The Line Between Living and Dying

Astra

After a lengthy conversation with Cheyanne, Dani decided to leave her to rest.

Right now, she was walking down the street heading home. She needed time to think over everything she just learned about her best friend.

As Dani weaved through the crowded streets she tuned the rest of the world out. She had her earbuds in and the music was loud enough to just barely block out the city noises surrounding her.

Dani turned a corner, taking a short cut to her apartment. That's when she heard the shouting. Dani slowly pulled out her earbuds, listening closely.

"Help!" A young voice cried.

Dani's eyes hardened. She burst into a sprint towards the voice. She skidded to a stop when she turned a corner to see a young teenage boy being mugged.

"Hey!" She ran towards the mugger tackling him. "Run!" She shouted at the teen. He scrambled to his feet and ran off.

The mugger tried pushing Dani off but she punched him. The mugger quickly slipped something out of his pocket and Dani felt a sudden sharp pain in her abdomen. She looked down, finding a switchblade embedded in her skin. The mugger pushed Dani off, leaving her to die in the alley.

Dani's breathing slowed as she watched the mugger get away with a blurry vision. Her eyes shifted to look up at the sky. If only someone knew where she was so that they could help her.

But no one was coming.

* * *

Dani groaned as her eyes blinked open. She was still in the alley but this time there was no honking or wind or clouds or even people. Everything was covered in a purple hue and Dani instantly knew that she was back in the astral plane.

Dani picked herself up, noticing her blood-stained shirt. "Great." She huffed. A speeding shadow drew Dani's attention away from her predicament. 

"Hello?" She called. Dani slowly walked forward, to the end of the alley. She looked left and right and found no sign of the shadow.

Dani glanced around, picking a random direction. She turned left with the hope that if she searched this version of Central City then she could find a way out.

The tv screens in Jitters flickered on as Dani passed by. She stopped short, watching the insane scenes play.

One screen showed Caitlin and another man with dark hair stood in front of S.T.A.R. Labs being married by an older man with white hair and glasses.

A second screen showed a younger black man illegally racing down a back road.

Then there was Dani, standing in a bridal boutique and trying on wedding dresses. A little girl, no older than two, stood by her side.

A third screen had Barry on it, surprisingly. He held a tiny baby wrapped up in a pink blanket in his arms. A smile sat on his lips as he spoke something to the baby that Dani couldn't hear.

Dani smiled. Things were going to get better. She had proof of that. Even if she didn't know if what she was watching was the actual future or just her deepest hopes and dreams for herself and the people she cared about.

Dani's smile faltered when she noticed another face behind her through the window reflection. She spun around, her jaw dropping when she was met with her own face.

"Hello, Danika." The other Dani greeted. "I think it's time we had a chat."

"Wh-Who are you?" Dani stuttered.

"I don't have a straight answer to that question." The other Dani admitted. "I've been called many things over the years: Limbo, Purgatory... the Astral Plane."