The Butterfly Effect (Rewritten)

Chapter Six - The Butterfly Effect

Purgatory had an eerie calm to it the last time I was there, but it wasn't the same a second time around. The landscape had drastically changed into something dark and twisted. Rather than a sunny blue sky, there was pitch darkness, barely lit by tiny diamonds embedded into the night. The pine trees were dead, some of them had fallen while others stood with black scars lining the tissue of the bark. The grass had desiccated and curled into the Earth. The clearing was void of mist, leaving behind a dry, suffocating air.

I hunched over my knees, gasping. I cradled myself with my arms, fighting to get a grip. It wasn't real. This is just a dream! It's a dream! It has to be! A hand touched my shoulder. I sprang to my feet and whirled around.

"What the hell was that?" I shouted at Divina.

"Jason Rhodes, deceased at seventeen - killed in an automobile collision while driving under the influence."

I hated how emotionless Divina spoke, like one human death shouldn't have meant a thing to me. "No, I mean the vision itself! That was too real! That wasn't like the others!"

"Because it was a preview of the future," she calmly replied. "Jason was struck by grief when he learned of your death. He believed it was his fault for not dealing with Harper and for interfering with Austin. After another life-changing event, Jason drunk his sorrows away, and in doing so sealed his fate."

I shut my eyes tight then reopened them. Divina was still scrutinizing me in the middle of Purgatory. No, this isn't a dream, and I'm not waking up. 

"What's wrong with this place? Why is it..."

"Foreboding?" Divina offered. "Purgatory is a realm for lost souls, the ones who can't cross-over. It serves as an extension of the soul trapped within it, reflecting how damaged a spirit is. You can imagine what it will look like when you lose your sanity."

I already had the feeling of being watched by unseen eyes in the treelines. A shiver rolled down my spine.

"Are more people going to end up like Jason?"

"Not all will be so reckless, but everyone copes with death differently. Suicide doesn't end the pain, it amplifies it."

I looked up at Divina, hoping for more answers.

Divina must have keyed. "With death comes the Butterfly Effect. Do you know what that is?"

"No."

"The Butterfly Effect is a theory that a single occurrence, no matter how small, can change the course of the universe forever. It is the theory that everything matters, that even the flutter of a butterfly's wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. If you change even the smallest of life's details, you completely change its outcome."

"Can it?" I prodded.

"Can it what?"

"Can a butterfly's wings cause a hurricane?"

"You tell me."

I stared at the grass. "Someone better call Ashton Kutcher."

Divina softened her voice. "You do have the power to change your friend's paths."

Bitter laughter rose from my lips. "What is it with you, standing there and bullying me into living? Your methods are nothing but a guilt-trip."

"Perhaps you feel guilty because you realize your actions have consequences. Hard, isn't it? When humans are shown the truth. You can't live in a lie anymore, Emory, no more than I can stop reaping souls for eons to come."

"Ha, right, right, because if I decide to let you resurrect me from the dead everything is going to go back to normal! Am I right?" I challenged.

Divina gave me a pitiful look. "Even if you chose life, I cannot be certain what awaits you."