All Hope Lost (12 page)

I was clearly no longer in the
living room. There were no sofas, no TV, no laptop, no walls or ceiling. There
was just a bleak expanse of countryside around me.
Still in England then!
I joked to myself. I stood up and started walking.
Am I dreaming?
I
thought.
Is this the dream of dead people? If it is, it seriously needs some
colour in here.
I searched about, looking for some sort of landmark. None
presented itself, although I did appear to be on a dirt path. Where it was
leading though, I could not tell.
Follow the yellow brick road?
I
thought. I loved the Wizard of Oz movie. So to brighten my spirits, I hummed
along to the theme tune as I made my way along the path.
It may not be
yellow, or made of brick, but I can imagine.

The path seemed to go on
forever. Finally though, a building appeared in the distance. It was tall,
slim, and black. Not just any black, but so black it felt like it was sucking
you in. From this distance, it also appeared to be shiny.
I’ve never seen a
building like this before. Must be a dream.
I tried convincing myself I was
dreaming, but I had never dreamt this place before. It all felt too real as
well. Oddly, even though I was not flesh, I could feel the path under my feet.
It’s firmness, solid. I could feel the wind on my face. Maybe I was imagining
it from when I was alive. Something told me it wasn’t and a chill went up my
spine. I felt like I was being watched.

The tower grew closer and
larger, looming above as I walked towards it. The closer I got, the more my
eyes tried to adjust to what I was seeing. The tower was not just black, but it
was sparkling, as though it had been covered in glitter. I wasn’t sure I wanted
to get any closer to this place, but there was literally nothing else around.
Turning on the spot, I saw the path vanish into the distance where I had walked
from. There were no trees, just hills, grey hills covered in grey grass. No
flowers to speak of either. The sky was dark, yet somewhere a light source was
helping me to see. I could see no moon or sun or stars.
This is the weirdest
dream ever.
Turning back to the tower, I continued my slow walk to the
base.

It didn’t seem to take as long
to reach the tower as I thought. It was maybe forty feet tall, give or take,
but what struck me was the towers glittering outer layer. They were stars. It
was like looking at space that had been moulded into the form of a building.
Now
this is too weird.
I knocked on the door, and it swung inwards. Looking
inside, I stepped over the threshold, the door slamming shut behind me.

“Geez! Scare me to death why don’t you. Oh wait, you’re
too late for that, hah!”

I had a habit of making jokes
to myself when I was nervous, it seemed I hadn’t grown out of it, even after
death.

 The room before me, was large. It felt too large to
be accommodated by the tower itself, yet although it was an open expanse, it
still felt enclosed. There were seats arranged in small groups, dotted about
here and there, some had occupants in them, other people were wondering around
the room.
I wonder who these people are? What are they doing here?
I
thought. As I drew closer to a set of chairs, one occupied by a small female, I
noticed a strange vibe to her as I approached. Sitting down, she looked up at
me, her eyes wide and frightened.

“Hello” I said. “Could you tell me where I am please?”

The woman continued to stare
at me, and her head moved ever so slightly to one side. “I’m sorry, we mustn’t
be seen talking.”

I frowned. “Sorry, I’m new here. I don’t understand.”

Her eyes glanced at me, her
head fixed to a point to one side of me. “I’m sorry. We will get in trouble if
he hears us.” It was barely a whisper, but I could tell she was frightened of
me asking questions. I looked about the room. Other people were staring at me,
as though I had done something terrible. Standing, I walked over to a set of
stairs that appeared to run up the inner edge of the outer wall. I started to
head up them.

“You mustn’t go up there!” a man tried to grab my
attention. Turning to him, I spoke normally.

“Look, I don’t know where I am, what I am doing, why I’m
here. You all seem too afraid to speak to me about it so I’m going to check the
place out myself.” With that, I twirled on the stairs and continued my way
upwards.

There were many stairs, but I
eventually reached the first floor. On my way up, I realised I hadn’t seen a
single window to this place. There was no view to speak of, just what was inside
as I worked my way upwards. The walls appeared to be filled with stars, which
had a very disconcerting feel to it. The inside architecture though, was solid.
I was glad for that. Walking on stars would make my head hurt even more I
decided.

The first floor landing was
filled with an array of bookshelves, with small armchairs between each one. The
hallway curved the outer edge of the tower, and the inner edge held another
wall, blank of windows and doors as far as I could tell. I walked around the corridor,
curious. Eventually, I came upon a door, slightly ajar. I peeked in, and spied
people sitting at desks, writing. Another person stood at the front of the
room, quietly, watching. They looked up in my direction and spotted me. I
ducked back into the corridor and hastily continued my way onwards. Two more
doors, but closed this time, I passed, with still bookshelves and chairs dotted
along the route, until I came upon yet more stairs heading upwards.

I debated continuing for a
moment.
 Why not, I’m here now aren’t I?
I let my feet lead the way
on up yet more flights of stairs until I reached the second floor. The corridor
here was empty, save for a few benches.  I walked past them and noticed
something on the wall, shining, that wasn’t a star. I realised then, that it
was a mirror. I moved closer to it, wondering what I must look like, but as I
drew closer, the face looking back was not me. I looked behind me, seeing no
one, and looked back at the mirror. It was a man, shaggy haired, with a scar on
his nose. I realised then who I was looking at; one of the men had who raped
and murdered me.

As I stared into the mirror, I
wondered if he could see me. I waved my hand at him; something behind me
laughed. I spun around, but no one was there. Confused I turned to face the
mirror again, but instead of my murderer there, there was a dark shape. It was
pitch black, the same as the surrounding tower walls, but within that
blackness, was nothing; no stars, no inconsistency, just black. A deep chuckle
came from within the mirror and I took a step backwards, my eyes fixed on it.

“Why so afraid, Sharon?” a voice sounded. I couldn’t
pinpoint its position. It felt like it was all around me, inside me.

 I looked around, making sure there was no one
nearby and took a step closer to the mirror. “This is the strangest dream
ever.” I spoke aloud. I reached out to the mirror and my fingers brushed the
glass. It was solid. The laugh sounded again.

“A dream? Oh no, Sharon, this is no dream.”

“Surely that’s what all dreams say if you ask?” I pointed
out, raising an eyebrow in question.

The laugh sounded again, deep
and echoing. “Amusing. You have much to learn, Sharon. Head to the next door on
the right, and enter the class. Learn about yourself.” The image in the mirror
disappeared, to show myself. I used my fingers to untangle my hair out of
habit. Satisfied that was the best I could do, I headed down the corridor,
keeping an eye out for the next door. It was quite a long way around, almost to
the next flight of steps upwards. It was shut, so I knocked.

“Enter,” a voice inside sounded.

Opening the door, I was met with a room filled with
desks. It was empty, save for two people. Another woman was sat at one desk,
and a man stood at the front. “Sit, please Sharon.”

Choosing a seat, I sat at a
desk, two away from the other lady.

“Why are you here?” the man asked me.

“I’m not sure.”

“That is not the correct answer. Why are you here?” he
asked again.

I thought a moment. “The voice told me to come here.”

Apparently satisfied this
time, he nodded. “Then welcome to your first lesson. My name is Robert, and I
will be giving you a fantastic insight into who you are and why you are
here.”  His arms gestured with a flourish to a map hanging on the wall.

The map was old looking, worn,
slightly wrinkled in places, with a musty feel about it. The drawing upon it
however, was strange. I didn’t recognise the world it showed. It certainly
wasn’t Earth.

“This ladies, is where we are now. Do either of you know
the name of this land?”

I shook my head. The other
lady however spoke. “It is
Neter-khertet.”

The
man seemed impressed. “Well done Myra. However, we need to clarify for Sharon
what this place is. Do you know what Neter-khertet is?” He was looking at me
now, and I shook my head.

“Neter-khertet is the
Egyptian name for the Land of the Dead. You may know it from other names, such
as The Underworld, Hades or the most common, Limbo.”

I
stayed quiet, thoughts rushing through my head.
Limbo right, more like a
bizarre dream.

“No Sharon, it is not a
bizarre dream.” My face must have looked shocked, as he continued. “You would
be surprised what certain types of dead can do here and out in the land of the
living. But you know some of that already don’t you.” It wasn’t a question,
more of a statement. I stared at him, not giving an answer.

Robert
continued. “So, now we know where we are it is time to understand why you are
here.” He clicked his fingers and a board dropped down from the ceiling. Words
were scrawled over it, some I recognised, and one clearly drew my attention.
“Now then, I’m assuming both of you know most of these words, but there is one
in particular here which is not often seen. Myra do you know what you are?”

“Yes. I am a Daemon, and I would appreciate it if this
ridiculous lesson is over and done with as soon as possible. I have charges to
attend to.”

Robert raised a finger. “I understand Myra, but all newly
dead must go through the basics first.”

I piped up. “All newly dead? You mean everyone who dies
or ever dies comes to this place?”

Robert turned to me. “Yes,
everyone, although depending on your faith, what you see may be different to
what you see here. Also, not everyone actually comes to the Tower itself. Only
those with the specialties arrive here. Most newly dead cannot even see this
building.” I raised my eyebrows. “So both of you have a special purpose after
your living form.”

“But why me?” I protested.

Robert smiled. “Why you? Well that will be answered in a
moment.” Myra sighed.

“Please can I just go, I know what I’m doing!” she
moaned.

Robert waved a hand. “Fine. Just realise that what you
miss here could be your undoing.”

“I know where I am, and what I am. It can’t be that
hard.” Myra got up and waltzed out the door, glancing at me on her way out.

As the door closed behind her,
Robert turned back to me. “Well, I hope she does ok, but I have a feeling she
will be back begging forgiveness one day.”

I raised an eyebrow. “This class is that important?”

“Oh yes. Especially for types like her, and even more for
you.”

“You mean, I’m a Daemon type? There are more?” I asked,
curious now.

Robert nodded. “There are many
types of dead. You are known as the Daemon type; but there are many Daemon
types. Holy, Mischievous, Vengeful, Helpful, Truth, and many more. However
there is one Daemon which is rare. The Ultima Daemon.”

Looking at him, he was staring
intently at me. “And this is supposed to be a hint to what? Me? You can’t mean
I’m an Ultima Daemon surely.”

He smiled. “Actually, no. I cannot place you, it is very
strange. It is as though you exist, but don’t at the same time. There is only
one who can figure you out, but I am loath to send you to him.”

“Why not? If he can help what is the problem?”

Robert scratched his chin, assessing me. “The one I speak
of is All, and Nothing. He could consume you whole if he feels you are a
threat, which I believe you could be. He is locked here in this world, this is
his prison. If he got to you, and you set him free, then we are all in trouble,
and so is the living world. What he touches, he corrupts.”

A shiver went through my spine. I recalled the barren
landscape outside.

“Exactly, Sharon. He damaged our lands, and is only just
starting to regrow from his corruption. I dare not send you to him, but maybe I
can still help you.”

I waited for him to elaborate.

“If I could work with you here, for I am unable to visit
the living realm for long periods, I could help you with your gifts, and
anything you feel is troubling you, you can come to me, and know that I will do
my best. I have other contacts here that may be able to help as well if I am
unable to answer you. What do you think?”

My mind spun.
What am I?
And would he be some sort of mentor? And how the hell can he read my mind?”
I
realised he was smiling at me, then laughed. “If you wish to think of me as a
mentor that would be easier. Much better than Teacher in my opinion. And I can
read your mind, and everyone’s minds because of what I am.”