book 2 of You Can Sleep When You're Dead .

Life is but a dream for the Dead

My eyes flew open everything hurt it was hard to see "urrgh where am I."

Laid down on a river bank in a wood pain crept over every part of me I look around unsure of how I got there or what has happened to me I feel a longing for someone I try to say a name but it does not come to me. Is it my name no I know that it's "…." wait no ehh what is my name? Who am I? aargh there is that pain aging. I look down to see a hole in my hip my clothes ripped to shreds well who ever I am I have had one bad day out.

Dragging myself out of the water I look back up the stream "I must have come from that way." I try to stand up but there is a searing pain in my leg and hip.

Just what happened I'm hurt bad, I'm cold and wet so I need to get dry I start to hobble along the back up river every step hurting every now and then I stop to try and relive the pain.

After about an hour I come across a bag next to a river it seems I recognise it. I shout out "my day sack" ok so I do know what it is, that's a relief and there I was thinking I had forgotten everything.

Maybe this will shine a light on who I am. But I need to get out of the weather as it is starting to rain.

I hobble for another 30 minutes when I see a farmhouse just in from the river bank "ah civilization" as I say that I am hit with images flooding my brain of creatures that eat the living that are decade and rotting the images are so vivid I nearly vomit from the smell's my brain fools me into having.

Just what the fuck is going on.

I arrive at the farm house to find it has been abandoned and the doors are not locked. It is an Asian themed house like from an old Japanese film. Well this is nice I think to myself and without thinking I go inside.

It is quiet inside the house is devoid of all life I wonder around aimlessly I don't live here. Where are the owners? I stand in a large area with an open hearth it's not lit this must be the kitchen I move to another room there are chairs and a sofa around a dark brown coffee table I go to the next room it's a bedroom and on from that is a bathroom.

At last a towel and some robes. I removed my shredded clothes stiffly and still in pain some of them are sticking to me where other injuries have started to heal into the cloth. fuck that hurts I dry off and put on a robe feeling 100% better than I did.

I go back to the sitting room and sit on the sofa and place my old clothes and bag in front of me I go through the pockets of my clothes first.

I find a note book but it is soaking wet a lot of the pages have run and stained I have a map in a plastic bag it is marked up with a route to somewhere I'm in Japan well that answers the question of this house. on the back it is marked safe zone is on Nagashima island so that is where I'm going next I find a pocket multi tool it has Leatherman stamped onto it "handy" finaly is one bullet I study it. it has stamped on the bottom RG 5.7mmx28 this brings back memories of me using guns lots of guns images pass through my head of people that I have…. yes I have killed. But I feel no remorse for them. Ok so I must be a soldier or government worker.

Next I move onto my bag it has multiple pockets so I start on the front slim one I open it to find a sealed plastic bag I open this and find another note book then something drops out of it. a photo.

it is of a girl dressed in a white robe with black bottoms'. I look at the face and my heart knots in some sort of recognition, I can't help but just stare at this girl she has long straight violet hair with a v cut into the fringe sapphire blue eyes, lips of a cherry red, she looks delicate like a butterfly.

The sight of her caused me to well up. How can this happen? Who is she? What is she to me? I turn the photo over and read the inscription.

James.

My heart will be your shelter/my arms shall be your home.

For I found love.

Saeko.

I read this and felt a tear roll down my face one of longing one of sadness. Was I James? Who was this girl this Saeko? What is she to me? As blackness envelops I'm so tired I need to sleep

0000

He was gone my love my child's father was gone we drove away fast from the bridge that it all happened on. Pulling Kohta down from the top of the Humvee after punching Rei off of me, only to turn around and hear a dull thud of an explosion and smoke rising from where the battle was happening. "No no NOOOOOOO." I screamed as the tears streamed down my face.

Sinking back down I had the most gut wrenching feeling that I had ever experienced Saya wrapped her arm around me to try and console me. "It ok he will be ok."

My answer was barely a whisper. "He's gone… the only man to understand me the only one to accept me and now he's gone." I sank down further and fell into a dreamless sleep.