Short+Story

“The Light”

I open my eyes and there are hundreds of people running. I don’t know why they are running but I begin to run alongside them anyway. I realize that this place is very unfamiliar. I slow to a stop so that I can look at my surroundings. As I do, many other people pass me by. I look up at the sky and see a gloomy overcast mixed with an unfathomable amount of smog. It’s very cold, at least, I think it is. The people’s breath around me is evident. The only thing more evident is the immensely tangible sense of panic all over. There is also a sick stench everywhere around me. It reeks of fear and- Behind me, there is a large explosion. The explosion is so immense, it is able to drown out the screams around me, if only for a moment. I turn to view the destruction and that’s exactly what I see. The buildings are all burning and crumbling to the ground. The falling rubble of concrete and flame rain down on the petrified people who, moments ago, were so unsuspecting. But that smell. It reminds me so much of- Blood. I anxiously peer down below me, and what I see is not very pretty. The cobblestone street underneath my seemingly battered feet is trickling with dark blood. At first, I think it may be my blood. I soon realize that it can’t be mine because fat behind me and far ahead of me, the streets are nearly completely covered. I start scrambling around like a fool. Looking for somebody, anybody that can tell me what is happening. There is a lone building that, for the moment, is unharmed by the chaos. I walk inside looking for answers. As the door swings open, there is a blinding white light and all my senses temporarily leave me. When my senses finally come back to me, I am laying in the middle of a large room. All around me are etiquette architectural designs and paintings of nature. The walls are all very high and caked with rich, maroon paint. In the closest wall to me, there is a fireplace that currently crackles and pops. The fire has all the intensity and passion of a wildfire but is still safely contained. I can see the heat yet I can feel no warmth. As I inch closer to the fire, a door behind me flies open. Three men dressed in eccentric suits strut into the room. All three walk with confidence and stand with poise. When they walked in, they were chuckling about something, but now all the laughter left the room as they turn and notice me. They turn to each other with a sort of timid look about them. The tallest of the bunch slowly creeps his way towards me. He stares at me for a long time. He stares me down as if I were from another world. Finally, he shifts his focus for a second, looks back and begins to address me. “My name is Frank,” he said. He hesitantly held out his hand for me to shake. I stare at it until he pulls his hand away. “These two gentlemen are Will and Joe.” The other two nodded their heads respectively. I opened up my mouth to speak but I was interrupted. “Now look. I have no idea who you are or how you got into my house. I want answers and I want them now. If I don’t get them, so help me- Tell me. Who are you?” “I- well- I don’t know.” I honestly could not remember who I was…or am. “You don’t know? Well, isn’t that unfortunate? You hear that guys?” He turns to the other two as he begins to mock me. “He doesn’t know who he is. Well maybe our mystery man can explain to us how he just happens to be standing in the middle of my lounge?” “I couldn’t tell you.” “You can’t tell me. Well, let me tell //you// something. I’d like to tell you what happens to strangers who wander into somebody else’s home, disrupt their evening, and then have the nerve to lie to their face about it. Those sort of people usually don’t live a long and fulfilling live. At least, not if they stroll through mi casa. But I’m feeling extremely generous today. Here’s what I’ll do for you. I’ll give you to the count of three to be out of my home. If you do that, I’ll allow you to live as a free man. Ready? One…” I believed every word that man spoke. He never had the chance to say two. I quickly spun around looking for the door. Once I saw it, I took off running. I push open the door and step outside. A blast of white light penetrates my eyes and I proceed to drop limp to the ground. My senses, unlike last time, return to me one by one. Once I have the sense of touch, I stand and reluctantly start to walk forward. I’m careful not to trip over debris or to slip on blood. Although, as I slowly inch forward, I can feel no blood below me and I haven’t tapped any rubble yet. Next to return to me is my sense of taste. I expected the bitter smog to clench my tongue but instead I am given the sensation of neutral air. I’m half tempted to lick the ground, but that won’t be necessary as I have just been given my sense of smell back. Instead of a flood of blood rushing in my nostrils, I smell freshly cut grass and freshly baked bread. Now I can hear again. I’m listening for explosions and cries of agony but all I hear is a calm and gentle breeze with an occasional bird chirp. Finally, my sight is restored. I look around for destruction and death but there is none to be found. What I see is a peaceful little town and an embracing environment. It looks like a warm day but I can’t be certain of that. The ground is green, the sky is blue and the buildings are all white, as opposed to bloody, smoggy, and burning, respectively. I’m confused beyond belief as to what is going on. I decide I’m going to ask the people around here if they have any idea of what is happening. I most certainly hope that the people I run into will be more inviting than those other three. I started to walk around the quiet town. The first thing I noticed was that there aren’t any cars driving around and there aren’t any other people to be seen. I go up to the windows of the buildings, but in every one of them, the inside is completely barren. Am I alone here? All I want is to find somebody who can help me. I’ve searched the entire town and discovered that I am indeed alone. I decide to walk away from the town and look for other communities. There is a path that winds downhill into a dark and daunting forest. I start to stroll down the path, but I lose my footing. Now I’m tumbling down to the eerie darkness. The only thing that can stop me is a large tree. I smack my head against the rough bark. The last thought to race through my mind before I seemingly slip out of consciousness is that I would give anything in the world for somebody to tell me what is happening to me and to help me through this. Then a white light capable of mocking the sun flashes my eyes and I go numb. I come to in a vast body of water. It is nearly nightfall and I’m being pelted with rain and hail. The wind must be frightfully strong because there are enormous waves that either lift me many feet above where I started or send giant amounts of water crashing over my head. I think it’s cold but there is no indication that it is other then the fact that I can see my breath. I look around for land to swim to or maybe even a ship that can save me. I should’ve expected that I would find nothing. I’m alone, at sea, right in the heart of a dangerous storm. I’m alone and I’m honestly not too heartbroken. I’m ready for anything at this point. I glance up at another wave that is forming itself and readying itself to strike. I notice that there is a fin in the water, a rather large one. It seems that, not only will a very large wave crash down, but it will also bring along some marine life. From what I can sense, it is quite hungry. It’s funny how I can see my death and I, contrary to what my normal reaction would be, am welcoming it with open arms. I stare down this ferocious wave with what must be a stupid grin on my face. Just before impact, the sky is illuminated with an incredible pulsing white light. I open my eyes and I’m in a small room, on an uncomfortable bed. Everything around me is white and appears to be clean. The room I’m in is very, very warm. I go to move a blanket off of me when some people walk through the door. There is a man in a white lab coat who frequently shifts his eyes from me, to his watch. Following him is a young woman who is carrying a clipboard. She occasionally will scribble something onto whatever paper she has. Behind her is a woman who looks vaguely familiar. She takes a look at me and begins to tear up. I suddenly start to convulse. To my left I hear a very faint, elongated beep. The man looks back to his watch, mumbles something to the young woman with the clipboard, and walks out of the room. The young woman writes something down, and then follows him through the door. The familiar woman begins to sob and throws herself onto the bed and weeps even harder. I try to put a hand on her shoulder but I can’t move. Just then, everything went to black. There is an immense blast of white light and all is well