Congrats, You Were Chosen!

Part 1

      While driving my black Nisson up the gravel hill, I saw Beth's house. I had just gotten off the phone with my mother when I saw the 2-story home with peeled white paint displaying the rotted wood underneath. This was the first time I had seen her house. She usually was at the makeshift corner in her hospital room dedicated to her ancient religion and deity, Valista. I yelled as soon as I got through the door,
     "Hello!"
     "In here dearie!" she replied.
     Each step I took creaked and echoed throughout the house. When walking by, I noticed that there was barely anything on the walls. Once I got to the door, I put my hand on the doorknob.

CREAKK

     Once the door opened, I walked into the room, heading toward the chair beside Beth's hospital bed. Her green eyes met my hazel ones, and she didn't say anything for a while until,
     "You're such a sweetie Paula. Can you hand me my picture?" she whispered.
     "Yeah, and thank you, Miss Amber. It was a pleasure to care for you on your last days."
     Passing Beth the photo of her dead son, her face darkened, and I could tell it was happening, that she was dying. Her eyes looked at me, and guilt crossed her face. Pale creaked lips muttered what was to be her last words.
     "I'm sorry, but I had no choice..."
Her body went limp, and it was over. I could never talk to her again.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

     While the machine went off, tears streamed down my face as my eyes focused on the wrinkled porcelain with spotted grey skin and patchy pure white hair. Another dead patient, I thought. Honestly, I should be better at this. I always cried after my patients passed. I mean, I'm a hospice nurse, for  god's sake. Shouldn't this be normal by now? Getting up, I stopped the machine. Wiping away the tears and snot that started dripping from my nostrils, I turned around and walked back to the bathroom attached to the room to wash my hands.

Squeak

My feet screeched on the tile floor as I spun around quickly to find nothing but the end of a mouse tail sprinting under the bed. Expanding my lungs to let out a heavy sigh I closed my eyes.
     "Oh my god, you scared the crap out of me," I murmured to myself. An ice chill went up my spine. Opening my eyes, I turned to the sink and mirror and dried off my hands.

Click

     Eyes widening and heart pounding, I speed walked to the big brown door, I grabbed the silver handle.
     "Uh!"
     What looked like a light glowed from within, turning the silver into a brighter, brighter, and even brighter orange until it turned red. Glancing down at my palm, disgust and a consuming burning pain was the only thing I could feel. Sizzling and bubbling scarlet red skin, the whole room flooded with the smell of it, the stench of burning flesh. Sudden darkness engulfed me, just the burning doorknob for a source of light.
     "What's going on?..."
     Everything was quiet, only the sound of my pulse and inhales meeting my ears, not even the mouse. Sliding down the wall by the door, I sat there, the feeling that something was in here with me, something not human. Just above a whisper, I said,
     "Please."
     It was coming for me, I knew that for certain, getting closer and closer to me, taking me to where Beth was. Remembering what she had told me only minutes prior,
     "I'm sorry, but I had no choice."

Whack!

     My head felt like it had been creaked like an egg. Something had knocked me in head with what felt like a bat. Then everything went black...
     My lids pulled back, my eyes meeting a completely from ceiling to floor paper-white room. With a door to my left, I got off the floor. My eyes moved toward a circular table with only an envelope on top. Feeling the smooth paper under my fingers I tore it open. It read,

     Welcome, new soul! You are in the afterlife. You might be saying, "Why am I here?" Someone chose you to be sacrificed for Valista (Our lord and savior) for the annual ritual. Congratulations! You were picked for your pure heart. Also, just so you know, your life was swapped for the life of another who was just sent back to Earth; have an amazing death!