Another Way

Chapter 2: Hereafter

Sue wasn't sure for how long she sat in her spot before snapping to awareness. It felt as if she'd dozed off into a hell of a daydream and suddenly found herself somewhere else altogether. She couldn't say she was unfamiliar with this location, though.

Nightmares had brought her back here many times.

The campfire filled the small clearing with warm light. As opposed to the previous times, she was seemingly alone now, the only occupant of the benches scattered around the fire pit. Despite that, Sue could hear the soft twangs of a slightly out-of-tune guitar. Not masterful by any means, but competent enough to lift anyone's mood with their simple melody.

Just like she used to play.

Recalling just what had happened for her to end up here proved impossible. Sue sighed to herself before looking around, the details emerging from the recesses of her memory one by one.

It was jarring.

Every time she'd dreamt of this place, it was merely a playback of that fateful evening, all its tears and denial. But this time? This time it was just a pleasant backdrop, utterly divorced from the trauma that had burned it into her psyche.

Sue was about ready to start humming along before an unfamiliar sound caught her attention. A few moments of focus revealed it to be a voice, feminine and dignified, its words inscrutable, its origin uncertain. It sounded like it was coming from-

Above...

The sky was filled with more stars than she'd ever seen in her life. In the middle, right above her, the crown jewel of a full Moon- massive, bright, hypnotic in its radiance. And speaking at her, somehow. With that in mind, the voice was adequately awe-inspiring.

And if only she could understand anything it was saying, Sue might have even been humbled by its words.

But alas, that was not the case. The few sounds she could recognize combined into words she had no understanding of, but which nonetheless sounded important. All Sue could do was tilt her head in response as she stared up at the celestial body, making it pause.

Sorry Moon, no hablo whatever you're speaking.

Just as Sue was about to shrug it off, another voice caught her attention. It also came from the heavens, but that aside it was the direct opposite of the first one. Deep, masculine, and cold in its inflections, sending a shiver down her spine.

And, unfortunately, only as comprehensible as the other one- not at all.

With the Moon already taken, she wondered which celestial body was speaking to her this time. The answer... was unnerving. The entire sky dimmed whenever the second voice spoke, many stars flickering out of visibility.

It was creepy, no doubt, but it looked like all that other voice could do. The campfire remained unphased by it trying to be all spooky.

The voices appeared to converse afterward, or at least both speak. Though, the way in which they constantly cut each other off suggested an argument rather than a rational discussion. Sue might have not understood what they were saying, but she had an awareness, deep in her, that it was about her.

Sue spaced out, imagination taking her for a ride as she tried to figure out what was going on. The range of possibilities was almost endless. Though, God and Satan arguing to claim her eternal soul felt like the most plausible hypothesis. Being in a dream made her perceive all this as funny more than anything.

Moon God and Sky Dimmer Satan fighting in her head for dibs on her spanking new Martian body.

Oddly enough, they reacted to her thoughts. They both tried to address her more urgently, but no less incomprehensibly, leaving her idly pondering more.