The Dimension Break

TWO

The air on Earth was such a new, exotic thing. As soon as it filled my temporary lungs, I was filled with peace. The dark world twitched behind my eyelids; they were eager to open, but I was afraid that I would topple over from shock if I took more than the air. In my chest, my heart thudded. Life. It was a new feeling, too. Never before had I owned any of these new organs. Instead, I was only a shell. Now, I was filled with wonderful feelings - my eager heart, my filling lungs, my stable bones. Now that I knew what it like to have real flesh, I could never go back to being a shell. And that made me happy.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. The light was white as it washed over me. My mouth fell open, and the air touched my tongue. The world began to peice together. Reality sank it. My eyes were overwhelmed with all the colors I'd never seen before. The leaves shivering on the trees, the grass dancing in the wind.

How was I supposed to complete my mission if I was in complete awe of this world?

I tried to take a step foreward, but my legs crumpled under me. I gasped, and a new unsatisfying feeling peirced my palms and knees - pain. My voice was new, too, and distracted me from experiencing the full feeling. Still on all fours, I made a couple of noises. My pain faded, and I became immersed in my voice. I'd never had one before; I had a right to be entertained by it. "... I... My... Missions..." So, I chuckled. How would other people sound here? Other actual people, not demons?

I stood, more careful. "I have forever to complete my mission. Might as well get used to this beautiful world before slaying Lilith Kalos!"

***

It wasn't the end of the vision that woke me, but Mary's racking cough. Her voice was strained through the thick, raspy explosions of sickness, muffled by her elbow. I opened my eyes, but didn't turn to look at her. We were both in our sleeping spots beside each other, and I couldn't help but think, It's the dust. the dust and the mold are hurting her lungs and if I don't do something, I'll end up putting her in the emergency room. It had been three days since the Cromans visited our house, and Mary's health had only gotten worse and worse.

Why was I not sick? My chores - getting food, taking money, covering our tracks - dealt with going outside of that infested hellhole we took the liberty of calling home. Mary was in there all the time, cleaning and finding good ways to store our clothes and food. I would trade with Mary, if it weren't for the emotional stress it would put on her. Unlike me, Mary was not an actor. She couldn't keep her cool pretending to be some random stranger around people she'd once seen daily. She couldn't cover up her voice like me, or adjust herself to look as if she had a different body type. And she'd probably keep tugging and pulling nervously at the wig that I used if she were ever to go out and do my chores. Besides, what I did recquired a lot of stealing and morally demeaning activities.

I could feel my eyes start to water as I listened on on her cough, and tightened my shoulders as if to protect myself. Yes, stealing isn't a problem for me. And there it was. I'll stop by the pharmacy today and slip out with some medicine. A plan was born from the womb of my mind. Mary's hacking died down with the exception of a few occasional throat clearings and peppered coughs. Closing those eyes once again, I fell back into the vision.

***

The thing they don't tell you about earth is that nothing is expected, and you are never alone. No one ever knows what will happen, and there's always a fly in the room. You can never be careful, as your next few seconds may be your last in a world where even small creatures or seemingly nonchalant objects can be the deaths of millions. Even the air could be dangerous, too. There is always something in the dark. Not to mention, the entire planet has several planes of existance on it, including the human plane, ghost plane, and others that are unstable and sometimes overlap. Inhabitants are crazed with death and the want of land, the eternal bloodshed and the thrill of war. Every creature takes part in the cycle of death, and I find that beautiful.