Death After Life

Experimenting

"And that reminds you of me, how?" I asked, running my hands along the pitch-black wall beside me. The ridges in it were deep and sharp. I could feel small cuts forming on my already raw fingers.

"Well, I heard about the fall that you took into the water." He chuckled. "Didn't even try to float or swim. Just sunk all the way down to the bottom and crawled your way to the surface."

I scoffed. "It's not like I had a choice. I could barely lift my arm, let alone swim. It felt like a ton of bricks was weighing me down."

Michael stopped walking. At first, I didn't notice, until I saw the blue flame flickering in front of me and realized I was about to bump into him.

"Hmmm... I've never heard of anyone experiencing that. We'll have to keep an eye on the newcomers to make sure they don't have similar issues." I heard him rustling and then saw a rectangle screen light up.

I was in shock.

"You have cellphones here?" I asked.

"Of course, though the service is s**t. I can't call anyone. Hopefully Charon will still get my text. I'd hate to have to leave my new guest to go deal with this."

The light of the screen went out a moment later and he began walking once again. I tried to keep up. I could feel my fingers becoming sticky with blood, but I would rather my hands be scratched up than risk falling in here. The soles of my feet weren't any more protected than the padding of my hands. Walking on these sharp rocks was painful, but I knew falling would be even worse.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, I felt my foot snag on the vine of a plant. Weird. I had studied horticulture all my life, but very few plants could grow without light. Not to mention in rock. The vine itself felt thick as well, and the texture was unlike any plant I'd encountered. Cold and smooth, but my toes went into it like it was playdough. The foliage here must be different. I stumbled but managed to catch myself.

"Keep up!" Nimbus whispered angrily at me. I was beginning to understand the nickname Michael had given him.

"Now now, Dimness. Let's not be rude," Michael said with an undercurrent in his voice. "We cannot expect our Alicanto to move quickly. Especially after that entertaining display in the water."

What. An. Ass.

The way he spoke, you would think my suffering had been nothing more than the newest episode of his favorite soap opera. If I didn't think he was death incarnate I would tell him off. The image of his red eyes and the smoke billowing out of his nose filled my mind. It was terrifying.

Terrifying.

Definitely NOT sexy.

"Sorry," I said. Asshole. I added in my mind. "I tripped on a vine."

I heard a harumph to the left of me. "Impossible. There are no vines in the Underworld. No plants either. Only one tree. Someone like you will never get the privilege to see."

"Unfortunately, our furry friend over here is correct, even if he sounds like a pompous ass," Michael said.

"Thank you, sir," Nimbus said with pride. "Perhaps the human tripped over her own feet or needs to tie her shoes."

It was my turn to scoff. "Impossible, Dimness," I said mockingly. Michael chuckled in front of me. "I don't have any shoes."

Michael stopped again and spun around.

"You're feet are bare?" he asked.

"I thought that was obvious," I replied. I stood still as he began advancing on me, his blue flame flickering close to my cheek as he gazed at my face.

"The floor is cold. I will carry you," he said with finality.

"Uhhh... That's okay. I don't mind walking."

"Nonsense! You are our guest. You should be treated well," Michael exclaimed. I thought I heard Dimness grumbling under his breath.

As Michael reached to put his arms around me, I stared in fright as the blue flame got closer to my skin.

"M-maybe you sound put that flame out. Ya know, before you burn me," I whispered.

Michael had no trouble hearing me. He quickly pulled his hand back. "Ah, yes. Sorry about that. This flame is special. While it may not burn you, it will give you frostbite." He looked at me thoughtfully. I could see the blue light reflecting in his red eyes, making them appear violet. "Then again, you've been full of surprises. So perhaps it would not have the same effect on you. Shall we test it to see?" he asked, smiling.

I held my hands up in front of my body and took a step backward. "That's okay. I'm not really in the mood for experimenting right now."

Michael chuckled as he raised the flame into the air. It stayed afloat as he lowered his hand back down. The light was too high for me to see much in the darkness, but that didn't hinder my sense of touch.

One of his warm hands landed on my back before I felt the other on my thigh. His fingers trailed down my leg, making me shiver, before he slid them along the backs of my knees. I could feel my heart rate picking up (odd, since I assumed I was dead) while he explored my sensitive skin. His warm breath fanned my face moments before he lifted me up.

I blushed, thinking about how his touch felt on my skin.

"What a shame," he whispered in my ear. "I love trying new things."

He began walking once again while I waited for my brain to load. All I could think about were the last words he said to me. I love trying new things. What was that in response to? His breathy words and his soft touches had distracted me from the conversation we were having. What had I been saying?

Oh gods. My own words rang in my ears once I remembered. I'm not in the mood for experimenting.

I hid my face in my hands, even though it was unlikely anyone could see me.

How embarrassing.

"Are you feeling tired?" Michael asked.

"Not really," I mumbled through my hands.

"Hmm..." he replied, sounding unconvinced. "I think it might be better if you rest for now. You'll have more energy once you're in your room."

"I can't really decide when I sle-" my words were cut off by a sharp snap in the darkness. I felt my eyes grow heavy, and I thought I felt two soft lips press against my forehead before I drifted off.