The sound of barking....Ah, Is this what happens when you die? You hear barking? How lame, I thought I'd be greeted by god or something and he'd tell me how i've stolen all those sweets over the years. The barking gets louder, and louder and louder. Eventually I open my eyes. Huh. Heaven looks a lot like earth, I rub at my eyes briefly slowly lifting myself up to be in a sitting position only to look around. It's the dead of night.
"What the fuckkkk?" I stare at my hands closing them and opening them. Holy shit I'm not dead? I'm Alive? I'm ALIVE. I stare at the alleyways opening, the dog barking at me seems to hurry off as its owner chases after them, taking a brief glance at me before continuing to run after the dog. Okay, I need a moment to quickly asses the situation this is not fucking real.
For starters I died, there's no way I didn't right? I sure as hell felt the knife split right through my neck and the fleeting moments of my life before nothing. But this wouldn't explain how I'm here now, was I dreaming? Rubbing at the back of my head I sure as hell felt like I had a massive migraine and all of a sudden I guess I passed out. But in an Alley? I quickly pull out my phone from my pocket shuffling around as I check the date. It's still the same day, I check my texts.
"This bitch still left me on delivered?" I'm referring to my mother, cussing her under my breath. I remember very clearly sending this good morning message today. I sigh getting myself up from where I was sitting, okay. So assuming this was a dream, Who's blood is this? I stare down at my feet there's a large very large dried puddle of blood under me. Due note there's also a large amount of blood on my shirt as well. Okay, so yeah I DEFENITLY died. I 100% got stabbed here, I grab at my neck yet there's no wound. It's almost like I was completely unscathed. Maybe I did kill him? Nah, I couldn't have he was to quick. His movements almost looked superhuman.
I decided to go home before anything, opening the doors to my small apartment I'm greeted by the silence and the lovely smell of unwashed dishes. Yeah, if this was heaven this is a REAL shitty heaven. I drop down on my couch taking off my sweater and throwing it on the opposite end of the couch my shirt is dirty with blood. I head to my washroom flicking on the lights as I look at myself in the mirror, being able to finally properly see the blood on my shirt, I could feel my stomach knot. It's odd, you'd think watching horror movies you'd be immune to these situations but staring it down. Looking at the mess on my shirt I am disgusted, I feel like I'm going to throw up my head turns but I power through. I slap my chest briefly swallowing back any puke right back down my throat as I take of my shirt. I guess I'm going to the laundromat later tomorrow.
I find my way to my bed eventually, exhausted after today. I changed quickly into a tank top and some shorts beforehand and laid in my bed. I look up at my ceiling before my eyes dart across my room. Unlike the other parts of my barren house, my room is brimmed with collectibles and superhero posters. Eventually, my eyes stay fixated on the one right beside my bed. Deadman, he's a peculiar superhero. Unlike the rest of the hero's he's the one I hate the most. He's self centered, idiotic, and he feels to human. It's weird, you'd think I'd relate more to him then, someone who's just like you? Someone who struggles, who can't help but be weak in the toughest of problems? I hate him cause he reminds me to much of myself. It feels like his story was made specifically for me, and only me. Showing me how weak I am, the only catch with Deadman is well unlike the rest of the cool hero's his ability is really lame. He can't die. I thought about it briefly, looking at Deadmans poster a bit closer. The costume he's wearing, the street thug's shadow looming over him, the pose the way it's all positioned and placed. This....doesn't feel right.
I could not sleep that night, I spent the entire time looking through my Deadman comic collection. Something drew me to it, it was inexplainable but the feeling that something was wrong just loomed over me. The way Deadman discovered his powers was through accidently being caught in the middle of a serial killer on the bus who was going on a rampage killing everyone, however he was the only survivor waking up not knowing how he lived that. The situation felt almost akin to mine, I felt like I was connected to Deadman in some way, like Deadman was me. I was Deadman. Although I doubt it, maybe I was just hallucinating that day and ended up with someone's blood on me. It'd make no sense but it's the only way I CAN make sense of this.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
That was until today at the park. I usually go there when I don't work, it's really calming and somewhere I can be away from everyone, or so I thought because it was only then while I was sitting on a bench. I saw the girl the same girl I tried to protect before taking a light walk seeming almost scarred at what had happened. I take a moment to glance at her, before she glances at me her face going pale like she's seeing a ghost.
"Oh my god- oh my god- OH MY GOD, I'M BEING HAUNTED BY MY SINS!" She screeches putting her hands over her mouth, she seems like she's about to burst into tears. I'm bewildered. What the fuck is going on? So it WASN'T a hallucination? I really did get stabbed there?
"Hey--HEY Calm down," I reply quick to her trying to gesture to her to maybe take it a bit easy, we're still in public I don't want people getting the wrong idea. "Oh this is it! God has come down on me! He's brought you here for revenge hasn't he? Please! I didn't know you'd get stabbed just don't-" I stop her. "I'm not a damn ghost! I'm not even close to being dead. See? I'm alive and well,"
"B-but you where sliced right through the throat, and then right through the chest- I literally SAW you bleed out!" She hyperventilates, okay. This means I actually died, she did see me die. I saw her, that scenario did happen. So then how the actual FUCK am I alive now? How come there's no wound on my chest? I try to catch my thoughts together but it's all to much for me. I grab my head rubbing my scalp trying to make sense of this. It was only until I hear a scream in the distance.
"Ah shit- Look I would REALLY like answers to what happened, but hold on-" I look over past the girl's shoulder there's something weird going on. From what I can see there's some dude being held at knifepoint. What the hell is with this unluckiness? This is the second time I'm somehow in the vicinity of something bad happening. I look back at the girl and then the man. I can let this slide, I'm not a hero. I never was someone to do the right thing in my long 24 years of life.
Everyday I lived knowing I was nothing more than some bum going to end up dying on the side of the road, or live a life alone. Not a soul to tell my tale, not a family to remember me. I would live and die by that. So why am I running forward? Why did I lunge to the guy getting held at knifepoint. I'm not sane am I? Is it for validation? Is it because I want to seem like someone? Is that why I did it the first time with this girl? Cause I wanted validation? Or was it cause I have nothing.
"What the fuck are you doing asshole?" I blurt out, clenching my fists together. The man turns, he's tall. REALLY tall, roughly 6 foot and he's a fatass as well. I grit my teeth breathing heavily through my nose. The dude pauses. Looking at me. "Oh what're you gonna do about it then pussy?" He replies, I look past the man, quickly incentivizing the other dude to run of which he did. "I just did something bitch your moneybag is running,"
He turns around, holding his knife up before looking up "Ah god damnit you mothafucka bro, now I really gotta kill you," This dudes accent is thick. "Why cause you can't run up to catch him? Fatass," And that seemed to have struck a word with him, cause he lunges at me head on. I sneer, spreading my arms wide. "Do it bitch," I did something, at least now I can die knowing I saved some random guy.
Thwick, thwick, thwick,- The sounds of being stabbed, I'm stabbed relentlessly it hurts, it really hurts cause this dude is horrible with a knife. The pain is immense it's sharp, the feeling of something piercing your flesh is not fun. Blood spews everywhere, across the parks pavement and grass. But something's off. Why is there steam? There's a pause by the man. He takes a step back holding his knife firmly, he looks shaken up. I should be dead right? Why does he look so scared?
"What the-" he cuts himself off, I look down at my body. The wounds- they're...Healing? It's like almost instant, there's a white steam searing from the wounds before they almost instantly close up. I breathe heavily.
Oh...I can't die can I?