Chapter 3: Light

   Black. Everything's black. Then I notice that I'm freezing, except for my right hand. It's warm. I hear the voice again.

               The Darkness

Cold, black, and alone

   I see a girl, the ghostly girl I saw before. She is the one that has been telling me this over and over. 'What does it mean?' I want to ask. Silence except for the girl. Again I see my bullets hit her. She's falling. I run, my body aching, but I catch her just in time. Blood is all over her. She touches my cheek and to my surprise she's warm. Almost like my hand. "Death is not far away..." She whispers and disappears from my arms. I hear singing from some unknown place. The voice is so sweet and calm. It's a new voice. I feel a sharp pain in my chest, in several different places. Also in my back, arms, and head. My head feels cloudy, like after I wake up in the mornings, but this is more intense. I see light for the first time in a while. It gets closer and closer. I feel an intense pain in my back on my shoulder blades. It's like nothing I've ever felt before. Bigger and bigger the light. The pain gets worse. Brighter and brighter the light.

   I open my eyes, my vision blurry, but getting better little by little. I hear the singing better. It's coming from a girl sitting beside me. I gaze toward her, not able to move my head. She's holding my hand and it looks like she's half asleep. She doesn't know I'm awake. It hurts to even try to move, there's only one way to show her that I'm awake. I squeeze her hand a little, even that hurts. She opens her eyes and looks down then looks at me. "Your finally awake!" She says softly. Apparently she hasn't gotten very much sleep since there's dark circles under her eyes and judging from the room it's the middle of the night. "How...long have I been asleep?" I ask quietly, my voice not fully funtional. "Well, I don't really know exactly how long, but I found you on the beach a week ago." The girl says. "A whole week?" I mumble. "Um...I'm Kiara! And you're Sheiba, right?" She says. "How do you know my name?" I ask her very suspicously. "You told me...when I found you." The girl says getting quieter.

    I raise up and pain surges through me. I cringe then look around. "Where am I?" I ask. "The coast of California..." She says. "The United States...?" I ask myself. The pain gets a little worse and I put my arm around my stomach. "Does it hurt? I could get something to help it if you want." She says standing up. I let her go without an answer. It's been a while since I've been unconscious. I notice my gun sitting on a small table next to the chair then lay back and realize that the pain on my shoulder blades is completly gone. Was I just hilucinating? I wonder. A few minutes later that girl comes back in with a glass in one hand and medicine in the other. She sits back down on the chair she was in earlier and extends them toward me. I don't take them. It's very hard for me to trust anyone, especially after I just met them. "Do you...not want them...?" She asks like she's heartbroken. I look down at her hands and see black leather gloves. "It's the middle of the night. Don't you ever take your gloves off?" I say. Her eyes widen and her face turns red. She hangs her head low and sets the glass and medicine down. "It's nothing...I uh...just like wearing them so much I don't wanna take them off..." She says with a smile that's obviously fake.

   The door swings open and I grab my gun, my wounds acheing more than ever due to the sudden movement. I point it towards the door my eyes half open. That girl is obviously scared. A tall muscular man with dark brown hair and blue eyes walks in. "J-Jerimiah." Kiara says softly. "I heard voices so I came to investigate. It seems the boy is awake." He says. "Uh...ya...he was just asking me where he was and all that." She says. He smiles at her then adverts his gaze towards me, which turns cold. I can feel the tension in the air, which is coming from me too. "His eyes are still terribly red, the saltwater must not be all washed out yet." This so called, Jerimiah says, "Can you see okay?" "Okay enough to blow a hole through your head." I say flatly as I pull the hammer back. The girl freezes, she's terrified. Nothing I'm not used to, but Jerimiah just smirks. "How can you do that with an unloaded gun?" He asks. Damn! I forgot I used all my bullets on Hurachio! Again I hear that voice. I uncock my gun, but keep hold of it. "Where's my coat?" I ask. "If you're thinking about leaving, you're out of luck. Your wounds haven't completly healed and your strength is too low." Jerimiah says. I know he's right. "I haven't washed it or your other clothes yet, but I will tomorrow. I promise!" The girl says.