Chapter 9: A New Subscription
Pallasite Tales: Subscription Hell
Need a recap? Check out the previous chapter.
When Byron comes to, the room feels like it’s spinning. He tries to look around, but it’s dark. He sits up but bumps his head immediately. It’s freezing, then he realizes he is in the freezer. He screams and bangs, trying to get out. Eventually, he can force the door open. He slides out and falls to the floor. It’s still dark out, and he doesn’t see anyone at the hospital. Byron sees his old clothes and drags them to the floor to get dressed.
“How am I in my body? I’ve been gone for hundreds of years,” Byron thinks to himself.
His mind feels aged, but his body doesn’t seem a day older. He realizes that time must work differently in Hell; it runs on a slower clock. When he was thrust back into his body, it’d only been hours since he died.
“If time slowed, in the other world, does that mean Amelia is alive?” Byron thinks.
He struggles to get to his feet and checks the time. It’s 5 am. He rushes out of the hospital to get to Amelia. He runs as fast as he can, but he is struggling. He sees a bike and steals it to make up the time. He leaves money and a quick note, hoping the person would understand. He arrives at the tree line near Amelia’s house, exhausted. Byron stumbles into the grass, feeling faint. He looks toward the church from the woods and sees the Harvester holding Amelia by the neck. He’s too late. The Harvester snaps Amelia’s neck. Byron can see the spirit form of himself at the church door. He reaches out his hand toward Amelia, then passes out in the grass.
“Help! Can anyone help me? Byron? Anyone, Help!” Amelia screams.
Byron awakes in the tree line. He crawls out and then stumbles toward Amelia. He runs across the rotted lawn to aid her.
“Byron, thank God, he said you would come,” he said. Amelia stammers in pain.
“Who said that?” Byron asks.
“Stardust is what I remember. I saw him, he helped me back, “she recounts.
“It’s going to be ok, Amelia. I’m going to get you help.” Byron says.
A few weeks later, Amelia is in the hospital. She’s sitting in a wheelchair waiting to go to her rehab session.
“Doctors say it will be a hard road, but I may walk again,” Amelia says with a partial smile.
“You’re looking stronger every day,” Byron said.
“Are you still having vertigo from your fall?” Amelia asks with concern.
“Yeah.. I think it may be permanent.” Byron says.
“You never told me what you saw and how you came back?” Byron asks.
“I slipped away, and I wasn’t scared. I was going somewhere that felt safe. On the way, there was this bright light, it was like a star. It asked if I wanted to go back to life, back to you. Of course, I said yes. It said there would be a price, but I would have a chance, again, I agreed. Then it said, “Tell Byron it was star dust.” After that, I woke up.” Amelia says with tears in her eyes.
Bryon smiles and hugs Amelia.
“Every day you’re here, I’ll be here with you,” Byron says while embracing her.
On the basic tier of Hell, Myra runs for her life from the crowd of lost souls contaminated with madness. There is more disorder than ever since the premium level was destroyed. Every second, the chaos escalates. She reaches the wooden bridge, rushes to the middle, and, just like before, the bridge snaps. While falling, Myra sees the cave and aims to land there, and she does with a loud thud. In extreme pain and gasping for breath, she crawls toward the Heaven’s Stone. It’s a noisy, humming sound distorting her senses. She extends her hand and places her palm on it.
Myra awoke in a sanitized room. There are mercenaries and military personnel pointing guns at her.
“Human!!!” A soldier screams.
Other soldiers rush to her and grab her. The place restrains her wrist and covers her with a blanket. Myra is picked up and quickly dragged to the doctor, who performs a brief examination, and then she is taken for interrogation. A man wearing a black suit enters the room.
“Tell me everything you know about where you’ve been and how it works.” The man says.
“Who are you and where am I?” Myra asks.
“You are in one of the most protected facilities in the world.”
The man throws a newspaper on the table. It shows Byron recounting how he was revived and how people should lead better lives. Even in the first paragraph, Myra can see the news writer mocking Byron.
“We’ve been keeping a close eye on Byron and following up on his claims. We know who you are Myra. According to this man, you only have before Dawn, then you are sent back to Hell. Tell me what I want to know about the Heaven’s stone and that world, and I’ll get you back to your body.” The man states.
Myra looks at the folder the man is holding, and it says, “Project C.E.R.B.E.R.U.S.”
“I’ll tell you everything I know,” Myra says.
Author Note
Thank you for reading chapter 9, the final chapter. I hope my description of time dilation works and doesn’t come off as traditional time travel. Do you think Byron is changed?
Happy Halloween Everyone 🎃