Labyrinth | ✓

f i f t y - f o u r t h ♂️

...

...

The moment my senses returned, I found myself drifting in a pitch black room while dead silence ensued. I tried groping something, but my limbs couldn't even move a bit. There was absolutely no light to illuminate the way, nor there were any kinds of background noises. I couldn't even hear my own heavy breathing, even when it was supposed to be audible enough. There was also nothing that my leg could touch into, so I felt like I was floating midair... or perhaps... I was submerged in some unknown entity.

This seems to be like a purgatory... so that means I am dead...? I tried to bob my head up to see, but the muscle that was responsible for the action didn't respond. And if is indeed one, where are the other spirits...?

Seconds passed, I began to hear raspy, faint voices on my ears. I couldn't figure out what were they talking about, but I felt a pull towards it, meaning that they were demanding my attention. I came to realize that I was closing my eye shut, and couldn't open it at all, as if I had lost control of everything. The fuzzy voices, however, eventually grew clearer and clearer.

"...up... wake up, Ed..." It muttered, calling out for me. "Ed... Wake up..."

Slowly, my head began to ache in a wavering manner. Sometimes it hurt, and sometimes it disappeared. A pair of hands then clutched on my shoulders, shaking me back and forth continuously, until a pang of pain suddenly flashed across my skull, like that of a penetrating bullet.

It quickly jolted me forward while I let out a loud gasp, making a soft contact with something hard. Regardless, I could finally take over my body once again.

Hah...

Hah...

What the fu...

I couldn't even finish my own thoughts. There must be a lot of oxygen lost, and that was why I was breathing through my mouth, as if I had been running. I grasped a handful of fabric as I clenched my hand against my chest, feeling my heart threatening to fly out. When coast was clear, I peeled my eye open, where I discovered that the looming darkness had disappeared.

My eye darted around, and despite the lack of light, I could see that I was sitting inside a car. The seatbelt was still latched on me, and my clothes were still soaked like shit, which made me feel cold.

Looking to the left, however, I noticed a shadow, facing towards me. I was about to yelp in surprise, but the glinting jewelry on his ears and his bright-colored hair stopped me. It then proceeded to trigger me of the previous memories.

As... Asher...?

"Jesus Christ..." He huffed, folding his arms. "What's wrong, man? You seemed really spooked out... A bad dream or something?"

"Not really. Just... startled." After regaining my composure, I answered his concern, keeping it short.

"... I didn't know my face is that scary." He cracked a joke, in a failed attempt to lighten up the mood.

I looked away to the window, where it began to fog up due to the warm air escaping from my lips. There I noticed that the car had come into a stop, and its machine had been turned off. It was parked at a driveway at a desolated, but well-lit road. Two-story houses lined up in a coordinated way, all illuminated by their outdoor lights, with cars in their garage front doors.

It also had stopped raining as well...

"Well... we're here." He announced, and I simply nodded in acknowledgement.

I didn't know how much time I had slept, but at least I gained enough energy to walk for a limited time. Now, I wasn't even hungry nor thirsty anymore, nor were there any sorts of emotions; I just felt like... I had died, buried alongside my old self.