Death is Not the End
Chapter 4
"Sail through the wind and rain tonight
You're free to fly tonight
And you can still be free
If time will set you free..."
I could hear the rocks and dirt shift beneath my feet as we moved down the rough road. Everyone was following us, and I truly felt like a leader then. Everyone was counting on me. And as much as that excited me, I also felt a bit too responsible.
So far, no Phantoms had bothered us yet. I could only cross my fingers that we wouldn't at all.
"Doc...what is that?" Neil pointed, and my heart beat faster.
"Neil," Jane answered, "that's a tree."
Grey, Ryan and I laughed at Neil's mistake, and he blushed.
"The exit shouldn't be far from here. Just keep moving," I instructed.
"Hey Jane...what do you think it'll be like when we get back on Earth?"
"You mean if we get back on earth? What if this woman is just a crock?"
"Well yeah, but do you think things will ever be the same?"
"Who knows? I know you'll always be the same," Jane retorted, and as she walked further ahead of him she mumbled, "Dumb, boring and ugly."
"Hey! I heard that!"
I glanced in Jane's direction, not letting on that I'd heard her words, but I did see a small smile creeping on her lips. It was so obvious there was something between them, although neither would ever admit it.
"They're ridiculous, aren't they?" Grey said close to my ear, and I jumped. I was in deeper thought than I knew.
"Yes, they are. And fun to listen to."
"Aki...you know I believe in you, right?"
I looked at him curiously. Had I ever doubted that? I already knew my answer. "Of course I do. I never doubted that for a second."
He nodded and added, "I just wanted to make sure. Not everyone thinks you're a crock. Jane is just jealous."
I mumbled a little in agreement, but really, his words made a world of difference to me.
Suddenly my heart skipped a beat. A huge thud rang in my ears, and I stopped dead in my tracks as I realized what was in front of me.
What had landed smack in front of us...was nothing other than a Phantom.
The first thing I noticed was its eyes. They burned with a fury that stung my insides, and I breathed faster. Now I knew I would have to drive a hard bargain to get past this one. I motionedfor Grey and the others to move back, and I stepped forward.
"Please," I said in their language. "Could you let us pass?"
"You speak our language. Unusual for a human."
This was the second thing I noticed about the Phantom. I was surprised a little at the deep tone and the formalness of his voice. This was the first time I'd ever heard a Phantom speak to me.
"Now why would I let you, and the entire population of Gaia pass by me?"
"Because it was too soon for some of them! Some of their spirits were taken out of sheer murder. And their lives on Earth were unfinished. Please...you must understand. They will be back. Just...when they're really ready. When their deaths are uncontrollable."
As I finished expressing my feelings, I felt a little foolish. I was pouring my heart out to a Phantom. Certainly something I never thought I'd be doing.
"Gaia is all we have, Ms...?"
"Ross. Aki Ross."
"Ms. Ross. Gaia has been ours for years. I certainly can't let you all go."
I bit my lower lip. Things weren't going like I'd hoped.
"Aki," Grey said from behind me. "What is it saying?"
I didn't turn to face him, but simply put a hand up to say 'hold on.'
"Well...how many can we take?"
The Phantom diverted its vision from me to the mounds of people behind us. He seemed to be making a mental count of the people. After a few moments, it turned its attention back to me.
"You have about 40,000 with you. You can let 30,000 go. Take the ones you want, and the other 10,000 must stay."
Ten thousand really seemed like a lot of people, but thirty thousand was quite a bit as well. I had to take it, or leave Grey there. So I nodded in agreement with his deal, and I headed toward the hordes of people that looked frightened, or excited, and some looked as far as joyous. Grey followed me, but I kept walking.
"What's going on? Did it say we could leave?"
"Thirty thousand of us."
"Out of how many?"
"Forty thousand."
"Well that's not bad. Right?"
I stopped walking, and looked in his eyes. "Ten thousand? Nah, that's not so bad. Their families on Earth don't matter. Ten thousand loved ones will be heartbroken, but yeah, that's pretty good," I snapped at him.
He stayed where he was, but I kept going. I felt bad for barking at him, but I had no time to apologize. Instead, I called back to him, "Tell the others. I'll be right back."
I didn't wait for his answer, because I was on a special mission. I climbed up onto a nearby rock, and made a motion for their attention. Luckily, I got it within a few minutes. Suddenly, I didn't know quite what to say.
"Thank you. I'm sure most of you know that I'm trying to get you all out of Gaia," I shouted, trying to reach everyone there. "And right now, I'm attempting to negotiate with the Phantom to get you all through. But I just found out...that ten thousand of you will have to stay here."
I paused; knowing that their reaction would overpower my words if I tried to say anything more. Just as I'd thought, a resound of murmurs, cries of distress, and shouts flowed through the crowd. As it died down, and they focused on me once again, I went on.
"So what I'm requesting is...and I know it's asking a lot...but I need all of those who are fifty and over, or who were not taken by a Phantom when they died, to stay here. I'm sorry. But this is how it has to be."
To my surprise, the crowd was silent. The people just stared at me, and I had to look away. Something about the disturbing quiet made me uncomfortable.
"I ask that those who I just mentioned would go back to the center of Gaia. Please. I'll make sure to get any special messages for you, just ask." I sighed, trying to keep up the courage I seemed to have right then.
"I have to go back now. Good luck to us all."
I jumped off the rock, and the uneasy silence followed me all the way up to the Phantom. And as I looked back, my heart ached for the disappointed looks I saw on the faces of the people turning and walking away. But the amount that was walking away looked to be about ten thousand.
"Okay...we're ready. Will you let us pass now?"
The Phantom looked at me close and hard, much like the way the one that inspected me had. I got the same feeling as I had then.
"No...you must stay here as well."
