As I continued thinking, I realized something important... I wasn't unconscious. Usually when transitioning from these weird places, I was unconscious... Usually from some type of pain inducing weapon or a gruesome uncalled for death. This time I was actually walking through the blackness without pain whatsoever... That was good, I guess.
I took another step and somehow I was in a dank, dense, foggy area. There was a single railroad track laid out that looked like it stretched out to infinity. On a pathway to this track, there was a small toll booth. A toll booth on the OTHER side of the tracks.
"Wait, isn't that dangerous?" I asked to no one, only to get the response, "Damn right, so you'd better pay quick."
Could it be? The voice... It was her. Lolita. Where did she keep popping up from? Whatever, I was happy to have her back with me. Seeing the idiocy of the small toll booth on an infinitely long rail road track, I had to suggest "Let's just walk around."
Lolita gave me that sort of 'WTF?!' look, as if I were the stupid one.
"What's wrong with my idea?" I had to ask.
She shook her head, "You haven't noticed what's happened to the ground yet." She pointed at the nothingness that used to be the ground. Now there was no ground except for the thin strip of land about the width of the toll booth on the other side.
I looked downward at the non-ground "... Are you serious? When did this happen and HOW did I not see it? That's like sleeping through sharks gnawing off your legs. The sharks ALSO have lasers attached to their freakin heads."
Lolita laughed, but I'm not sure if it was because I was pissed or because of what I said. Oh well, I went with it.
We walked to the front of the toll booth, the gate lowered in front of us. The word FATE was imprinted on the yellow and black bar. "The gate of fate? What an original rhyme." More sarcasm, joy. Sarcastic narration, too? How great.
This toll booth was a bit demonic in appearance, donning 2 huge horns jutting from the sides, the opening made a devilish face, eyes and all, and the button was merged with the ground acting and looking as if it were... skin of some kind. There was a small, shadowy man -- no, a demon, inside of the mouth like opening. His eyes were only white circles and his teeth gleamed, sharp, pointed and white. He had two small, drooping horns at the top of his head as well. I was unable to see any of his features except for those, since they were hidden in the deep shadows of the demonic booth.He raised his abnormally long arm and reached outward, a hand which seemed to be bigger than his body opening up, as if beckoning me. He opened his overly large, smiling mouth and said, "Tooooll Pleeeaaase..." His voice was dry and dark, almost evil, but at the same time soulless.
It angered me that he would ask me for money so that I could go across this gate of fate. Who should pay for their fate? The anger boiled inside of me, this whole damn place made me furious. I couldn't help but to tell him off. "Now what a fucking minute here. This is my fate. My destiny. Why must I pay for my own fate? My fate should be chosen by ME, not whether or not I pay for it or anything. Besides that, who blocks off the road on the OTHER SIDE of the train tracks!? I have to stand on the train tracks, dammit! This would be dangerous if a train was coming."
The booth demon snickered and rubbed his tongue against his teeth. "Pay for your fate... What do you suspect I want you to pay me in? How will you pay me?" He raised his other hand and tapped his wrist with a pretend watch on it. "You'd better hurry... Or it will come soon." He snickered again, his hand moving closer to me, "Tooooll Pleeeaase...!!"
His attitude pissed me off... but then again, many slaves to the booth pissed me off. Usually people who forced pay upon me for access to a place I might not even enjoy who had such an attitude pissed me off. I was ready to slap his hand away fro me, until something hit me. He didn't want money from me. What could the demon want? The gate of fate... Pay for my fate... Usually when you have to pay for something in such a situation, it meant...
But wait, I heard something in the distance, bellowing down the narrow railway at an unfathomable speed. "Lolita! He wants our lives! Go! Off the tracks!"
Lolita nodded and jumped, but the bar came down before she could make it. Some sort of dark energy hindered us from climbing over.
The demon began to cackle, "TOLL PLEASE!!!"
The train sped ever closer, breaking through the speed of sound. The only thing I could think about was protecting Lolita and escape. It was apparent that the demon would get our lives one way or another. There was no way out of this one, only imminent death.
Lolita peered from behind me and launched a missile from the tip of her umbrella, which now had a large hole in the tip rather than it being sharp and pointed.
The demon quickly frowned, only making the small sound, "Tch..." before exploding in his miserable oblivion.
The train faded out just as it was making contact with us, giving the effect that it had just passed through it. We were both petrified and we knew it. Hell, we didn't think that she'd hit when she fired, which led me to the next question, "How the hell did your umbrella shoot a missile from it? Where do you get ammo?"
She scratched the back of her head. "It's... an omnipotent umbrella. Yeah, it changes into bat wings, can be used as a grappling hook, sword, grenade and missile launched aaaand a cookie cutter for special occasions!"
Something clicked inside of me. I don't know if I had just dropped some I.Q. points or was going crazy, but it was one of the two. Slowly, I turned, step by step, inch by inch, I continued to walk. Lolita followed behind me. The ground had returned some time back, so we started to walk on that. There was a set pathway in the grass that was labeled as a shortcut. Being the person I am, I should have stayed alongside the tracks... I took the path.
Lolita twirled her umbrella. "So... Nice weather, huh?"
I was silent for a few moments, but then said, "Why do you keep leaving me?" I didn't look at her.
She frowned, then she averted her gaze from me. "What, you need a girl here to make you feel big, or are you just horny?"
I could tell from her voice that she didn't want to leave, even though she tried hard to cover it up. "You know I didn't ask you to follow me, or even to 'take me here,' as you said. You can go anytime you like." A pain in my heart, just from saying that to her... It soon subsided. I could tell that she was a bit hurt by that, too... "Can you... Tell me what you meant by 'taking me here'? Sorry if I sound harsh..." I was really trying not to be angry, but I really didn't want to be in this place.
She finally responded, "That demon... Brought me here. When I said that, it wasn't me. It was that demon. When our eyes met, it took control of me and transported you here through me. I only noticed you because... I thought you were cute." She scowled and blushed at the same time.
"Odd, I feel the same way... Who would have known?" I had to think about something for a moment... "That demon... What is it? Why is it trying to kill me? Is that the reason why you cut off my head before? Because you were possessed?"
She nodded, "And still, I haven't the slightest clue why we're here, but I know we are inside of you."
That demon was not like the others... Not like Hate, not like Life, not like Le Pain Perdu... Those things helped me better understand myself and my problems, but that demon seemed to make dilemmas that involved death. Fate? Dilemma? Death? Or maybe all 3. I don't know, but I have to get it out of me.