29
Zanika
Something wet drippingdown my leg. I can’t see anything—or feel anything, for that matter. It’s like I am opening my eyes for the first time, learning how to do it. In front of me, I see nothing but broken and mangled silver. I can’t figure out where I am. Is this a dream?
I look down, a thick, jagged branch, soaked in blood, going through my thigh. The black hair covering my face is drenched in blood. I turn to my left and see Neb lifeless in his seat. At first, I think it is just a trick of the light until I see the muscle and bone in his shoulder. I look around but cannot see where his arm has gone. There is a branch going through his abdomen and one narrowly missing his head, plunging through the seat.
I look at all these sights and, in my daze, accept them for what they are. I turn my gaze around and see that we are stuck in a tree. There is nothing but serene quiet around me, and I almost feel at peace with the world.
I start to feel a tingling in my body. I hold up my hands and see them shimmering in the sunlight. They are slowly vanishing completely; the shimmer is enveloping me in itself.This must be what dying feels like.I turn my gaze to the man I love and see his body vanishing before my eyes, leaving his wounds in this world. Wherever we’re going, I hope we end up there together.