Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Chapter 12

It was so bright. The sun blinded me with my eyes closed. I was dead. I knew it. My body ached, my heart pounded. I was lying on my back, my eyes squeezed shut, afraid of what I would see if I dared to peek. What was heaven like? Master Luke spoke of becoming one with the force after you died. I didn't feel like that. My mind was buzzing, telling me to pick myself up and  carry on. But with what? I already knew I was dead. 

Then my shoulders started to shake. Or more accurately, someone was shaking them. My body felt numb, scratchy, as if I was lying in sand, the tiny pieces brushing against me as I moved, prickling my arms, making the hairs stand on end. I didn't react. I couldn't. My muscles burned, as did my skin. I felt raw. Exposed. 

"Kid! Hey, Kid!" So Finn had died in the blast too. "I don't know your name, but you have to wake up!" 

I didn't react. I kept still, my eyes still closed. We were dead. 

"Go away," I muttered, my voice hoarse and dry. "Can't you see we're dead?" 

I heard nothing. I relaxed slightly. Maybe Finn had gotten the point. I didn't want anything to do with any afterlife. I had seen enough, known enough for an entire lifetime. Even if I had only gotten to be 14 years old.

Suddenly, I felt weightless. This is it. I was giving my soul to the force. I started to convulse, and feeling returned. I was lifted up shakily and strewn over something. It was strong and hard. I kicked, feeling lopsided, unbalanced. I coughed, chocked on air. My breathing quickened. 

"Woah, calm down," Finn cried, and two hands gripped my ankles tightly, inhabilitating my legs. "It's okay," he cried softly.

"Finn, why are you still here?" I snapped. "I'm dead. Can't a girl rest in peace?" 

Finn didn't reply for a minute, but I felt us moving slowly, our destination unknown. 

"Where are you taking me?" I cried, starting to panic. My arms began to flail. 

"I'm saving you," Finn replied seriously. "You'll thank me later, once you stop overreacting. You've been overstimulated. You're hallucinating."

"No I'm not," I restated, treating Finn like a three year old. "I'm dead. You're dead. We're all dead." I collapsed against his shoulder, lifeless. We continued to move, our progress slow. 

"Why are you taking me away?" I asked. "And where are we going?" My eyes were still sewn shut from the blinding sun. My head was aching, my brain not functioning. My innards were on fire, and my mind felt like mush when I attempted to piece together coherent sentences. 

"We're going to find a town," Finn said softly. 

"Well I won't help you look," I shot back. "My eyes are closed."

I felt my feet touch some sort of surface as Finn held me in a standing position. "Open." He demanded. "Open your eyes."

I obeyed, squinting into the harsh light until my vision cleared. "Where are we?" I asked. "This can't be heaven." There was sand as far as the eye could see. 

"Nope. Not heaven," Finn replied. "You aren't dead." 

"Neither are you."

"Neither am I," he agreed. "Welcome to Jakku."