Gerard and I stayed silent for while as we continued walking with the parade down the road. We were behind everyone else who was marching around a float. The float was decorated with dead flowers and black decorations. The float was where the music was coming from.
As we walked on, I saw more and more of the ruined city. The streets were uneven and bumpy. Except for a few people, the street was empty. Newspapers and other flyers littered the ground.
On the side of the street, up ahead, was a woman. Or what looked like a woman. She was wearing a tattered dress. Her hair was blonde and frizzy and sticking up in odd directions. I couldn't really see her face, due to the fact it was covered by a gasmask. She was holding up a sign.
Starved to Death
in a
Land of Plenty
My mind was spinning in circles. I still hadn't grasped what was really going on. I'm dead! Why am I walking around as if I'm not? Who are these people?
I stopped walking.
"Lose something?" Gerard asked as he cocked an eyebrow, wondering why I stopped.
"Yeah, my mind!" He gave me an odd look. "Come on Gerard; I'm dead! Why am I still walking around this place like I'm not? And speaking of which, where exactly am I? What's going on?"
"Yes, Izzy, you are in fact dead."
"Then why am I walking around? Why am I living? Why am I breathing?" Gerard let out a sigh. I was like a little kid asking the same questions over and over.
"Because Izzy," Gerard began. "This is where the lost souls go. This is where you go to find your light."
"Find my light?" I asked as we continued our journey down the path, still behind the rest of the parade. "What do you mean?"
"When someone dies they usually go to Heaven or Hell, right?" I nodded. "Well some people don't go there. Their souls get lost and wind up here. The only way you can go to either place is if you find your light. However, once you find your light, there is no turning back."
"What exactly is my light?" Gerard shrugged.
"I stopped looking for mine a long time ago. I heard it is an inspiration; a feeling almost."
"What happens if I find it?" I was curious now.
"You go to either Heaven or Hell. I heard that sometimes you go back to Earth and live again. What ever your light decides."
I felt a rush of hope run through my veins. I might be able to return home! But then again, I might wind up in Hell. And what ever happens, I can't go back.
"Hey Gerard?"
"Hmm?"
"Why exactly are you my guardian?"
"It's a long story."
"I'm not going anywhere." Gerard let out a soft sigh.
"Well, it all started when we died-"
"Who's we?" I blurted, cutting him off from his story. Gerard didn't seem to mind.
"My friends and I." He raised his arm and pointed toward the crowd of people that surrounded the float. "Hear that music?" I nodded. "That's them."
Gerard began to quicken his pace. I followed, occasionally breaking into a slight jog in order to keep up with him.
"How exactly did you and your friends die?" I asked, cocking my head to the side, looking directly at the pale ghost of a man beside me. Gerard looked at me for a moment before speaking again.
"We died in a car accident." He stated. "We were in a band. We decided we wanted to tour the country. We wanted to save lives."
"So much for that plan." I blurted.
"What do you mean?" Gerard asked, looking at me with a worried expression.
"You mean, you don’t know?" I asked.
"Don't know what? What are you talking about Izzy?" He seemed to be getting impatient with me.
"You should know." I mumbled. "You were always following me around as a kid."
"Just tell me already!" Gerard shouted, losing his temper.
"Everyone is dead." I stated. I began to quicken my pace.
"What do you mean everyone is dead?" He asked, catching up with me. I stopped and turned to look at him.
"About five years ago, adolescent suicide rates sky rocketed. They had to shut down my high school because there weren't enough teenagers alive left to teach. I am one of the last teenagers left in my hometown. Or at least, I was." I looked toward the ground, staring at my shoes, waiting for Gerard to speak.
"How could we have let this happen?" Gerard whispered. I looked up at the blond man. He was staring at the float, tears in his eyes. "We could have stopped this. It's all my fault."
"It's not your fault." I tried to assure him.
"Yes it is." He said. His eyes still hadn't left the float. "It's all my fault that teenagers everywhere are killing themselves. It's my fault that my friend's are dead." Gerard then looked at me. "It's my fault that you're dead."
"Gerard, there is nothing you could have done. These sorts of things happen for a reason." I explained, looking down at our shoes again.
"But still." He mumbled. "Some guardian I am. He began to walk toward the parade. I ran to catch up with him.
"So how exactly did you become my guardian; you never answered me." Gerard cleared his throat as he continued his story.
"Well, after the car accident, I woke up in the middle of a deserted path. I couldn't find anyone for days. After a while of searching, I came across a man lying in the middle of road, littered with newspapers and flyers. When I approached him, I discovered it was my younger brother."
"You have a brother?"
"Yup, he was in the band and was in the accident as well. After that we were able to find the rest of our friends as well as a few other people who had been here longer that us. I don't remember who came up with the idea of a parade, but either way, within a few minutes we found ourselves dressed like this. And s-"
"Wait." I said, cutting him off. "You're telling me that the float and banners and parade outfits just appeared out of thin air?"
"That’s right." Gerard said nodding. "We were all thought it was weird too. But after a while I discovered my powers."
"Powers?" I asked.
"Izzy, I can't really finish a story if you keep interrupting."
"Sorry."
"Yes, I have powers. If I thought of something that I wanted I could have it; like the parade. I thought it was a great idea and I had wished for it in my mind, and it came true. No one else can do that."
"Why is that?"
"I honestly have no idea." He shrugged. "I could also sense when a new comer has arrived."
"Like when I came, you just appeared."
"Exactly."
"But that still doesn't explain why you're my guardian."
"Well, that too is one of my powers." Gerard said. "I really wanted to save people so I thought why not watch over a child and save her from the bad things in her life."
"So much for that." I scoffed. "I'm dead, remember? You did the exact opposite of saving me."
"On the contrary, I saved you from way more than you think."
"Like what?"
"Like when you first learned to walk when you were about two, you almost fell down your foster parent's stairs. But I stopped that from happening. Or when your last foster father came home drunk, I made sure you were safe in your room so as you wouldn't get hurt."
"You seem to know a lot about my past, Mr. Way."
"Well, I was your guardian angel, doll. I should know about all of that stuff."
"Well, there are a lot of things that you didn't protect me from."
"Like what?"
"Like my parent's dieing."
"There is nothing I could have done; you're mother died by giving birth to you."
"I realize that, but what about my father? No one ever told me about what happened to him."
"Maybe people didn't want you to know what happened to him." Gerard said, keeping his eyes on me.
"I bet he's some pathetic excuse for a man who has no life." I stated, feeling tears stinging in my eyes. "Other wise I wouldn't be here. He would hug me and tell me I'm the greatest thing that has ever happened to him." I looked back up at Gerard. He too had tears in his eyes.
"Trust me Izzy, he does think you are the greatest thing that ever happened to him."
"How would you know?" I asked; a hint of anger in my voice. When Gerard didn't answer, I turned my heel and ran away from the parade.
"Izzy!" Gerard's voice rang in my ears as he tried to get me to come back. "Izzy, come back!" I continued to ignore him. "Izzy, don't go that way!" Gerard shouted louder, his voice had traces of worry, but I continued to run. Suddenly I stopped. I felt dizzy. The next thing I know, my whole world went black.
