This is Heaven Part One

This is Heaven Part One

         The stop lights let out, what seemed like, disoriented and shaky flashes. James sat in his car with anxiety swelling inside of him. His vision was blurred and everything around him seemed to shake. He looked down at the steering wheel, when a beeping sound blasted from behind his vehicle. It was another enraged driver. He looked up, and after a few seconds of ponder, noticed the stop light had turned green, signaling for his permission to drive. He pushed the gas pedal, and the world seemed to sluggishly move along with him.
         "James, I need you here with me," were words from his sister echoing across his mind. He would be there to see her immediately, regardless of the fact that he was not sober. There was no guarantee on how long he would have to see her. She was the last person he had.
         Lights glaringly flashed all around him. He did not notice the amount of stoplights he passed. He starred at the road in which he was driving on, and it seemed to distort itself into a visual he could no longer see. He vaguely remembered the conversation he had with his sister on the phone just thirty minutes ago. He could remember her weary voice and the sound of his bottle breaking when he dropped it. He remember promising he would be there tonight, and he did not remember anything afterwards.
         The lights he once saw were no longer present. It looked as if he was driving into darkness. He did not consider turning his headlights on. He just kept his foot on the gas pedal, as determination was the only thing that filled his clouded mind. He saw a wobbling light in front of him. At first it appeared small, but it rapidly grew bigger and a loud sound roared with its coming. The light stole his consciousness , and he would not remember this event.
         The sound of howling wind breezing through the trees was the first thing James heard. At first, he could not see anything, but then he slowly opened his eyes and sleepily stared at the partially cloudy sky. It took him a couple minutes to realize he had been sleeping outside on grass decorated by fallen leaves, but once his senses pulled together he sprung into a position in which he was sitting with his legs resting on the ground in front of him. Feeling a quick burst of head pain, he subconsciously moved his hand to his forehead and rubbed it while observing his surroundings.
         Trees coated with colorful leaves were scattered everywhere within site. Many of the leaves delicately fell from the trees, not resisting the direction that the wind led them too. The grass was green, but fallen leaves were sprinkled across the ground. Looking to his right, he could see a dirt road several yards away leading deeper into the land that was ornate with trees.
         He stood up and reached for the sky with his back leaning backwards in an attempt to stretch. He was confused as to why he was laying unconsciously on grass, but more importantly, he was concerned with where he was. He did not recognize this area. In fact, it did not look familiar in any form. After a few moments of ponder, a quick thought exploded in his head.
         "Crap!" He muttered.
         He was supposed to be going to visit his sister, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and probably did not have much time to live, at the hospital. This thought aggravated his concerns more. Without taking any more time to think about the situation, he walked towards the road. It would obviously lead somewhere, and there was a high chance he would find someone along the way to ask for directions. It was an incredibly odd circumstance to be waking up in an unfamiliar location outside, but he did not let that thought occupy his mind anymore, for he had more important matters to consider.
         After he walked onto the road, he looked both left and right. When he woke up, he was facing the left direction of the road, so he decided to follow that direction. He was unsure which way would be the quickest route to somehwere familiar; however, it was a plan nevertheless. He began walking on the road and started thinking about his sister. She was one of the few people that he felt compassion for. They shared a close relationship in their childhood, and she comforted him when his wife passed away a few years back. His intent to see her was not only out of obligation, but she was the only person he had left. He had a large amount of bitterness towards the other members of his family, and he felt indifferent towards anybody else after his wife died.
         He felt the wind blow through him and then let out a quick shiver. The air was moderately cold, and it would have benefited him to wear a shirt with long sleeves, but to his demise, he was only wearing a white T-shirt accompanied by plain jeans. He has known that autumn was here, but his time spent outside was never substantial enough to give him the need to wear anything more than short-sleeved shirts. That was a habit he wished he would have changed now.
         After several minutes of walking, he spotted a figure in the distance. A quick blow of excitement flushed through his head, but he continued to walk at the same pace he started with. Being casual would be the best way to approach someone about directions. As he got closer, he was able to make out more details of the person. It appeared to be a woman with long white hair, and it seemed as if most of her attention was fixed on a tree a few yards off the road. As he walked closer, he noticed more details regarding her appearance. She was wearing a white dress with a jacket that had oddly placed zippers on the back of it. It did not match well, but it did not bother him. Since her attention was fixed on a tree, all he could see was her back.
         Once he was close enough for her to easily hear him without having to raise his voice he said, "Excuse me?"
         She made a short gasp and jumped a little as if she had been startled, and quickly turned to face him. Her blue eyes shot a surprised look, and then smoothly dropped to an apologetic gaze. The wind blew her hair, making it flow with the direction that the leaves would go when they departed from the trees. Admitfully, he thought she was cute, but he was slightly concerned with the knife in her right hand.
         "Hi," she said in a monotonic tone.
         "Hi, uh, I was just curious as to where I was and the quickest way of getting to Hillberry Hospital from here," he said.
         "Why?"
         "Well, it's a little confusing to explain, but I am on my way to visit family there."
         "Oh.."
         He looked at the expression she wore on her face. She seemed uninterested in his concerns, yet simultaneously saddened; however, the thoughts running across her head were of no concern to him.
         "Yeah," he said looking away from her and then continuing with, "So...-"
         "Heaven," she answered.
         "What?" He asked feeling like he missed something.
         "You're in heaven," she repeated with a clearer voice.
         "Oh, okay, thanks," he said starting to walk towards his initial direction again.
          She was crazy, and he was not comfortable with trying to get any information from a loonatic with a knife. Her eyes followed him, but her head did not turn when he was out of site.
         After he walked a short distance away she called out to him saying, "Hey, wait!"
         He stopped and turned his head to her direction. She dropped the knife on the ground and approached him.
         "I can show you the way out," She said with a soft voice.
         "Nah, that's fine. I think I have an idea of where I am headed," he said in an attempt to sound polite.
         "But it gets a little confusing. You could get lost. Also, if you're intentions were to go to the hospital, you're going the opposite direction."
         He looked at her with a blank face and then replied with, "Oh."
         "May I help you?" She asked.
         He gave a considerable amount of thought into allowing her to help. If she knew what direction the hospital he was looking for was located, she probably had keen knowledge on her surroundings; however, he was also worried she would mischievously lead him into a shady area to be gang raped by a bunch of sick hillbillies. On the other hand, she did not wear the look of a dangerous individual, and what girl would something like that?
          He let out a sigh followed by a nod and then said, "Sure."
         "Okay, come with me," she said heading the way from where he came.
         It was annoying that he went the wrong way, but he hoped that he at least found someone that was willing to help him. He was still concerned about her sanity, but she did not have the knife anymore and that was relieving.
         Time seemed to slowly progress, but they had been walking for at least thirty minutes, and James could tell that the evening was near. The clouds that tried to hide the sun's light did a respectable job, but some orange rays of light managed to escape parts of the sky that were not covered by clouds. A blow of wind sliced through James's body again, and he rapped his arms around each other to keep himself warmer. He could feel his teeth lightly smack again each other every now and then.
         "Are you cold?" The girl said looking at him while walking.
         "It's chilly," he responded.
         She stopped walking, and removed her arms from the sockets of her jacket. James starred at her, and then she offered the jacket to him with her right hand.
         "No no, I'm fine," he said with a little chuckle.
         "Please," She pleaded, "The cold doesn't bother me anyway."
         He looked at her for a brief moment, sighed, and grabbed the jacket from her hand. There was no point in arguing about it.
         "Thanks," he said sticking his arms into the jacket.
         She nodded with an enthusiastic smile and continued walking down the road. The white dress she wore did not have much decoration on it, but it did not look bad. He felt a little guilty that she had no sleeves to cover her arms though. The jacket she loaned him was not quite long enough to reach to the end of his arms, but it was far better than a white t-shirt.
         While walking, he said, "Man, this is so confusing. I randomly woke up on the ground out here, and I have no clue how that happened. Should I be worried that someone dragged me out there?"
         "No," she answered.
         When he thought more about it, he considered the possibility of being drunk and managing to wonder all the way out there. Drinking became a habit for him, and he drank too much at least a couple times every week. On the other hand, he knew he had to get to his sister as soon as possible. Being drunk at a time like that was not a likely option, he thought.
         "So, what were you doing by that tree?" He asked more interested in what she was doing with the knife.
         "Carving my initials to let anyone know I am here," she said.
         "Why?"
         "Because you're the first person I've seen in over a year."
         That thought baffled him. Why would she compel herself to staying in an environment without other people and then try to make others acknowledge her existence by carving a tree? Was she just socially confused? It also gave him some insight on how desolate the area is. If it is true that hardly anyone visits the area, he had to question why that was.
         "Do people rarely come here?" He asked.
         "If ever," she said.
         "How come?"
         "I don't know."
         "Oh.."
         She was awfully short. He thought she might have seen his questions as a nuisance, but he could not help it. Waking up in the middle of nowhere resulted in an inevitably large amount of questions.
         "Why did you call this place heaven back there?" He asked.
         "I love it here. It's beautiful and peaceful. I can be what I want without feeling judged and do everything I've always wanted to do," she replied.
         "Ah," he said feeling slightly relieved that she might not believe that they were in some crazy afterlife fairytale, "So is that what you meant? Like as in it being a place you love?"
         She took her sight off the road to look at him and ask, "Isn't that what heaven is? A place of solace and joy. Don't you think it is what you perceive as happiness?"
         "I guess so," He said looking at the dirt he walked on.
         He did not know what happiness was. He figured it would have been living life with everyone he loved being healthy. His wife died from a fall that he was ultimately responsible for, and now his sister is doomed by sickness. Happiness, as he knew it, was far out of the question and he wondered if this girl was truly happy being alone.
         "Don't you ever get lonely around here?" He questioned.
         "Sometimes."
         "Then why do you stay?"
         "Why not? Don't you get lonely back at home?"
         "I guess so, but isn't it different? You don't get the chance to socialize here if nobody shows up."
         "Do you socialize back at home?"
         "Well, not really. I don't really get along with most people, to be honest."
         "What makes you think I would?"
         That was a good point. She came across as a really socially deprived person, and it was quite possible she had bad experiences with others; however, she also seemed to have a kindred spirit after offering him her jacket. Her mind started to become a mystery to him, but he did not want to ask any other questions that could offend her.
         He looked down the road they were walking on and then said, "I understand. Sorry if I am coming across as offensive."
         "I'm not offended. They're just questions, and I love answering them," She said smiling at him and then looking back at the road.
         Interesting, he thought. He would put the questions to rest for now, but he had one more that probably would have benefited him more if it had been his first question. Her name.
         "What's your name, by the way?" He asked.
         "Wynter," she answered.
         "Well, thanks for helping me out, Wynter. My name is James," He politely said.
         "Okay," she responded.
         He really thought she was socially awkward to respond like that, but it did not matter. He could not blame her anyways. Whatever reason she has for being the way she is should not be of any concern to him. She was kind to him, which was the only thing he cared about, but his attention to her kindness would soon expand into a much bigger problem.
         After a few extra minutes of walking in silence, James could finally see a building at the end of the path. He thought it must have been a visitor center or someplace where he could get some straightforward directions, but one thing did bother him. There was nothing behind the building but more trees, and there was no path that continued. Would he have to turn around and go all the way back? If so, he would be annoyed with Wynter for not leading him that way.
         As they got closer, he noticed the place appeared to be empty. It was then an anxious feeling started to wrap around his stomach. Wynter said she had not seen another person in over a year. If she were worried about being lonely, would not she just drop by the visitor center? He started to realize the building did not appear to be a visitor center, but rather a small medical center.
         "Hey, uh, Wytner," He said ceasing his feet from moving any closer.
         "Yes?" She asked stopping too.
         "What is this?" He asked in concern.
         She tilted her head slightly to the right and then answered with, "A small hospital."
         "Why?"
         "Why what?"
         "Why did you take me to a small hospital?"
         "Because that's where you wanted to go."
         James starred at her for a moment. He felt a rising fume begin to grow in his chest. Was she serious?
         "Are you serious?" he said with a stern voice.
         "Are you?" She asked
         "Cut the crap! What are you trying to do?" He yelled while clenching his fist in her direction.
         She looked at him with an apologetic gaze and then said, "I want to show you-"
         "Show me what? An isolated hospital? You tricked me!" He yelled with rage. He always had a bad temper, but this was too much for him.
         "Don't you get?" She said, managing to sound as calm as ever.
         He shook his head, took her jacket off and threw it at her. It was a respectable attempt at throwing it in her direction, but it still managed to miss her catch. She did not try reaching for it anyways.
         "No, and I don't want to get anything you have to say. I am heading the other way. Don't mess with me anymore."
         He stammered off into the opposite direction that they were heading, and she watched him leave with a blank look on her face. She looked at the Jacket he threw out of anger, and reached down to pick it up. She did not mean any harm to him. She thought that if she was able to take him to the hospital, she could show him everything he needed to know. He would have been able to learn where he was, and why he was there. He would have been able to learn the truth - He was dead.
         James walked with wrath and did not look back. Why would he? The situation that he was in only progressively got worse, and he ignorantly decided to follow some girl who he should have known was messed up from the start.
         Once he walked for several minutes, he stopped to kick at the dirt in a fit of rage, and let out a scream. Life was too hard for him. His sister getting sick was the worst thing that could have happened at this point, and now he did not even know if he would be able to see her. Of course, he was positive she was not going to die within the next few days, but he had no idea how long he would be out in this deserted area. He had no idea where he was. Everything about this place was foreign to him. It stressed him out to his wits end. He could hardly put himself together anymore, but he just knew he had to keep walking, despite his baffled state.
         The sky became darker, and it was quickly getting more challenging to see. The clouds would probably cover the stars and moon, so he would have a really hard time knowing where he was. It was just a straight, dirt road, however. It could not possibly be too hard to navigate his way to the other side. A thought started pestering him though. What would be waiting for him on the other side? The way Wynter had led him was, what appeared to be, an empty medical center. Would the end of this direction lead him to yet another area depleted of other people with nowhere to go? He was afraid to find out what waited for him on the other side, but he could only hope that it would be a route back home.
         A couple hours passed, and he felt weary and cold. He had been walking around all day for hours with no reassurance of where he was. He began to feel sick from the air that progressively got colder with the night, and he almost felt like giving up and dying. It was then a slight glance of hope came upon him.
         He saw a light appear in the distance as he walked further. This sudden sight boosted a powerful sense of moral in his soul, and he began to run towards it. He had a bad head ache and coughed heavily, but he would not let a little cold get in his way from getting out of this place as quickly as possible. He felt a slight pain in his ribs form as he ran longer; furthermore, he did not let it bother him because the light only grew bigger as he ran further. His eyes did not take a moment to glance away from his finish line. He was certain that he would not let this magically disappear beyond his sight. Even though he fixed his concentration on the object, he was not able to make out any details regarding it due to the speed he ran; though once he stopped at a close distance to observe it, a shocking feeling shot through his spine. It was not just the shock from the amount of pain he felt once stopping, but also the disappointment that broke into his heart.
         "What?" He desperately said looking at a glowing tree, whose leaves occasionally fell off. The thought that the tree somehow managed to glow without any light source did not even cross his mind. There was no path that went beyond the tree, and nothing else but other trees were around it.
         He fell onto his knees and then shouted, "What is this!"
         Tears began to flood from his eyes as he starred at the tree. Fear settled in his heart that he was going to die out here. Not only would his sister never see him, but also she would more than likely die without knowing why he never visited.
         "God, please!" He screamed at the dark sky that seemed to be still.
         There was nothing else he could think of saying. Who else would hear him? He didn't know if anything was listening to him, but he needed something to plead to.
         "Please," He said choking on himself. He curled into a ball on the ground and cried, "She doesn't deserve this!" He was scared, confused, and angry, and he was beginning to realize that something really horrid must have happened to him. Somehow and for some reason, he must have been dragged all the way to the middle of nowhere. Whatever the reason would be, he did not know, but he was ready to accept the fact that he was more than likely going to die. Wynter was not going to be of any help.          
         He thought about the moment when she confessed to wanting to show him something. He had no idea what it was since he interrupted her, so perhaps it was something important; however, it probably did not matter anymore. In the end, he was lost with no direction. Unless Wynter had some grand map to give him, he would still be doomed. All that was left was a dirt road, an empty medical center, a glowing tree, and more trees.
         He closed his eyes, ignoring the cold. He thought he could unconsciously slip away into an eternal sleep, when suddenly he heard a sound. It was the sound of music. His eyes flew open, and he immediately jumped to his feet. He looked around, dismissing the pain he felt in his head. He could not tell what kind of music was playing, but all he cared about was finding where it came from. He looked to the glowing tree. The music sounded like it was beyond it and deep into the trees. Following the sound would mean ditching the road, which was his only visible guideline, but it was the only alternative to dying next to a glow stick.
         He began to sprint into the trees, almost tripping when he started. As he ran deeper into the dark woods, the amount of trees seemed to grow thicker. Eventually, he found himself dodging tree branches as he harshly crushed the fallen leaves on the ground in pursuit of his new objective. He pushed himself away from trees, dodged others, and avoided the close accidents of tripping. He had to get there as soon as possible, for if the music stopped he would be screwed.
         He repeated the statement that his sister did not deserve his random absence multiple times. Tear stains marked his face, and they made it feel frozen when the bitter wind blew. He ran for what seemed like several minutes before managing to see multiple small lights through the thickness of the trees. This boosted his moral to run even faster, and it almost felt like he had the power of speed while dashing through the darkness. The music grew immensely louder. He was almost there. The amount of lights must have been some sort of signification that it was a town. He was finally about to find his way home, but this would not be the case.
         He did not even notice what was happening when he spinned through the air. He had tripped on a root from one of the trees, and it threw him off his feet. The lights disappearing from in front of him was the only thing he saw while he fell, and his head slammed onto a rock. He heard a sharp crack and felt the immediate pain afterwards. He could not move. All he managed to do was make a few silent choking sounds as he felt his head begin to soak. He was not aware of how long it took for his eyes to close, but when they did, his entire mind shut down with them.
         
         
To be continued...