A Grim Conundrum

Prologue

There was crashing pressure everywhere, her lungs burning with strain to not give up her last breath of air in exchange for the water that was all around her pulling her further and further from the shore, her heart was beating fast trying to escape from her just as she was trying to escape the water, there was a tearing and burning sensation as she breathed in the water and than there was relief, calmness, and tranquility it didn't hurt for as long as she thought it would she felt peaceful in a sense like everything was just slipping away and than so did her vision it all went dark. Raya groaned as she came to, looking around she observed that she was no longer in the water fighting for her life she was in an oasis of sorts it was lush and beautiful "I must be dead" was her first thought this must be what the afterlife looks like though she at least thought there would be more people around after all people have been dying for a very long time so where is everyone.

Raya walked around trying to find someone or something to explain to her where she was and what was happening this could not be how she was supposed to spend eternity, all alone. As beautiful as this oasis was it also felt very off to her like she was not meant to be here and if she closed her eyes it was almost as if she could hear whispers, people trying to talk to her but they were nowhere to be seen and it left her feeling more and more unsettled wanting to walk faster and find a way out of wherever she was. There was something in the distance she could not make out what it was yet but there was something so she made haste in that direction keeping track of her surroundings so that if it was nothing she could find her way back.

Getting closer she could see that it was a door, it looked out of place in this wonderful oasis like it was not meant to be there and the closer she got the further the door went away from her. Raya was convinced that this is the closest she will ever come to knowing how it feels to lose one's mind, it felt like she had to will the door closer, as if she had to call upon a part of herself that she did not know she had. Finally reaching the door she took ahold of the handle the whispers she has been hearing were now louder than ever, she turned the doorknob and all but threw herself through the door and to the other side. All was quiet the whispers were gone and the open door behind her was forgotten as she looked enchanted by what seemed to be the whole world in front of her it was like ripples much like the water she was just in.

Each ripple seemed to show a different life all over the world it all laid open in front of her and it was both overwhelming and in a sense calming, she wanted to touch the ripples but knew that would probably not be the best idea she has ever had. Something was drawing her to one ripple in particular and once she got close to the ripple she saw why there in the sand of the beach was her body with a lifeguard performing CPR on her. Slowly she reached her hand out to the ripple wanting to teach it but just could not bring herself to breach that last few centimeters of space then she felt a hand on her lower back give her a push and into the ripple she went.

Raya's eyes flew open as she started coughing up water the lifeguard quickly turned her onto her side so that she can get as much out as possible, her lungs burned and her mind was confused and foggy this was what she saw and now she was here. Once she could breathe a bit she took in her surroundings and found that there were a lot of people standing around and watching her, one person, in particular caught her eye a woman dressed in a low-cut black shirt, black leather pants, and combat boots, she looked completely out of place between the rest of the people who were wearing all kinds of different swimwear. Everyone looked at her with a mixture of relief and pity but not that woman her icy light grey eyes were full of fascination staring at Raya like she was some sort of rare find, the world went dark again as she listened to the ambulance getting closer.