I may have rushed it but oh well, like I said, they were all worth it to me. The surprise was that I actually manage to complete them all in the first place.
As planned the last thing to do was to write that letter and after i did, I hid it in a proper well kept place, hoping that whomever had the chance to read it they would understand, would remember me even if they didn't know me, I still didn't mind.
I wanted to leave a small last part of me in this world and that letter was proof of it.
So with all things done, I think I can finally let go now right?
I could barely see anything anymore however I could still hear my surrounding.
I could hear my slow, steady breathing. Someone was crying to my right, someone was calling my name to my left, someone was praying and someone was questioning why it had to be like this.
It's probably my family. I wanted to tell them that it was OK but I barely had the strength to do so.
Even when a few minute had pass or so it still felt like an eternity was passing. My mind was all over the place, thinking about all the things I love in my life, the things i cherish.
But most of all it went back to that time four years ago when I had found out about my fate which later made me ran like a maniac outside.
I chuckled inside me as I remember.
'Its ok' I thought.
I mentally patted myself and thought 'you did your best Kris'
I could feel myself getting lighter, everything was starting to get darker while silence was starting to fill my ears. I tried to smile and I didn't even know if I did. But somehow I knew I manage to, I knew tears were dropping down my eyes. There was a light in front of me yet it was getting smaller like it was trying to run away from. I wanted to reach for it but I couldn't. Even so, I probably had a vague idea of what that light was. It was my life and it was leaving me. But it's okay, I did what I could. All I could and what ever I could. That was fine with me.
'You did your best Kris. Just like you said you would'
"Yes, you did." A sudden voice came out.
In that very instant I manage to open my eyes. My eyes adjusting to the sudden entry of light.
I found myself in a place that looked like a corridor. I was shocked. I was dumbfounded. What. In. The. World?!
My breathing was getting heavier, my mind screaming at me to be on guard and my heart racingm I was only getting more anxious and uneasy.
"Huh? Huuuuuhhhh? Where am I?" I asked myself dumbfounded at this sudden predicament I found myself it.
I started looking around me, trying my hardest to figure out what was going on. As I investigated my surroundings I was starting to realise the familiarity of this place. The desk a few feet away from me, the numbers displayed on each door. The white walls.
"The hospital?"
It looked to be like it, but something was off. No one was around, not a single soul, not a single sound. Something was going on. I started walking slowly towards what looked like the reception desk and when I did as I guessed, no one was there. I put my hands on the desk and tried to calm myself as I controlled my breathing pattern but...
But I could feel it, as I took a breath in and took it out I could feel it. I could feel nothing.
I couldn't feel any oxygen being inhaled inside but yet, I was breathing. It felt normal, yet so uncomfortable, yet not suffocating.
No, no this isn't right. What in the heck is going on here!
My heart was the same I could feel it beating fast inside my chest yet when I put my hands over it I felt nothing. Just what, just what is going on here?
"You know.." That voice again. It was male and it was near. I turned my head nervously towards the direction of that voice.
It was, a man!
He stood there, his hands on his unkept grey jeans, his black hooded jacket hanging over thin yet well built body. Sneakers that look so worn out yet fitted his attire so perfectly it didn't look out of place. I looked at his face taking in his features.
His hair was a mess as it went down most of his face yet at closer inspection it was obvious. It was well kept, pitch black and looked as smooth as silk. Judging from this, maybe he's around his 20s but there's something off about him that made me doubt that thought.
A small grin came over his lips. His face was pale and fair with no scars or any skin abnormalities one would expect to see on anyones face as perfect as it would seem yet it was perfect it could make any one jealous.
Most of all there were his eyes. One look and it could make anyone as strong willed as they can be, dropped weak to their knees.
His pupils were of pure gold and his iris of pure black.
" .... Its rude to stare" he said.
"Wh-wha-what!!! No I wasn't!" I stammered, my face feeling hot my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water
"You were" he snickered. Huh? Who is this guy?
"I said I wasn't" a vein popped on my head.
"It's ok happens all the time" he said as he looked down. This guy, just what is he? And wait!
"Were you the one who brought me here?" I asked him
He turned towards me and sighed nonchalantly.
"Yes, I did in a way"
The moment he said that, my hands curled into a fist and I marched towards him
"Look here mister" I said making sure he'd know how pissed I was through my tone.
"Wherever this place is and whomever you are it is not OK! To drag a young lady down here without-.."
"Huh?" he said cutting me off. Without even realising it I was standing in front of him looking at those majistic eyes. He was a bit taller than me so I had to face upwards yet still those eyes of his were pulling me towards him.
"You dont remember?" Those words of his brought me back to reality and I could feel my cheeks heating up a bit embarrassed that he roomIt me staring at him. My mind started working again after what he said, 'Dont remember?'
Remember what?
Wait..
As I realised something unsettling I could feel the blood rushing to my head.
"Who... Who am I?" I asked myself. My mind going trough every nook and corner to find that answer, yet there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. I tried so hard to remember, just my name would be enough, yet I got nothing. Everything was blank and the last thing I remember was when I woke up in that hallway
I slowly turned towards the guy I was speaking to.
"Who am I?" I asked him my voice clearly nervous and scared.
Then after that look of bewilderment that he gave me earlier he threw it off and instead smiled and he looked absolutely beautiful.
He took one of his hands out and reached towards me.
"Come with me, I'll show you" he said his voice as calm as ever which in turn was calming me too. Hesitant at first I decided to accept his hand and after he turned around, he started walking.
It was strange, I could feel nothing even if I holding his bare hands. It was as if I held nothing at all. But I could tell somehow call it weird hunch. But i could tell that maybe if I could feel those hands of his they'd be ice cold.
I don't know though like I said it was just a hunch so don't ask me.
He stopped abruptly and let go of my hand. His eyes were to his left and he was staring at something.
"We're here" he said softly.
"Here?" I asked as I turned towards where he was looking at. It was a door to one of the rooms of this hospital. The door was slightly opened and i could feel something behind it. I stood there thinking for a minute, then made a decision as I nodded to myself.
My hands were shaking as I tried to reach for the door handle. I grabbed it and slowly pushed the door open. An overwhelming feeling was creeping over me. I couldn't tell what it was yet I didn't reject it either. The more I pushed the door the more the feeling was taking over me. After what felt like forever, I opened the door fully, my eyes roaming towards the room.
What I saw..
What I saw..
What I saw was my memories coming back to me all at once like a tidal wave. It was overwhelming, every part of my life flashed in my eyes.
Without knowing, tears were falling down my cheeks yet I smiled nontheless.
"So that's how it is huh?" I asked myself as more tears fell over my cheeks to the floor I was standing on.
There she was, her weak fragile thin body sleeping lifelessly on the bed. Her eyes sunken her cheeks pale and sunken too. Her bones as if they were hanging on her skin. A blanket over her little body. She...
No..... I
I was finally resting.
"I'm sorry" the guy said and I knew he meant it from his apologetic tone. Yet I didn't gave him any reply. I was on my knees, my palms on my face tears coming out uncontrollably. My heart was breaking into pieces. My mind going over all the things that had happen. I could feel the aching inside my chest like my only heart was trying to come out forcefully and I knew it was just a feeling because the moment I put my hand on it I felt no beating at all.
I turned towards her as I tried my best to hold myself back from anymore tears. A smile from my heart came to lips. I'm reminded of what someone told me a while back.
'You are such a sentimental girl you know that?' I chuckled to myself realising how right she was when she told me that.
"I gave it my all right" I asked to whoever was listening.
A hand came on my shoulder.
"Yes, like I said earlier, you did" his words were enough for me. Enough to assure me, to confirm and throw away every little doubts I had. I tried taking a deep breath in even though I felt like it amount to nothing at all since I felt no air coming to my mouth. How strange indeed.
I stood up slowly as I wept my tears away and turned towards this mysterious individual.
"So... Who are you?" He nodded as he took a step away from me, putting one hand to his chest he bowed graciously.
"I am here to take you to the beyond as it was your time" he said
"I am the traveller" he smiled again. "Now will you follow me outside, it is time."
I nodded and smiled back at him. Maybe I haven't gotten the full idea yet I tried using common sense from what was happening to me. If this guy was here under these circumstances then perhaps..
"Before that can i ask you something?"
"Of course" he replied.
"Where am I?" The question took him by surprise. He look at me with wide eyes and it obvious he was suddenly... Nervous?? Huh?
"I didn't tell you?"
"Uh no"
"Really?" A vein popped on my head. I am in a weird place, with weird circumstances in front of a weird guy.
"Look, I can tell we're at the hospital. But it feels odd" I said as I pointed towards a wall clock.
"That clock has stopped moving and so has everything in this place. There is no one around here except for myself in that room and you. It feels weird." I looked around the place.
"It feels like I'm somewhere else other than where I was before and everything feels, lifeless"
"You are right" he replied
"This is my domain 'the link bridge'"
"The link bridge?" I asked?
"Yes" he started scratching his head and looking down. "I guess I should've told you that first huh"
I looked at him suspiciously with narrowed eyes as I folded my arms. 'Damn right you should' I thought.
"Well, I guess we cleared that, let's go now" he said as he turned away and started walking. I pouted because I wanted to ask more about this this 'link bridge'he mentioned. About how why everything seemed lifeless and about the other me in that room but I admitted defeat in the end so i sighed and followed him.
"..."
After a minute or two of walking we found ourself outside infront of the hospital. There was a parking lot nearby and trees at the end f it. Cars were lined up neatly as one would expect from a parking lot huh.
I stared up at the sky and notuced something.
There wasn't any clouds or birds or any signs of life.
Even the sky itself though was clear, didn't had the same blue color that I'm used to. In a sense it looked monochromatic, in fact everything else did. There was no sign of life, neither was there any sound. Everything was really lifeless
He stared at the sky for while and then took in a deep breath and looked to me.
"You ready?" He asked
"Um, ready for what?" I questioned back at him.
"This" he said as he lifted his fingers and flicked them.
....
....
We stood there, minutes passed as we stared at each other. After a while his expression changed. His face made a weird frown as he slowly looked towards his fingers.
"Um was something suppose to happen?" I looked at him with a confused face.
"What!" He shouted suddenly. I covered my ears and looked at him with a confused expression too.
"No no no!" He said as he flicked his fingers again and again. Then he turned towards me and his eyes went towards my chest.
Realising that, my face was feeling hot again even though I was probably imagining the hot feeling cause I couldn't feel anything. I lifted my arms and covered my chest
"Wh-what are you looking at you pervert!"
His face turned towards a panic expression and he started waving his hands while shaking his head.
"N-no you have the wrong idea!" He said trying to defend himself. He then looked away. "This is the strangest thing" he stared intently at his fingers and after a moment of silence he flicked them once again.
......
Still nothing
"Are you messing with me?" I tried to smile threateningly at him. His face and composure returned back to a state of panic. He put both of his hands on his head and was muttering about something like 'no this wasnt suppose to happen'
I realeased a sigh and started walking towards him. I placed my hand on his shoulder and looked at him.
"If something was going to happen after you did that then it sure isn't happening is it? So maybe your doing it wrong? Or?"
"No that's not it" he tried to smile like he was reassuring himself. "I don't get it either but" he turned towards me "I guess I have no choice" he lifted his hand towards his side and his palm facing towards the parking lot. Right then, a burst of light came and a gust of wind followed. Then light was starting to concentrate in one place in the direction of his hands and all the wind was getting suck into it.
My mind went into panic mode at what was unfolding infront of me. "Wh-what is this? What's happening?" I shouted.
He chuckled and smiled softly "even this is behaving weirdly"
In that moment he lifted me up bridal style which let me tell you seriously, seriously caught me off guard.
"Wh-wha-what!! Are you do-doing!?" My heart was beating all over the place, my face blushing furiously and my mind trying to figure out at what the heck was going on here.
"Hold on" he said softly. That voice, those eyes they had calm me that again. Even in his arms, I deciding to take on his words and held on to hugs shoulders and from some god only known reason I decided to trust this stranger.
I closed my eyes as he took a leap towards the light. In that short moment, while being airborne I opened my eyes and looked at hospital. A heartfelt smile came over me.
'So long' I whispered.