B12

THUMP

A cloud of dust billowed above the young woman and wafted outwards into the vicinity. Specks of dirt rained back down upon her ground embedded body. She laid flat within the shallow impression into the soil. Her figure remained motionless in the gentle, arid breeze. The wind worked through her dark hair, ruffled her loose shirt, and stirred debris upon her shorts. The moonlight beamed down from around slow moving clouds in the starry night sky.

Her green eyes fluttered open, and stared distantly into the stars above. Seconds of eerie peace passed in the night time wilderness. With a surge of shock, her body tensed, her face contorted, and chest puffed up. Her mouth sprung open, and air rushed into the vacuum in a forceful, shrill gasp. Panting in a panic, she squirmed upon the sandy ground between sparse grass and short trees, and coughed between gulps of wind.

As her breathing settled to a slower, regular rate, she blinked absolutely bewildered. She bent her knees, moved her ankles, and wiggled her sock covered toes. She lifted arms up slowly, glanced them over, and flexed her fingers. She laid her limbs back down, searched her mind, and mouthed, “What the fuck?”

Slowly she eased her upper body out of the shallow indentation into the dirt, sat up on the gritty soil, and looked around. Her hands moved through different motions, and she inspected her arms. She watched her feet move, and slowly pulled her knees up towards her chest. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she rested her chin upon her knees and furrowed her brow. She hunted through her recent memories. After pause, she glanced up at the overhead railroad bridge joining the two sides of a deep chasm.

“I’m... Alive? Am I? Alive?”

Blinking at the notion, she shook her head, combed her fingers through her dark hair, and laughed.

“No... I can’t be. I let go. I fell. I remember that. This has got be-”

She darted her gaze around. Looking down, she felt the dirt mold of her backside pressed into the dirt, and cocked her head in utter disbelief.

“Huh... I don’t think I’m a ghost... I think my body would be here... and... maybe I’d be more... Um... transparent? And lighter?”

Slowly studying her surroundings, she frowned and fought an uneasy grimace.

“Well, if this is an afterlife... I’m not that impressed. Nothing like they said it’d be.”

She pressed her two fingers upon her neck and counted the pulsing of blood in her body.

“Oh shit... I actually LIVED through that? I mean... Not just survived, but I’m... okay? I don’t think anything is broken. No pain.”

Biting her lip, she steadied herself, slipped her legs underneath, and stood up. She kept her arms out for balance, waited, and eased them to her sides.

“Holy fuck. I think I’m fine. Well, physically. Yes. Body is okay. Um... Wow...”

Her shoulders slumped, her gazed widened, and she tilted her head to the side with a dumbfounded gawk, “How?”

She returned her attention to the ground below, stepped forward, and twisted her feet upon the dirt.

“I should be DEAD. Not just hurt. But, DEAD. Real DEAD. But, I’m here still. This all feels like I’m alive. So...”

Her gaze wandered up to the distant steel girders of the train bridge overhead and the tall canyon walls.

“Huh... Okay... So... How the hell am getting home? Since I’ve oddly done the one thing I planned to do tonight. And, failed at it. So strange...”

She walked aimlessly around the impact site, searched around for her shoes, and sighed.

“Okay. What the hell can explain this? Um, I guess I got super powers? That just activated upon extreme stress? Yeah... Maybe... That somewhat explains this. Just for some reason I got super powers at the very last second that saved me. I guess, I’ll go with that.”

Her green eyes flitted wide, and she focused her stare upon the railroad tracks above. With a surge of determination, she threw her fist up into the air, and leaped up. Gravity promptly guided her back down, and she stumbles for balance after a sloppy landing.

“Well, THAT actually makes sense. Invulnerability and no flying powers. My usual luck. So, that’s proof enough for me. This is real and I’m alive.”

She drew a long breath in, sighed, and wandered her aimless stare around the dark moonlit canyon floor.

“How the hell do I get out of here?”