[Story] GPD - sarabscientist - Aug. 06, 2012
Good People Die A story about second chances ...
I wrote this quite some time ago and haven't touched it yet. I didn't get around to finishing it though. So I thought I'd post it here ...
It was originally one big wall of text but apperently short chapters make people want to read it more 
Chapter 1
“And will someone please calculate the circumference of this?â€
“34.19 centimetres sirâ€.
The professor turned around and looked blankly at the class.
“Who answered that question with such speed and accuracy?â€
“Me, sirâ€.
CHARACTER X lowered is head and tried to avoid as much attention as possible.
“Oh, haha! I should’ve known it was you! Such a smart kid you are, I should nominate you for the honor roll this yearâ€.
“Thank you, sirâ€.
Some snickers could be heard from the back of the class. It was a usually day for CHARACTER X. Even after 16 years of school, he still couldn’t understand why people laugh at the smart kids. He brushed off the thought almost immediately and focused on the lesson instead. There were only two weeks left until the finals and then he’d be off to medical school.
But as hard as he tried, the pseudoscience concept of Ice-9 didn’t strike him as something relatively interesting. It was all wild speculation anyways. If scientists had really discovered a substance like Ice-9, there’d be a whole new scientific revolution. He wasn’t the type of person to readily believe in such theories and ideas. To occupy himself, he read the textbook definition:
[Ice-9] It is a type of ice that is formed from a different polymorph of water, it freezes at 96 degrees.
And as soon as he read the last part of the sentence, he didn’t bother to continue. Water that freezes at 96 degrees? That’s almost the same temperature as the boiling point of normal water. Why they were mentioning such wild theories in University was beyond him.
“Wait up! Hey, CHARACTER X!â€
“Hm, what is up Valerie?â€
“I was going to have an “end-of-the-year†party at my house after the finals. You coming?â€
CHARACTER X hesitated for a bit. Actually, quite a bit. His mind was working all different kinds of excuses for not attending. And then there was this “odd-one-out†kind of idea. It could be fun, and besides he probably wasn’t going to see any of these people again. Simply because he would be traveling abroad to complete his studies.
“Okay, I will try to make it. No promises thoughâ€.
“Fair enough, but what could possibly keep you from coming�
“Stuffâ€.
Valerie eyed him closely.
“You’re an odd person. And I like you for thatâ€.
She took a sharp turn on her heels and dashed away. CHARACTER X didn’t know how to take that. As a compliment or critique? People were so odd, and he wished they were more like text books; just giving the un-biased facts. Life would be simpler that way.
{skips the two weeks, right to party day}
He had never attended a party in his life and he intended that this one would be his last party. Just like Ice-9, the idea behind parties didn’t appeal to him. Nonetheless, he had already driven halfway to his destination. After meeting a series of red lights, he arrived about half an hour late. He stood patiently at the front door and was about to ring the doorbell when he noticed a sign on the door.
“We’re partying hard and the music is blasting. Sorry, we probably can’t even hear the doorbell – just come right in!â€
This almost made CHARACTER X face palm. A notice like this almost looked “inviting†to murderers and other bad people. He figured that he was probably the last person to attend anyways and proceeded to remove the paper stuck on the door. He neatly folded it and placed it in his pocket. As he turned the door knob and pushed the door open, a blast of music and the faint smell of beer hit his face.
It was only mere seconds before someone literally yanked him in and pushed him into the crowd. So, this was a party? He made his way to a corner of the room as he tried to avoid the people, rather, animals. He identified a couple of faces and then was assured that he was in the right place. Despite the loud music, he started to nod off. It was way past his regular university schedule bed time.
It was then when he was approached by a teenager who looked quite “out of itâ€. By the looks of it, he probably couldn’t even remember his own name. The smell of beer that was coming from him was quite oppressive too. No doubt, he was drunk. His speech was slurred too.
“Hey maaaaaaaaan. U wanna drink? Here, take the can.â€
The guy made his best attempt at aiming the can properly before tossing it into CHARACTER X’s lap. CHARACTER X picked it up and examined it; after all, he always wanted to know how the aluminum of a beer can was different to that of regular soft drinks.
“Sorry, I don’t drink. Here, take it back.â€
CHARACTER X stood up and placed the can back in the guy’s hand.
“Whaddya mean… erryone drinks.â€
“Well, not me. And I intend to drive tonight, so I refuse to drinkâ€.
The guy hobbled off, happy to have the extra can of beer. CHARACTER X was quite annoyed by the lack of room in his corner so he proceeded out the door. He made his way around the house and found the back porch. There was a swing bench on it; a rather suitable place for a nap.
He was awakened by a cool breeze. He jerked upright right away. Almost immediately he shot a glance at his watch. It had been almost four hours. He couldn’t hear the music anymore and it occurred to him that the party had ended. At least he was feeling awake now; driving would be safer for him. He got up and walked to the driveway where his car was parked. As he was passing by, he glanced in the window. But something particularly odd happened … it was not his reflection that stared back. He had black markings and drawings all over his face. From his knowledge on house parties, these things tended to happen to people who passed out. He smudged out a bad word with his thumb. The ink was still quite moist, meaning the party didn’t end too long ago. He couldn’t drive in this state, no. Any police officer would directly suspect him. And as such, he proceeded to ring the door bell. This time though, someone came and opened the door. It was Valerie. She had quite a confused look on her face. But at the same time, she was holding in laughter.
“Lookie here, what happened to you?â€
“I don’t know, but can I quickly use your sink to wash up?â€
“Yeah, sure. It’s just to the left over thereâ€.
“Thank you. I don’t want to be driving like this. Halloween is still a couple of months awayâ€.
She laughed and continued to chuckle to herself while cleaning up the room. There were cans and cups littered everywhere. She looked quite tired herself. I did manage to get the marker off my face though and I was feeling a bit more relieved and fresh.
“Hey, let me get that for youâ€.
“No thanks, Austin, I’ll do it myself. You should get home though, it’s lateâ€.
She yawned a bit and continued to absent-mindedly pick up glasses.
“Seriously, I’ll clean this up and you can get some sleep. You look really tired!â€
“Okay, fine. The keys are hanging by the door. Lock it when you leave and then throw them through the slot.â€
She proceeded to climb the stairs. He looked at the mess in the living room. It resembled a battle field. He began by emptying all the glasses and cans down the sink. And then tossing them into the garbage. After that, he swept the floor that was littered with popcorn and other various types of food. It took a good fifteen minutes to get the living room to resemble a living room.
On his way out, he took the garbage with him. So that he would set it by the curb for tomorrow morning’s garbage pickup. He locked the door and slid the keys back in the slot. Even for an August night, it was quite chilly.
He turned on the ignition for his car. He looked behind him to check if the driveway was free of any obstruction and then continued to pull out. The night was silent and there was not a single soul in sight. He figured they would all be asleep or drunk and located downtown. The next light was green and he continued driving on. But as he neared the intersection, he could hear an engine. It was quite loud and sounded as if it was picking up speed fast. He quickly glanced to his right and he was blinded by two headlights. He didn’t have any time to react. His car was smashed from the side and he was jerked right out of the window. He went flying a couple of feet before hitting the cement hard. It had only been moments before that he was backing out of a peaceful driveway and now he was here. Lying helplessly in his own pool of blood that continued to grow around him.
He tried to move, but he was completely immobilized. He felt no pain. Soon wet droplets were coming down his face. Was it rain? No. They were his own tears. All these dreams, all these promises of pursing his career. Everything was cut short by this one freak incident. He wanted to scream out in agony, but nothing came out of his throat but more blood. He could hear the cars passing by, the voices of men and then, the distant sound of a siren.
He couldn’t keep his eyes open much longer. His vision started to blur and soon the sound started to fade away too. The last thing he remembered was someone yelling,
“Get him to into the ambulance quickly. We don’t have much time!â€
And then, he was separated from the rest of the world.
Much to his surprise, I woke up in a white room. As my vision focused though, I realized it was a hospital room. The machine next to me let out a loud beep as a nurse rushed in. She pressed a couple of buttons on the machine above me and hooked up some more pipes and wires to my body. And then called for a doctor.
“Hm, I see you are awake now! And your vital signs seem to have been stabilized. Now I don’t think you’ll pass out again.â€
Pass out again? I passed out? Why? For how long? Why was I here? So many questions whirled around in my head but only one thing came out of my mouth before the doctor left the room …
“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?â€
I tried to get up but all the strength in my body had left me. The nurse looked at me bewildered as the doctor strode back in and took a seat beside my hospital bed. All the blood had been drained from his face and his palms were quite sweaty. After clearing his throat way too many times to be un-suspicious, he spoke in a low voice.
“It was my mistake of not informing you of the situation when you had awaken. Sorry. But I figured you would need some rest. You were involved in a car accident.â€
I tried to search my brain for anything. Anything that made me remember this incident. But nothing, I remembered nothing about a car accident. Tears formed at the corner of my eyes. Did this really happen?
“Now now, you mustn’t dwell over your lack of memory regarding that night’s events. You suffered huge brain damage and rushed that is why you were immediately to this hospital to undergo extensive care. It is a miracle that you survived! You should be happy.â€
I was tired but he didn’t want to slip back into oblivion just yet. I managed to murmur a few words out.
“How … long was … I here?â€
The doctor looked timidly at the nurse before giving me an answer.
“Two weeks.â€
The doctor whispered something inaudible to the nurse and headed for the door. I wasn’t done just yet. There were still a lot of things left unanswered. I used all of my collective strength to force my head off of the pillow. Just as I did though, the darkness crept in and clouded my vision. I was out again in mere seconds as my head landed back on the pillow.
“…aaand he’s out cold again.â€
The nurse put on a mask over his face. Which I assumed was an oxygen supplier. The machine next to him continued its monotonous beep. The nurse turned off the lights and exited with the doctor.
I awoke to the rays of light shining through the gaps in the blinds. I assumed it was morning. The machine next to me beeped loudly and the nurse came in again. She gave me an empathic look as she hooked and unhooked a few more tubes from me. I could see her changing the supplying bag though. It looked like a milky substance. As if in response to my expression, she replied.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. It’s just some nutritional supplement.â€
She quickly glanced at the monitor and left the room. As I heard the door click behind her … something or rather someone appeared at the foot of my bed. I couldn’t make out the distinct figure but from what I could see, it was a person wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt. He looked at me from far and got up. He walked closer. As he did, his features became more focused and I could see he looked very much like an average man. Maybe a bit excessive on the deathly key chains he was wearing but none the less, he was human.
He placed a hand on my machine as he traced the outline of the monitor. I didn’t know who he was or what he wanted from me, but he seemed to be waiting for something. My curiosity and patience got the best of me though.
“Who are you, and what do you want from me?â€
He turned to face me and softly chuckled. He glanced around the room as if to confirm that we were the only ones here and then proceeded to speak in a voice barely above a whisper.
“Look at you, you’re almost dead. They’re just keeping you alive until you die off. They know you’re going to die. Heck, you’re even paralysed shoulder-down!â€
In response to his claim, I tried to move my body. But I couldn’t feel it. I tried to move my legs, wiggle my toes, clench my fists, but nothing worked. He was right.
“And so what, I am going to die. Are you here to claim my property or write my will?â€
“Haha, I like you already! Looks like you’ll make a good runner.â€
A runner? What the hell was he talking about? I saw him tense up. He looked around nervously and whispered a few more words.
“I have a proposal for you. You can live again.â€
“What are you? Who are you?â€
The door handle turned and the nurse walked in. The man though, he didn’t move. The nurse came in normally and continued her check up. Then she gave me a warm smile and walked out. I looked bewildered as I stared at the man who didn’t change his expression even one tiny bit. He continued talking to me as if nothing had happened.
“Wait, how did she? How did she? How did she not see you?â€
“Heh, I’m not here.â€
“What?â€
“I’m not living here. I come from another realm. I can only talk to people who are from the same realm or people who are nearing their end. Nothing and no one can see me/feel my presence in this realm.â€
“So I’m going to die?â€
“Yes, in exactly 72 hours, you will die.â€
I didn’t know what to say. I was already paralysed and was feeling very weak. The words “death†held no significance, as I already felt half-dead.
“But you can change that.â€
“How?â€
“Just play the game. And gamble for your life.â€
“What game? I can’t do anything, you know that.â€
“You can’t do anything here . But there , it’s a whole new world.â€
“OK. Let me get this straight. You are some person who apparently came from a different “realm†and you are offering me a second chance at living. All I have to do is follow you into “your realm†and play a little game. If I win, I will get a new life. And if I lose …?â€
“If you lose, you stay.â€
“Stay where?â€
“Stay with us in the realm and your soul here will die.â€
“But you said I was going to die here anyways …â€
“Yes, I did. But if you accept my invitation into the game, your body will enter into a deep slumber.â€
“A comma?â€
“Precisely.â€
He was paralysed, weak, brain damaged and lonely. He had no parents and no known siblings. Ever since he could remember, he had been passed from foster home to foster home. He didn’t have anything to lose. Or did he?
“Okay, I accept your offer.â€
“Fine choice indeed. Fine choice indeed.â€
He placed a necklace around my neck and held my hand. I felt my body go limp as my soul escaped. Where exactly though, he was not sure. His thoughts were interrupted by the beep of the machine.
The nurse rushed in and checked the body’s vital signs. That was my body. Soon, a couple of more doctors came rushing in.
“He’s not dead, no. Just in a comma right now.â€
I could see and hear everything clearly. I watched as they put the oxygen mask back on my body and hooked up a few wires. I was standing next to what was once my body. But now, I had left that world. I walked around a bit and got used to my legs and I was getting excited to have my senses back and fully operational.
“Come now, shall we depart?â€
I took one last look at my body that lay on the hospital bed. And then nodded. He held his necklace in his hand, and I did the same. Soon we were passing through the voids. I could see nothing but darkness and then we ended up right at that very same intersection. My first instinct was to get out from the middle of the intersection and to get to a safe place. But the man held my hand and refused to let go. A couple of cars went by without notice. Actually, they went through without noticing us. It then occurred to me that we weren’t in the realm of the living anymore.
The man’s words echoed in my mind …
“I come from another realm. I can only talk to people who are from the same realm or people who are nearing their end. Nothing and no one can see me/feel my presence in this realm.â€
DERP: I was debating what to name my character so I put down "Guy X" in the begging. Though later on I decided to name him "Austin".
RE: [Story] Good People Die - ChinaBladeâ„¢ - Aug. 06, 2012
.... I some times worry about you.
RE: [Story] Good People Die - sarabscientist - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 11:38 AM)ChinaBladeâ„¢ Wrote: .... I some times worry about you.
So does Tech. I wonder why though 
RE: [Story] Good People Die - ChinaBladeâ„¢ - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 11:40 AM)Insomniac Wrote: (Aug. 06, 2012 11:38 AM)ChinaBladeâ„¢ Wrote: .... I some times worry about you.
So does Tech. I wonder why though
... It's quite obvious...
You're insan- awesome. Yup. Awesome. 
RE: [Story] Good People Die - sarabscientist - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 11:42 AM)ChinaBladeâ„¢ Wrote: You're insan- awesome. Yup. Awesome.
(¬‿¬) I see what you did there ...
But I already know I'm awesome┌( ಠ.ಠ)┘
RE: [Story] Good People Die - ChinaBladeâ„¢ - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 11:46 AM)Insomniac Wrote: (Aug. 06, 2012 11:42 AM)ChinaBladeâ„¢ Wrote: You're insan- awesome. Yup. Awesome.
(¬‿¬) I see what you did there ...
But I already know I'm awesome┌( ಠ.ಠ)┘
This whole thing just got put into my funny posts part of my sig. XD
Anyways, I'm scraed to click DERP on the votes because...
You're too insane awesome and might kill reward me
RE: [Story] Good People Die - sarabscientist - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 11:51 AM)ChinaBladeâ„¢ Wrote: This whole thing just got put into my funny posts part of my sig. XD
Anyways, I'm scraed to click DERP on the votes because...
You're too insane awesome and might kill reward me
I don't kill people. I am a cute and cuddly teddy bear who writes stories and never sleeps (okay I admit, that is kinda scary).
And I noticed the whole "fan-girling" thing going on in your sig XD
But did you read the story? 
RE: [Story] Good People Die - ChinaBladeâ„¢ - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 11:54 AM)Insomniac Wrote: (Aug. 06, 2012 11:51 AM)ChinaBladeâ„¢ Wrote: This whole thing just got put into my funny posts part of my sig. XD
Anyways, I'm scraed to click DERP on the votes because...
You're too insane awesome and might kill reward me
I don't kill people. I am a cute and cuddly teddy bear who writes stories and never sleeps (okay I admit, that is kinda scary).
And I noticed the whole "fan-girling" thing going on in your sig XD
But did you read the story?
I'm on chapter 3 XD But the title made me worry about you XD
Fan girling? What ever do you mean?
RE: [Story] Good People Die - sarabscientist - Aug. 06, 2012
That GIF is cute 
But yeah, the title could be perceived as odd ... if there are any suggestions though, I'll consider them and change it 
RE: [Story] Good People Die - ChinaBladeâ„¢ - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 12:01 PM)Insomniac Wrote: That GIF is cute
But yeah, the title could be perceived as odd ... if there are any suggestions though, I'll consider them and change it
It's a cool name I like it.
And so does Patmark
RE: [Story] Good People Die - sarabscientist - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 12:06 PM)ChinaBladeâ„¢ Wrote: And so does Patmark
...aaand now you gave me a reason to worry about you 
The POV switches in my story though, if they aren't disruptive or noticeable, I'm not changing it.
RE: [Story] Good People Die - ChinaBladeâ„¢ - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 12:08 PM)Insomniac Wrote: (Aug. 06, 2012 12:06 PM)ChinaBladeâ„¢ Wrote: And so does Patmark
...aaand now you gave me a reason to worry about you
The POV switches in my story though, if they aren't disruptive or noticeable, I'm not changing it.
I just finished it and it's awesome XD
When he said "Game", I couldn't help but think of the Hunger Games.
Derp moment.
RE: [Story] Good People Die - sarabscientist - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 12:24 PM)ChinaBladeâ„¢ Wrote: I just finished it and it's awesome XD
When he said "Game", I couldn't help but think of the Hunger Games.
Thank you
But the game takes place in another dimension where he is dead ...
I don't see any hungry people there. Except they might be hungry for life XD
RE: [Story] Good People Die - ChinaBladeâ„¢ - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 12:25 PM)Insomniac Wrote: (Aug. 06, 2012 12:24 PM)ChinaBladeâ„¢ Wrote: I just finished it and it's awesome XD
When he said "Game", I couldn't help but think of the Hunger Games.
Thank you
But the game takes place in another dimension where he is dead ...
I don't see any hungry people there. Except they might be hungry for life XD
Lolz.
I now understand this. XD
... I'm still trying to figure out how you came up with this.
RE: [Story] Good People Die - sarabscientist - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 12:29 PM)ChinaBladeâ„¢ Wrote: ... I'm still trying to figure out how you came up with this.
Don't sleep for a couple of days straight and develop some OCD for the computer, it'll come naturally.
RE: [Story] Good People Die - ChinaBladeâ„¢ - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 12:32 PM)Insomniac Wrote: Don't sleep for a couple of days straight and develop some OCD for the computer, it'll come naturally.
.... That is exactly how I came up with my current story.
RE: [Story] Good People Die - King of Misfits - Aug. 06, 2012
Something Derp is going on....
I LIEK IT!
RE: [Story] Good People Die - sarabscientist - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 1:37 PM)Death Bro Wrote: Something Derp is going on....
I LIEK IT!
Thanks. But seriously, derp is not the only thing XD
RE: [Story] Good People Die - *Ginga* - Aug. 06, 2012
Okay, I love this story.
EDIT: Wow, I am surprised that code worked! XD
RE: [Story] Good People Die - sarabscientist - Aug. 06, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 1:53 PM)Ginga Blader Wrote: EDIT: Wow, I am surprised that code worked! XD
And if it was broken, I would indeed die.
RE: [Story] Good People Die - Tech - Aug. 06, 2012
I should worry about you. This just gave me the greatest idea for a new story.
Sarah, prepare for flood of PMs.
RE: [Story] Good People Die - sarabscientist - Aug. 07, 2012
(Aug. 06, 2012 8:19 PM)War Wrote: I should worry about you. This just gave me the greatest idea for a new story.
Sarah, prepare for flood of PMs.
Looking forward to your new story
[Image: 24541089.jpg]
EDIT: LOL, messed the meme up.
By the way, it looks like derp is a pretty popular option!
RE: [Story] Good People Die - Tech - Aug. 07, 2012
Its only going to be 2-3 chapters.
Humorous? Very.
Senseless? Well, I'll leave that up to you.
RE: [Story] Good People Die - ☣ - Aug. 07, 2012
I didn't really read it because I know it's going to be Awesome!!
RE: [Story] Good People Die - Tech - Aug. 07, 2012
How are you supposed to enjoy it if you don't read it...?
|
