IF

Afterdeath

"Wait, you really can see them?"

Even after a couple more days of spending time with each other, Eyrin still can't shake the thought off. For eighteen years she thought she was alone. Except her bloodline, she never imagined she would be able to find someone just like her.

"How many times do I have to say it so you'd be satisfied?" Adrian jokes. "I told you it dawned on me when I started hearing voices."

It's almost dark but they sit still on one of the benches alongside the road outside High Homes. With the orange glow of an already-lit-lamppost, they sit side by side, ice creams on hand and with stories to tell. None of them has ever admitted it yet, but they enjoyed each other's company.

"So when you saw Linda, it was your first time to see them?" Eyrin keeps the topic going.

Adrian shrugs and takes a scoop of ice cream and leaves the spoon in his mouth before he speaks. "Yeah. To be honest I've never imagined it to be that...peaceful."

Eyrin let out a bitter chuckle. "Oh that's not even half of it," she says, remembering those she had seen. "But I wonder what triggered you to see them."

Adrian looks at him, spoon still in his mouth. "Maybe you're just that special."

The wind huffs and gently blows Eyrin's hair off her face. She blinks twice before she glances at Adrian. She just realized he's already looking at him. Before they both know it, their faces are just inches apart from one another.

It's starting to get darker. People going in and out of the village are starting to get fewer and fewer every passing minute. Eyrin feels his warm breath blowing on her face. It smells like vanilla ice cream. His lips are chapped but they seem to hide their own kind of softness. It's weird that she knows every detail of what's about to happen but she keeps going so when she realized it, she bites her lip to stop herself.

Adrian is so stunned the spoon falls off his mouth. The sound of it hitting the wooden bench snaps both of them back to reality. The moment he blinks and sees her face close to his, he moves away and averts his gaze to the ice cream cup he unconsciously lost grasp of, now melting on the ground.

"I-uh..." He tries to break the awkward silence between them but can't seem to find the right words to say.

Eyrin smiles. "Let's call it a day?" she suggests.

"Yeah! I mean, sure, yeah." Adrian still stammers on his choice of words. "I'll walk you to the terminal."

He sighs. If only his mom is right there that time he will hear her say the thing she always says about timing.

How would people know if the time is right? When they missed it or when they finally have the courage to take it? How could they know if it's wrong then? When they don't get good results? It's not the timing that's right or wrong. It's how you act and react.

One of the good things about living in High Homes is the peace and quiet is has at night. It's just 6pm and there are no other people except the two of them. Everyone's already busy in their own houses so when Eyrin and Adrian are walking their way to the UV terminal, the silence becomes really evident.

"Thanks for the day," Adrian nudges her shoulder and since he's taller than him, she has to look up to say it back.

"Thanks, too."

Silence.

"So you're village is just two villages away from ours right?" Adrian attempts to break the awkwardness again.

"Yeah," is all she can say before silence devours the air around them again.

Bad move. Adrian mentally groans.

"So have you already seen him?" he asks pertaining to his brother, Leo.

He notices Eyrin's mood shifts to something he saw the day she collected the soul of Linda. Her eyes dart to the ground, pinning them on her shoes, and her lips are on a firm line. "Yeah. I did."

Adrian's curiosity washes over him so even if he wants to throw her questions she might not want to answer, he still does. "How is he? Where is he now? Can I see him? Can you tell me how I can see him? Should I tell一"

"No, you can't okay!" She stops on her tracks to look at him, eyes glinting when the lights reflect on her tears. "I'm sorry but he's gone." Adrian is stilled. He looks to his side to avoid eye contact, secretly clenching his fists. "You'll never see your brother again and neither will I meet Leo."

His name sounds so bitter when she said it. She's able to keep going for almost two weeks without thinking about him but now, even the sound of his name brings back the pain and memories she felt when he left that day.

"He's gone," she says it again but this time she's not able to hold her tears back. She cries, hard. The emotions she keeps bottled up are now breaking her.

Adrian doesn't know what to do again. They're under the glow of a lamppost; there's no one else there; he doesn't know why Eyrin's crying that much or what upsets her; is it something he did?; is she related to his brother一he doesn't know. He has no idea about everything that's happening so finding the right words to say will never be an option.

So he wraps his arms around her and buries her face on his chest, his head resting on hers. He can still hear her muffled cries and feel her hot tears staining his T-shirt so he doesn't let go. They stay that way for a couple of moments until he feels a tug that seems to pull her away.

"The beacon."

"That's the girl."

"We need her."

"It's Death's pet. Let's rid of her."

"Take her away."

"Take her."

Adrian starts hearing voices again and he knows he's not the only one who can hear them this time. Eyrin looks at him, full of confusion, and when he loosens his grip so she can move, the tug becomes stronger. Something is pulling Eyrin away and if it isn't for his grasp on her arm she'd be taken away.

"Don't let go," he says firmly but when he's about to pull her back, something tugs her from behind the same time something pulls Eyrin's leg.

Every moment that passes the voices keep getting louder and every time they get pulled away from each other, Adrian knows he's loosing her. He's being pulled away from the curb but he's not planning to let go of her even if he's just holding her hand.

The lights on the posts start flickering and a dark smoke materialises from the dark, creeping through Eyrin's shadow until it tangles around her body. She's set off the ground by the force that's lifting her up. She's holding Adrian's finger and she's still sliding away. Her feet don't feel the ground anymore and that's when she squirms frantically, screaming for help even if she's not sure that someone other than Adrian can come to her aid.

"Help me!" She screams and before the smoke completely devours her existence, someone grabs her hand and pulls her back. Half of her body is taken back from the mundane but she's still struggling to get away. It's just too strong that no force can seem to withstand it.

"I got you," the guy who saves her says.

"Leo?" Adrian and Eyrin says in unison. She feels completely appalled but it instantly goes away when the smoke pulls her away again. That time Leo lost grasp of her hand and just how fast the darkness pulls her away, she disappears.

"No, no." Leo falls on his knees, feeling anger and disappointment. With the knowledge that he has about the shenanigans of the other side, he just can't brush away the thought of what might happen to Eyrin, a living person, when taken there.

He has to find her.

As he gets on his feet and gets ready to drift away, someone calls him.

"Leo." It sounds soft and longing he can't believe his ears and when he looks back and sees him, he almost lost it.

Adrian is not sure yet if he can touch spirits but he throws himself to Leo without thinking twice. He still has little knowledge about what's happening and he still cannot believe everything but when he feels the warmth of his embrace, he knows.

"I missed you, buddy."