Heaven and Hell is pretty cringe, actually: Part Eight

*This story is underneath my folder titled “Heaven and Hell is pretty cringe, actually”. Gacha Club character designs are under this forum: https://www.youngwriterssociety.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=117842. Enjoy!*

Amanda looks up at me, her brown eyes foggy and sickly. She opens her mouth like she’s going to say something, but she coughs out bits of burning stars and leans closer to me for support. I grab her to stop her from slipping.

“Stella, I…I was in Heaven…there were flowers…so many flowers…sunflowers, dahlias, peonies, and roses..all kinds…it was beautiful. But,”

She looks at me right in my eyes. There are no tears in them. No fear. They’re striking with a hint of anger and hope, along with…insanity? They look like Lauren’s eyes to me.

They’re still the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen.

“But your favorite flower wasn’t there. They didn’t grow any wisterias. I looked everywhere and I didn’t see any. I should have known something was wrong when I couldn’t find it, but still, I tried to call out for you. I tried to look for you. No one responded. It was only me and the birds. So I took flight towards the sky, hoping that if I flew high enough, that I could escape Heaven, and make my way to you.”

Now that all of the blobs have faded away, I see her wings. They’re feathery and white, what someone would expect angel wings to look like, but the ends are burned off and dipped in rainbow colors. They look painful.

“I don’t know how much time has passed since I decided to fly. When I flew up, I saw old memories all put together as if they were one and all these different voices were shouting and whispering at the same time. Sometimes they sounded close, sometimes they didn’t. I thought I heard yours for a second, but I couldn’t be sure. There were hands pulling on my wings-so many hands-trying to pull me back. I kept flying. I didn’t know where I was going and I’m glad I didn’t stop. I’m glad I’m here now, because,” Amanda smiles, “There was nobody in Heaven and nothing to do. It’s not Heaven if I’m not with you.”

I seriously can’t believe that she went through all of this just to get to me. I was searching for her and yet, here she is, right in front of me. There’s a part of me that’s skeptical about this, trying to question how she could be here, but is there really anything to question? I’ve been summoned to the living world, running through rooms that always change, and trapped in a coffin. I’m in Hell. Nothing makes sense. I don’t want it to.

“I was looking for you too. I can’t-“

She’s kissing me all over my face, on my eyes, nose, lips, so fast that I can’t get a word in. They’re soft and desperate and full of sorrow, like she’s trying to come back to life. If only I could do that. 

I kiss her back, pouring in all that I feel, all that I think, with every single one of them.

This is what that night out was supposed to be like. Just us and the stars. I feel like I could melt right now into her kisses, away from the world, the living and dead one. It all would have been perfect if it weren’t for-

Adele. Right. She’s still here, somewhere. I don’t want to leave her behind, but there’s a small voice in my head that’s telling me to do exactly that.

When we finish kissing, Amanda still holds onto me. Her legs are hobbling a little. Probably when she fell from Heaven. I’ll help her walk.

I’ll tell her about Adele. Eventually. Just not right now, when she’s hurt like this.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“It’s weird that there’s nobody here right now. Aren’t there supposed to be demons waiting to torture you?” Amanda asks.

We’re walking down a hallway that has glass stained lamps hanging above us on the ceiling. I only see that there’s a red velvet carpet on the ground because of the lights. I can’t see the walls or what’s in front or behind me. Once again, I don’t know where I’m going.

“I was wondering that too when I first got here. There are demons, you just have to be on the lookout for them.” 

A laugh comes out of my lips. I didn’t expect that to happen, but I can’t help it all the same. Hell isn’t what I thought it’d be and that’s funny. There’s demons lurking in all the shadows and I can’t make them out! All those horror movies I watched and I’m still not prepared! How could anyone not laugh about this?

“Stella, why…why are you laughing?”

Her voice is quiet. She didn’t want to say anything. She was scared to. Sometimes she got like that when we were watching a scary movie together or whenever Adele was around. It’s like she was afraid that speaking would make things worst.

But she never got that way about me. So why now? Because I want to laugh? What’s wrong about that? I haven’t done that in a while. It wouldn’t be a problem to her if she really loves me, besides-

No. She doesn’t know. It’s not her fault. Of course she loves me. We’ve been together for years and seen each other through it all. What’s there not to love? Maybe if we hadn’t been murdered we would have gotten married when we were older.

Well. There’s no reason to think about what we’ll never be able to do. It is what it is, I guess. At least I won’t get any wrinkles. 

I’ve stopped laughing, but my chest still feels heavy. My eyes are a little watery. I’m not going to cry right now. It’s not the time.

“I just…I’ve felt so alone down here and now that I’m with you, I…I don’t want it to end. Carrie-“

“Who is Carrie?”

“The leader of Hell. She and her assistant, Celeste, let me go on this journey to see you. They said if I passed through the three Great Horrors that I could see you for a day…and then after that, I’d have to go back. I don’t know what they’re going to do to me once I come back, but I know it’ll be more than cleaning. That’s what they did. They made me clean-“

“Really?” Amanda giggles at that.

I smile, even though she can’t see it. Like I said, I can’t help it. Which is why I feel a little bad when I say:

“Blood. I had to clean blood.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. You didn’t know. I didn’t know anything about Hell. I don’t even know what Carrie is going to do to me once I get back. I don’t want to go back. I wasn’t supposed to see you until I braved through all three Great Horrors and I only went through the first two. I don’t know if she has eyes on me right now. I don’t even know where I’m going, just…away from here, I think. I don’t want to be here. I want to go home.”

“Me too.”

Amanda rests her head on my shoulder. Her hair still smells like strawberry whipped cream. It was a special shampoo she liked to use. Her favorite. The scent brings back many memories of hugging her close. I think I’d stay with her for all eternity if I could, but now that’s not the right time. I’m not sure if it will ever feel like the right time anymore. We have to get away from her.

If we kept walking, would we fall into a void? Would that be any better? We have wings, so we could fly against the darkness, in the space between life and death. I’ve wondered what being dead was like for so long that I thought it’d be magical. I thought it’d be easier, somehow. Magic and easy. Silly how I put those two words together.

How long are we going to walk? Will this ever en-

Amanda screams and almost falls over. Almost. I grab her hand just in time.

I look down at what she’s tripped on. It’s a pink inflatable slide. Two of them, side by side, for both of us to go down. It’s lit by the lamp above us and it snakes off to somewhere unknown.

“I’ll get on this side, you’ll get on the other. Unless you want to go on the same side? I’ll be right behind you. I could hold you if-“

“We’re not going down there.”

“But we’re not going behind us either. We don’t know anything about anything anymore. I think we should go down. It could be our way out.”

I don’t want to go down this just as much as Amanda does. The slide still could lead to somewhere else. I want to leave. I know that now better than ever. I don’t care if I’m not supposed to, I’m going to do it. Amanda will be with me. 

She lets go of me. For a second, I think she’s going to walk away, but then she gets on one side of the slide. I get on the other. Her hand extends towards me, so I hold on.

Together, we push ourselves down the slide, our wings brushing against one another’s as we do.