Breaking Free: Outside In

Darkness reigned. If my life had passed before my eyes I would have embraced my death, but whatever was happening, it wasn‘t death. She was there, the mysterious little girl that wasn’t and I was vaguely aware of being moved from the wreckage I‘d created. Voices came and went through the revolving door that was my consciousness

“Stay away from the light.” The little girl said mockingly.

I blinked and above me bright white lights flashed on and off. There were other people with me, but I didn’t know them.

“Apply pressure. We have to stop the bleeding.” A male voice ordered.

“She’s already lost too much blood.” A woman said.

“Have a transfusion unit prepped for our arrival.” The man said.

Something told me they were talking about me. It didn’t sound good.

The lights and people drifted away until I was all alone again. The darkness gave way to the dim lighting of the streets. A gray fog surrounded me, but parted as I made my way forward. In front of me I saw an upside down car, just like the one I’d been driving. The wheels were still spinning and gasoline was dripping onto the asphalt. I tried to look around but the fog shrouded everything except for the car.

“You’re lucky to be alive.” The girl said from behind me.

I turned just in time to see her walk out of the fog. She had the nerve to be smiling.

“No thanks to you.” I said.

“You should have listened to me.”

“I wouldn’t do anything different.” I said.

She shook her head at me.

“Just my luck to be stuck with you.” She said.

“Could you be anymore cryptic?” I asked.

“I should have known.” She said, shaking her head some more. “Sarcasm is your answer to everything.”

“What do you know? You’re not even real.” I said.

“Not true. I’m just as real as you are.”

“Then why couldn’t Mark see you? Or better yet, why are you talking to me in my dreams?”

“You aren’t dreaming.”

It was my turn to laugh.

“Right.” I said.

She snapped her fingers and the car wreck disappeared in a swirl of fog. I felt like I was floating but all I could see was the wispy gayness of the fog. She was still there though. I could hear her laughing at me.

The girl poked her head back into the fog and beckoned me to come forward. I shrugged figuring I had nothing better to do. Outside of the fog there was a whole new world waiting. It was brightly lit like it was suddenly morning. Green grass was the predominant feature but it was hardly what caught my attention. In the not so far distance a stepped pyramid rose up out of the flat grasslands. From father away it would have easily been mistaken for a mountain but up close you could see the rock foundation reflection out from underneath the green overgrowth.

“That’s where you’re going.” She said.

“Where are we?” I asked.

I could hear the sound of ocean waves crashing against rocks, but it was beyond my vision.

“It’s the tomb of Fu Xi.” She said.

“Who?”

“Fu Xi. It doesn’t matter, Dr. Michaels will explain when the time is right.”

I did my best to contain the growing urge to grab the little girl by the throat and shake.

“Why are you showing me this?”

“Because I’m trying to help you.”

“If you are really trying to help, you’d answer my questions.”

“We don’t have time for your incessant questioning. Try listening and figuring some things out for yourself.” She said.

I know it’s a bad thing to slap a child, but I really, really wanted to wipe the smirk off her face. The superior attitude, particularly coming from a kid, was more annoyance than I was in any mood to put up with.

“Inside the tomb there is a blue crystal with some rather unique properties. Those who are seeking it do not understand its true power, but without them you will never reach it.” She said.

“I assume you are referring to the people who have been trying to kill me.” I said.

“They only wanted to capture you. It was you who forced them into taking more drastic measures.”

“Because I’m supposed to trust the word of a child I don’t even know who isn’t even there.” I said.

“I am not a child.” She replied.

I had no idea what I was supposed to say to that assertion. If my eyes didn’t say what I was thinking I’m sure the slight tilt of my head and the dubious expression on my face cleared it up.

“What you see is an image from the past. I am however much older than you Allison.”

“Which explains why you sound like a snotty brat as well.” I said.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have time to wait for you to mature.” She replied.

“And this is the part where you mention you need my help.”

“I do. You must secure the crystal, escape from your captors and bring it to Joseph Candle.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because without the crystal I will never be able to escape.”

“You’re a prisoner someplace?” I asked.

“In a manner of speaking. There was an accident and I was trapped.”

“An accident around you? I can’t imagine.” I said. “I realize you don’t like answering questions but how will a long lost crystal help?”

“Alone it is useless, but if used in conjunction with the appropriate counterparts it is possible it will act like a key and release me.” She said.

The pieces suddenly fell into place. I knew Mr. Candle’s agenda was far from revealed but I’d honestly feared it was something sinister. It was a relief to be wrong.

“Mr. Candle knows you. He knows where you are trapped and all of this is about getting you free.” I said.

“Yes.” She said. “Will you help me?”

“I’ll try.”

“If there was someone else, I would ask them.” She said.

“You don’t trust me.”

“I know you. You’re always looking for shortcuts. You avoid responsibility. You don’t listen to anyone, whether you know them or not. You think you’re always right and your way is always best. Life doesn’t work that way Allison.” She said. “Life is messy and sometimes all you can you do is clean up the mess. The question with you is whether you’ll clean up the mess or just walk away like you normally do.”

“You sound like my mother.” I said.

“If I was your mother you’d have learned about responsibility and hard work long before now.”

“Why me?” I asked.

It was the question she was avoiding the most. Her lecture about my faults, true or otherwise, was merely her way of masking the real issues. For some reason she seemed to prefer me being in the dark. Personally, I’m not too fond of darkness.

“That is difficult to explain.” She said.

“Of course it is.”

“The people who have taken you, they consider themselves guardians of the medallion. For over four hundred years they’ve done all they could to keep it from being found, but you come along and suddenly the medallion is recovered.” She said.

If she was answering my question at all, it was definitely in the most roundabout manner imaginable.

“I guess they didn’t see me coming.” I said.

“On the contrary. They’ve been waiting for you since the beginning. There was a prophecy about the person who would recover the medallion. You’ve fulfilled the first part of it and they will expect you to fulfill the rest of it.” She said.

“That’s impossible. Coincidence maybe or more likely they’re just re-interpreting something so that it fits with the modern reality.” I said.

“Indeed. They’ve been waiting for a woman who would use their own weapons against them in a devastating manner and would then dive into the sea and return with the medallion.” She said. “Whether you believe in their prophecy or not, they do. You must take advantage of their faith.”

“So according to this prophecy, what do I do next?” I asked.

“You reluctantly lead them to the crystal.” She said.

“I think I can manage the reluctant part.” I said.

“I’m sure you can. If I could spare you the process of their persuasion I would, but I cannot.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“It won’t be, but you must endure. When they are satisfied, they will bring you here to the tomb and you will use the medallion to unlock the door.” She explained.

Suddenly, the surroundings started to spin. I felt nauseated and dizzy like I’d just stepped off a merry-go-round. The girl disappeared and everything became very dark. Above me there was a small light getting closer and closer and brighter and brighter. I tried to shield my eyes but found I could no longer move. I was lying on my back and there were people around me again.

“Charging!” A woman’s voice said.

“Clear!” A man ordered.

“Wait!” The woman said. “We’ve got a pulse. She’s stabilizing.”

All I could see was the light, but from what I was hearing I had an idea that I was in a hospital someplace and that I’d almost died. I could feel the people around me more than see them and I felt that they were not as friendly as their lifesaving actions.

“Will she live?” A male voice asked from a distance.

“Long enough to serve her role.” Another man said.

“Excellent. Put her in with the others.” The distant man ordered.

My world turn dark again. This time there were no dreams and no annoying little girl to contend with. It was simply the absence of anything at all and I rested within it. Perhaps things would be clearer after awhile, but somehow I doubted there would be much to be happy about.