𝐑𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 | 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬

𝟎𝟑 | 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬

I don't know what I expected death to be like, but it was not what happened next.

My eyes fluttered open, but they felt a lot lighter than before. For a moment I thought I was dreaming, but when I sat up, I realised I was not. I was sitting in the back of an ambulance. Except, I wasn't sitting, I was also lying. Lifeless. I screamed as I shot up.

Upon closer inspection I noticed Luke and Reggie were lying either side of me, both equally as lifeless. That was until I saw Luke sit up, even though he was still lying down. It was almost as if he was rising out of himself. Before he could even realise what was going on, the same thing happened to Reggie.

"What's going on?" Luke exclaimed.

"I ... " I didn't know how to put it into words. "I don't think we made it."

"Where's Alex?" Reggie asked, his voice shaking.

Before any of us could answer, I felt myself wobble as a man appeared before me. It took me a second to realise he had walked through me. Following him was another man pushing a stretcher carrying Alex's lifeless body.

"Oh my god," I raised my hands to my temples. "OH MY GOD!"

"What?!" Alex shot up. "What happened?"

Alex took in his surroundings and the looks on our faces. It didn't take him long to put the pieces together.

"Oh my god," Alex said as he placed a hand on his chest. "OH MY GOD!"

Alex screamed, and one by one, we all joined him. It was like some sort of chaotic harmony. What were we supposed to do? How could we have all died? Just like that?

"Uh guys," Reggie said, quietening our screams. "Does anyone else feel weirdly floaty right now?"

"How can we even feel anything right now?!" I exclaimed, taking in quick breaths. How was I still breathing even though I was dead?

"Hey, look, everything will be alright. Okay?" Luke stated. "We all just need to calm - Whoa!"

With that, Luke started rising until he was no longer in the ambulance.

"Ah!" Reggie followed him.

Alex and I exchanged looks as we began to rise.

I looked up to see Luke and Reggie floating above us. I looked down to see the hell we were leaving behind. Hollywood really didn't look that great from above.

Next thing I knew, I couldn't see anything at all.