Noir (The Afterlife)

Chapter 1 The Afterlife

The last thing I heard him say was, "Xander," leaving me breathless.

It started with a drop of sweat and tears. His teary eyes and cracked voice awoken me. "Arctic," I said, waking myself up with the breaths in my voice.

My back turns itself to a 180° angle. It shakes itself to rise again. No, I thought. What happened to me? The legs on my body start to numb, and my fingers swell. I open my mouth to speak but my breath is grasped for it is dry and I lose control of my mind.

        Scenes from what is now my past life flashes through my eyes and I recognize the face of my mother and father, my two brothers, and his. The face of a man that ended it; giving me relaxation and reality.

        I raise my right hand until it reaches eye-level. Swollen tight, the blood below raised its pressure and pulse; turning my two hands prune-colored. Then I realize the pain in my chest was only the remaining decayed rib-cage.

        "Xander," A voice echoes through my ears and hits the drum. "Wake up now."

        The dried tears from my eyes fall off once I open them. "Arctic?" I ask, hoping for my lover to open his arms and embrace me. However, no other words were spoken. The words that I thought escaped from my mouth were just from my mind.

        My body doesn't move a muscle. Attempts leave me impatient, waiting for possession of kinetic energy. So it leaves me moving my eyes to look around, interrupting my hours of REM.

        The ceiling is a pure essence of white and the walls are an un-appetizing bite of brown. No living being here, but a living voice. It was a voice that had followed me here to this unforgivable palace of forgotten souls. Honestly, I left without knowing where to go. I was lost.

        I close my eyes for my own comfort. To feel loved was not a necessity for me anymore. Being here felt like my dreams and fantasies were shattered with a reality check. "It's going to be okay," My beloved Arctic would tell me. "I'll always be here by your side."

        Having to be a medical burden while your loved one sat next to you felt naked—exposed. I wish Arctic never saw me the way I was. "Don't be sad, Xander. You'll make me sad." There's a marking that was left of him though. A huge scar was left on my memory. It was his smile.

       

        "Hurry! He's about to wake up!"

        My jaw draws back and I barf until it fills the room. Losing my balance, both of my legs collide and my body plants to the floor. Humiliating...

        "Oh, you've gotten your clothes dirty." A girl around my age walks into the room and lifts my arms.

        "Let go!" Without thinking I shout unexpectedly. She tosses my arm in shock.

        "I'm... sorry. I didn't mean to, I just..." I raise myself but my frail joints pull me back down. Over again, I raise myself but collapse back into the waste.

        I hopelessly look up at the girl and her hands clench her skirt, afraid. "D-do you need help?" She asks.

        Shaking my head, my limbs regain strength and I feel back to normal. I take another attempt to raise myself and I successfully rise to my knees. The blood in my veins start rushing again and I feel refreshed. I feel for bone, and surely enough they were there.

        "Umm, is he going to be okay?" A little girl says, looking up at the other young lady.

        "He's alright," She says as she strokes my hair. It soothes me. Feeling this almost makes me remember how affection felt. "I thought he was about to leave."

        "Leave?" I asked. I didn't know what she meant leave. Where would I even think of going?

        "You'll understand sooner or later." The girl squeezes my arm tightly and smirks.

        Now I realized what she meant—if I was really dead or not. It seems as though I am. The little girl walks up to me unafraid of what lays beneath her feet. The thick, black liquid squelches on her white leather shoes.

        "I'm Trixie," She looks at me with innocent bulbous eyes. "Nice to meet you."

        "Likewise," I said. "I'm Xander."

        They both looked at me like I was an idiot. "We know your name." Trixie said.

        "She's my niece. We go a long way... She's like a little sister to me."

        I look at Trixie and the other girl, searching for similarities. There weren't any.

        "And you are?" I ask.

        "Kana," The older one answers. "Kana Cheri."

        The name relaxed my tense muscles and it told me not to worry; that I'm home. "That's a lovely name."

        "Don't try flattering me." Kana joked as she picked up a mop. "You can leave the room and look around. Trixie and I will be cleaning this room."

       As I walk away, I can't stop but smile. I think I'm where I belong. The Afterlife.