Burning Slow

Reincarnated

Ember gasped, sitting up on the bed, messing up the sheets that were gently laid on her. For some reason, she felt unexplainable pain all over her body but the most painful part of her body was in her stomach part.

She didn't have time to find out why her body was aching, she had to find out what happened.

Her eyes shifted all over the room until they finally locked with Nathan's eyes. Nathan who was on the floor, staring at his best friend with eyes as wide as saucers.

"Nate. What happened?" Ember tried to catch her breath. She felt as if she just ran a whole marathon around the world.

"Em..." Nathan's voice trembled. "Y-you died three weeks a-ago." Nathan had fear in his widened eyes, staring at his now living best friend which he knew was an impossible occurrence once a person's heart stopped beating.

It was then Ember realized hat she was in a glass room and Nathan was just outside it.

"Nate, let me out. I'm fine!" Ember banged on the glass walls.

Nathan shook his head multiple times. He scrambled off the floor, yelling Greyson's name.

"Nate, where are you going? Nathan!" Ember continued to bang on the glass wall, yelling her best friend's name.

A few minutes passed and Greyson and Nathan got back in the room. 

The boy was still shaking like a lost puppy and the scientist was chuckling like he heard a really awful attempt at a joke.

Greyson's eyes landed on his daughter who he just saw not too long ago, lying on the bed, showing no signs of life. 

No heartbeat, no breaths, no nothing.

It was as if time stopped for the father who had lost his daughter three weeks ago.

"Ember..." He quickly unlocked the glass door, hugging his daughter.

"You're not dead." He repeated over and over again, sobbing onto Ember's shoulder.

Although her body was aching all over, she hugged her father back as tight as she possibly could.

The father and daughter looked like a mess, crying into each other's arms.

"How is this even possible?" Greyson asked, pulling away from the hug, staring at his daughter from head to toe.

"You know what? I'm not going to ask any further. I'm just happy you're here." He caressed his daughter's face, laughing with tears in his eyes.

Nathan slowly approached the two, still freaked out at the events.

Ember rolled her eyes, pulling Nathan in for a hug once he was at arms length.

Nathan stilled for a moment before finally relaxing, hugging back his best friend.

"I missed you, Em." Ember giggled as her tears still felt like waterfalls. She felt so relieved to see and hug the most important people in her life once again.

But she noticed something wrong.

She felt fine. As fit as a horse. But her clock...

It was at zero,

How is that even possible?

She gently shook her head, pulling away from Nathan, wiping away her tears.

"I'm just glad I'm back in one piece." She grinned at her best friend and father.

"Let's go out and celebrate!" Greyson cheered.

The two teenagers nodded, still holding onto each other; as if they were each other's lifelines.

They were about to exit the house when Ember remembered to grab her gas mask. She obviously didn't want to die and leave her loved ones once again,

She stretched her hand out, reaching for her gas mask that she always hung on the coat hanger but she only felt coats. She stopped in her tracks, also stopping the teenager that was still clinging to her.

"What's wrong, Em?" Nathan asked. At this, Greyson retracted his hand that was about to turn the knob on the door, turning his head to see what was happening with the two teenagers.

Both men were curious as to why Ember just stopped in her tracks, her eyebrows raised as she stared at the coat hanger.

"What's wrong, love?" This time, it was Greyson who asked.

"Where is my gas mask?" She gestured to the coat hanger. Now that she thought of it, the boys' gas masks were nowhere in sight either. "Where are the gas masks?"

"Gas masks? What for?" Her dad asked.

"We're going out during this pandemic without gas masks? A single particle of the virus could slowly and painfully kill an individual!" Ember shuddered as she recalled how much pain she felt before she died. "How did you two forget that?"

"What are you talking about, Em?"

Ember was even more confused at how the two of them were acting.

She then remembered about the piece of paper that Greyson tucked in her right pocket before she passed out.

She quickly pulled it out, seeing four words scribbled on it.

Saved. Now save us.

"Fuck." Ember mumbled, feeling her heart rate start to speed up a bit.

"What does that mean?" Nathan asked. She completely forgot that he was still by her side.

"You said I died three weeks ago, right?" Both of the guys nodded. "How did I die?" Ember's voice trembled. She was shaking like a leaf in autumn, her heart rate speeding up as each second passed. She was confused by the events- almost as confused as the two men that now stood in front of her.

"You... You don't remember?" Ember shook her head, still clutching the piece of paper in her right hand.

"I remember dying 'cause I forgot my gas mask before stepping out the house. The virus quickly took my life in two short days."

"What virus? Ember, you died 'cause a fucker stabbed you in the stomach!" That explains the painful throbbing in my stomach, Ember thought.

"It took us hours before we were able to find your cold... lifeless body, swimming in your own blood." Nathan's voice cracked, remembering the horrifying state his best friend was in.

"Stabbed?" She mumbled, unconsciously placing a hand on the unhealed wound, almost feeling the way she was stabbed.

"Yes, Ember. Stabbed!" Nathan snapped. Greyson placed a hand on his shoulder, calming him down.

"What's wrong, love?" Greyson asked in a calm voice.

"What's today's date?" Greyson's eyebrows furrowed at his daughter's question but answered nonetheless.

"October 13, 2228." At this, Ember felt lightheaded as she felt her knees buckle beneath her. Nathan was quick, he immediately caught Ember from an almost painful fall.

"Ember? Ember!" He called but no response from her.

Greyson touched Ember's neck, feeling a pulse. He breathed out a sigh of relief. "She's fine. Lay her down on the sofa."

Nathan nodded, carrying his best friend like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder then gently laid her down on the sofa.

Greyson grabbed the piece of paper his daughter was still clutching.

"This is my hand-writing." He whispered to himself, eyebrows furrowed. His confusion at an all-time high- he didn't even know that it was possible to get confused this much speaking as a scientist that studied all the different formulas and other s**t.

"What do you think happened to her?" Nathan asked, looking at his best friend, worry shining through his eyes.

"I have absolutely no idea." He answered, his eyebrows still furrowed. "Let's just wait for her to wake up." Nathan nodded, lifting up Ember's head then laying it on his lap.

"Let's not get too carried away, Nate. You're not my daughter's boyfriend, all right?" Greyson teased.

"Dude! She's my best friend."

"Yeah, you say that now." Nathan simply shook his head, having this conversation far too many times already.

"You tease me about this and you're not wondering how our Ember is alive and has no knowledge of what happened to her three weeks ago. Psh." Nathan commented, rolling his eyes.