SHEOL

17

The sun was still smoldering the parched and sandy landscape. The Doctor owned an old red truck, parked parallel to his trailer. I was still dressed in my blood soaked pajamas, I hadn't had the luxury of time to change. With a bit of persuasion and a scoff of "Nobody can see you anyway, you've got my saliva, remember?", I coaxed the pair to let me run back inside and change.

I trotted in, quickly replacing my bloody clothes with a pair of white-washed denim shorts and a faded forest colored shirt. I had always been fond of that shirt; people said that it brought out my eyes. Before I exited for the second time, I grabbed The Window Killer's off white candle, still burning and forgotten in a glass on the coffee table as he found the barbecue chips a higher priority. With a careful yet hasty rush, I abandoned the home and entered the truck, squeezing between the demonic men.

"It's going to be hard for me to not accidentally touch her." The Window Killer enlightened to the Healer as he revved the engine and pulled out onto the main road.

The Healer laughed, his broken teeth bright in the early afternoon sun. "She's a dyad now, don't you remember? Moonshine made her into one when he forced the Spirit of the Fight into her."

"I'm a...dyad?" I questioned.

"Half spirit, half human. It's basically a dual citizenship to Sheol and the Realm of the Living." The Healer enlightened.

"So, now spirits can touch me?"

"Just spirits, not leeches. Don't worry." The Healer said.

The Window Killer put the candle in the cup holder that stuck out from the dashboard and poked my cheek. "Ah, nice and warm and fleshy. Most nostalgic."

I slapped him away. "Your hand is cold."

He grinned. "It's because I'm dead, my dear."

I grew quiet. We left the main road (it was more like a dirt path) and pulled into the highway. Then, a thought came into my mind.

"How could Mr. Moonshine touch me?" I blurted out. "He pulled me from a hole under his dresser. On purpose. And I wasn't a dyad, or whatever you call it yet."

The Window Killer pursed his lips. "Didn't you know? He was the prior Field. Fields don't have to abide by that law. They're most lucky."

"How was I supposed to know that?" I said annoyed. "I didn't know anything about this stuff two days ago. All I knew was that my mom shot herself in the face and I was presumed dead."

"She's got a point, Killer. She's the epitome of John Locke's "Blank Space Theory" when it comes to Sheol." The Healer said plainly.

"Don't mention John Locke. You know not to speak of or agree with any of the rubbish that comes out of his bloody mouth." The Window Killer responded sharply.

"You never even knew the man." The Healer answered. "He died over a hundred and fifty years before you were born."

"That doesn't mean that his awful philosophies didn't still have an effect on society." The Window Killer responded quietly.

The Healer opened his mouth to argue, but he quickly pinned it shut and shook his head. "What's done is done, Killer. You know that such ideas aren't in practice any longer."

I was at sixes and sevens. "What are you two talking about?"

The Healer glanced at The Window Killer, trying not to take his eyes off of the road for too long. "Go ahead, Killer."

The Window Killer closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "John Locke believed many things and influenced many people. Most of his philosophies were absolute crap, including his belief that all criminals should be punished. He also supported the death penalty."

"How did you die?" I asked him.

"Hanging, the usual. It was awful." He shivered. "It still gives me chills just thinking about it."

"What was it like?" I questioned curiously.

"It's like drowning, except the only thing keeping the air from your lungs is the rope. You want to claw at your neck, but you can't because your hands are knotted behind your back. So you just hang there for a few minutes, sway there for a few minutes, until you slowly start to die."

"The worst part is," The Healer chimed in. "He shouldn't have died. It should have been me. The Killer was very angry with me when he first met me in Sheol after I finally passed on."

"He robbed my life from me, but I forgave him when he told me he could bring me back. I then became rather annoyed, when him and Moonshine tricked me into working. I thought that I could just live again but apparently," he glared at me. "that's not how it's going to work."

"Oh shut up, Killer. You're lucky to even be feeling the warm sun on your face again. Plus, wouldn't you rather have another Field on the Constant's side?" The Healer hissed.

"I suppose." The Window Killer pouted.

"I'll make you a deal." The Healer said, trying to cheer him up. "I'll give you some candles, a lifetime supply. That way, you can return to the Realm of the Living whenever you like after the war is over, how does that sound?"

The Window Killer sighed. "Perhaps, but this world is so much different. Just look at us, Healer. How does this contraption that we're in even work?" He patted the dashboard lightly. "How did you ever learn to navigate this vehicle?"

The Healer pulled out his billfold from his pocket and flashed The Window Killer his I.D. "It's called a license."

The Window Killer snatched the wallet from him, stunned. "This sheet of plastic allows you to operate such a machine? What will they think of next?!"

I laughed. "Oh honey, you haven't seen anything yet."

We continued driving, The Window Killer resting his head against the closed, rumbling window and I staring thoughtfully out into the wide open road. I had never imagined that anything like this would ever happen to me. I had always believed that great things only happened to special people.

I guess you could say that I'm a bit more special than I thought.