Human

Chapter 19

   I can't breathe...

   The water is supposed to ease my soul, help me to relax, but it's igniting my adrenaline, forcing my eyes to bounce around the perimeter of the trees, and up the stream.

  My heart feels like a giant hammer, the force which beats me over and over reverberates through the entirety of being, and the shock brings it's friend nausea to beat me while I'm down.

   "The world is out to get me," plays like a broken record, and I can't make it stop!  I dunk my head into the water, hoping to drown out the voice of anxiety that has made my brain its home.

   That's when I hear it; the sweetest melody I've ever heard. The song erases all the stress I've hoarded in my body, and for the first time since childhood, I can close my eyes freely. There isn't a single nightmare lurking in the shadows of my mind.
-Lilith

-----

   Lilith looked around for the source of the melody, maybe she heard it coming from further down the stream, so she followed the path toward the sound. Lynn was trailing behind, eyes beginning to glaze over.

   Briefly the sound stopped, and Lilith turned in circles in the water, trying desperately to reconnect with the sound, already fully invested in the motives of the melody. The girls grew paniced until eventually the sound returned, louder than before, as if booming directly on their eardrum.

   "I wonder whose voice that is," Lynn mused, her face blank, brown eyes covered in a green film.  Her body wound with purpose to find the source of the wonder.

   Wind danced around the trees, pulling up leaves and dirt within its wake. The girls didn't even notice the sudden drop in temperature of the water, the chill only invigorating them further.  They continued to dutifully follow the stream down to where it let out into a large lake.

   The waterfall from the night before rushed hard, sending large waves toward them.

"Down by the water,
You know you will falter.

The world with which leaves you stressed,
Does not have the power to leave you blessed.

So come build up your soul,
join us in the hole.

Then dive into the deep,
You deserve the sleep..."

The melody began to crescendo, coming to a resounding peak on the last couplet. Lilith, overcome with a desire to swim further into the middle of the lake, aggressively dunked her head under water.

   She quickly succumbed to the rush of adrenaline, the sun illuminating her pale skin under the veil of water. With peace in her heart she looked up to the sky for what could be her last time, and she was at peace.  Nothing mattered but this moment in the frigid water; not the burning sensation in her lungs, not the pain of opening her eyes under water, not even her impending death stirred her body to action.

   Before her vision faded to black she saw Lynn's form being pulled from the blanket of water, and she felt a ping of pity.  Poor Lynn would never know what true peace felt like.

-----

   Drowning isn't the worst way to go.  It's peaceful, warm, and if you don't struggle the darkness takes you quickly to the other side.

   I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm dead, but I don't know if I'm capable of realizing the depth of that outcome.

   "Everyone dies," I scream out into the void, causing my internal voice to crack, but the only reply is deafening silence.

   This can't be real...
   This had to be a dream...
   Dead people don't have thoughts,
                    right?
-Lilith

------

   Lilith's soul is torn between the Earth and the afterlife, and the eyes of her soul begin to open.  The blinding white light leaves her aghast, until her vision begins to settle.  She began to hear two voices arguing.

   The first voice was feminine, light, and had sing-song quality to it. Aggrivation was clearly heard as she bickered with a velvety male voice.

   "I will not let her be taken by you, she isn't dead yet," she said.

   "Foolish Gaia, you know all creatures eventually belong to me," the deeper voice retorted.

   "I have plans for this one, look! She's already been drug to shore. Her heart will start beating again shortly," the woman said.

  Lilith's vision cleared, and she saw two ethereal beings above her. The woman she heard had long brown hair, perfectly styled, and littered with green leaves throughout several small braids.

  Her skin was a golden tan, and her facial features were kind. Wide eyes, pouty lips, and thick eyebrows were scrunched in annoyance. Arms folded over a thin white gown, the fabric flowing around her petite form.

   In contrast the owner of the Male voice wore a dark grey suit, paired with a black undershirt, and expensive-looking black boots. He looked so much like Eli, it took her by surprise.  His hair was longer, gelled down, but tasteful.

    "Stop fighting, love," the Male wrapped an arm around the woman named Gaia.

   "You disgust me Grim," the woman gritted her teeth as some of the leaves in her hair turned brown and fell out of her hair.

   "Who are you," Lilith struggled to ask.

   Gaia didn't seem to notice her interruption, but Grim raised an eyebrow and looked down at her.

   "You can give her the last of your soul, but we both know I'll be waiting. I always get what I want," he gave a sly grin and waved goodbye to Lilith.

   She was quickly pulled back to earth, violently throwing up water onto damp grass. The smell of mud sent her into another spell of vomit.

  "Lilith, oh my God, we thought we lost you," cried Lynn, and she patted Lilith's back to help her get all the water out of her body.