Voodoo • NBAVon

IV Waked

Monday: 2023, September 25th

11:16 AM

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Letting out a soft hum, his eyelashes fluttering softly as his eyes open. A ray from the rising sun strikes them and he winces, lets out a soft whine, and rolls over back into the safety of the dark. However, as he does this, he's confronted by a sleeping Kentrell facing him. Only then does he notice the other's loose grip on his waist. Von furrows his brows together and simply opts to bury his face into Kentrell's muscular chest. Inside his mind, thoughts are both racing and fleeting at the same time. He struggles to take a deep breath, biting his lip as he does. What can he remember? Well.. he remembers James and being with James. He remembers hearing someone say his name, it was weird though because it was like the same person was calling for him in every direction and James couldn't hear it. Then he looked down at his hands and when he did all he could see was they were slowly fading away. He looked up at James but he was just talking and acting normal like his best friend wasn't disappearing in front of him. The next thing he knows is he's traveling down this tunnel made of thick wisps of dark grey smoke wrapped around himself. He's floating over everyone yet when he screams no one can hear him. And when they do look up, apparently no one can see him either.

This was Von's first time getting summoned so he had no idea what the fuck was going on and as many of the people he did know had never been successfully summoned, it never once came up in causal conversation either. Hell, he didn't even believe the living could even fuck with the dead.

Von winces, closing his eyes tighter, so tight it scrunches up the rest of his face. He's trying to remember even earlier, before that. He can see.. a.. a parking lot. He's running! Running out a set of glass double doors into the parking lot. He's.. he's chasing someone! Yeah, he's fighting them. He.. he has them pinned on the ground, he punching him! He's winning! But.. but he can't make out their face, there's like a dark of blackness where a head could be but as he punches through the cloud, his fists make contact with a human face underneath. A vehicle door opens, and he briefly looks up; no longer is he seeing what's happening through his own eyes. Something swifts and down he's like a bystander, watching the event happening to him from feet away.

BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!

It's a loud kind of popping sound and each time the popping sound happens there's like a flash of bright light. Von watches himself fall and starts to twitch, the mystery man underneath him gets up and runs away towards the shooter. And the next thing he knows is it's like everyone is shooting. Then someone runs to help him up, a car whizzes back and pauses just long enough to let them enter inside.

Von's body squirms. Causing Kentrell to groan dully in his sleep and pull him closer to his body. The next thing he remembers... is.. a long white rectangle that they lay him on. Lots of shouting and confusion. Lights. A hallway... the machine beeping.

Darkness.

Von jumps up and out of Kentrell's arms with a start. Chest heaving, skin dampening with sweat, his eyes scared and wide and searching around the unfamiliar room for anything that looks familiar. Nothing looks familiar besides the man lying shirtless beside him.

Kentrell, now on his back, groaning about what time it was and why were they up so early.

But Von doesn't care about the time. He starts to sniff, then whimper, and finally-

"No bahbeh!" Kentrell bolts upright, wrapping his arms around Von from behind, pulling him against his body, and swaying him from side to side. This was to be expected from the next few mornings, a nightmare should wake Von up as his mind struggles to make sense of what just happened. Dying is, obviously, very very traumatic for the brain and one's soul. But so is resurrection. The brain and soul both know something is off, something is different. Yesterday, none of the sensors inside the mind worked quite the same. Yesterday, skin was cold, heart was unmoving, and they didn't need to breathe, eat, or drink if they didn't want to. Yesterday blood was still. Yesterday soul was free and soaring. Today everything has changed. Hearts are pumping, blood is flowing, lungs are breathing, skin is warm, sensors are buzzing, soon they'll find that they crave food and drink. No longer is their soul free, for it's been forced back inside its hollow cage.