Before

How big is the difference between life and death?

It seems very large, when you think about it from where you presumably are now, maybe sitting in bed, maybe on a plane, perhaps you’re even in a café.

But for Lucy Warner, she couldn’t find the line.

It was pitch black. She was fully engulfed in the darkness and had grown numb from not moving in . . . she didn’t know. 

They hadn't said much before they locked her up. She checked in with them like it was an average day, but as she walked in, the leader was counting bills, glaring up at Lucy like a hungry shark.

 For a while Lucy still held onto the hope that soon someone would burst through the doors she knew had to be there, because how would they have gotten her inside of the room anyway, and rescue her. 

But then either an hour or a year passed by, and Lucy didn’t know how to hope.

It occurred to her that death might truly be nothingness, except she was conscious, so maybe this was God’s way of punishing her for something.

She had water, a scarce amount, but there was some water coming in. Though it was very occasionally, she was gifted a bottle. From whom? Lucille didn’t know.

She knew nothing.

Although at this point, Lucille could hardly think about what was outside of those doors if they were real. She hadn’t been Lucille Warner for almost two years; she was Della Perry now. She didn’t think she knew how to be Lucy anymore. And if she really thought about it, being Lucille Warner was the reason she was in this mess, and Della Perry was outside. People liked Della; they trusted her. When Lucy Warner came into the picture, they had to turn her into a shell and blur the line between life and death.

Now Lucy couldn’t tell whether her eyes were open or not. She wondered if her death was assumed, if there even was a world out there.

Then there was a bang.

And the room exploded. Light erupted into the warehouse, blinding Lucy who hadn’t seen the sun in three months. The noise was deafening. Feet stomping, orders being shouted, sounds of the city outside suddenly screamed in Lucy’s ears.

Everything comes to an end. Lucy’s mind pushed out a surprising nugget of wisdom, and from that moment, she knew she would hold onto it forever.