Tragedy ✔️

Chapter 13

I storm out of the building. Rage, pity, and the desire to destroy the king fills my body as I run to no place in particular. I must get out of this place. There is no way I can save all those people in the living world from who-knows-what the king will inflict upon them. I can't save them. I can't save the people down here, and I can't save Mandy.

I run across the parking lot into the deep forest, not daring to look back into the eyes of evil. I run for what feels like the rest of my existence until I stumble on a tree root and face plant on the cold, moist soil. I stay there, laying on the ground, face down.

Maybe this is where I should part ways.

But then I remember I'm already dead, and I can't die of a natural cause like in the world of the living, so I decide to just stay here and reflect on all I've done.

No matter what good I try to do, evil always pushes me back. I feel like I will never be stronger than the opposite side. The help we were about to obtain is gone forever. They were the only qualified people to help, who knew the ways of how things worked up there after you died. As of now, 6x3 doesn't exist anymore.

Suddenly, I can hear a distant sound. It seems to be coming from the back of my head. Then, out of that sound I can make out words, but the voice that makes those words is utterly familiar. I never thought I would hear that voice again except maybe in dreams. Could this be a dream?

"Mother?" I gasp into the dirt as I hear her soothing voice in my head.

"Yes, Colin," she says in my head, "It's me."

Water starts to build up in my closed eye lids. How could this be? I saw my mother get destroyed in front of my very own eyes. I don't care how this happened, but I'm glad my mother has somehow managed to come back. Just hearing her voice lifts my spirit and a flicker of light turns on inside of me.

"You can't give up, Colin. All your colleagues from your job may have suffered the same fate as I did, but that doesn't mean you have to, as well, or anyone else from here, or the living world. Maybe there is a reason you're the only one left from 6x3. You have to be the new leader of 6x3, reconstruct it from the ground up, and reinitiate it's purpose. You have to recruit new members who will rally behind you."

"But they won't listen to me, Mom. They don't know who I am or what I want. They don't know the danger they are in. Why would they ever listen to me?"

"People can surprise you, Colin. I know you are a leader. You just have to trust yourself."

I can't be a leader. There is no way I can make anyone follow me into war. This is what all of this has become; war.

"I don't know how!" I'm screaming now, "I need you by my side, Mother!"

"You're holding on too hard, Colin. You have to let go. I will always be with you, in your heart. I will be your strength. Never forget that. I couldn't give you a proper goodbye, but I am doing so right now. Goodbye, Colin. I love you and I know that in the end, good will win."

"I... can't let go," I cry.

"Let go, Colin, so I can move on to a better place."

I'm confused. I thought this was a bad place and if you were destroyed, you would go to an even more horrendous world.

"So, you still have a chance of happiness, Mom?" I ask.

"Yes, Colin, but only if you let go of me. You're clinging too hard."

I feel a weight lift off my chest. Souls do have another chance of happiness after dying a second time. My sweet mother. I can't let her suffer because of my selfishness. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't let any other soul or living person pay a deadly price for my actions. I close my eyes and smile.

"Goodbye, Mom," I say, feeling a sense of relief to know I did the right thing, "I'll make you proud."

I let go.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Sorry for the short chapter. The next one will be longer and move the story along. Stay tuned! I think I will start adding more author's notes at the end of chapters to stay updated. Thanks for reading and vote and comment:)