Follow The Raven

Gray. The world of the dead is incredibly gray, depressing, and bordering on the morbid side. I know, everyone here is dead, but can't death be a little more gay? Apparently not.

I walked through the Gate, there really isn't any turning back. If I understand what the raven told me correctly, I really don't have an option in this. If I wasn't safe in the land of the living, I'm apparently safer in the world of the dead, which is ironic because I never belonged in the land of the living, because I had a connection with the dead, and now that I'm among the dead, I'm still alive. Apparently, I was born to fit in nowhere. Funny how that works out sometimes.

From Limbo and through the Gate, I walked straight into a room. No one was there, but it seemed to be inhabited. I know stand in front of the window, looking down on the bustling street below. The people were dressed like they were from the 1800s, all of them. Come to think of it, everything looks circa 19th century. Was this world stuck in that century or something? Or was it such a nice century that they didn't want to move further?

"Can I help you?" A voice from behind me said, shocking me. This whole ordeal seemed to be attached with people talking to me from behind without warning me and scaring me. I turned around and saw a weary woman, somewhere in her thirties probably, with blond hair and a long formal, but worn-out dress.

"Um, hi," I said, really not knowing what to say. Could they tell that I was still alive? That's actually a very good question; one that I probably should have asked the raven, before it ABANDONED ME!!!

"Yo-yo-you're still alive!" The woman exclaimed, dropping the basket of fruit she was holding. Okay, maybe they can notice. How do I even answer to that? How am I going to answer to that in the future, because she's probably not going to be the only one to notice...

"How are you here and alive?" She asked, a look of astonishment on her face as she walked over to me slowly. I sort of backed up a little, she's probably harmless, but you never know. I shrugged, how am I supposed to know that? I'm the one that got shoved down the rabbit hole. Alice had it better, man, at least she got to choose if she wanted to go down the hole or not, I was pushed by a vicious dog thing.

"Is it that obvious that I'm alive?" I asked, trying to keep this from being a one sided conversation. I have questions too, and I probably need them answered first.

"Well, of course, you look so...alive," she said, realizing that she was having a hard time trying to explain how I look alive exactly.

"That really didn't help," I said, trying to keep from having a silence fall upon the room.

"Where am I?" I asked spontaneously. Might as well start from the basics.

"London," she replied. London?!?! What am I doing in London? If it was Boston or New York, I would understand, Sherwood is in the middle of both, but London?!?!

"I'm Amy Crawford," she said, also trying to ameliorate the current situation.

"Lara Crevan," I replied, with a small smile. The raven said that I would make a lot of enemies, maybe Amy could be one of those few friends that would answer my questions, or at least answer some of them.

"That is a pretty name," she commented, a small smile forming on her face. She started picking up the fruit that she had dropped upon finding me in her room. I bent down and started helping her. I didn't know that fruit was grown in the underworld. Hmm, you learn something new everyday.

"Here, you must be hungry," she said, holding an sort of apple thing towards me. It was shaped like an apple, but it had a grayish red to it, so I don't really know what it is.

"Thank you," I said, taking a bite out of it. Mmm, dead food is better than living food. Ironic.

"I can't believe this," Amy said after a while sitting down.

"Is it that hard to believe? I'm sure this happens often, I mean the portal I went through was just an open tomb, humans must pass through all the time if they're as central as that one was," I said, continuing to look down at the street. The people here are similar to those alive, they still do groceries, have jobs, probably have friends, the only difference is that everyone here seems to have a sense of fear. Of what, I couldn't possibly know, but they're all apprehensive, cautious.

"No no, the system is very well protected, any living human that crosses the portal is destroyed, the body, the soul, it doesn't exist anymore," Amy explained. Okay, I can understand why I'm kind of shocking.

"Why is everyone afraid?" I asked, never taking my eyes off the people below.

"What do you mean?" She asked, reluctant to come stand next to me.

"Down there, they're afraid of something," I said.

"This world is not well, there's a great evil spreading across the lands, burning towns, killing souls, the cities are safer, but only for now. Fire spreads, and its only a matter of time before it comes here," Amy said, looking down at the people.

"Stay here, don't answer the door, hide if anyone other than me comes in," Amy said, grabbing a shawl from a chair and making her way to the door.

"Wait, you're not leaving me alone are you?" I asked, jumping away from the window. That's actually a stupid question, but I just got here, in this strange world and the last thing I want is to be left alone.

"I'll be back, I'm going to get a friend, he'll know what to do," she said.

"What to do about what?" I asked.

"Because you're still alive, you're like a giant light in the middle of darkness, you stand out and its only a matter of time before something tries to get you," she said, running out the door before I could ask any more questions.

Can't someone just sit down with me for...eight hours and answer my questions, or at least tell me what's going on? So far, the only thing I know is that as always, I'm still not normal, because I'm the only human still alive here. There is something going on here, so if I was taken here because I would be safer, I'm not seeing that right now. Amy seems to be on my side, so I'm happy about that. Its better to start out clueless with a friend, than getting sautéed clueless and served for dinner, in my opinion.

---

~Amy's Point of View~

I walked quickly through the streets, making my way to East London as fast as possible. Lara can't be left alone for too long; its only a matter of time until something nasty comes and tries to get her. Naturally, she'll change into something else and will learn to defend herself and will be more resistant, but it could be months before that happens.

I walked up to a nice Victorian apartment building and knocked on the door. Come on, I need you right now!

"Oh Amy, how nice to see you," a man said, opening the door wide. I didn't even reply, I shoved him back in and closed the door after me.

"I'm so sorry to intrude like this Oliver, but I desperately need your help," I whispered, looking around to see if any of the servants were around.

"What is it Amy?" Oliver asked, going to sit down in his foyer.

"When coming home from groceries today, there was a girl standing in my room, a human girl," I said, the extent of this situation finally hitting me.

"A new arrival? Well, I can see how it would be shocking, they all come in at the posts, but exceptions are always-"

"She's still alive," I hissed cutting him off.

"What," he said, no emotion on his face or in his tone.

"A human girl, alive," he repeated, trying to possibly imagine this.

"I left her alone, you have to come back with me," I said, standing up and pulling him with me.

"Yes, you're right, I will come," he agreed, grabbing his hat and coat. We practically ran home, him dragging me behind him. I was absolutely terrified, I had left her alone for more than an hour, anything could have happened in that time.

---

~Normal Point of View~

"Come on sweetheart, share the secret, how did you manage to get here?" The man said, trying to grab me from under the table. I kept curling more, trying to avoid him. I was just minding my own business, exploring the random objects in the room, and out of nowhere, the door just flies open and this guy walks in, scanning the room until his eyes fall right on me. He knew. Its why he had come, he knew I still have pulse. I didn't need to have a whole introduction to the underworld to know what this guy was, between the gruffed up hair and yellow/gold eyes, he's a werewolf, and he's going to eat me.

"What secret? No secret here, I don't even know how I managed it myself," I said, trying to act all innocent, than seeing an opportunity, I kicked him in the face. That was actually pretty stupid, because that kind of made him mad.

"Come here, wench!" He yelled, trying to grab my leg and finally succeeding. I started screaming as he pulled me from under the table. He just picked me up, like a feather, and was about to bite my shoulder off. Great, I'm going to die. I survived Sherwood, I miraculously survived the trip to Limbo, the time in Limbo, and now I'm going to die in the world of the dead. That's just great. Brilliant, bloody brilliant.

I could actually feel his drool starting to ooze onto my shoulder. Ew, gross.

"Could you stop drooling on me?" I asked, trying to avoid him. If I'm going to die, I might as well die for a reason. He obviously didn't like that comment either, because he hit me! Didn't his mother teach him not to hit girls? I guess not.

I could feel the pain in my left cheek, and something oozing down it. Great, not only am I about to get eaten, but he just scratched my face up. I could feel his jaw about to close down on my shoulder, he's going to eat me. Oh my word, I'm going to die! You know, up until now the idea that I could die never occurred to me. I guess this would be the opportune moment to start thinking about that.