You slowly gain conscience of your surroundings, and realize your alarm is doing its job. It's 6 AM. When you open your eyes, your blanket is still covering you, the shutters closed, futile protections against the world. The light of the day was already finding a way in.
Today is an important day, even if you can't point out why. What do you want to do?
[[wake up]]
[[hit the snooze button]]You push your blankets and try to get up, but immediately feel a hand on your shoulder, pressing you back. You hear a soft voice that sends a wave of nostalgia through your body, one that you almost recognize:
"Hey. Are you sure you want to do that?"
You race for an answer.
"Yes. [[I don't have time to lose.]]" You can't shake up that sensation... #
"[[... I'm not sure.]]"You observe you room, with few furnishings but still messy: dead flowers on top of the bedside table, clutter above the desk right in front of the window, clothes and a backpack on the floor. Is it worth it to get up and close the shutter better?
You groan. You cover you eyes with the blankets, feeling its warmth and wishing it could last. You hear a soft voice that sends a wave of nostalgia through your body, one that you almost recognize:
"Good. Enjoy the simple pleasures of life while you can. Are you waiting, then?"
"Yes. [[No point in fighting.]]" You can't shake up that sensation... #
"[[... I'm not sure.]]"You shake the invisible hand from your shoulder and get up. Your room doesn't have many things, but still manages to be messy. There is a bedside table with your phone and dead flowers, a desk in front of the closed window with some notebooks and papers, and in the middle of the floor, amidst the scattered clothes, a backpack.
What do you want to do first?
[[inspect the bedside table]]
[[inspect the desk]]
[[inspect the backpack]]You curl in your bed, trying to forget it was already morning. You feel comforted, like an invisible hug from behind, and you wish things could stay like this forever, or at least as long as you lived. And maybe they could. Maybe they could...
That embrace is almost familiar.
"[[Who are you?]]
"[[Do I know you?]]""You were so sure yesterday... But that's a part of growing up, hum? Feeling less and less sure about our decisions or ourselves?", the voice wondered. "Maybe that's why we are not allowed to become fully adults. And yet, we still have to make decisions. So, what do you decide?"
"I'm going to wake up. [[I don't have time to lose.]]" Suddendly, you can't shake up that sensation... #
"I'll stay in my bed. [[No point in fighting.]]" Suddendly, you can't shake up that sensation... #You pick up your phone on the bedside table, and unlock it without even thinking. The calendar says that tomorrow is your birthday. You open the first drawer, and see a bunch of photos of the same two people, you, and another whose gender you are unable to discern. Most of the photos portray silly faces, but in one, you are hugging that person, who is depositing a kiss on your cheek. Your heart beats faster for a second.
"Who is this person, [[a friend?]]"
"You [[are this person, right?]]"
[[inspect the backpack]]
[[inspect the desk]] The thematics of the books don't make any sense together: one is about geography, another about survival, one even about souls and mysthicism. The papers are essencially notes about those books. There is a map of London with several locations marked, and a list of supplies.
You shrug, and decide to open the shutters, inviting the light of the day. The vision presented to you makes your heart skip a bit, until a part of your brain registers it as ordinary. There are bodies on the streets, of around your age. You are sure they were dead.
"They weren't able to escape, and now, they have no soul", stated the voice, confirming your suspects with a strange choice of words.
[[inspect the backpack]]
[[inspect the bedside table]]
[[Escape what?]] #The backpack has several pockets, and the organization inside contrasted with the chaos outside. There is a bottle of water on the side bags, lots of durable food, toilet paper, and cutlery and a bowl on the biggest division. And in the outer, smaller bag, there is a notebook, a pen, earphones, a phone charger, a box of matchsticks, a scissor, a sharp knife, money, a toothbrush and a change of clothes. Also, some strange crystals. The only thing that is still able to fit in the bag is in fact your phone.
[[inspect the bedside table]]
[[inspect the desk]] "A ghost, you can say. A soul stuck here. If you want my name, I'm afraid I'll have to disapoint you", whispered the voice, faltering, "because I don't remember anymore. I escaped with many memories, but my name wasn't one of them."
"[[Do I know you?]]"
"[[Escape what?]]" #"Ah. You have known me. When I was human, that is", clarified the voice, harshly, unlike before. "Before I managed to escape."
"But...[[Who are you?]]
"[[Escape what?]]" #"You... don't remember?", you can hear the surprise in the voice. "Well, I should have expected that, the memories we lose are random, and you //are// almost 18. But for them to consume the very reason why you wanted to escape, that's... cruel. No wonder you lack motivation today. This is already hard when people know what they are aiming for." The voice was rambling, mostly talking to themselves, and you feel that some of those things make sense, but cannot grasp why. Finally, the voice continued. "Alright, I'll try to explain. Tell me: doesn't anything in your surroundings strike you as strange?"
You open your eyes and observe your room, again, not noticing anything new. You try to guess what was beyond the door of your bedroom, but you can't. No voices or sounds give anything away.
"[[The mess?]]"
"[[The silence?]]" "Hahaha. Ah, I really like you... but no, the mess is indeed very typical in your house, and your fault only. Want to try again?"
"Humm... [[The silence?]]""Yes, that's it", the voice confirmed. "There is no one else here. No adults, nor older siblings. Just you. And the same in the other houses. If more than one person lives together, then all of them are underage. Because when you become an adult... The Souleaters //devour// you."
A chill runs through your spine. You can't remember that ever happening, but you have a feeling that the voice is telling the truth.
"If the Souleaters devour our soul", you manage to ask, "[[how are you a soul with no body]]?"
"[[Did I have plans to escape?]]", you wonder, feeling like you are on the right track. #"I'm one of the few that managed to escape. I prepared everything on time, said my goodbyes, and was lucky. You probably don't remember, but... the only way to escape is to let the Souleaters find a body with no soul. To have your soul somewhere else, trapped. You get to live... Just not like you lived before", the voice scoffed.
"[[Did I have plans to escape?]]", you wonder, feeling like you are on the right track. #"You had plans to try. Like many do, you chose to fight and attempt to free your soul. You still have time... but I don't know if I can encourage you."
To have a friend say that makes you doubt your decision. More than that, makes you [[pity]]/[[resent]]/[[distrust]] the voice."Ssh, it's alright. You will be fine. And I will manage, too" - You try to sound reassuring.
"You don't understand", you hear a kind of hiccup. "You can't win. It would be better if you were consumed..."
"[[Why?]]""Hey, you don't get to decide what I do with my life. Don't push your regrets onto me", you retort, head bubling in your chest.
"You don't understand", you hear a kind of hiccup. "You can't win. It would be better if you were consumed..."
"[[Why?]]""How do I know you're not just trying to manipulate me? How do I know you're on my side?", you can't see the ghost, but you still try to keep your distance.
"You don't understand", you hear a kind of hiccup. "You can't win. It would be better if you were consumed..."
"[[Why?]]""Why? Because if you win, you will become a ghost like me, and your soul goes on without ever being able to experience life again. Worse, we will be forever apart. You don't deserve to share my fate", he whispered. "And if you fail... your soul will be devoured, which probably means you will stop existing, but your last moments on earth will be away from me."
"Why aren't we going to see each other again? [[You could come with me.]]""I... can't. I'm unable to leave this room. If you were a ghost, you would understand."
You think for a while. You now know what the backpack was for. You could pick it and be on your way, try to get as far as possible from the Souleaters and... you don't really remember your plans. But you had to find a way to free your soul from your body.
You make your decision:
"[[Let me try to understand you.]] (leave the room) #
"[[I'll stay with you.]] (keep sleeping) #"You could just keep sleeping... You could have stayed with me..."
You almost hesitate before that silent plea. But has you pick your backpack and make your way to the exit, the voice sighs. You were already with your hand on the door handle when the ghost speaks again.
"Wait. I don't want us to part on bad terms. If you feel like you have to leave, I respect your decision. Good luck...", they wish, "and happy birthday in advance."
You can't find your own voice to reply. Maybe you should stay, maybe you should appreciate the company in your last moments. But to give up on your soul before your time... that is unnaceptable. You have to try. Is life even worth that name if you don't take risks?
You open the door."Thank you..."
You spend your last moments in your bed, appreciating the company, knowing that the voice will be there until you aren't. To comfort you when you feel anxiety and fear for what it would feel like to have your soul slowly consumed, and to thank you for being there and being able to remain close to your body when you're gone. Is life even worth that name without the presence of loved ones?
Maybe this was all a dream, or a nightmare. Maybe in the next time you wake up, you'll find that neither of these things were real, not even the voice that now sings you a lullaby until your eyelids feel heavy.
"Happy birthday in advance", the voice whishes softly.
If this is a dream, you never wake up. You just keep sleeping. "Ah... Yes, that was a friend. You took those photos a little before they tried to escape, for remembrance. If you want their name, however, I'm afraid I'll have to disapoint you", whispered the voice, faltering, "because I don't remember anymore. I escaped with many memories, but that name wasn't one of them."
[[inspect the backpack]]
[[inspect the desk]]
[[Escape what?]] #"Yes, when I was human and not a ghost. We took those photos a little before I tried to escape, for remembrance. If you want my name, however, I'm afraid I'll have to disapoint you", whispered the voice, faltering, "because I don't remember anymore. I escaped with many memories, but my name wasn't one of them."
[[inspect the backpack]]
[[inspect the desk]]
[[Escape what?]] #