Cold and barren.

His mind is cold and barren like the no mans land where so many had their lives seized from them. He has just returned.

His mother hugs and kisses him. His heart feels no warmth. The lady next-door calls him a hero.

She doesn't know.

No one knows.

No one can see his mind when he jumps at a cabinet slamming. They laugh along and jokingly apologize. But they weren't there when a bullet sped past his head and hit his comrade.

Cold and barren.

How will he get out of this labyrinth of suffering?

Callum stood in front of the tattoo parlour, contemplating. How insane would it be to just walk in? Plenty of people did it, whether their fate was positive or negative. Callum thought about what his tattoo could possibly be. Horrible death? Falling in love? Getting heartbroken?

"Callum!"

Callum jumped at the sound of his disapproving mother. The teen took one last look at the shop before turning away.

Callum thought about the tattoo parlour day and night. Some of his classmates had visited, and had been met with a variety of good and bad news. For example, Sally Ferguson had been met with the fate of a death so terrible she showed no one, and ended up going mad.

Or at least, that's what Callum had heard.

But, Luke Chambers boasted about his in class. His tattoo claimed that he would become extremely powerful. Maybe a powerful pain in Callum's ass.

Nonetheless, Callum couldn't help but constantly wonder what his fate would be. On his way to and from school he would pass the shop, thinking about his future and what he wanted for himself.

One day, he passed by and stalled. This was going to drive him mad forever. He took a determined breath and entered the shop. He was expecting a dark, smoky, overdecorated inside. Instead, he was met with an empty white room except for a tattoo chair and a stool in the middle of the room.

A man emerged from a back door.

"I've been expecting you, Callum. Sit."

Callum gulped and sat, but didn't question the man.

The man began without another word, and Callum suddenly changed as soon as the needle touched his skin. He was no longer surrounded by the white room. His life was flashing before him like a slideshow, his ear roaring. His first steps. Getting embraced by his parents. Being rejected by a girl. Every memory he had, flashing before his eyes so quickly he could hardly keep up. When suddenly, silence. He blinked and he was back in the white room, his arm stinging.

He looked down at it to see something that would drive him mental with pure terror.

When John died, he was sure he'd end up at heaven's gates. He had always been a good person, helping others whenever he could, and avoiding any bad deeds. But instead of being welcomed by angels, he found himself at the gates of hell.

The devil himself welcomed him with open arms, explaining that there had been a mistake and that John would have to stay in hell until things were set right. John was confused and scared, but as the days went by, he realized that he was starting to enjoy his time in hell.

In heaven, everything was perfect, but in hell, things were a bit more exciting. The devil showed him around, and John saw the most incredible things. There were parties every night, and everyone was free to do as they pleased. No one was judging him, and he felt more alive than ever before.

As time went by, John forgot about his old life and embraced his new one in hell. He made friends, learned new things, and even found love. He didn't want to leave, but he knew he had to set things right and get back to heaven.

He went to the devil and asked what he needed to do to make things right. The devil simply smiled and told him that he had already done what he needed to do. John was confused, but then he saw a bright light shining in the distance.

He walked towards it, and before he knew it, he was back at the gates of heaven. The angels welcomed him with open arms, and John realized that he had been given a second chance. He promised himself that he would never forget his time in hell, but he knew that he belonged in heaven.

I let out a silent scream, my face buried in my bed. My lungs were burning. My face and neck were soaked from my own tears. I coughed and sobbed, choked and pulled my hair.

This couldn't be real.

It's not real.

He's not gone.

I sobbed until I exhausted myself.

I woke to the sun coming through my curtains. I blinked my swollen eyes open, my face dry from the tears. I had a moment of peace, the morning sun shining on my face, before I remembered the reality I now inhabited. My heart sunk, but it seemed I had outcried myself. I closed my eyes, preparing myself for the day ahead.

I needed more coffee.

Three days since James died, and I needed more coffee.

Well, before I realized I needed more coffee, I needed to figure out how to use the machine.

James always made my coffee for me in the morning.

So, I went out, not even caring what I looked like. I got the coffee I was pretty sure worked in the machine we had, and drove straight home.

When I entered the silent house, a box of coffee pods in my hand, it suddenly felt like my heart was being crushed by my own fist.

I had immediately looked for James.

I collapsed onto the floor, howling.

How could I live without him?

The sky was overcast, casting a gray pallor over the city. People scurried about, seeking shelter from the impending storm. As I walked, I noticed a woman sitting on a bench, drenched to the bone. Without a word, I gave her my umbrella and continued on my way. Suddenly, thunder boomed and lightning flashed, causing me to jump. I turned around to see the woman still sitting on the bench, a small smile on her face. It was then that I realized that sometimes, the simplest acts of kindness can make all the difference in someone's day.

I stared at Darren as he passed me in the hallway, his broad frame less than two feet away from me. I could smell his cologne. I sighed as butterflies filled my stomach.

To tell the truth, I was delusional.

Darren and I were friends.

Barely.

I would actually use the term "friendly".

He also had a girlfriend.

So... not the best situation overall.

Listen, I'm not some home-wrecker. I've never made a move, and his girlfriend also happens to be a complete bitch. Bella was the type of girl to go to any kind of event just to disrupt the whole thing and make fun of everyone there. Why? I could not even begin to dissect the trauma that could possibly inflict that.

Speaking of...

I stared at him as he continued down the hallway and into the arms of said girlfriend. The butterflies turned into mush in my stomach and I suddenly felt sick and turned away.

Next period for me was Drama. I had a presentation that day, so I had to change into my costume. I walked backstage, grabbed my costume, and opened one of the doors to a change room. I opened one of the doors and saw Bella making out with someone. Ew. Like I wanted to see her and Darren hooking up. Neither of them were even in that class. I went to quietly close the door before I realized something.

Holy shit.

It wasn't Darren. She was exchanging saliva with Jase fucking Clark!

I snuck out unnoticed (they were really into it apparently), and continued my day like nothing had happened. But something had happened. And I couldn't lie when I said that a part of me was happy it did.

Last period.

My class with Darren.

I felt sad upon seeing him. I felt bad for him that something like that was happening behind his back. He deserved better.

He looked up, saw me, and smiled. He had the kind of smile that just made me melt under his gaze.

I sat in the seat next to him and said hi.

While doing our work, he began to talk about Bella, and how it was almost their six month anniversary.

Wow. Six months since my heart broke.

I nodded along while he was talking, but my thoughts were elsewhere and came on too fast, so I interrupted him.

"Darren..."

"Yes?" He looked up from his computer at me.

"She-She's not who she says she is."

He laughed slightly.

"What are you talking about?"

"Bella... she's cheating on you."

Looking back on it I can see how crossing Bella without any game plan would've ended badly.

Tamara sighed and turned on the faucet to wash the blood off of her hands. She glanced at herself in the mirror, and golden eyes stared back at her. Eyes filled with magic.

She had just healed a young boy that had been attacked and robbed in town and left to die. She had repaired his stab wounds, sewing them back together with her magic.

Someone burst through the door, making Tamara jump.

It was Mary, her assistant.

"Tamara! Please! Come quick, it's Mr. Brown!"

Tamara dried her hands on her skirt as she ran after Mary to her workshop. As she entered, she could see Mr. Brown laying on the examination table, groaning in pain.

"What's the issue?"

Mary gave Tamara a grim look and pulled down Mr. Brown's collar, showing grey, rotting flesh. Maggots infested the area, and the stench that filled the room was otherworldly.

"How did this..."

"I think... I think it was your magic."

"What do mean? That's impossible."

"It's happening all over town, and spreading over their bodies. Seems like it's starting at the place where you healed them originally and killing them slowly."

Tamara looked back to Mr. Brown and rolled up her sleeves. She hovered her hands over him with the intent to heal. The rotting spread immediately. Mr. Brown cried out in pain.

Tamara stumbled back and looked out in to the streets. Grey, already rotting corpses covered the street. She looked back to Mary with horror.

"How... how did this happen all of a sudden?"

Mary had tears in her eyes.

"I don't know."

Tamara looked at her hands like they were weapons. She watched as her fingertips turned grey, blinding pain overcoming her as she screamed.

I woke suddenly to the sound of my alarm. I grumpily shut it off and flipped around. Suddenly, my eyes snapped open as I realized what day it was.

It was the day for me to obtain information from an upper level.

I got out of bed and looked at myself in the mirror in my small room. I tried to put on a face of bravery, but my insides twisted. I got dressed in my level uniform, and left my room. I passed the bustling dining hall, my stomach not in any shape to eat anything. I made my way to the restricted part of the level, and swiped my ID at the door. When I entered, I could see the underdeveloped part of the level, the only area that could get you between levels. I saw my friend, Manny, working away at a lab bench. He looked up and saw me.

"Hey, Nicole."

"Hey, Manny."

"Excited?"

"More like painfully nervous."

"Yeah. Fair enough."

The problem is, the only way to get to different levels was a rickety wood platform with rusty railings and a pulley system.

Apparently they were working on developing level to level transportation, but they had been saying that for the larger part of ten years. No one even needed to move between levels anyway.

"Listen," Manny said, walking over and putting his hands on my shoulders. "all you have to do is go ten levels up, grab the sample, and get the hell back down."

"Yeah, but I have to survive first."

"Oh, please. No one's died in over a year."

"Yeah... that was the last time anyone moved between levels."

Manny paused.

"You'll be fine, Nicole. Just remember that this sample will change everything. It could save us."

I took a deep breath. That was true. A sample from the surface was unbelievably rare to come by, and it would be an incredible resource to study.

I walked over to the vertical dirt tunnel, the platform waiting for me. I stepped on, looked at Manny, and nodded. He pulled the leaver, sending me upward. I cried out and held the railing until my knuckles were white. I looked down, seeing an abyss of darkness below.

That's when I felt one of the wires snap.

The day started off like any other. My younger sister, Kya, and I bustled around the house, running late as per usual. When I decided I had everything, I grabbed the car keys and went out to the car to wait for her. As I walked out heard her yell from the house.

"Right behind you, Leo!"

She ran out thirty seconds later and hopped into the passenger's seat. Kya was two years younger than me at sixteen, and we'd always been close. Well, closer than most siblings, I'm sure. I pulled out of the driveway, and we were on our way to school. We lived in the country, so everyday we had to drive twenty minutes to get to school. As we drove, I looked and saw Kya texting someone. Probably her best friend, Masie.

"What's new with Masie today?"

Kya sighed.

"The usual. Talking to a new guy. Heartbroken from the last one."

Masie didn't always make the best decision when it came to guys.

"Ah."

Kya put her phone down and looked at the trees around the road. Since we lived slightly out of town, we had to drive through the forest road. I looked back to the road and there was something right in front of the car. Kya and I screamed as I swerved into a divot between the forest and the road.

"Kya! Kya, are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine. What was that?"

"I dunno. Didn't get a good enough look."

I looked at Kya to make sure she was okay before examining myself in the now crooked upper mirror. There was a bloody mark on my hairline, but other than that, no damage.

The car wasn't wrecked too bad either. Just some dents from the look of it. I sighed and leaned back in my seat, closing my eyes. What was that?

"Leo!"

I jumped and frantically looked at where she was pointing. There, in the road, was a dark figure. As tall as a man, yet on all fours. Its mouth was snout like, and his beady eyes were staring right in our direction.

"Kya... Kya, GET OUT!"

The creature began moving toward us, and we ripped our seatbelts off, rushed out of the car, and ran like hell into the forest. I could hear Kya's terrified breathing. We kept running. I had no thoughts other than "We have to get out of here."

I dared a look behind me.

Holy shit.

It was chasing us. It galloped through the forest, not taking its black eyes off of me.

"Leo, look out!"

I switched my gaze forward and realized we were nearing a cliff. I halted, putting my arm in front of Kya. I peered over the edge. The river.

I turned back toward the nearing creature, which was coming at us at full speed. I looked at Kya. There were tears in her eyes as she looked back at me. She was looking desperately for guidance of what to do.

I made my decision.

I grabbed my sister's hand and pulled her towards the cliff edge with me. She nodded slowly in my direction. Then we jumped.

When I was young, people always told me I would be a heartbreaker. I don’t think this is what they meant.

I walked through the dark and quiet forest, looking for that special someone. I walked quietly, my hands clasped casually behind my back. This part of my life once bothered me, but it was now becoming a routine that I didn't even mind. I strolled through, looking for the sound of any human life. Suddenly, I heard the sound of human breathe, and I quietly rushed in that direction, the moon by my side. The sounds became closer, and I crouched in nearby bushes as a girl came into my line of view. She was alone, and rapidly texting on her phone (which she was simultaneously using as a flashlight). I watched as she frantically looked around, lost.

I made my move.

I emerged from the bushes.

"Hello, miss. Are you lost?"

The girl looked like she could have shed tears of relief.

"Y-yes, yes I am. I'm sorry, I was just-just with some friends but we got separated and I am just like, so scared of the dark and I have no idea where I'm going or how to get out of here."

Too easy.

"No worries at all. Happens all the time. I often take evening walks through these woods, I find it calming, and there are more nights than not where I have to help a lost soul like yourself."

She smiled.

"I cannot even tell you how happy I am to see you."

And those were the last words the lost girl ever muttered.

When I was young, people always told me I would be a heartbreaker. I don’t think this is what they meant. I know I'm rather handsome, but I don't break hearts in that way.

Hearts. I like to savour them most.

And lost girl's was delicious.