Here we go Again

'Thoughts.'

"Speech."

{System}

~~~~~~

'I'm so bored,' I thought while leaning back in my desk. My eyes, languidly watching the teacher before me prattle on about algebraic formulas which only fueled my boredom.

'When will this end.'

Sitting in the back of the class, I discreetly lowered myself onto my open tablet and closed my eyes. 'Hopefully this is over when I wake up,' I thought whilst drifting off to the dream realm.

~Some time later~

Instead of awakening to a bell or being nudged by a classmate, what awoke me were the terrified screams of my classmates and muffled gunshots outside my classroom. i got to my feet with my mind in a fog, staring numbly at my classmates huddled together behind their desks.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

The door shook violently, almost flying off its hinges as it repeatedly collided with something. In a panic, I turned towards my classmates only to see them crying and holding each other while staring at the ground, too afraid to even look at the door.

With a final collision, the door swung open and a deranged looking teenager ran through the door. His shirt was covered in red stains and he was holding a pistol with both hands.

"Nobody move!" the kid shouted in a shaky voice. Looking closer, I realized that the kid was probably hopped up on something with his entire body shaking and his bloodshot eyes.

Without realizing it, I took a step back, unfortunately drawing attention to myself. The kid quickly locked onto me and shakily raised his gun toward me.

"Ermm, wait."

"Bang!"

The bullet burrowed into my chest, knocking me to the ground. At first I felt a searing hot pain in my chest, but as I started losing more and more blood, the pain was replaced with numbness.

"Hey, drop the gun! Put your hands in the air!"

As a new voice appeared, I craned my head to see a police officer finally arrive on the scene. Hearing the cop, the kid finally seemed to realize something and quickly cast aside the gun and complied with the police officer.

This was all well and good, but I'd die if I lost anymore blood. I tried to block the blood loss with my hands, but a burst of pain quickly stopped me.

"Fuck!"

'No, I can't die yet. Not yet. There's still so much I want to do.'

Then some newcomers ran through the classroom door shouting to make way. They were paramedics and they hauled me up onto a stretcher and started to perform emergency first aid on me. One of them shined a light into my eyes and said,

"Do you remember your name?"

"Yes," I barely managed to get out.

"What is it?"

"Jason, cough, cough, Jason Astra."

Just getting the words out seemed to trigger something and my blood started to leak out even faster. 'No, this isn't how it's supposed to end,' I deliriously thought.

Then, my head throbbed, my eyes blurred and my awareness faded as everything around me dimmed until I was floating in inky blackness.

~~~~~~

I don't know how much time has passed in the abyss I found myself in, but it doesn't matter. To me, this abyssal limbo I am inhabiting is heaven. At first, I was freaked out, I mean, who wouldn't be? But I soon realized the benefits of this place. First of all, I can just float around and sleep, I never feel uncomfortable or hungry and best of all, there are no other people here to annoy me.

'Ah, paradise.'

"Jason..." I head a voice like nails on a chalkboard whisper into my ear.

I tried to spin around, but in this void, I was only able to awkwardly wiggle. Looking around, I didn't see a figure or anything besides inky blackness.

"Jason.." I heard the voice again.

"Who's there?" I shouted.

"Jason." The voice is getting louder. What's happening?

"Show yourself!"

"JASON!" No, this isn't good. I'm starting to freak out.

"Go away!"

"JASON!!!" The voice echoed through my body, shaking my very soul.

"What do you want from me?!" I shouted, hysterically.

"Take the chalice." It goaded me.

"What are you talking about?"

"Take the chalice, Jason!"

Then before my eyes, a miracle happened. Strings of silver and gold came together before my eyes and weaved together an ornate cup, or should I say chalice. Then, a large multicolored gem appeared above the chalice and spun rapidly while shining brighter and brighter until it became so bright that I could no longer see. Then it embedded itself on the front of the chalice.

Once it finished its creation, the voice shouted at me once more.

"TAKE THE CHALICE, JASON!"

With a shaky hand, I grasped the chalice. It felt cool to the touch, but also felt warmer the closer my hand was to the gem. The chalice began to fill with a dark liquid, the color of the space around me. Once it filled to the brim, the voice commanded me once more.

"Drink."

Not wanting my ears to be assaulted once more, I raised the cup to my lips and gulped down the concoction. It tasted vile, but I forced it down anyway.

After drinking the last drop, the chalice was yanked from my hands and began to spin violently shake until the very air above the cup was torn asunder. Floating in the air above the cup was a jagged, kaleidoscopic crack.

Then the chalice darted back toward me and slammed into my head, but oddly enough, it seemed to merge with me and disappeared.

"GO!"

"Hold on a second."

Starting to get cold feet, I tried to stay where I was, but a strange force hurled me into the portal.

"Fuck!"

~~~~~~

I know I don't have the best track record with making stories, but I spent a lot of time thinking about this one and I'm going to be creating an outline for this, so I don't back myself into a corner. I also have a lot on my plate right now, so chapters may be a bit sporadic, read at your own risk.