The Soul Traveler

Chapter 6

10th moon, year 3564

15 cerva (miles) from Sirila Forest

Tonoi Village

She was moving. Everything was still black but with a hint of red beneath slowly burgeoned its way through. And a cacophony of noises.

Someone was arguing. A lot of someones. She distinctly heard her mother's voice although it sounded as if she was far away. There was another voice, much closer, and male. He was just as angry as her mother but Kyna felt as if the anger was more at himself. Although she didn't know why unless...right. She remembered now.

The car coming towards her. Her dumbass frozen mid walk as she daydreamed of getting stabbed through the back. She'd been dreaming again and this time she got hit by car for her troubles.

Kyna wanted to wake up and tell the other guy in the room, because she could feel herself lying down on something soft, that it wasn't his fault. She remembered him honking his car. It wasn't his fault she wouldn't move. And let her mom know that he wasn't to blame.

Guilt for putting her mom through this on the anniversary of her husband's death drove her to open her eyes. Let her mother know that she was fine and sorry for worrying her.

Her eyes fluttered and beams of white light pierced through the black and red. Heart racing, Kyna willed herself to open her eyes. She might not be able to get out the bed -depending on how bad her bruises were- but she can damn well open her eyes.

Finally her eyelids fluttered open. She narrowed them against the brightness of the lights while her other eyes remained as black and red as the coming dawn.

Heart racing, Kyna tried to turn her head. She felt the shift of straining neck muscles move side to side, yet the body below her was as still as a living statue seen downtown. Except she wasn't silvered or gilded up or wearing a costume. And she wouldn't call the hospital gown she was wearing a costume.

Oh fucking shit! Did she die? Was she a ghost and having an outer body experience?

No, no. That can't be right. Her eyes were open, she can see it for herself, and staring at her with their swirling pools of black ink...

Weren't her eyes dark brown?

"Do something," yelled a faraway voice. Was she dreaming this too? Is this the whole life flashing behind your eyes thing before you die? If so, it sucked ass. And she had the strongest urge to find the person who started this lie and kick him or her. "We're losing her!"

Well doc, do your job and zap me awake already. I've had enough creepy dreams to last me for a lifetime.

Kyna saw a light.

At least someone got something right about crossing over, she thought. She took a step toward it, stopped and mentally shook her head. What was she doing?

She knew she was curious but she couldn't possibly be that curious. Wasn't walking towards the light the proverbial, big sign that this was the en? Her life had expired and moving to the next phase of life, the afterlife?

The non-life flashing before her eyes before was interesting. But Kyna refused to believe that her body had quit on her. It was still ticking. So there was no way she'll voluntarily leave the world of the living to become part of world of the dearly departed.

Mind made up, she turned away from the glowing, warm orb in the distance. But before she turned her back a strange pulse was released from it. It grew larger, it's light spread outwards like tentacles of death, surrounding her. She felt tiny pinpricks of discomfort, like wearing damp clothes, under her arms. Even the space between her toes.