Night 26

By a stroke of luck, I'm free. Now that I'm separate from my body, there's a decision that I must make. Should I return to my earthly responsibilities and the people I've left behind, or should I finally pass on into a peaceful and eternal rest?

The young woman found herself in a dark abyss, where other glowing lights floated. There was quiet that threatened to linger endlessly. All direction had been suspended and all that remained was gaping blackness.

Suddenly, a soft and airy bell dinged twice, breaking the silence. Part of the group of ghastly orbs moved aside where a hole of white light opened. A figure floated out, carrying a gleaming scythe. It had a human skull for a head, wearing blue hat with a yellow cross and grey hair sticking out from underneath. Golden buttons held together its black robe.

"All of you souls have been wandering for a long time," he called out, addressing each of them in an assuring voice, "but I am here to help. The time has come for you to get the sleep you deserve.

"Come now! Line up, single file!" he directed them, and the orbs of light complied, with the young woman going along with them.

The skeleton spoke gently to the first light in line, "You've endured much, and you shall receive the peace that you yearn for."

With a grunt, the skeleton raised the scythe over his head and then brought it down, cutting through the ball of light. There was flash and a ghostly, relieved sigh. The ball disappeared and a shining sparkle floated upward. The skeleton waved and called after the light, "You can rest now!"

"Alright! Next in line! Let's move along quickly! Next soul to be set free!" The skeleton cut through the next few souls, each letting out a happy sigh as their new, star-like forms drifted away. Finally, the young woman found herself face to face with the skeleton.

"Next soul-" he grunted as he raised his scythe. The young woman drew away hesitantly. The skeleton paused. He carefully looked her over and stated, "Wait a minute, you're still longing for reality. You shouldn't be here. Get back into your body!"

I don't know where it is, the young woman explained, her voice a ghostly whisper.

"I see." The skeleton gave a tired sigh and shook his head, saying, "It's unfortunate that you haven't been the first. Alright, alright, give me a minute."

He turned away and with a grunt, he raised the scythe over his head. The blade was brought down until it pierced the abyss. With a fleshy tear, a hole was cut open revealing a kitchen below.

"There it is. Hm. This doesn't look good," the skeleton pointed at the body of a blond, young woman in uniform. She was lifelessly laid out on a large cutting board. Nearby, a chef made of candle wax was sharpening a bloodied knife half as big as himself. The skeleton continued, "You have a choice to make. Either you return to your body or leave reality behind. Hurry now! Make the decision you think is best."

The chef finally finished sharpening and, with light gleaming off of the wickedly sharp blade, he walked over to the body. The young woman jumped and gave her answer without any further hesitation.

I will return to reality. the young woman stated and dove through the hole, just as the chef raised his knife. The skeleton called after her, "Take care of yourself!"

The young woman went into her body and things went dark for a moment. Suddenly, her eyes flicked open and she found herself looking up at the ceiling. The smell of blood and spice filled the air. At the same time, a knife came down at her.

She rolled out of the way and the blade dug into the cutting board. The young woman pushed herself off of the counter and landed on the ground. The chef paused, caught off guard for a moment. In the next, the chef bolted around the counter, heading towards her, knife waving readily. The young woman turned and ran for the kitchen exit, batting a container of utensils at the chef as she went. However, the chef knocked the utensils aside without breaking his stride.

The young woman hurried out into the hall and then nearly ran into Gregory, who was taken aback at the sight of her.

"M-my dear! H-how did you-" he stuttered from surprise. She didn't respond and Gregory watched in confusion as she darted around him. In the next moment, the chef's enormous knife slammed down onto Gregory's head, splitting it open.

The young woman panted as she tore through the corridors. When she passed Room 203, the young woman skidded to a stop in front of Room 205. She went for the doorknob, but it was locked. Without hesitation, the young woman took a step back, raised her inwardly turned fists and swung her leg over, kicking the doorknob completely off. She then kicked the door open and marched into the room. The young woman snatched up the rifle leaning against the edge of the bed, and then she went back out of the hall. Passing through an intersection, she caught a glimpse of a green tent and the frog-like woman, with the crystal ball, expectantly watching her go by. The young woman rushed down the stairs, bolted through the front lobby and threw herself out the front doors. She hurried down the path, surrounded by tombstones with an inch of fog settled on the ground. As she began to leave behind the candle-light glow of the house behind her, the soil shifted under her feet and a skeletal hand took hold of her ankle.

The young woman jerked to a stop, nearly falling over. She looked to the tightly gripping hand and, after lifting her rifle above her head, slammed the butt of the gun against the hand. It broke to pieces on impact and crumpled to dust. The young woman immediately continued running, disappearing into the forest beyond.

All the while, Gregory, with a large and bloody crack going down the top of his head, stood in the doorway, and the chef joined his side as his carried his freshly-bloodied knife.

"You're letting her go?" came the chef's hissing inquiry.

Gregory scoffed and assured him, "It may seem like it, but she was the one who brought herself here in the first place. Just like all the other guests. If she can't stand to bear reality, then she'll be checking right back in, as if nothing ever happened.

"At Gregory House," he added with an oily chuckle, "when a guest leaves, we always keep their room ready for them, awaiting their swift return. He, he, he, he."

END

Moon's Meow: The final chapter!

Thank you everyone for all your patience and those that helped to spur me on. I hope you guys had fun reading and I wish the same for future readers that come across this story.

Please, leave your thoughts in the comments and help me to improve for later stories. Thank you!

And as an added bonus, here's the paragraph from a Shingeki no Kyojin wiki that helped to inspire this story: "[Annie] is depicted as laughing out loud as Eren, Mikasa and Armin tensely watch in silence. This change was pushed by Hajime Isayama with the intention of depicting Annie as more of an "average person" as opposed to simply being a "bad guy". The laughter is meant to convey a sense of relief on Annie's part, depicting her feelings of "sadness," "shyness," "openness," mixed with "guilt," "lonesomeness," and "fear"."