Noir (The Afterlife)

Chapter 2 Eternal

I walk down the heated hallways of the building. Windows sprinkled with rain and souls, I look out to see the view. Red. Cold but eternal.

In my reflection on the bathroom mirror, my hair is no longer died red. It's back to my natural white color. There is a much larger change in my appearance though, and it's rather unsatisfying.

My eyes are no longer blue, but red. The pigment of my skin is no longer fair, but white. It hurts. My skin is transparent, I could even watch my blood flow. Tears roll out of my eyes, but there isn't any more pain. What happened to the Xander I once was?

"Xander! Where are you?"

"Kana," I jolt out of the restroom.

"Whoa, easy there. What happened?" She gets a handkerchief out  her pocket and brushes away the tears.

"Nothing you should worry about."

"Alright then. Like I was about to say, we finished your room. All the machinery is out and it looks like your style. It's a room where you sleep now, okay?"

"W-what? Okay. Where are you sleeping?"

"The room on the 2nd floor along with Trixie, why?"

It makes me a little mad that they were so far. I look at the side of me and the wall reads, "7th FLOOR." We were so far apart.

"Nothing," I muttered under my breath. "Thanks anyway." I turn away and walk to my room.

"What's the matter, tell me? Did you not want that room?"

I shake my head. I'd only make her feel bad to find me a new one after all the work they've done. "I'm fine."

"Kana, what's wrong with Xannchan?" Trixie interrupts.

A jolt stabs me in my chest, reminding me of the name. "What did you just say?"

Trixie shivers. "X-Xannchan..."

Memories infuriate me. "Xannchan!" Arctic's voice was heard in the back of my head. "Don't call me that ever again."

She scurries away holding the broom stick in her hand. "What's wrong? I can't believe you. I know it's hard dealing with these things and being here, but don't take it out on a little girl." Kana stomps in front of me and storms off into the darkness.

The thoughts in my mind fade away and the words that Kana said start replacing them. "I can't believe you." They start piercing me.

"Kana, I'm sorry, but I'm alone." The words spoken were only given so much time before I collapsed on the bed to sleep.

I feel the spark in my veins and a burning sensation in my lungs. Die. Die. Die.

Uninvited words were making their print across my head. "You're pathetic, you know that?" He said. "This will be easy. Die." That last sentence was whispered in my ear as the sound of blood swishing in a bag filled the hospital room.

"Xander!" A voice called out.

As I open my eyes, I notice I'm under the surface of a body of water. Realization and pain booms through my nerves and I struggle to lift myself.

"What are you doing!? Stop drowning yourself!" The voice was Kana.

She yanks my arms forward as my body breaks the surface and I slide to the ground. I was drowning and my lungs were burning with water. "I'm sorry," I told myself. It was an accidental attempt to suicide.

"W-what were you doing?" Kana asked me, holding me up.

"I don't know," I said, looking around. "I guess I sleep-walked over here."