//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - Into The Nothing // Story: Here We Go Again! // by Bazing //------------------------------// Screaming on the inside I am frail and withered Cover up the wounds That I can't hide Walls that lie between us The saint within the sinner I have lost the nerve But it's all right Carry the wounded and shut your eyes All will be forgiven None will rise Bury the fallen and lead the blind I will fight the loss Dead inside Into the nothing Faded and weary I won't leave and let you fall behind Live for the dying Heaven hear me I know we can make it out alive Leave me at the bottom I am lost forever Letters from the dead Say goodbye Sorrow falls upon us This will be the last time Days begin to end But I'll get by Follow the hopeless And shut your eyes All will be abandoned None will shine Gather the broken and leave this life Lying in the earth Side by side Into the nothing Faded and weary I won't leave and let you fall behind Live for the dying Heaven hear me I know we can make it out alive I'll keep you inside Where I lead you cannot follow Straight into the light As my breath grows still and shallow Into the nothing Faded and weary I won't leave and let you fall behind Live for the dying Heaven hear me I know we can make it out alive Stay with me You're all I have left I know we can make it out alive Stay with me You're all I have left I know we can make it out alive Breaking Benjamin - Into The Nothing ----------------------------------------------------- Feeling slowly began to return to my limbs. My eyes were still covered, or perhaps they were still intangible. I didn’t know, but I couldn’t see. After several seconds, the swirling blackness before me gave way, revealing a rocky landscape. As I watched, the black wisps around slowly floated together and formed the rest of my body. I brought my hand up to my face as the last few pieces of me drifted together. Once I was solid, the remaining mist peeled away, leaving me standing alone. I looked around, it looked like a scene from a science fiction movie. Everything was either burned or burning. Vast lakes of magma bubbled and hissed, creating the only light in the area. I looked up, expecting to see the moon, as it was night. But it wasn’t there, and only a few stars. ‘There’s nothing…..’ All I could think was “Where the fuck am I now? Maybe I’m going crazy… god I hope im going crazy...” I walked to a large rock, and sat down. As I did, the red glow from the magma lakes brightened as a great column of fire shot into the sky, falling back the earth with an almighty crash. I watched mesmerised, as the world around me convulsed, shaking and, falling apart, revealing new rock, or another never-ending spire of fiery death. While I was fixated on the crumbling world around me, I failed to notice the large streams of magma running along the ground, from the base of a large mountain, all the way into the distance, as far as I could see. But I could feel the heat against my legs, it was nice, almost comforting. That quickly changed, as I looked up, the stream was slowly making its way toward the rock where I sat. I panicked, jumping up with a loud “OH FUCK!” The liquid fire sizzled like it was boiling, as it flowed toward me. I took several steps backward, until my heels collided with something hard. I looked behind me, there was only a cliff. Reaching up into the sky for as far as I could see. However, there was a ledge that didn’t seem to far up. The way I saw it, I had two choices, Climb the cliff, or take my chances jumping from one lava-free spot to another. Well, I could also just die. Deciding to take my chances, I turned to the cliff face behind me, I grabbed the closest piece that stood out and pulled myself up, and I barely made it 3 feet of the ground when the river of fire collided with the ground I had been standing on. It sizzled and spat, only spurring me to climb higher, and faster. As I did however, I noticed that the ledge I had spied earlier was a lot farther up than I expected, almost a hundred meters. Again, I panicked, feverishly grasping at outcrops and cracks in the cliff-face. About halfway up I had to stop, my arms were burning, and not from the flames below me. I managed to worm my fingers into a small crevice, and my feet sat perched against a rock jutting out, horizontally. I wasn’t close enough to the ledge to make a grab for it, but I definitely didn’t like the alternative. I knew I would die if I stayed here, so I climbed the rest of the way, tried to at least. In about 3 minutes, I had made my way up to the last little handhold before the ledge, but I had encountered a problem. There was currently a three meter gap between me and my salvation. I was astonished; the Cliffside was completely smooth, almost polished looking. I immediately looked around for another way up, not that I could actually make it if I found one. I could barely hang on the way I was now. I was definitely not made for climbing. As I held on I realised something I wished I never would. ‘I am going to die’ This was it, my whole life had come down to this moment. ‘Wait…. This can’t be real...’ I frowned in confusion, first I wake up in a hospital with a talking horse, next I'm in hell. Seriously I’m pretty sure I’m in hell right now. I mean there are no demons or anything, but people could have been wrong right? I came to a conclusion pretty quickly, I was asleep. Either that or I was REALLY high. But seeing as I can still move and all, and I'm not sluggish, I don’t think it was drugs. Then again, I had never had a dream feel so real. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t be able to hold on like this for much longer, my fingers were already hurting, and my feet were pressed so far into the toe of my shoe that I didn’t think I would be able to take them off later. As I continued to panic, I felt something familiar wash over me. Exactly as it had in the hospital room, a feeling of heat washed over me, almost like warm water. I knew what this meant, I was going to disperse again in a moment, and I really didn’t want to do that, considering where I ended up the last time. But alas, it seemed I wouldn’t have any say in this matter as I suddenly dropped an inch, my fingers barely able to hold on anymore. In a panic I frantically grasped at the nearest rock, only to find myself grabbing with… nothing. My hand was gone, and as before, the mist was pouring off of my body, blown by some unseen wind, taking parts of me with it. With nothing to hold on to, I fell. Straight toward the bubbling, liquid fire below me. It took me a moment to realise that I couldn’t feel the heat. As I went, more of me faded away, until I was only about a meter above my impending doom. And my vision blacked out. ---------------------------------------------------- As I came together, I was greeted by the sight of… actually nothing, I was back in the hospital, exactly where I had left. Literally nothing had changed, the same door was closed, the same dead flowers sat on the mantle, and the same strange equipment was laid out around the room. I moved to the door, cautiously, and opened it. As I walked out, I was greeted by a sight I never thought I would see again. Out of the room to my right walked a man knew well. I did a double take, not quite registering what was before me. He looked at me, and said “Well then.” My mind was whirling; I could have sworn I saw Seluj. “Nope.” I turned right back around and walked back into hospital room, only to find a rather annoying pink horse waiting for me with a comically large smile on her face. “Nope” I repeated, “Nope nope nope nope nope.” I walked back out to the hall, and stood, staring. I looked to the other man, “Are there any horses in that room?” I asked, pointing to the door he had come out of. “Nope.” “Good.” I walked past him, straight through the door, closed it, and sat in the only chair, facing the window. Sure it was lonely, but at least here I wasn’t insane. It wasn’t long before I heard the door behind me opening, followed by footsteps across the tile floor. “Dude…” he said, slowly coming closer. I froze, “Nope.” I stood, walked forward, and jumped headfirst through the window overlooking the hospitals front lawn. The glass shattered around me, I'm sure it cut me at least once. Before long I was falling again, ‘This is really becoming a habit....’ I thought as I fell. However, my fall was soon arrested by a leathery surface that gave under my weight, before I could realise what was happening, I was flung back into the air. I opened my eyes, still clammed shut from breaking the window, I saw two things; one, that I was back in the air shooting toward the window I had broken out of, two, that I had landed on a damn trampoline. But worse, was the pink horse standing next to it, watching me sail through the air with barely repressed glee. I closed my eyes and sighed. ‘This is gonna be a long day…..”