The Flares

Heavenly View

Have you ever seen your life flash before your eyes in the final moments before you thought you were going to die? Seeing all the beautiful memories that were once lost in the back of your mind, so that you knew you lived a fulfilling life and you can eagerly welcome death? I had none of that. Absolute fucking squat. All I could see as I laid on the ground, slowly bleeding to death, was a distorted grey figure rushing towards me, ready to tear me apart like a tightly wrapped Christmas gift.

As the adrenalin kicked in and my heartbeat hammered in my chest, I knew my only option was to lay completely still. These creatures didn't want to eat me --- just kill me. So if it believed I was already dead, it might just leave me alone. I could hear its growl as it tore across the ground, making a series of clicks and groans as it slowed its approach once I came into view, seemingly lifeless before it. They had no eyes, and could only sense by hearing and smell, so the sight of my chest thumping as fear seat in wouldn't give me away.

It let out a slow and steady growl, lingering right above my body as I did my best to hold my breath, staring up at the empty black sockets where the creatures eyes had once been. A trail of black saliva hung from its mouth and dropped to my neck. As disgusted as I was, projectile vomiting would definitely be loud enough for it to realise that I was awake and alive, and turn on me.

I was petrified, lying helpless beneath this creature as it leaned closer to breathe in my scent. My throat hurt from the constant struggle of having to hold my breath, and it was like a wave of relief when the creature let out a series of clicks and groans before shuffling away from me. I'd like to had kicked the dirt it came from and cheer about the fact that I was still alive, but I could barely move from where I was as I heard its footsteps drag away.

I thought I was in the clear, but something was rising in my body. Something that threatened to give away my position, and it burned in my throat until I couldn't hold it back any longer. The blood was rising, and I began to choke as my body reacted to it, spitting it onto the ground beside me, coughing violently as I gasped for air. The creature screamed out and lunged at me, and I had to try and pry it away but my arms were failing and there was nothing I could do. It dragged me forward by my feet until I was directly beneath it and growled right over my face as I recoiled in terror.

In the course of a second, I saw the creature's head snap to the side as an arrow was shot right through it. A few droplets of blackened blood sputtered out and onto my shirt before the creature dropped limp onto me, and I scurried away from it and kicked it aside. Someone was cheering behind me. Actual cheering, like a spectator at their favourite sports event. I turned around as fast as my bruised body would allow and saw my saviour walking towards me, attaching his bow to a loop in his belt.

It was like a beacon calling forward. An actual living, breathing human who saved my life, and I almost smiled. Almost. It wasn't until I saw his hand tense into a fist and pull back that I began to question his intentions but, before I could react, his fist connected with my face and everything went dark.

•••••

What I saw before me was beautiful. Shimmering, luminous windows tinted the inside of a church that stood tall and grand all around me, dressed beautifully with purple drapes running down the various pillars on either end of the aisle. I wasn't religious, but church had always seemed like a wonderful place. Complete strangers coming together to spend a little time together, happy whilst worshipping a common entity.

If I was dead, then I encouraged this wholeheartedly. I could be surrounded this for the rest of my existence.

But I wasn't dead. I am an atheist, and I don't believe in heaven or hell. So if such places existed, and I was dead, I expected more fire and brimstone and less serenity. I didn't belong here. My eyes were adjusting to the light in the church and I looked to find my attacker standing at the altar, wiping blood from a Katana.

"Sorry I had to knock you out," he muttered, trailing the cloth to the sharpest edge of the sword. "Can't be too trusting with strangers."

I rose from the pew, sitting up to find the majority of my body wrapped up. The pain in my leg arrived all at once and I winced as I lifted it back up, but it was nothing compared to how it felt before.

"You were pretty fucked up. You're lucky I found you when I did." He placed the sword back into its scabbard and rose to his feet to step towards me. I would have jolted back in fear and cursed at him for punching me in the first place, but he would have killed me if that was his intention, and he certainly wouldn't have gone through the trouble of bandaging my wounds, so the only question I had left to ask him was, "Why would you help me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" He responded. "Don't be so quick to quick to lose your faith in humanity, for if we are to turn a blind eye to our fellow man then we too would become monsters." He began to laugh at the perplexed look I gave him, and I found myself almost laughing in turn.

"I'm just fucking with you," he said. "Honestly, you looked like shit out there. I'd have felt a little bad just watching that thing maul you. I saw everything..." And all at once, all the day's events came flooding back to me, leaving me groggy as I tried to collect my thoughts. Stephanie and Gwen, both gone, and there was nothing I could do to help them. "I'm sorry about your friends," he said, without a hint of sympathy, but he knew it was the right thing to say. The common thing to say. It was mandatory to give his deepest apologies even if he had no idea what the situation was about.

"Don't be," I responded. "I'm not leaving them out there." Putting pressure on my leg required a tremendous amount of self control and strength --- none of which I had, and when I tried to raise myself from the pew I fell right back to my seat, but I tried again because there was no way that I wouldn't try at all.

"Don't be stupid. You're not even going to make it to the door in your condition. Just sit down and let your leg heal. Your friends are gone. You'd never be able to find them." His words cut into me like a sharp blade, yet his face held no remorse. The truth was bitter, and he seemed to enjoy sharing the taste, but I wouldn't accept it, and tried again to stand from the pew and held onto it to keep myself supported.

"I'm not letting them fucking die out there. Not like this. We're all gonna die anyways, right?" He stood completely silent as his dark eyes studied me through my not-so-motivational speech. "The only thing I have left is my humanity. I'm going to find them even if it kills me."

The corner of his lip twitched and very slowly contorted into some sort of smile. It was very hard to tell what emotion he was displaying, but it soon became apparent that he believed I was delusional when he said, "You're out of your fucking mind."