A New Beginning

Across the bleak landscape, an ashen wind blew, hot and near suffocating. It was a strange place, a maroon sky hung above a blackened and harsh landscape. Dotted around the plains were individual stone pillars. Unnatural looking in how they stand in the sand filled wind that blew in from the black sands just beyond the flat terrain where they sat. The dunes beyond were constantly moving, up and down like angry waves in a stormy sea.

Among the scattered stones, one began to hum and glow a violet tone before the light traveled to the very tip. In a poof the light plopped off the pillar and floated down to the ground. The orb grew in size and began to transform into a semi-transparent figure. They were kneeling on the ground, genderless and naked. White eyes opened and looked up from the black ground to the maroon sky above. Their eyes looked to the moving black sand a few yards away in confusion and wonder. Placing their hands on the ground, they lifted themselves from the ground on shaky, unsteady legs. They found it rather hard to stay upright and nearly fell over but managed to steady themself by catching the stone they had come from.

A glimmer in the distance drew their attention, a bright light, like a star, with a tail that dipped beyond the horizon. It shinned like a beacon in the sky. They felt drawn to it, a sign that there was something beyond the shifting sands. Without much of a though to where they were, or even who they were, they stepped away from the stones and towards the hills of moving sand. Perhaps someone there at the light, could tell them who they were. The moment they put their foot in the sand, they were hit by heat and pelted by flying sand.

The sands were not kind nor gentle. The rise and fall of the dunes tossed them around, sending them sprawling and choking on sand as they attempted to push forward towards the light. The further they went, the worse it seemed to get. Their body felt sore and tired from the beating from the winds and the tumbles from the sands movements. They were no longer transparent, their pale violet body had solidified, like a chemical mixture left too long unstirred. Though having a solid body did not protect them any better then before in the harsh environment. Standing up once again, they pushed forward and traversed another a rising dune before sliding down the other side a but more gracefully then the last time. Movement in the distance caught their eye on their left. The sudden rise of sand shot them to the sky which gave them a better vantage point. Before falling on their butt they spotted another lone figure walking alone in the sand, heading towards the same light they were.

A relived smile spread across their face as they slid back down and tried their best to make it over to them. They had honestly thought they had been the only one out there. Of course the sands didn't make it any easier to move forward. At one they tripped forward and enjoyed a face and mouth full of sand. Sitting up they coughed out clumps of black sand. It was gritty and had a ashy taste. They stood up again with a grimace and kept going. When they finally reached the other, they nearly ran into them.

"Sorry!" They apologized quickly as they righted themselves. They finally noticed on how grey they looked. Not an ounce of color. "Hi!" They said winded but cheerfully.

Grey said nothing to them, like they weren't even there to begin with. Even with that unsaid rejection, Purple kept staring with interest.

"Your the first person I've seen since I started this journey." They paused. "Have you seen anyone else?" Purple asked as they followed quickly, easily keeping pace with them.

But still, Gray said nothing. Purple shrugged and kept walking with them. The silence gave them time to really observe Gray. Their body was thinner, and had cracks in random spots. It reminded them of the ground they had woken up on. The urge to ask was evident but Purple refrained from it. They knew Gray wouldn't respond anyway.

On their journey, they Maroon sky changed tones, going light to near black several times, like night and day. Neither rested, afraid to be swallowed by the sands around them. They both were growing weary, tired and ready to stop their long, never ending walk. Like an unspoken prayer, the dunes gave way to flatter ground that stood stagnant and unmoving. Chunks of dark grey stone stood against the wind that kept blowing. Purple heaved a relieved sigh and stopped moving as their legs nearly gave way underneath them. They turned to look at Gray but found they were no longer next to them. Turning their head, they saw them just on the edge of the shifting dune kneeling on the sand. Their hands were on their face, looking more ragged then Purple felt. They turned and walked over to Gray and placed a hand on their shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Purpled asked them.

Gray flinched at their touch, pulling their hands down and letting them fall to their bare lap. They looked up at Purple, their eyes vacant.

"I can't..."They whispered. "I can't keep going... I don't deserve another chance.." Their eyes went to their lap, to look at their hands.

Purple's face scrunched in confusion. "What do you mean, another chance?" they asked, more concerned with the state of their new companion then the meaning behind their words.

Gray groaned and shoved Purple away in frustration. "Don't you get it yet!?" They snarled. "We are souls. We both died and got sent here. We are out here walking to whatever that it," They pointed a dark finger to the light in the sky. "for a second chance at living. Somewhere beyond this hell."

"I..I don't understand. How do you know we are dead?" they asked, taken aback by the force Gray had shown.

"Because I remember!" Gray yelled, "I remember parts of what used to be my life...and I wish I didn't.." Their voice went back to a whisper, loosing the energy they had just moments ago.

"..If I'm dead, why can't I remember anything?" They crept closer, being cautious in case Gray lashed out.

"Trust me, you will...they can come in slow, or be like a slap in the face..."

Purple sat next to them. "Well, even if we are dead, isnt it a good sign that we have been given another chance? We could start off different this time. Change how we live out new lives."

Gray looked at them again, their eyes looking a little less dead. "..even if we've done something horrible in our past?"

"I think if we were given this chance to start over, I think anything you did before can be forgiven." They stood up and offered their hand to Gray. "It's worth a shot to get a new start, don't you think?" They smiled.

Gray looked at their outstretched palm before placing their own hand in it. "..okay."

Purple pulled them up on their feet. "Great! Let's keep going until the end."

Off they went again, trudging through the sand. It was easier then before, walking on flatter ground besides the occasional mound of sand that formed small hills. Soon the sky grew dark once more and signaled it was finally time to rest their weary legs. Finding a protected spot away from the wind, they sat down in silence. It wasn't long until they managed to fall sleep.

~

A pleasant smell of fresh cut grass erupted in Purple's mind. They opened their eyes to see a brilliant blue sky above with fluffy white clouds floating by. They could feel the soft grass beneath their body, how cool it was against their sun kissed skin. A voice called out to them but it was muffled so it was hard to tell what was being said. They sat up on their elbows and looked towards the sound. From the look of where they were, it was a flat yard with a large tree to the right. Its leaves fluttered in the breeze that blew higher in the sky. The ground had lawn ornaments leading to a structure behind them. It was a light yellow one story house with a concrete patio and a small garden to the side. A beautiful woman with fair skin and raven black hair stood in a pink summer dress. Her hair was braided and pulled to her left shoulder. She held a glass in her hand and held it out. Despite not being able to understand the words, they got what she wanted them to do. So they stood up from their grassy bed and walked over to her. They took the glass from her, the sound of the ice in it clinking against the transparent cup rang out. They could feel the condensation on the glass and how cold it was. It was pleasant. They brought it to their lips and took a sip of it. It was sweet and tangy, and cold as it went down. They greedily took another gulp, closing their eyes and enjoyed it as it quenched their parched throat. The peaceful moment was shattered by a gut wrenching scream.

~

Purple's eyes hot open and they quickly sat up from the spot they had been sleeping. Gray was no longer next to them. They were kneeling in the sand some feet away, their hands clutching their head and screaming at the top of their lungs.

"What's wrong!?" Purple called out as they scrambled towards them. Something told them it was a memory, and not a pleasant one.

"I killed them! I killed them all!!" Gray screamed. They sobbed grossly and pressed their head against the sandy ground.

"What? Killed who?" Purple asked as they got closer.

Gray looked up at them, their eyes black. "I killed them...I planted...I planted a bomb...a bomb in a present at a birthday party...I was told to wait until everyone, was at the table." Their voice broke. "Kids...adults...I pressed a button and watched it all...their bodies torn apart by the explosion...I was ordered too..." They wailed up to the dark red sky.

Purple had stopped moving. They felt cold as they watched Gray's body crumble before them. They cried and screamed until nothing was left but an echo and a pile of sand. There was nothing they could have done to stop them from disappearing. But a realization caused bile to rise in their throat. The sand they had been walking on...had been other people like them. They sat there, still hearing the cries of their now gone companion. All that was left was silence. They crawled back to their protective cover and hugged their legs to their weary body. They sat their in the silence, until morning.

Last nights experience replayed in their mind most of they time they had rested. Grays screams, the realization that they could be just as unredeemable as Gray had been. When the sky had grown lighter again, they stood up and and continued their journey, this time alone. Intrusive thoughts invaded their mind and made walking difficult. Like gravity had been increased and pressed them closer to the ground. The rocks grew sparce, leaving room for white thin blunted spears to stick up from the ground. Some were rounded, while others split off forming different shapes. Purple had no clue what they were, their memories only providing certain words, these ones were not there to be named.

They stopped to stare at one close to them. Extending a hand they reached out to touch one. Before their finger tips could even graze the strange thing, the ground shook violently beneath them and an ear-drum busting screech rang out around them. They dropped to the ground, ending up in a fetal position with their hands covering their ears. They hadn't realized they had been screaming until the noise had stopped. With ears ringing, they got up on unsteady feet to see where the interruption had come from. A flash of white drew their attention over a hill. They wobbled over to it and climbed up to the top before gasping at what they were witnessing. A massive rocky wall rose up from the black sand that seemed to go for miles. An archway rose in a large crack in the wall. But that wasn't what they were stunned by. Coiled in front of the arch was an enormous white serpent with golden orbs for eyes.

(Comments are appreciated!)