her angel 'hmmphed' impatiently and turned on her heel as if to leave. Kaia shot up.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"
There it was. The white light. They disappeared into this bubble of light and then… They were gone.
- Writer
