As soon as we unlocked lips, his pupils became clear and the darkness faded from his eyes.
"Xender!", he called and fell to the ground.
……
FROM DERICK'S PERSPECTIVE:
After fading into the null, I woke up in a burning furnance.
When I got up, I felt an intense surge of heat.
This place's boiling.
It became clear to me that I was dead, and might be spending an awefully long time here.
I walked around the place in search of people so I may ask the questions in my heart.
I could hear screams but couldn't see anyone.
I kept on walking in the direction of the screams, as I got closer the heat increased.
I ignored this and kept on walking.
Soon, I could see a large depression, kinda like a huge well, and from the looks of things there were people inside.
They are the ones whose screams, I have been hearing.
When I got to the peak, I saw a lettering boldly written on the around repeatedly, surrounding this well.
The heat from this well had began to melt my skin. So I took several steps backwards.
"Derick!", I heard a voice call.
I told around immediately in shock.
From a distance, I saw a huge man walking towards me. As he got closer, I realized that he had horns.
Seeing this, I tightened my fist, horns aren't supposed to be on humans.
What sort of Zombie is this?
As though he could read my mind he spoke: "I am not a zombie and have not come to harm you!"
He finally arrived within my visual reach and added with a smile: "I came to make a deal!"
I slowly released my fist's grip and asked: "What deal?!"
He smiled and walked passed me: "First of, let me give you a little detour about the place you are in."
He said as he stood very close to the well, I couldn't walk close enough to, "This is hell!"
"It population is aproximatey infinity, everyday, millions of people get thrown down here. People of all sizes and ages, and it never ends.", he explained.
Once I heard this, I finally arrived at a conclusion, I am dead.
As though he could read my mind once again, he spoke: "You are not dead!"
I looked at him with a bewildered expression as he continued: "At least not fully. You are what we call a lucky existence. I don't know how you got to be this way, but you are going to stay like this for a while before your body is prepared for your consumption."
"I am sure you'e heard of people resurrecting from the dead; people's journey to hell and all of that. This is what happens. In most cases their bodies are stil habitable, and were probably pleaded for by an ancestor of great works or one who the earth or mother nature owes and so grants them this favour. Your case is quite special, your death was tragic, even your body can't be habited by demons, but for some reason you were given this pass."
As he spoke he walked around me.
"However, like i said before, it's going to take awhile. And they don't have the time!", he said pointing at the darkness.
Suddenly, out of the darkness emerged a light.
As the light decipated, it left behind a huge hole, from which I could see some people standing around a person.
"What's this?", I asked horned Zombie like being.
"Those are your friends!", he said as the picture became clearer, almost like it was zoomed.
Standing next to a disfigured person was, Xender, Helen and the others, seemingly sad.
"That's me!", I said realizing.
Now remembering how I died and how I watched myself from the skies with mom.
"Mom! Where's my mom?!", I asked immediately.
"She's with these abominations, and can be saved only if you intervene! But that shouldn't be the least of your worries right now Derick, to the best of my knowledge, she's currently safe after all.", he said as he pointed at the hole once again.
I looked and saw so many zombies, seemingly in the same forest they were in, being led by white alpha.
"They are all going to die if you don't intervene!", he said earnestly.
As soon as he said this, I looked again.
Medusa, Xender, April and June; Mrs. Claire's last offsprings, if I don't rescue them won't that mean I have failed Mrs. Claire one again. I couldn't protect her husband, couldn't protect her, now her kids!
And Medusa who has done so much for me.
Xender.....
"How can I save them?!", I asked immediately.
On hearing my question he smiled and asked: "What are you willing to give for them?"
"Anything!", I replied almost without thinking.
"I love your spirit! I usually have to persuade people to this, but seeing how willing you are, and how easier you've made my job, I am going to give you a gift.", he said still smiling.
My eyes at this time, has been fixed on the hole. The zombies were getting closer to them.
"Stop speaking in parables, what do you want?!", I asked aloud.
"Your soul is all that is needed! Once you are done doing what you need to do, you'll be back, this time to join the rest people in hell as one of the dead!", he explained.
"Deal! Now send me back quickly!", I said.
With a smile he continued: "Not so fast young one. When you go back, you have no control over your conciousness. You may see the people you know, recognize them but you really can't interact with them. At best, you won't deliberately hurt them!"
"All I want is their safety. After they are safe, you can do what ever you want to me!", I said hastingly walking towards the hole like I've been since I saw it.
Even though I had noticed that as I walked closer to the hole, it only got farther.
"It's pointless boy!", he said and then closed his fist.
As soon as his fist was tightened, the hole disappeared.
On seeing this, I ran and knelt before him, "please, send me there!", I begged.
For a moment, he kept quiet, and then brought out a knife.
I looked at him expressionlessly waiting for him to do what he wanted.
"I love this!", he said looking at me with the knife in his hand.
"Aren't you scared that I am going to hurt you with this?!", he asked puzzled.
I stood, spread my arms apart and said: "If that's what it's going to take to save my mom and friends, do it!"
After speaking I closed my eyes.
As soon as I closed my eyes, I felt a knife going straight to my chest.
When I opened my eyes, I was in a dark void. From time to time, I saw blury images.
The first person I saw was Xender, seeing her gave me a sort of joy, but I couldn't interat with her.
After seeing Xender, the rest things I saw were images that made no sense to me; a chain swing killing so many zombies. Totally unreal.
From that point on, having nothing to do, I continued calling to Xender, beconing to her to save me so I could save them.
Abruptly, I felt a sharp pain, like a knife stab on my arm. After that blanked out.
When I opened my eyes, the dark void was back again.
This time, the first face I saw was Mr. Ping and from the looks of things, my hand was on his throat. Seeing this, I screamed out his name.
That faded and I was back to the void once again seeing different images once again.
After a while, I heard my name for the first time, shortly after, I saw Xender's face still in the darkness and blury, upclose as though we were kissing. Absolutely impossible.
But this feels too real.
Once again, I felt a sharp pain on my chest.
In a blink, my vision was clear and I saw Xender's face clearly.
"Xender", I called and that was the last thing I saw before blanking out again.
To be continued.....
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