Darkened Clouds ~a lams AU~ [discontinued]

the Recently Deceased

John pov~

I sighed and rubbed my eyes, not in the mood to talk to the Schuylers on my way home. They took the same path home as I did (except I had to keep going after they got home), which meant that I almost always talked to them for the time we shared. But I really didn't feel like it today. There was no particular reason, I just didn't feel up for it. I unlocked my bike and got on, turning on music and pedalling away down the street. That's when I remembered that there was a path through the forest that would take me home too. The Schuylers didn't know about it and it wasn't that much longer, so it's pretty much a complete win. I steered my bike off the road and over to the smaller path that led over to the forest. Once I got under the shade of the trees, I got off my bike and walked it beside me, making my way through the tall trees. The only road I had to bike along was once I got out of the woods, and it was fairly small and a short distance.

Why don't I take this path more often? I wondered, listening to the birds.

I walked through the trees and came out on the other side, looking at the small road as I got on my bike and started pedalling along the cement, sticking to the edge so as to not get run over. I saw my house in the distance and pedalled towards it, picking up the pace a little.

A few cars drove past me but I was at the side of the road, so that was all they did; drive past me. I'd almost gotten to my house when I heard another car behind me. I ignored it and focused on biking home.

But then I felt a very sharp, very painful, very all over, pain. I yelped and fell off my bike, darkness suddenly taking over my vision. I faintly heard a scream, then I felt like I was being moved, but I also felt very disconnected.

In pain and disconnected.

I felt movement again, and fought to keep air pumping through my lungs, too hurt and weak to move any of my body parts.

In pain, disconnected and weak.

I'm going to start collecting the emotions.

I heard distant voices again, but couldn't focus on any of them, too concentrated on not stopping breathing. Stopping breathing would not be beneficial right now. Or ever. Breathing is a necessity for the human animal, and most other animals too.

That's when it actually dawned on the small part of my brain that wasn't focused on breathing.

I'm dying.

For some reason, I wasn't too worried. I just let my body stop... bodying. I convinced my brain it was ok to let my lungs do their own thing, which meant that my lungs slowly stopped lunging properly and started inhaling tiny amounts of air one by one, trying to lung even though I'd more or less given up on them. Air shots. I would have laughed at the concept of air shots had it not been for the reason I was taking air shots.

I'm dying. I reminded myself.

That's ok. I replied to myself. I'm going to regret this later, but I'm going to let myself die. Haha screw you, Future John.

My lungs stopped taking air shots. Because they stopped breathing all together. I felt my heart work seven times as hard, being pretty much the only organ who was still trying to keep me alive. Then it threw it all to the wind too and stopped. I heard a long beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep, which I assumed was me flatlining, because less than a split second later I was undeniably, 100%, completely, totally dead.

I stood up. Wait... I stood up. I'm dead though.

I looked around and saw that I was in what looked like a mix between an office, a waiting room and a pine forest. You know that book, 'Where The Wild Things Are'? It was kinda like that. Clearly a room, there was a desk and walls, chairs and one or two decorations, but otherwise the room was a forest. There were pine trees sprouting from the ground and a scarce amount of shrubs growing around the room.  I was standing on a floor littered with needles. I looked at the desk again. There was a guy sitting behind it, leaned over a folder, he had a dark green hoodie on under a long black cloak that looked like it probably wasn't supposed to have ink stains  on the sleeves. Or anywhere for that matter.

I focused on the actual person and not his clothes. He had curly red hair that was tied up in a ponytail and even though I couldn't see very well, it seemed like he had blue eyes..? He was pale, and one of his hands was bandaged. I noticed that there was a gold scythe with a black handle carelessly placed on the desk and a stack of papers beside him.

I cleared my throat slightly to make my presence known and the guy startled, looking up suddenly. His eyes met mine and I noticed that they weren't blue but a beautiful deep shade of bluish violet. His eyes widened then narrowed slightly as he grabbed the scythe in his hand.

"You're early." He muttered, looking at the folder he'd been studying.

"I... am?" I raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware that I had an appointment. Is there a waiting room?"

He chuckled. "Oh I like you. No screaming."

"Thanks?"

"Come sit down, will you?" He beckoned, pointing at the chairs. "Is there a setting you'd prefer? I like the forest but you can choose any natural setting. It has to be on Earth though."

He snapped his fingers and the trees were replaced by colorful flowers and tall grass. I gaped at it and picked a pretty pink flower from the field that now surrounded the room. I'm pretty sure he noticed my impressed face, because he snapped his fingers again and replaced the field with a pumpkin patch, autumn trees surrounding it and coating the ground with red and gold leaves.

"Ooooh I like this one." I smiled, sitting down in the chair.

"Ok, now let's discuss the serious matters." He sat down behind the desk again, resting his head on his wrists, scythe dangling loosely from his non-bandaged hand. "You're John Laurens, right?"