2. Chrissy Fights Death (Literally!)

Chrissy's battle for survival.

Chrissy slowly became aware that she was standing in the middle of a vast, dark plain. She had no idea where she was or how she had gotten there. She was confused and a little foggy-headed. She struggled to think clearly. She looked around, trying to get her bearings and figure out where she was, but she couldn't see very far in the darkness. Indeed, she couldn't even tell for sure whether she was indoors or out. She shook her head to try to clear it.

She heard a faint, uneven buzzing sound in the air. She listened intently to it in an attempt to determine what it was and realized it was far away voices. They were so faint that she couldn't understand much of what they were saying, but they seemed to have an urgency to them. From time to time she understood snippets of what they said..."intubate her"... "what are her OSATs?"... "give her five CCs of"... "need a chest tube!"...

She jumped a little when she heard a male voice beside her say, “Hello, Chrissy.”

She turned and saw a dark figure standing close to her. In the near darkness its features were indistinct and a little fuzzy. “Who are you?” she asked.

“I'm here to take you home,” he answered in a gentle voice.

“Home?” she asked, confused.

“Your mother is waiting for you.”

She furrowed her brow. “Mom?!”

“Come along, Chrissy.” He extended his hand. She hesitantly put her hand in his and he began to lead her away.

The voices became more urgent!... "she's coding!"..."de-fib?"... "No!... too much chest trauma!"...

Then, one of the voices suddenly became very clear, though still faint. It sounded as if it was right next to her ear. “Chrissy?! Can you hear me? Chrissy? Ian and Emily are here! They're waiting for you! You gotta hang in there, girl! Hang in there for them!”

Chrissy stopped walking. “Ian and Emily! I forgot about them! I'm not leaving them!” She tried to pull her hand away from the figure but he held on tight.

“Come along, Chrissy,” he said firmly.

… "I'm going to call it"...

“Let go!!” she said angrily. She tried to yank her hand free but he held fast and began to drag her along with him. She started hitting him with her free hand. “I said let go of me!!” She started beating and kicking him as hard as she could, but he still held on to her. She fought like a wildcat! She knew her blows were having an effect because he gave a grunt of pain each time she landed one. But no matter how hard she fought, he still dragged her along. In a final act of desperation she drew his hand up to her mouth and bit down hard! There was a loud cry of pain as he released her. She fell over backward but immediately jumped up and started to run in the opposite direction as fast as she could.

… "Wait, she's got a pulse again!"...

Chrissy sprinted as fast as she could. She had no idea if the figure was chasing her or not. She didn't dare waste time looking over her shoulder. She just ran! And ran...

… "B.P. getting stronger"... "can't believe it!"...

She had no idea how long she ran. Her lungs were bursting and her legs were on fire when she tripped over something in the dark and went sprawling to the ground face first. She rolled a couple of times and jumped up with her fists raised and ready to fight!

But there was no one there.

… "surgeon on call?"... "Khetran"...

She peered into the dimness for the dark figure but he was nowhere to be found. She bent over with her hands on her knees and gulped air into her lungs for several minutes. Once she had finally caught her breath she went back the way she had come to see what she tripped over. She found a piece of lumber about six feet in length lying on the ground. One end was clean-cut and the other end was splintered. What the hell? She looked around her again, but she still had no idea where she was. She couldn't remember what she had been doing before she ended up there. She tried to concentrate. The last thing she could remember was getting on her motorcycle and pulling out onto the street.

She collapsed to her knees and closed her eyes in exasperation. She was sweating, bruised, scraped and exhausted. She was lost and alone! And for one of the very few times in her life... she was afraid!

But she wasn't a quitter! After a short rest, she stood up, looked around and started walking. She didn't understand why, but somehow she knew which direction to go.

… "take her to O.R. #3"...

Author's Note

I fear the 'voices' might be too distracting. Let me know.

Reviews

[N. Van Avery]

I'm the guy who's controlling the "Tales of Death" contest. I don't have time to continue reading past this chapter right now, however...I'm hooked. The voices add a very unique...realistic approach to what one might see/hear when their corporeal body has got one foot on either side, so to speak. I also think they help add to the story, I know exactly where her body is, and I know exactly where her soul is. Well done Craig, Well done. Feel free to check out my writing, I've only got one piece up so far (literally joined the other day) and I'd appreciate if you'd review it for me as well.

100/100 for me on this chapter!

[Craig2591]

Thank you for the review. If you continue I should warn you that there is only one more chapter that deals with Chrissy in limbo. The rest is about her recovery, including a couple of humorous chapters at the end.

I will definitely check out your writing soon.

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

i have just re read this again and its true brillance really
thanks so much i enjoyed the read felt the suspense and felt i was with Chrissy fighting death literally like you said she was

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

thanks this is brilliant 200/200 for you.
thanks for entering this into my what happens when you die contest.

[Craig2591]

Thank you very much!

[Annie Ale]

I really like it! It shows how easy it is to be lured away. I like her fighting style!

[Craig2591]

Thanks.

[Phantom.Bite]

I for one like the 'voices', it adds a sense of chaos and a greater sense of urgency :) Plus, without them your great heroine wouldn't live to save those boys in 30. Unsung Hero. Keep up the awesome writing, it takes someone with a very imaginative mind to have that many stories of one hero without it getting stale. :)

[Craig2591]

Thank you very much! I'm glad this chapter made sense without having to read the previous one to know that Chrissy was in a horrible motorcycle accident.

[Tina Kline]

I think you did a great job. I like the paranormal part showing Chrissy's struggle with the Grim Reaper (That's how I saw the shadowy figure who came to take her away) and what was going on in real life, so to speak. Very effective. Excellent chapter.

[Craig2591]

Thank you!

[Tabitha t]

This was amazingly powerful. I loved this chapter. the voices were perfect and added so much drama to the piece

[Craig2591]

Thank you, Tabitha. Your opinion means a lot to me!