Andrew opens his eyes. In front of him floats a white text, surrounded by darkness.
[August Sixth.]
The text dissipates and a mountain range emerges from the darkness. The setting sun is giving the side of the mountain an orange hue.
[Where am I? What did I see just now?]
Andrew is at the base of the mountain, looking down upon a road from the height of a tree, yet here is no tree below him. He looks straight down.
[I… can't see myself. My hands are gone, even when it feels like they're in front of me.]
The sound of a petrol car can be heard in the distance, left of where Andrew is.
[I can't move from this spot… what is happening?]
Andrew looks to the left, at the oncoming car.
[That's… our car. I am certain of it, because of the orange light emitted from the headlights. Could this be… that day? How would I know how it happened? And why am I floating?]
"I haven't thanked you yet, for buying us this trip."
Melissa's voice echoes throughout Andrew's head.
[Melissa? But the car isn't even close.]
"Well, thanks accepted!"
[Dad? His voice is so…]
"It's all on us, we'll also pay for all the general needs, and maybe a present or two."
[Mom's voice sounds…]
"And I'm thankful for being with you, Melissa."
[I don't know who that is… I don't remember that voice… but him too… all their voices are so…]
[Lacking.]
[It doesn't sound like… they have emotions. All four of them.]
The conversation continues in the car, their voices mingling into one another.
[It's not comprehensible anymore. I can hear they're talking, but not what they're saying.]
The car passes Andrew's position, and he follows it with his eyes. It is headed straight for a colourless abyss. The moment Andrew notices the darkness, he blinks and is suddenly on the road, with the car head straight for him.
[That darkness… a colour different than black. I have seen it before. The colour… of death.]
From the forest, the sound of an axe hitting a tree emerges, and Andrew looks in its direction. Someone is hitting a tree next to the road repeatedly with an axe.
[Hey!]
The air did not vibrate.
[I can't talk. I still hear their voices, all talking over each other. That person… did he purposely kill them? Who would have a grudge against our family… I can't think of anyone. Maybe an acquaintance of her boyfriend, but this situation in general is just…]
A ray of sunlight reveals the person's face, as it reveals him pushing the tree.
[It's…]
The tree tumbles over, and hits the top of the passing car. Perfectly timed. The person is now smiling and shedding a tear simultaneously.
[Me.]
The right car door of the back seats opens, and Melissa exits the car. Andrew looks at her for a split second and then back at himself, but he is gone. A puddle of bright red blood grows from under the car, and the mountain in the background slowly gets enveloped in the deathly abyss. Melissa's eyes and open mouth are the same colour as the darkness closing in on Andrew. Blood is spilling from her neck, but she doesn't cover it with her hand.
"It is your fault."
Melissa's voice reverberates through Andrew's mind. She slowly walks towards him, without moving her legs.
"You saw it just now. You let the tree fall. It is your fault."
Those three short sentences repeat like a broken record. Loud. Periodic. Emotionless. Melissa's mouth does not move, it stays open while just letting sound flow out. Andrew is unable to think.
Melissa is now in front of him, and blood from her neck spills on his invisible body, revealing it and giving it shape. Everything around them disappears. She is meeting her hollow eyes with his normal ones.
"Now feel their pain. Their suffering."
Melissa disappears together with the platform, and Andrew starts falling. The blood is coming off from the speed, and he turns invisible again.
[ really did… do it. It is my fault.]
nstantly after this thought, he feels a crushing weight on his chest. The weight of one thick, robust pine tree.