The smell of blood feels the air, I can hear the murmuring voices of people, supposedly passerbys as I lay down on the floor of my crushed car.
I don't know how it happened or what caused it, but I can feel the weight of whatever crushed my car pressing down on me, I can't move my body or stand up, I'm bleeding profusely.
I can no longer feel my torso, my heart feels like it's burning, the pain is unbearable.
Splaaat~
Blood retches out of my mouth as I vomit pieces of my intestines.
I move my head with great effort inside the crumpled car that had been crushed.
I can see my bloodied lower body neatly cut from my body by my side.
Tears roll down my eyes.
Why? Why does fate have to be so cruel to me? Why do I have to suffer so? What wrong did I commit? Why am I dying this way? At this time?
With just a little more time I would have been there, I'd have been home with Marcelle! I'd have been able to see my family!!
"Arrgh"
I let out a guttural groan as I endure a spasm pain.
I grip my locket, the picture of my wife and my two children are in the locket, I take it with me to everywhere I go, it's my lucky charm and it always reminds me of home, I never take it off my neck.
In my right hand, I hold my locket tightly, and in my left hand, I hold tightly the Orchid that I bought from a flower shop to gift my wife.
Haha.
Who knew it'd end up like this? If I had known I'd die like this then I'd have given you lots of kisses, hugs and at least told my children goodbye before I left for my business trip.
My face twists, a sad expression plastered on my bloodied face as tears pour out of my eyes, mixing with the blood on my cheek.
Marcelle, Dustin, Margie, I'm sorry for leaving you all too soon, for leaving my wife without a husband and my children without a father.
My eyes are half close, I no longer have the strength to keep my eyes open, my breath is getting shorter and shorter, it's a miracle that I've lasted this long, my lungs have already been pierced by my ribs.
But even as I feel my consciousness slowly fade away, even as my eyes slowly close, even as my thoughts melt away, I still hold onto my locket and my love's flower tightly.
The time I spent with you was too short, but it was meaningful and I loved every moment of it. If... If there's a next life, I hope to spend it with...
And that was my death.
____________________
#"It's a boy! It's a boy!"# (# shows words that he can't understand)
I can hear noises, they sound like people.
Wait... People? Didn't I just die?
Confusion washes over me as I struggle to understand the situation.
#"Praise be the gods! They have blessed us with a male child!"#
No, they're definitely voices of people, and their language sounds like Chinese.
I start to ponder.
But why is everywhere dark? I cannot see, is this the after life? How dreary, to think the after life is a dark place where you can only hear voices.
But no matter how I try to put it, it doesn't sound right, the after life can't be dark like this, and they definitely can't be speaking Chinese here.
I try to move my hands, but I can't, it's as if I don't have hands at all, or legs, a scary predicament.
I can feel something holding my body, I don't know what it is, but cold sweat start to form on my face at the thought of something or someone holding me in this dark room.
#"Huh? But why isn't he crying?"#
Suddenly, I feel a hand on my eyes and then my eyes, which I didn't know was closed opens.
Ah
I look at the face of the person who opened my eyes, it's a woman, she looks to be an old woman in at least her sixties.
I turn my face to look around the room, trying to make a sense of my situation.
I can see four women, apart from the one that opened my eyes, they all look young, younger than the one that opened my eyes, and they seem to be in their twenties.
I look around the room, there's an air of bleakness in the atmosphere of the room, the room looks like the type of room you'll see in an old, vintage type of house.
The only source of light in the room is the window on the wall at the far end of the room, it's a window that was made by carving out a square shaped opening that led to the outside of the room.
I call it a room, but it's very lacking for a room, only one small mattress that can hardly fit the body of a grown adult is at the middle of the small room, and the walls of the room are without painting.
This is not the after life.
I turn my head to look at the old woman, and I notice one strange fact that my brain didn't seem to notice before.
Why is she so gigantic? Is she really human? Or a giant? Even the other girls are giants too, and come to think of it, she's carrying me.
I notice her firm hands wrapped around me, and I'm relaxing on her arms.
I try to tell her to unhand me, but I notice something.
I can't talk! What the hell is this!
I force myself to talk but it feels like something is purposely blocking my mouth from talking.
I can hear her saying something, but I can't understand her, I can understand Mandarin and a couple of other languages, but this language isn't Mandarin, it sounds like it, but it's different.
#"He has the red eyes, he indeed carries their blood."#
I ignore her words and the words of the other girls as I can't understand it, but I'm still curious about something.
Why do they dress like this? Like some kind of maids?
Indeed, the four girls and even the old woman are all dressed in maid like outfits that give off medieval vibes, their hairs are tied back and in a white cap, and they wear thick white aprons over their long and black long sleeve gowns.
Something feels wrong.
I turn my head to look at my body which I've not done since I opened my eyes.
This must be a joke.
I have small legs, small arms, I'm a baby, the fact that they all appeared like giants to me makes more sense to me now.
Does this mean.... I was reborn? Ha! That makes no sense! What the hell? Why? I'm a baby now? No wonder I couldn't talk or move my arms! What the hell is this, universe?? Fate, why do you play games with me?!
My heart stirs with anger, grief and sorrow at the same time as I come to the realization of my own despair.
I can't live like this, I can't live a life without Marcelle.. No I won't!
As I force my self to shout out loud, a loud cry erupted in the room.
#"Ah the baby is finally crying, I wish lady Alicia didn't die and lived to see her son."#
#"Truly, it's very unfortunate, tsk tsk"#
The women are still talking to each other as I silently watch them, a wave of ideas splash over me, I'd either kill myself, or run away from here to find Marcelle.
Yes, it doesn't matter if I'm still a baby or if I've been reborn, I'd find Marcelle and my children!
The old woman had a bitter smile on her face as she looked at me, I can see pity in her eyes.
She then proceeds to clean the stains of blood and feces on my body with a rag.