.:Limbo:.

Chapter Sixteen

I don't exactly know when I woke up. All I knew was that I was in new clothing, and somewhere warm. My eyes blinked lazily as I looked to my right, and then my left. Now I was somehow in a hospital room, Indigo by my side snoring slightly. So I'm not awake yet. Propping myself up on my elbows I watched her for a few minutes. I loved the way she breathed, the way her little nose twitched, everything about her. Then I remembered that it was all a dream. When I woke up I'd never see her again. Her dark, eyeshadow stained eyelids twitch. Like a broken doll she sat up, and rubbed her eyes yawning.

"Good morning, Genius."

A smile broke into my lips. Managing to sit up, I looked around my room. It wasn't sterile like a hospital room, or nearly as white. In fact, there were no machines hooked up to me or any at all in this room. She watched me look around, and she asked:

"Do you like it? It's the only room they had open."

"Yeah- I like it a lot. Who's they?" I asked, looking at her again.

"You're at the Venisis building, Ryk. They've made arrangements for your departure." Indigo's eyes tore away from mine, and she took ahold of one of my hands. Her fingers were so soft, so fragile.

"What does that mean? Am I going home?"

She sighed, and looked back at me again. Her fingers wrapped in with mine, and she brought it up to her cheek. Nodding slowly, I stared at her trying to comprehend what was actually going on. I was going to wake up, go home, see my family again. See my friends, finish school. But when it got down to it I'd never see Indigo, Thomas or Foo Foo again. Spencer was dead. And the Lord knows how angry my mother would be with me.

"Yes, you're going home. When you're about to leave, you're going to grow a pair of wings. Like an angel."

"Indigo, can you come with me?" My heart wanted her to stay with me, but my mind was telling me she wasn't real, and that I'd never see her again. Honestly I dodn't know which was right.

"Ryker... you know I can't..." Her velvet voice sounded heart broken.

"Is there any way I can get you to come back?"

"I'm just a fragment of your imagination. I cant leave your mind, there are many other people that need help, too."

This confused me.

"What do you mean?" My head cocked to the side.

She went on to explain how this wasn't just my imagination. Limbo was a complex district of everyone's imaginations, and people are there to die or learn a lesson. After that she told me how she was one of many 'Plonatas' sent out to help victims of this world. Those demons that were sent after me were to help me make important decisions, and help me dig myself out of this hole. In the end it got down to surviving, and waking up.

"Indigo, were you a real person?" I couldn't help myself but ask, because she seemed so real to me.

She hesitated. "I was. My demise was suicide when I was sixteen."

Suddenly I felt horrible. I never knew that you could be sent here for eternity as a punishment. That wasn't fair for Indigo, and she probably had very good reasons why she did what she had done. I wondered if you aged down here, but I'd never find the answer.

I didn't know how to really respond, so I just kind of stared at her. She shifted in her fold able chair, and stood up.

"When am I leaving?" I asked, taking her hand.

"Whenever you feel feel enough to go." Indigo's hand tore away from mine as she went to the window where sunlight was vaguely shining through.

My legs were aching, as well as my ribs. Someone had slipped a dark green shirt, which I was thankful for, and my hair was cut a bit shorter. Not that I really cared, I needed a haircut anyways. My hands wrapped around the chair as I steadied myself to stand. She turned around and watched me walk along the wall to her.

I asked her what had happened to Thomas and Foo Foo, which her reply was that they'd gone to help another person in Limbo like me. I kissed her gently for a final time but it felt different... It didn't feel right. She sensed this too, and pulled away not willing to meet her eyes with mine.

Indigo's voice was as cold as ice. "I see you're well enough to leave."

Sighing, I replied, "I guess I am."

"Then follow me. I'll take you back to the field."

I'd nearly forgotten about that small dirt road, and the dead farmland. I forgot about the old man with the one eye. Numbly nodding, I followed her out of the colorful hospital room, down the glass hallway. Light reflected off of a few panels but most of the time I could see a few kids like me, and hordes of Shadow-People walking on the brick streets below. You could see through them when the sun casted it's wonderful light over their bodies. Then we walked down the spiraling, stainless steel staircase down to the main lobby.

The ceiling looked as if it never ended, and barely anybody was within the walls. This surprised me, because Venisis looked so official, I thought at least one-hundred fifty people worked here. Indigo stopped a few times to make sure I was not getting distracted and keeping my pace with her. I told her politely to slow down several times, since my legs were sore. As we left the building the Shadow-People watched us, breathing our lively scents and snarling. I tried my best to ignore this while Indigo yelled curses at them. As soon as she'd do this, they'd back the heck off.

"Are there any cars in Limbo?" Stopping to rest, I asked her.

She curtly replied, "No."

"Oh, is there any shorter way to get back to where I began?"

"You want to leave that badly, huh?" She was playing with a small silver piercing in her blond eyebrow.

"It's just- I miss my family."

"Yeah, I do too. And there is a shorter way to get back to that field."  She pushed herself off of the bench.

"Can you tell me, please? I don't know how much farther I can walk."

Indigo took ahold of my arm suddenly, and told me to close my eyes. Then she told me to think of the barren wheat field, and how I felt when I saw it. I did as I was told. The next few seconds felt odd, and I hadn't dared to open my eyes until I felt a humid, chilly breeze rustling my hair. The most beautiful thing I'd ever seen was standing a few meters in front of me.

No, it wasn't Indigo, but a light. It was overwhelming, and beautiful. There was no more pain in my legs, not one bit of aching in my ribs. Giggling could be heard from this strange light, as well as my family members speaking to me. I'd never felt so happy in my life, and without my permission tears began rolling down my face.

"Why are you crying?" She asked. "You should be happy.."

"I am happy. More happy than you can imagine Indigo." I turned around to face her, and I grabbed her hands.

"Ryker- you need to go-"

I interrupted her. For once in my life I wanted her to really  listen to me. "Promise me you'll do your best to get all of the other souls like me out of here? No matter what? I want you to help people, and keep them safe from Optimus Prime and the Shadow-People, or Memkophers."

"... Of course I will."

My hands slipped away from hers, and I kissed her on the forehead. Trying not to bawl my eyes out I told her not to forget me. Ever. Her eyes were filled to the brim with tears also, like large buckets threatening to tip over and spill. Once again I turned my back to her and started for this light. My hearing began to leave me as I drew closer. Within minutes I was engulfed in the light and every bit of happiness and love was around me. I'd never felt like this before, it felt as if I was being embraced by God.

I never wanted this embrace to end, but like all good things, it had too eventually.