The Writer Games | 4 - 5

Finals: Stone

Alone.

Whiteness surrounds me  and I am alone. I have spent much of my life alone, so I am not sure why  this should bother me so much. Ave. To have finally found that thing in  my life that was missing, only to have it torn away again. It is not  being with her, that makes the loneliness so unbearable.

"Ave!" I call out but my voice seems to go nowhere. There is no response.

Suddenly, I hear the  voice of the ghost in my head. "Congratulations, you have reached the  final stage. Only two may return. Good luck."

"Only two." I think. "If one is not Ave, I don't want to be the other."

Sight is coming back  now. The whiteness is fading I'm also aware of other things like the  fact that I'm standing. The car is gone.

"Stone!" I hear Ave call.

As senses come back, I  feel the warmth of a hand clutched tightly in mine. Turning, I am  overjoyed to see Ave smiling back at me.

"I thought I had lost you again." she cried, throwing her arms around me.

"Never!" I say hugging her back gently. "Not if I can help it, at least."

Reluctantly, we separate  and look around at our new environment. Everything has a blue tint with  an almost rippling effect to the lighting. It's like we're underwater  but there is air to breathe. Behind us is a rippling wall of water. I  can't believe what I'm seeing but there is a wall of water curving off  to either side and arcing high above us, like an immense dome.

"Where is this place?" I ask.

"I've never seen anything like it." Ave says. "It's like we're underwater...."

Turning to the wall, I  reach out my hand and touch the surface. My hand passes easily through. I  can feel the cool water on the other side but when I pull my hand back  in it is dry.

"You've gotta see this!" I call to Ave.

Peering through to the  other side, something yellow catches my eye. It is the smashed remains  of our car. Beside it, I see another car approaching in slow motion.  Squinting, I can just make out the driver. It is Sebastian and he looks  angry.

"It's Sebastian, Ave!" I say. "He's still in his car ..."

As I watch the front end  of Sebastian's car begins to crumple. As if it has struck some  invisible barrier, the car begins to fold up on itself. I watch in  horror as the anger on his face turns to a look of fear and pain. I turn  away quickly, but not before glimpsing the lump of bloody twisted metal  that he becomes.

"Why did we survive and  not him?" I ask, looking back at Ave,  glad that she did not come to  look when I called her. Why didn't she come?

"Ave?" I call realizing  she has not answered me for some time. "Are you all right?" I watch as  she begins to sway. I run to her as she falls and gently lower her down  to the ground.

"Ave!" I cry. "Snap out of it! Speak to me!"

She rolls to her side, drawing her knees to her chest trembling. "No! No! No!" she cries. "No Mary!"

"Who's Mary? I ask but she doesn't answer.

Before I can do anything  else I see movement in the corner of my eye. Grabbing a nearby rock, I  jump to my feet and find myself confronting several armed women. One is  pointing a strange box at me. Before I can react, there is a flash and  my body goes rigid. "I've failed you again, my love" I think, as I lose  consciousness.

...Darkness...

...Oblivion...

...

"Wake up!" a somehow familiar voice calls. "Wake up or you'll be late again."