They Lied About The Tunnel

prologue

In Nonaka's occupation gossip was peak entertainment, everyone played rounds of he-said-she-said everyday. The stories about supernatural happenings were especially favorites.

She'd heard one about a tunnel once.

Someone had an aunt whose cousin was in a car accident some time ago, and the cousin claimed to see the light at the end of a tunnel, and it was so captivating he couldn't help but walk towards it. Allegedly, he'd almost reached the tunnel's end when the defibrillator woke him up.

That tale was all well and good; she couldn't disprove it so there was no use fixating over it. Until now, she hadn't even remembered that story.

Around two in the morning her ex-boyfriend had broken into her apartment with a gun. He argued over rights to her latest project, requested most of the money in her account, and wanted her to not press charges when he left. Nonaka had wanted to beat him to death but she knew better than that, she had no choice but to agree.

She planned to placate the drunken fool, have him let down his guard, knock him out when given the chance, and run for it. Who in their right mind would actually agree to this mad man's requests?

Well perhaps, through his drunken haze, he'd realised this, because he shot her seven times before she could make a move. Twice in the torso, twice in the thighs, and three times in one arm, yet Nonaka was still alive.

Somehow, she didn't know how, her brain could still function, but the experience was so surreal she thought herself mad!

Hearing, sight, and the ability to perceive time had all left her and she could only feel cold, like blood was still pouring from her wounds.

It was quiet, voidless and lonely, and she hadn't known how long she'd have to spend like that. There were many times when she pondered her own humanity- she should be dead but she wasn't.

Just when she thought she'd spent the rest of her life stuck like this, somehing finally happened.

She saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

It was orange, bright, beautiful and captivating and she walked towards it with reckless abandon. It was the only thing there and she had no intention to stay in a soundless void.

But then she stopped.

How many lights were there supposed to be, because she just counted seven!

There was orange, blue, green, red, pink, yellow, black.

She didn't expect the after life to have multiple choice questions. Was it teasing her? Did it know she was too indecisive for her own good, could never make an important decision without someone else's opinion?

In her confusion the seven lights flared. She flinched back as they swarmed and pulsed- it was almost like they were fighting, they squished and squashed and stretched and moved in a strange way light just shouldn't.

An inexplicable feeling of anticipation grabbed her and rooted her in place.

In one final pulse the seven lights swallowed her whole.