Reanimated

Chapter 6: Truth

It felt like forever since I’d been outside, but not in a bad way.
The sun gleamed down through the green leaves, creating beautiful shadows. Lush bushes were spread all across the area, and animals ran around happily. I had completely forgotten that it was supposed to be October.

Liz and Ace brought me to a huge and beautiful oak tree that was a little way behind the shack. They told me that this was their favorite place to hang out, and I could see why. The tree was perfect for climbing and even had thick branches you could use as resting spots. There was a thick head of leaves that created a perfect canopy to hide from the sun.

Liz and Ace began to climb the tree, but I stayed back.
I was never allowed to do stuff like that. My parents always said that it was childish and wrong. Truthfully, I didn’t think I even knew how to.
Ace noticed me standing there, and put her hand out to me while securing herself on a branch. “C’mon!” She laughed, “I’ll help you!”

I grabbed Ace’s hand, and she lifted me up.
She was much stronger than she looked. I thought about how, if we were in a fight, she would definitely win. I made a mental note to be nice to her. It felt a little weird being up so high, but it was really cool!
The air was so much fresher in the forest than in the city. I felt calm.
I sat on one of the branches as Ace and Liz climbed as high as they could, racing each other. I wondered how long they knew each other for—they looked like best friends.

Eventually, Tori came out and called for us. Breakfast was ready.
Even though it was cooked using a microwave and a grill (Which I didn’t even know how it was powered), it was delicious.
Ace was right; Tori was fantastic at cooking anything!
The breakfast itself was bacon and fruit. Not what I was used to, but it was better than any breakfast I’d ever gotten.

I finished eating pretty quickly since there wasn’t much and, again, it tasted amazing. Right after I finished, Dain came up to me.
“Hey, Finn—can I call you that?” He asked.
“Oh, yeah!” It was what everybody called me, so it felt normal.
“Okay. How about we go take a walk outside? I’ll explain everything.”
My heart raced. I had been waiting for this forever but I was also nervous like crazy—what was actually going on? “Sure.” I got up.

Now, it had only been about thirty minutes since I was last out in the woods, but it felt different. The atmosphere felt dense, probably just because of how fearful I felt. I remembered what Liz had told me earlier—and that didn’t help.

Dain was quiet for a while, probably trying to put together his words.
“So, how have you been?” He finally asked.
“Oh, uhm.” I thought for a moment, “Actually, I’ve been pretty good!” I smiled, and by the look on his face, that made him happy.
“I’m glad,” He brushed his hand through his hair nervously, “I’m sorry, Finn. This all must be pretty confusing, and the explanation probably won't help.”
I glanced up at him, but stayed silent.
“So, that dream woman you’ve been seeing, is a goddess.” He began, though I already knew that part, “And she finds people who… Feel trapped, to say. She makes a deal with them—well, it’s never phrased as a deal, she calls it an offer. But it isn’t. It’s a deal.” He glanced at me to check my expression.
“Mhm.” I replied. I didn’t really know what to say so far.
“She ‘offers’ freedom, and to give that she…” He paused and stopped walking. So did I.
“She..?” I tried to encourage him to continue.
He sat down on a nearby rock, and I joined him.

“In order to give this so-called ‘freedom’, she… Kills you.” Dain finally said, his voice pained.
I sat there, frozen, for what felt like forever. “Haha, funny-” I tried not to sound terrified, “If I were dead I wouldn’t be breathing!”
“She kills you, and reanimates your corpse. The face markings are like a stamp of ownership…” He explained, his voice shaking almost as much as mine.
“That’s impossible,” I stood, trembling, “You got to be joking, right?”
But his face was dead serious.
Dain looked at me, “I know this doesn’t sound real, but it’s the truth… I’m sorry.”
Then, I remembered something, “How did you figure this all out.”
Dain looked surprised for a moment, but then he glanced away, “I have been dead for a very long time.”

I didn’t know how to process all this.
I was dead.
But, for some reason, I didn’t feel as surprised as I thought.
I was more scared than shocked. And Dain, if he had been dead for such a long time, then why did he look so young?
Dain must’ve read my expression, because he said, “Once she reanimates you, you become immortal, but not quite. You don’t age, but you can still die and get ill.”
“Why would she do this?” I asked.
“As I said, it’s a deal. In exchange for this ‘freedom’, she wants us to take the lives of mortals. Consume them. It’s how she gets power.”
I then remembered what the goddess had told me in my dream.
“And you guys haven’t been doing that, have you?”
Dain nodded, “I can’t. It’s wrong. And I don’t care what that goddess thinks!”

It all started to make sense now.
Why the woman had been so judgemental and mad. Why we were all being collected here. We were just pawns to this woman—objects to help her grow more powerful. That made me mad.
I also felt proud of Dain, and respected him even more. He was brave—really brave—to go up against a goddess like this. That’s what I admired about him.

I sat back down next to Dain.
“Okay. I think I’ve got it.” I muttered.
Dain turned to me, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. Then, he hugged me. I wasn’t really used to hugs—at all. But it felt comforting.
“I’m sorry.” He mumbled.
“It’s okay.”