Life and other Disasters

Hours, minutes, seconds, Ava had no clue for how long they had been driving through the mist and night. Ava hugged David’s body tightly, hoping the ride would never end.

But of course, the end came, and of course, it came way too soon. The sun peeked above the horizon and the early morning light was burning the mist away. David pulled over the motorcycle when the last tendrils of mist disappeared. Ava opened her eyes, wondering where they had ended up this time. In front of them was a building, casting a long shadow.

“Where are we?” she asked, but she knew already the answer. She recognized the building in front of her immediately. It seemed as if it was only yesterday when she passed through its hallways, stepped through the sliding doors. It was the hospital.

“Why are we here?”

David didn’t hesitate with the obvious answer. “It is time for you to go back,” he said.

“And for you too,” she said, nudging him on.

But David shook his head. He smiled sadly as if he was sorry for something.

“If you’re not going back, I’m not going either,” Ava said. Why did they go through all that trouble when they both couldn’t go back? But there was something in David’s attitude that made her realize her threat was in vain.

There was this feeling inside of her that made her want to rush into the building. She could barely contain herself. The hospital was pulling at her, as it had been doing the whole time she was here. The feeling had grown used to her, it had been there all the time, but now it was so strong, she could barely resist.

“Don’t be such a party-pooper,” she said. “Of course you’re going back. You look way better than you did before. I know you are going to be fine.”

“Gee, thanks for the compliment, miss sunshine,” David said, “You make it all sound very tempting, but you see, there’s a problem.” He looked wearily at the glass doors of the building. “I can’t go back.”

“Are you... ” Ava was quiet for a second, trying to comprehend what he was saying, trying to find the right words.

“Are you dead?” Her hand went to her mouth, too late to stop herself. It felt as if her heart had dropped a hundred miles.

This wasn’t how she had planned it. In fact, she liked David. Maybe she was even falling in love with him, although these feelings were so fresh. She hoped to spend a little bit more time with him, to find out what she was feeling for him.

“I think you can call it that way.” David crushed her small spark of hope as he parked the motorcycle. “And for you, it’s time to go back to the land of the living.” He took her hand and walked her to the building.

“I don’t want to go,” she said in a small voice. “Can’t I stay a little longer?”

As an answer, he brushed with his finger under her nose, showing her a red droplet of blood.

“I think you have overstayed your time already.”

Ava wanted to reason against him, hoping to find a way, but she knew he was right.

Slowly they walked to the still empty building. The building was filled with the voices of the living now and then, shadows moved as if there were people all around her. This time Ava knew exactly where she had to go. It was as if something, someone was calling her.

One of the shadows followed them and when she looked back, she saw the pale appearance of Es. On her shoulder, Eggy sat as if he had always been there.

She wanted to wave at the woman, thank her for saving her, but the look in Es’s pale eyes was holding her back.

David didn’t feel the urge to be silent. “I keep my part of the deal. I’m almost done and then I’ll go with you. Please, let me do this.”

Es nodded slowly.

“What kind of deal?” Ava asked.

For a moment she thought he hadn’t heard her, as he stayed silent.

“I can’t tell you,” he said finally, “or Es will take me right away.”

It was a strange answer, but Ava was relieved. At least David wouldn’t be alone when she was gone, Es and Eggy would be with him.

David put an arm around her shoulders and supported her on their way through the hospital. She was glad for it. Her body felt weaker and weaker, and she had problems walking in a straight line. They moved through the mazelike hallways until they reached a door glowing with light.

“Here it is. Behind this door is my body,” she said to David.

“I know,” he said.

She waited for several seconds to open the door. After this, it would be all over. And that was the last thing she wanted right now. She wanted to find out what she really felt for David and what his deal with Es was.

She looked around, still trying to find an exit, but David had already opened the door.

“You can’t stay too long here, or else you will be caught here forever.”

Was that a bad thing? Ava wasn’t sure anymore.

“This world already has you in its grip, Ava” David took her hand and pulled her into the room.

Her body was lying on the bed, connected to several monitors that whirred, whizzed, and beeped. A tube was hanging out of her mouth and her eyes were closed.

“I don’t...” want to go back. She never said the second part of the sentence.

“Of course you do,” David said. He didn’t have to know what she was going to say. “Everyone wants to live. Why else would we make such a big deal of death? It’s because we know what is on the line, we know what we will lose.”

Ava looked at herself, at her broken body, lying in the bed. Would she ever be okay? It looked as if she was close to death. Her face was so pale, a machine was helping her breathe. The worst things were the pieces of tape keeping the tubes in place. She looked like a lifeless doll. Everything was covered in this weird light that they always showed in mystical paintings. It was as if her body was illuminating the room.

“Get on with it” David laid her hand on the chest of her body.

Something was happening. Her surroundings became brighter, blurring David out of her vision. He was disappearing, dissolving.

“Wait!” she said, “I’m not ready.”

“You know you are, but you are human and you don’t like change.” David’s voice became distant. “Just remember that you will always have my heart.”

“I love you too,” she wanted to say, but only a gurgle was heard. She was back in her body, and the tube in her throat made it impossible to speak.

Ava tried to sit up, but something was holding her back.

“Try not to move,” an unknown voice said to her. “The wound still has to heal, the stitches are fresh.

Her mind was clouded as if she was heavily sedated.

“David,” she tried to say, but then she remembered the tube was still in the way and she tried to pull it out. “David, David, David,” she gurgled. Pulling out the tube hurt like hell, and she gagged several times.

The owner of the unknown voice pushed her back on the bed, saying things she didn’t understand. Words like recovery and damage and surgery and rest and healing. What did this person know? Ava knew she had to go back, back to David. She had to tell him something and it was important that he knew.

Then there was the warmth, it started in her arm, where an IV went straight into her vein. And she calmed down because the warmth of the sedative took over her body and she fell into a dreamless sleep.