Soul World

As I lie here in a strangers bathtub hiding from the monsters, I ponder where it all went so wrong. You have a gift, they said… Yeah right. Tell you what you can take this gift and … re-GIFT it! Now I'm no delicate little flower. I like to think I can kick arse and take names. But the truth is I'm only alive because I am smart enough to hunker down and hide when the monsters hunt. Oh hell, where are my manners? I'm Meghan Winters, and I broke the world. Your laughing at me, I know, but here is the thing. I didn't just break our world; I broke the world of souls too. I'm sorry, but monsters are real, they broke through because of me, and they are coming for us all, so… hide…NOW!                                                                     ************************************ Meghan I’m sure the monsters hunting me must be able to hear the booming drumbeat of my heart. It’s so loud in my ears I can barely hear myself think. I need to calm myself, so I focus on squeezing my hands into a fist and relaxing them repeatedly. I listen to the sound my breath makes as I fight to slow my breathing, the dripping of the tap.  The texture of the dirty tub I am lying in and the smell of the mould.  Shit, I can hear someone outside the door. If it’s one of the hunters out there, I am done. Goddammit, why did I hide here in this tiny bathroom with only one door and a window too freaking small to climb through? Please don’t let them find me. I pray to whoever might be listening. Yeah, right, I can’t remember the last time my prayers were answered. I get ready to fight to my dying breath. I won’t go quietly; I will go out raising hell. As he comes through the door, I trip on the tub, getting tangled in the shower curtain and literally fall at the stranger’s feet. It's official the universe hates me, and now I am going to die, or worse, get taken by the hunters.                                                                      ************************************ Matt “Hey, settle down. Let me help you. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just trying to get you untangled.” I gaze carefully at the young woman as I untangle her from the shower curtain, and oh man, she might be a little dirty, but she is beautiful. Flashing green eyes sparkling with unshed tears of frustration and fury. Once I get her untangled, I hold my palms up and repeat, “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you; I just want to help. My name is Matt”. I can see she is fighting for control as she takes a long breath and visibly takes hold of herself. Her voice cracks as she whispers her name, “ Meghan.” “Meghan, we are safe here for the night; the Hunters have already passed through, so won’t be back for a least a day or two.” I hand her a bottle of water and a packet of twisties from my pack. I could hear her belly growling from here. “You look like you haven’t eaten in a while, and while it’s not exactly healthy, it will fill the hole in your belly.” I grin a little as she snatches the packet from my hands like she is afraid I will take it back.                                                                       ************************************ Meghan I groan as the cheesy flavour bursts across my tongue. I can feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment as I sneak a glance at the cute guy sitting across from me and melt at the adorable dimples that peek out as he grins at me. “I’m sorry I haven’t eaten in a while, and I love twisties.” I’m starving but reluctantly hold the bag of cheesy goodness out to share with Matt. Matt flashes his dimples. “Nah, pig out I have more where they came from” I take him at his word, and in between gulps of water, I finish off the first food I have eaten in nearly two days.   I know I trust too quickly, but I’m not doing so great on my own, so I take a leap of faith. “Matt, what do you know about what is going on out there?” “Not much. I was on leave from the Army when the whole world went mad. Having a few drinks with mates and watching the sun go down from the club across from the beach.” He looks haunted as he remembers how it all went down. “All of a sudden, my mates started dropping and… s**t… I don’t know; it looked like they were having seizures or something. When I looked around, I noticed that most of the people in the bar were having the same reaction. I didn’t know what to think. Those who weren’t afflicted were screaming and trying to help their friends. Then it all stopped, and the first one got up and attacked a woman who was trying to help him.” Matt breathes heavily as he continues. “There was blood everywhere. I ran with Ben and Arthur, the guys I was with. We still don’t know what caused it, but the whole world went mad.” “Meghan, you are the first person aside from Ben and Arthur that I have seen who didn’t attack me like a rabid beast. Aside from falling at my feet in a shower curtain.” He grins, and his dimples peek through. “And you’re a smoking hot babe… which doesn’t hurt.” I smile weakly, and I wonder if he will still think I am a smoking hot babe when he knows that I caused the end of the world. That I am the reason, most of the population is infected with damaged souls from the Soul World. I know I am going to need help to survive the hunters and find a way to close the rip between worlds. But, s**t here goes nothing; I open my mouth and start my tale of woe and stupidity.  “Matt, I know what happened, and it was my fault. I broke the world”.