Meldtale

Between the Veil

I was being moved and God have mercy... It was like I was engulfed in a never-ending sea of pain. Every nerve was on fire, every sense I had filled to the brim with agony I never could have imagined. I tried to scream, but I couldn't even open my mouth, so the only thing that come out was a whimper. How was I even still alive?

Or was this Hell? Payment for what I'd done?

"H-Hold on... Just hold on, o-okay? I'm going to fix you...I-I swear..." The voice was small, boyish, and shrill. But mostly surprising. I really didn't believe they consoled you in Hell, especially with words as gentle as those. They broke through the haze in my mind like a knife, cutting past the roaring in my ears and worming it's way into my thoughts. It brought with it a warmth I hadn't known before, something so soft that I wasn't even sure if it had existed until now.

The pain didn't vanish, but my eyes did open just slightly. A rocky ceiling faded in and out of focus, stalagmites and stalactites stabbing themselves into the sides of my vision ever so often. There was no breeze and the air, from what I could tell, was stale and warm. I was swinging, my body drifting carefully back and forth as I was moved, as though whoever held me was trying to keep me from moving around too much. I realized I couldn't feel anyone's arms around me, though. It was as if I were laying on something. But, how did anyone even find me? Who would've been at the bottom of a deep hole?

Something brushed against my face and I tried to jerk away, unable, and a yelp tore itself from my throat. Whatever it was instantly retracted. "S-Sorry!" That voice really didn't sound human. It even sounded like a child. I attempted to move my head, finding enough strength in my arms to push myself up a little, moving my eyes everywhere and anywhere to try and see who was carrying me. "Wait! Don't mo-!"

I nearly screamed as a sharp pang went through my spine and suddenly I couldn't breathe. I fell back into my original position, but this didn't help, the agony only increasing. It felt like something was digging a hole inside of me.

Hot tears rushed down my face and I coughed, a red liquid catching my eye as little drops were thrown into the air. Fear gripped my heart as I tasted something metallic. The little voice came back, "Oh... Oh no... Come on, come on... YES!" There was the sound of a door swinging open and banging against something, hard. The ceiling went from rock to... plaster?

I was sat down on something soft before I could really register what this meant. It felt like pillows, my body sinking into whatever it was. I would've thought it comfortable if I wasn't in this situation. A shadow moved above me, distracting me from my frantic heart beat and the rapidly growing, heavy feeling in my chest. The rest of my body was already numb. I couldn't move anything past my waist, and even the limbs above that refused to cooperate completely. I think my fingers twitched, but otherwise that was all.

"Where... Where is it?! Come... Damn... Not here..." The voice was fading in and out, but I thought I heard a shout and then something thrust itself into my face. Pale orange, silky, petals. Soft blue eyes and a small mouth, curled into a scared, grim frown. I recognized it immediately. I knew it was a sunflower, but... was it really?

An unexpected tingle made me jump and abruptly something started to glow light yellow, little sparks of light floating through the air like the dust you could see when looking in a beam of sunlight. Heaviness pulled at the back of my mind and my eyelids dropped. When they opened again, I could barely see at all.

The flower's face was the only thing I could make out. And it was the last thing I saw as I fell into the gloom that awaited me like an old friend, the pain floating away behind me as I departed.