Perised

Chapter 4

We managed to survive the first trial. However, many from my group didn't. After Luna killed the masked man, the soldiers came into the room and led us through the metal corridors again. We entered a sort of common room with sofas, a kitchen, bedrooms with bunks and bathrooms. Even in hell we get the chance to have some sort of privacy. Me and Luna picked a room where we could stick together, they had provided us with new clothes in all the rooms and we were appointed medics who took care of our injuries. However, we were all in post-shock after what had happened, and everyone went to their rooms to gain some privacy and sleep.

I entered the bathroom to take a shower and get rid of all the gooey green blood on my body. I also cleaned my clothes in a bathtub, although. After that I collected my clothes and walked into the bedroom. Luna did the same thing as me, and before I knew it, we were in each of our bunks. Silence followed for a long while, in between the silence we could hear people whimpering, murmuring, and freaking out over the past events. After a while, Luna, who picked the top bunk, leaned her head over the side to face me 'So, you alright after everything that happened?' I answer, 'Of course I'm not ok, we've just been through a traumatic experience and you killed a person in cold blood' She looks at me, sadly 'I know, but I had no choice. It was the only way to survive the trial. It was either him or us.' I don't answer, I turn around and ignore her. Luna resides back into her bunk, distancing herself from me.

She had a point; however, murder is not my style. Still, was our only way to survive. A sudden thought makes me smile a little 'So, did you see any bunnies then?' I hear a small laugh from the top bunk 'I know it sounds kind of weird, but if you knew you'd understand.' 'What do you mean?' She shifts slightly in her bed 'If you survive the trials, you might understand in the future.' What a weird thing to say. I do take the hint though, and I stay silent for a little while. Instead, I contemplate a little on who Luna really is, so I ask her 'How did you end up here anyways?' She rotates herself at the top bunk so that she lies on her back, staring up at the ceiling 'It's sort of complicated. I arrived by accident and I'm not really supposed to be here, also, I don't think I can tell you why.' A little disappointed, I just stare in the up at the bottom of her bunkbed in silence. A silence sets in the room, however, Luna breaks it and asks 'Hannah, I do know you committed suicide, but why did you do it? Sorry for being so direct, it's just I've never fully understood how people are able to do that to themselves.' I answer 'Actually, I don't really know how it happened. A sound made me wake up in the night and I went down into the kitchen to see a stranger standing there. I clubbed him down with a baseball bat and placed him atop of my kitchen table while he was unconscious. He started to wake up, I held him down and before I knew it, I heard a gunshot and then I woke up here.'

The bed bunk groans as Luna raise herself into a sitting position 'What, you mean you got killed?' 'No, or I don't know' I answer, 'he met me here in hell and told me I pulled the trigger on myself and that it's my fault. Although, I can't really understand how I could ever have done that, and to be honest, I think he's lying! I definitely can't remember doing what he said I did.' Luna lays down again saying 'Well, maybe that's why he's in hell, for murdering people.' I turn my body around so that I'm laying on my side 'Yeah, I guess you're right.' Silence followed and I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore and I fell asleep.

Luna is a silent type, or, well, she likes to talk but not about herself. I got to know her a little bit the other day. She told me that she's Spanish, har some crazy friends that she misses. One of them sounds like a jerk and the other one sounds, well, strict. After she told me her story, she turned to me and said 'So, know you know me, how about you?' I shrugged and told her 'Well, there's not much to say about me. I'm the usual type, I like comics, games, and music' I look at her with an embarrassed face, she just smiles at me and I continue 'I did work as a chef though. I love cooking food and I even got my best friend, a job at the restaurant. It's a small place, but I like it, and my friend, well, she's more of an artist, but she's an amazing barista. Whenever she creates a painting and she hates it, she always gives it to me. She told me she couldn't bare herself to throw them away because they were like her babies, so she gave them to me for care keeping. Also, I live in this big house in San Fransisco, I inherited it from my grandma. I don't really know much about her, but she was a spy in the war or something'

Luna smiles and says, 'That sounds nice, and your friend, she sounds sweet' I agree and tell her 'Yeah, she definitely is. I wonder what's going to happen to her paintings now though. I'm not around to keep them anymore you know. It's weird how all my life just poofed away if you understand? All my posts on social media are just a history now in the former life of Hannah Hagen. I just can't get over the notion that I existed but then suddenly I disappeared from everybody I know and love. They are probably broken by the loss of me. I saddens me, a lot actually to know that I hurt all of the people that I love by just simply disappearing.'

My monologue was perhaps a bit too much for Luna to handle, and to be frank, I didn't mean to go all shower-thoughts on her, but I guess this was my way of just handling the situation at hand of me being in hell and all. Her face did go from a bit sad to smiling again, though, as if a thought just hit her 'At least they love you right? It's better to know that you have people who still remember you, miss you and love you for who you were and your memories with them. If this all goes well, maybe you could see them again sometime?'
Perplexed, I ask 'See them again? How could that ever be possible? I'm dead, and I'm in hell. First, they're alive and I'm dead. Secondly, if they die, they will probably be in heaven or something far away from here in their afterlife and I would never see them again!' Luna's face turns into a clever one, like a child planning to make a mischievous plan and she says, 'Do you remember how the ram-dude told us that if we survived the trials, we might get a chance to get out of here?' I answer yes and she continues 'Well, you see, after the trials, if you survive, there's a reward. Either you get a power in your possession or you get to be reborn into the world you came from. However, if you die during a trial, you'll get neither of these rewards and remain in hell only in a different area of it.' A sudden thought comes to my mind 'Luna, what happened to you? Do you have powers?' She shrugs and says, 'You'll have to see for yourself and maybe you'll figure it out sometime.' 'Has anyone ever gotten reborn?' She seems a little perplexed and answers 'uhm, I don't really know... It is a rumor though?' I ended the conversation topic there and figured that she'd might come to me with information later when she wished to. Instead, I start babbling to her about random stuff, such as if she's seen Hitler here, if she's seen hellfire and such, the typical questions that you would ask a person who's lived in hell for a while.

As night fell, we entered our room again and our bunks. Luna reaches out for the switch to turn of the light in the ceiling, however, she stops and says 'Btw, Hannah.' I answer yes, and she continues 'Keep your blanket on tightly.' Confused I ask 'Uhm, why?' She turns in her bunk 'Just keep it on. It'll keep you safe...' This makes me feel a bit uneasy, but I take her word for it and wrap my blanket around tightly. She turns off the light and goes to bed.