Secret Ssundee

Chapter 21

Ian's POV

Finally truly happy, resting in my bed. Soon, footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. Once they passed, another pattern sounded. Two people by the sound of it. Their voices were difficult to hear, but I could understand the basics of it. The tones belonged to Quentin and Seto. Once it was loud enough to interpret, I listened closely.

"I'm gonna go to my bed now. C'ya tomorrow!" Spoke Seto with an accent of happiness and fatigue.

"G'night dude, and thanks for reviving me and all." Quentin's speech was strained, probably from his yelling and the fact he was dead.

"It was my pleasure, zombie-kips." The sorcerer laughed as he began down the stairs, audibility fading with distance. His friend laughed along side, but with a bit of an edge to it.

Soon footsteps echoed in the hall, gradually increasing in volume as he approached my door, then started to get quiet. I had an idea.

"Hey, Quentin! C'mere!" I half shouted, trying not to wake anyone. The footsteps stopped suddenly, the floor creaked, and my door opened as Quentin's head peaked through.

"Yah? What's up?" He asked, walking in and mostly closing the door behind him.

"I just wanted to say sorry." I mumbled, suddenly tired. The guilt of killing my friend had been haunting me for a while.

"Hey dude, I'm alive now. You're forgiven." The fellow tired man laughed as he sat on the foot of my bed. His response was unimaginably relieving.

"I just had to apologise, and I needed to tell you that Derp is now gone for good." I breathed. He sighed in relief and collapsed onto my bed, smiling. We just laid there for a while, until a question popped into my head. I thought about asking it, as it may be a touchy subject, but the curiosity was unbearable.

"What's it like?" I asked.

"Hmm?" The mudkip rolled over to face me. "What?"

"Being dead. What's it like?"

Quentin drew a long breath before responding. "It's really weird now that I think of it." He laughed. "It's almost as you're suspended above... everything, yet nothing. I watched you guys from above, but at the same time I was staring into the darkness I stood on, and the light keeping my mind afloat. The pain of my death was constatly with me, but I couldn't feel a thing. Mostly a lot of mixed signals to my brain, if I even had one. Every time I looked at myself, I was transparent. I would be slowly fading for hours, until the opacity would begin to return. After what seemed like years of watching the world, my arms were practically solid. I swear I could feel a cold metal surface on my back, slowly warming up. It became harder and harder to move, then eventually I couldn't move, not at all. Then... I woke up. You know what happens after that."

I couldn't respond, it was too much to take in. After a while, my voice was found. "... wow..." was all I found my mouth being able to form.

"Yah, it's pretty weird isn't it." Quentin sighed. "It was the most terrifying yet beautiful experience of my life, well, death I suppose."

My mind began to wander. "Does gold insulate well, or are we going to freeze in the winter."

"Hmmm. Good point. Gimme a sec." He closed his eyes, popped them open a moment later. "Yah, you just need to wrap it in something!"

"How'd you know that?" I asked, sort of freaked out that my friends IQ is suddenly higher than an ape's.

"Being dead and watching the world, mixed with magic, answers a lot of questions." He spoke with pride shining in his speech.

"So, you're like an all knowing magician man now?" I giggled.

"Pretty much, yep." His laugh made me laugh even harder, causing an infinite chain of laughter, gradually getting louder and louder until...

"Shut up!" Yelled Seto, suddenly appearing in my room wearing glimmering violet pajamas, and in his arms were a little stuffed ender dragon, with emerald green eyes that almost looked real. "I could hear you from the basement!" We stopped laughing the best we could, but Seto wanted to make a point. "If your awake, tap the wall twice." He spoke softly, but our open door made his message echo throughout the house. Almost immediately, a chorus of knocks sounded throughout the residence. I counted 10, plus 2 late. Soon a "You made me question the meaning of life at 2:15 am! Not cool!" came from what sounded like either Jason's or Sub's room, but figured it was probably Jason. "Plus, it BUTTER!" came distinctly from Adam's room.

"Sorry homies, we'll be quiet now." I apologized, feeling honestly guilty. With a nod, Seto disappeared back down to his room, leaving no more that a bit of smoke, slowly fading into the night, and silence.

"Well, I'll be going now. Good night." Quentin whispered, slowly walking backwards out of my room.

"Okay, g'night homie." I mumbled, rolling in my bed to face my back to him. The door closed quietly. My bed was soooo warm. I could feel myself falling to sleep, fading...