• Death in A Nutshell Chapter 2
    Echoes of Life

    It hit me with enough force to crush a rhinoceros. I couldn’t even make a sound, the pain was so intense. I had never felt anything like this before. My parent’s had always told that only one thing in the world could hurt this much; Perhaps, is this excruciating pain, that I wish would just end and let me go on with my life, what being in love feels like?
    “CROATH!” I heard Rin scream. Her voice was distorted and unnatural. Mentis stood next to her, his face in shock. He yelled something out. “Chroath, in the name of Gem please live!” His voice was just as strange as Rin’s. Even stranger. My mouth finally opened, and I was able to form a coherent sentence.
    “The pain!! IT BURNS!! SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP ME!” The world was spinning around me, and, apparently, I was flying through the air. I looked around, my vision cloudy and inaccurate. The car that had hit me was carrying a shipment of Gem, probably headed to North Temple. The driver yelled “Whoops! Sorry, kid.” And kept on going.
    I finally landed, after being in the air for what seemed like a millennia. Unfortunately, I landed in the center of the street. Another car dashed past, and I was under it when it did just that. “CHROATH!!! NO!!” Rin broke down in tears. “Don’t worry, Rin… I’ll be fine…” I muttered. Blood pooled around me. Clearly, I was not going to be fine. I fainted, my vision now black, my head in a storm. I didn’t know how the rest of by body fared, because I couldn’t feel them.
    “Come on, GO! Summon the Gem, NOW!!”
    “Sir, we can’t do that. This is the Psyche-Less boy.”
    “Do you think I care? GO AND GET THE GEM!”
    “Sir, we can’t!”
    “I SAID I DON’T CARE! I’LL MAKE THE TOOLS AND SAVE THE BOY MYSELF! GET THE GEM!!!”
    “ALRIGHT!”
    Flashing lights surrounded me, and a siren blared inside my head. Was I… Dead?
    “This boy is not dead yet!! Ah, finally! The Gem!”
    “Ah…GAH!!!! So many lacerations… I can’t handle this…”
    Of course you can!! You’re a doctor!!
    “Sir, don’t worry, we have Gem. We can try, at least.”
    At least?
    “Fine.”
    Stupid Gem.
    I could see just enough. The woman screaming, demanding gem, was the head of the Attero Heart hospital. Her name was Amanda Stiles, I think.
    Attero Heart was the ONLY hospital in South, and, luckily, was not far from where I lived. That must be where I am. Unfortunately, our funding was low, so we didn’t even have hospital beds. I realized I was laying on a wooden table.
    “Alright… Psyche-Share established… Now!” Amanda said, a shard of Gem in her hand. Four doctors burst out of the Gem, wearing purple clothing, clutching purple instruments. Purple, Purple… The color of Gem.
    “Go, Gem!! Save this child!”
    It already knows what you want it to do, you know.
    The illusory doctors attempted to heal me, but froze. Those fools had attempted a Psyche-Share with me.
    “NO!” Amanda yelled, her face wild.
    The Gem refused to help me, held still by my unnatural mind.
    No one could save me now, except Gem. A hysterical voice erupted from the corner of the room. “CROATH!! WHY WHY WHY WHY WHYYYY!!!!????” Ha… Rin always was the only one of us to overreact when something so small happened.
    “NOOO!!!”
    A startling flash of light erupted from in front of my eyes. Suddenly, all of my pain was gone. I sat up, a smile on my face. “See, guys? I’m fine!! I hopped of the uncomfortable table and went to hug Rin, to tell her I was here and alive. Before I even took one step towards her, she collapsed, sliding out of her chair. Mentis was slamming his head against the wall like a madman. I stared back at the doctors, those who had tried to save me, and their faces were blank, emotionless. “What’s wrong??” I said, confused. I felt something on my shoulder, and flipped back around. A metallic, cold face, resembling that of an aged skull, looked me in the eye. “Who… Who are you?” I mumbled, surprised.
    “Well, me? I’m your friend! I’m the one whose going to teach you alllll about Death, and being a Reaper! By the way, nice Death back there! I haven’t seen something that flashy since the first Reaper himself!”
    “WHAT?! “
    Whatever was happening to me, it was something that was inconceivably strange
    Well, then.
    “Strange” is a concept that I’m used to.