Escaping Death

Escaping Death Part 3

"It's been twelve years," she explains. "Twelve years since that ship appeared and disappeared just as fast. Setting the sky on fire and causing various natural disasters in the surrounding areas. Disasters like the one that.." She looks down, unable to say more.
A few moments pass in silence. Unsure of what to say, I simply ask "what happened?"
After a small pause she looks up. "Nothing happened. The ships came, they left, and thousands of people died in the aftermath."
"Wait, Ships?" I ask.
"Oh, yeah, there was a bunch of them scattered randomly around the world." I just stare at her, shock plain of my face. Korie chuckles sadly. "It was crazy, people panicked and started looting and hoarding everything they could get their hands on. Everyone thought whoever was in those ships would return and kill or enslave us. I can't really blame them either, especially with what happened."

At a loss for words and unsure of how much time I have, I steer the conversation to something slightly less bleak and more towards the reason for this meeting. "I'm sorry, I tried but I just wasn't fast enough. I'm so sorry Korie." Unable to speak, she just looks at me, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I know I couldn't be there for you then, but I am here now." Knowing this is most likely our last meeting, I put my hand on hers and her eyes meet mine. "You were, are, and will continue to be the light in my world. Even though this memory will fade, my love will not. Something within you will remember and bring you peace and strength in times of need." I keep a sad but kind expression on my face to ease the pain in the finality of my words. I expect her to cry or sit there quietly in contemplation.
Instead, she scowls, "stay" she demands.
"I can't, I wish I could but I can't. I'm dead. I don't even think this was supposed to happen." I say helplessly. "Nobody else got to say goodbye."
Looking even angrier than before, "this is bullshit" she says in voice just shy of a shout. "I only just got you back and now you have to leave. No, that's not fair. Don't leave me again."
Caught off gaurd by her sudden anger, I try to diffuse the rising tension. "It's going to be okay Korie. You are strong, you'll be alright. When I leave, you'll forget this even happened and things will go back to normal. "I knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as I said it.
Her expression darkens, "I will not forget", she says with absolute certainty.
Not wanting to disagree but unable to stop myself, I explain softly "I don't think we have a choice. I didn't want to die, and the last thing I want is to leave you and have you forget about this. But what can we do about it?" Without giving her time to respond, I continue, "this is all way beyond our control. We live, we die, and I guess now we know something comes after. I wish I could stay. I wish I could promise you that things will be easy and that you will live happily with nothing but great times to look forward to. But that's not how things work. Life is hard and it is rarely fair. I know that's not what you want to hear, trust me, it's not what I want to tell you. Unfortunately, death, just like life, doesn't give a damn about what we want. Though, I can promise you one thing. If there is a way back to you. I will find it. This is not the end for me; I refuse to go quietly into the dark."
Her eyes were still full of fire, but she did look slightly mollified. "I don't care what you have to do, find your way back to me." She said it as a command, with the full weight of her willpower enforcing her words.
I nod in agreement, wanted to end on a positive note. I feel something tugging at me, urging me to leave, my time must be getting close.
Looking down, I notice Korie is scratching at the table with the pocket knife I gave her during our second year together. "You still have it!" I smile and gesture for her to hand it over.
"It's come in handy more than a few times over the years." She says while handing it over with a smile that fails to reach her eyes.
I turn it over in my hands to inspect it. The blade was scratched from heavy use and even chipped in some places. The wooden handle showed similar wear, the wood darkened and dulled from constant use. However, the blade was clean and freshly sharpened. "You're not joking, but it looks like it's seen better days."
She shrugs, "it's been through a lot; a little damage is to be expected. Though, that doesn't make it any less valuable. In fact, the opposite is true. It's been put to the test and proven to be durable. Also, that edge is sharper now than when it was shiny and new."
The undertones of what she said were hard to miss. "I couldn't agree more, and I'm not surprised. I chose that knife for a reason." I hand the knife back to her and she starts scratching at the table again, looking pleased with my response. Curious, I begin to ask what she's doing when the pulling sensation from before hits me again with renewed strength. I stand up, my body moving on its own, trying to leave. I stop, regaining control of my body and resisting it's call again. "I think my times up." I say while staring at the bus. At the door stands the friendly woman that pushed me off the bus. Her dark hair moving gently in the wind, she smiles and gives us a playful wave.
"Who's that?" Korie asks while giving her a hesitant wave back.
"I don't know, hopefully a friend." I said, wishing I knew more about her, and everything else that was happening. "I think she's the one who made this possible. She seems genuinely interested in helping me."
Silently, Korie stands up as well and grabs my hand with hers. She guides us both towards the bus. We stop a short distance from door and hold each other in a tight embrace for a short while. Reluctantly, I pull away and run my fingers through her soft, Hazelnut colored hair.
She kisses me one last time, then motions to the vehicle behind me. "Go" she says, "and remember your promise, come back to me."
"I will." I say as confidently as I can manage. As I reach the top stair, I feel that I have to say goodbye, just in case things don't work out. Korie wouldn't be happy if I did though, she would view it as giving up. Knowing it was insufficient, but the best I could come up with at the moment I settle with a simple "I love you."
A scowl forms on her face again. She knows exactly what lies hidden beneath my words. "You don't break promises, now go."
Not wanting to sour things any further, I do exactly that. Deciding that my new "friend" is probably the best source of information available to me, I sit next to her instead of my old seat at the back. Staring out the window at a life that could have been, I ponder what troubles Korie must have gone through. She had a hardness about her that wasn't there twelve years ago. She'll be okay, I try to convince myself. Once I'm gone, she won't remember and things will go back to normal.

Watching him stare at her with that infuriating look of finality on his face, she pulls the knife out of its sheath and grasps it in her right hand. Fingers creaking from the tightness of her grip. Knowing what was about to happen and refusing to give in. She stands up straight, sets her shoulders, and whispering "I will not forget" begins carving into the soft flesh of her left palm. The pain is blinding and causes an explosion of adrenaline that courses through her veins. Blood flows out just behind the blade, falling steadily off her hand and looking like liquid rubies as it makes its way to the ground. The cold steel continues to bite into her skin, easily separating its many layers and finishes its job flawlessly. It's only three lines, but the act took what felt like a small eternity. Satisfied with her work, she holds her hand above her head in triumph for everyone to see, then faces the palm directly towards her fiance in stubborn defiance. "I will not forget" she repeats for the last time, then looks at her hand to admire her work. A large bleeding "A" carved in the center of her palm.

More coming soon!