The Last Flower on Earth

The Place Between Life and Death

Gasping for air I find myself in a place I've never seen before.

The ground was white and black checkered tiles with Mahogany filling which is the same colour as the fog limiting my view.

Fluorescent lights descend from above with a blinding glow, painful to look at. But they make the fog under them dissipate which is a massive help.

A rhythmic thumping echo's through the empty space, rhythmic like a heartbeat. Even sounds like one. I go to check my own pulse but I cant feel it.

Did I die?

"That is a reasonable conclusion, but for your information, you haven't fully died yet. Yes, the shock from the fall has in fact stopped your heart from palpitating."

"Who are you! How can you hear my thoughts." I shout into the abyss around me.

"My identity is about as important as a mere teensy fly. Then again you wouldn't know what those are, so let us just conclude that my name is irrelevant."

"Alright then, omnipotent female voice. Are you God or something? Like from that show, since you know everything, you know what I mean." I impatiently tap my foot, the voice keeps quiet.

The silence is only disrupted by that thumping sound.

"I know what you are talking about, but no, I am not God. I guide people to the afterlife." More lights descend and pierce the fog. "You are probably tired from standing around, let us talk. Just don't enter the fog."

I turn to look deeper in, I wonder what's in the fog.

"What did I just say Martivich, don't enter the fog." She said slowly and methodically.

Well, what's in there? I can't see anything moving, and it can't be the fog itself since I was surrounded by it when I first came here.

I take two steps into the fog before a guttural grown paralyzes me in fear. A fierce scream crackles through the air as a monstrous silhouette darts at me with inhuman speeds.

I jump back, but too late.

Collapsed on the tiled floor I hold my intestines in my hands, the crimson fluid shoots out of me and all over the ground. My eyes focus on the gore pouring out into my arms as footsteps approach from the side.

"Don't worry, you won't die. You can't die twice now can you." It is that same, mainly monotone voice from before. "I can't believe I have to deal with another wanderer, I thought you would have been special. Well, you are, but I'm not talking about that. I warned you after all."

She stands over me as the blood begins flowing backwards into my body, I'm fully conscious as my body seemingly repairs itself. "If you were actually dead that would not have happened, you still have some life left. That means you can go back."

I spring to my feet. "Care to explain any of what just happened, I demand a fucking answer! Where am I! What was that!" I point back into the fog. "And how the hell did I just heal from that!"

I focus on the woman before me, her crimson red eyes and deep red hair complement the dark blue robe she has that covers the rest of her body. "This is the place between life and death, I call it the Waiting Room, as this is where people wait before moving on. Beyond those large doors is the transferring room, that's where people go to move on, but it only opens for those who fate said may stay dead." More lights illuminate the large, gate-like doors. They have to be over ten feet tall.

"That," She points to the fog with her thumb, "Is called an Artire, pronounced R-T-er, or as normal people say. Hate Demons. They are lost souls who couldn't move on and got enveloped in their bottled-up emotions. If you come to the waiting room after being murdered, you'd want revenge, and since you cannot go back to the other side without permission you stay here and turn into one of those things."

I look back into the fog. "That... makes a lot of sense, and that hate is what drove it to attack me."

"I knew you were a smart one." She nods.

"How did I heal so fast."

"Time flows differently here, it changed depending on the demand. During a war it flows really slow because so many are dying, but since nobody is dying.-" I cut her off.

"It moves fast, really fast, which means everything goes fast."

"Not exactly," I frown. "Excess life energy is just floating around, yada yada, complex magic stuff, everything heals quicker which means if you lost your leg when you died you have it back here."

Yeah, that makes no sense. "Nobody is meant to understand it, you don't have to know how to bake bread in order to eat it. Any more questions?"

"Yeah, one more."

"Well, out with it. I may have all day but I don't want to spend it all waiting?"

"Who or what are you, if you aren't God?"

"I..." I may have hit a nerve. "I have a very, very long and complicated story. But I don't want to get into that, it is too soon. Just think of me as... another lonely person, I may have the powers of a god, but I assure you I am not one."

"Well, fellow lonely person. You said I'm not quite dead yet, how exactly will I get back?" She did say that, am I wrong?

She nods. "Before I send you back, actually, I'm going to withhold that information for now. Just note." She disappears. "We will meet again Martivich, just not yet. Your story is not over so soon." The Fluorescents glow bright, so bright my entire vision is rendered as white.