Open your eyes

Devi slowly stirred, her hand automatically reaching to caress the skin above her heart. The flesh was intact, flawless. Her heart wasn't beating, but she seemed okay. She was laying on dirt, and was rather uncomfortable. She remembered the dark. Something had happened, but she wasn't quite aware. She opened her eyes expecting to find herself in a better place.

But the scene painted before her was all muted greys and browns. Dust blew in the wind, and decrepit buildings and fences hung about. A sign announced proudly "This is Heaven" and Devi stood.

"Perfect," She said, wandering about, trying to see more. It had a very distinct atmosphere. A perfect wasteland, Devi thought to herself. How poetic.

She was surprised to come upon the creature as easily as she did. For someone of such celebrity, you'd expect fences and signs and body guards. But in the middle of the desolate wasteland, a sign calmly announced God, a chubby little lima bean lounging on a couch before a television.

More thoughts were coming back to her. That stupid fuck Johnny. All the hate that had been boiling inside of her. She remembered laughing in ecstasy at his misfortune. But what had happened...

"God," She said unconsciously, not meaning to address the gnome. He distractedly hissed 'shh!' without looking up. Devi sighed and approached God. "I suppose you're impressed with yourself." She insulted half- heartedly. "It must've been hard to create and control such a fucked up world. Kudos."

God hissed evilly and pointed to the tv. Devi followed his glance; on screen, a man and woman were yelling. The man hit the woman, who fell. God laughed maniacally. The people onscreen looked vaguely familiar. Devi walked up to the television and pressed a button. The channel changed to another scene, a kid sitting on the top of the monkey bars with a crowd of kids screaming at him from below. Another channel showed a cashier at a gas station lying on the counter with blood spilling from his head. Devi began to viciously press the button, watching millions of clips of lives pass through the screen. Finally she stopped on a channel that was almost all black. A crying eye closed in the dark. A hand vaguely felt a shoulder. There was a slice through the air, and then a face rose above.... then broke down in sobs. Johnny fell over her body. Devi turned off the television subdued.

God wiped a tear from his eye and gave another hearty chuckle. Devi looked at him doubtfully. "I would question your authority but by now I'm far too cynical to be surprised." She said. Then wandered off again.

At the check-in window, a man asked for her name. Apparently, she was accepted into heaven, and she was given her own special little chair, and sat. Maybe now all the shit ends, she thought bitterly, not really believing it. She sat; strange little bugs buzzed about her head, and she slapped at them. They crushed easily into glittery powder that felt like dirt on her hands. "Goddamn, this sucks!" Devi leaned back and tried to lose consciousness in her thoughts.

Johnny was in front of her; he didn't know it, it was too dark. Devi gleefully approached and grabbed him, wrapping her arms around him and touching her lips to his neck. He shivered, his body tensed and agitated, and Devi was laughing at his frustration. He couldn't stand it that she was getting to him. Devi pushed him around and embraced him, loving the stupidity and accepting the fucked-up ness of the world. Devi could feel the blood rushing through her veins and she could breathe because she was finally alive, and she was tripping on a high of ecstasy and the world was finally beautiful in the hate and revenge. And then the knife was pushed inside and all the feeling was locked in that moment. Devi alive and dead in one perfect endless minute.

"Shit," Devi got up and paced about heaven. Everyone else was peacefully sitting in their chairs, content and quiet. "Fuck you!" Devi screamed at one. "Fuck this! How can you be happy in a place like this!" She noticed she was trembling, and then she began to run. She ran for a long time, her eyes closed, trying to feel endorphins or a faster pulse or fatigue. But it was nothing. She might not have even been running. She stopped, and wandered, looking through the sky and trying to figure out where she was, if this place even existed. Then she screamed again, letting go of any restraint, letting her voice become a desperate, animal roar. After a minute her voice cracked and broke, and she fell to the dust sobbing noiselessly.

Feet approached her, a small shadow cast over her lowered head. Devi swallowed thickly and hissed to herself "I'm going to kill him."

"You're the only one alive here." A small voice replied. "Everyone else looks dead. Why?" Devi looked up to see a small boy standing above her, scared and lonely, clutching a knife in his trembling hands.

"Give me that." Devi took the knife and slowly stood. She looked over to the boy standing beside her. "Hmm.... I wonder why you're alive."

"I'm scared."

"You're not happy, that's for sure." Devi glanced around them, at the solid people. "Perhaps that's why we're not that boring. We're unhappy."

"What's your name."

"Devi. Want to help me escape this place, little boy?"

"My name's Todd."

"That's great. Follow me." The little boy ran to catch up with her, and took her hand. She smiled and pulled him along among the crowd of corpses. After walking for a minute, she could hear the sounds of the television approach her ears. She smiled contentedly and sped up.

God looked up with annoyance as she approached him. She didn't slow down; rather, walked right up to him and sat on his lap. The expression on his face was priceless. God growled with self-righteous indignance, words on his lips as Devi tore the knife into his eyeball, losing the blade deep within his skull.

And all the dreams in the world slowly lost their breath.