Vita et Mors

Chapter 3

When I peered back outside, Isabel's disappearing form alarmed me, so I jumped into the nearest tree from the window and clambered down the trunk. As I followed the bird through Shinganshina, she tried to shake me, veering left and appearing a few streets across from me, but I knew her destination. 

As the picket fence came into view, I went to the backyard and watched her glide into the trees, disappearing. 

I stopped at the forest's edge, feeling an invisible force holding me back. It was subtle but strong enough for me to notice. My body began to tremble, and my breathing was ragged from the run, but in the back of my mind, I knew deep down I was nervous.  

In that brief hesitation, I pictured my dad lying on the ground, then hooked up to the monitors. Mikasa, comforting me as we rode in the ambulance, and lastly, my mother, who would always tell me to be brave, lowered into the ground, never to see the sun again. 

I gritted my teeth, pushed on, broke past the barrier, and ran as fast as my legs could. 

In a combination of rage, fear, and grief, I pumped my arms to gain even more momentum. My legs burned as I went further into the forest, but my will fueled my body to push through. I had run so fast that I had caught up to her. It was almost as if she was leading me to something as she perched and stared at me from a branch above me. She cocked her head to the side and flew into a hole at the base of a tree. Without hesitation, I threw myself into the hole, not realizing that it led into a never-ending abyss of pitch black.

After a long fall, my shoulder met the ground with a loud thud, and I felt the pain pierce down my arm. I spit out the decaying leaves and followed the light that led out of the tree. I stood up to find myself in a completely new environment. 

The trees and air were different, and everything was bright and colorful despite being so dark. 

It was strangely quiet for a forest. 

I paused and listened for the flapping of wings, but I didn't hear a thing. I sighed. I was lost. 

After walking around aimlessly, my feet ached, and I lost hope of finding the bird until I stumbled into a large clearing. 

There was a huge, maybe five-story house with a very interesting character. The windows sat at an angle, almost like the builder haphazardly pasted them on the exterior. It looked ancient and probably smelled of dust and mold, but I felt compelled to walk toward it for some reason. The same force that held me back in the forest decided to push me in.

As I approached the house, I could see shadows walking back and forth between the windows. It gave me the creeps, but my curiosity took control. Before I could come up to the steps of the house, I heard Isabel cawing and saw her swoop into a window on the top floor. At that point, all common sense left me as I burst through the door, passing frightened faces up several never-ending flights of stairs. I would periodically come up to a dead end and then have to retrace my steps. I panted in exhaustion as I finally made my way to what seemed to be the top floor. It was a staircase leading directly up to a single room, and I took no time to burst through the door.

I swept my eyes across the room as they landed on Isabel, perched on a lamp. I yelled and flailed my arms to rile her up as she threw the key on the desk in a panic. I wanted to wring her neck for making me fall into a hole, but I had what I needed. 

I scooped the key up and made my way down the stairs. 

As I made my way to the first floor, the faces I had unknowingly passed earlier blocked my exit. Their presence shocked me, and I took a defensive stance. "Let me through, and no one gets hurt." They all crowded around me in awe and looked down at my hands.