Memories
Sam and I were laughing as we returned home in our car from our little excursion.
"I remember that time you fell into that mud puddle, your fur was brown for a week!" she giggled.
I shrugged, embarrassed.
"If I remember correctly, you fell in it first, and I slipped trying to help you out," I countered.
"What's your point?"
"I love you,"
"I love you too," she said, laying her head on my shoulder
I glanced over her head, and saw a pair of bright lights approaching the car at a terrific speed.
SLAM!
I felt a sharp pain in my arm, but nothing mattered as long as Sam remained in danger.
I looked around the wreck of the two cars, and saw Sam laying on the ground a couple of meters away.
I rushed over to her, and nudged her shoulder.
"Sam? Sam, can you hear me?" I shouted at her, never noticing the huge hole on the other side of her head.
I grabbed my phone, and was dismayed to find that it was in pieces. Lots of pieces.
I reached inside Sam's coat, and was pleased to find that hers wasn't smashed.
I rang for an ambulance, but as soon as the words 'I need an ambulance' were out of my mouth, the pain in my arm peaked, and I threw up violently, before passing out over Sam's body.
The last thing I remembered before retreating to the peace and safety of my mind was the lack of a heartbeat in Sam's chest.
I glanced at the clock, hoping that I wasn't going to be late.
I grabbed my bags, and rushed out the door, and into the cab, which had been waiting for the last ten minutes.
The cabbie tapped his watch.
"That's going to cost you,"
I shrugged.
"Fine, whatever, just can you get me to the airport before six?" I asked.
The cabbie glanced at the clock in the cab, which read 5:30.
"I'll try, but no promises,"
I nodded, and we were off.
He got there at 5:52, so I gave him a tip, before rushing into the terminal, and into the waiting plane.
I was going to visit my girlfriend, Sam for her birthday, since I had to move away from work, and she couldn't come. She was a beautiful red vixen, standing at about 6'8", and she was the most popular kid in school. I never really understood why she chose me over many other guys, and to be honest, at first I thought it was a joke, but then, I was the only one who had the guts to actually ask her out.
The reason why I was so sceptical was because I was born with yellowish fur, with the ends of my arms and legs coloured black. This had lost me many potential girlfriends, but Sam thought it looked cute, which was one of the reasons we got together.
I looked out the window beside me, watching as the criss-crossed fields below me flew by.
We soon landed, and I was greeted by the sight of Sam waiting beside her car for me.
She smiled as she saw me, and opened the boot of the car.
"How'd you know I was coming?" I asked, surprised.
She shrugged.
"Well, you said you were going to try to come down some time," she said with a bemused expression, "And today seemed like the perfect day. So, where are we gonna go?"
"I want it to be a surprise," I replied.
"Aww, come on, Jack! Just a small hint?" she pouted.
"Nope!"
I opened the passenger door for her, and she stepped in, still pouting.
And with that, we were off.
I chose a winding path through the hills, with spectacular views on either side of the road.
We spent the day enjoying each other's company, gazing over lush, flowing valleys of green, red and sparkling blue.
"Sir! Sir, can you hear me?"
I glanced around, before turning to Sam.
"Did you hear that?" I asked her, confused.
"Hear what?"
"Shit! His heart's just stopped! Quick, get him in the ambulance!"
_Everything disappeared, and reappeared in the form of a hospital room.
I was lying on a bed, with someone talking to me.
"I'm sorry, but there was nothing we could do, she's gone,"_
Sam...
"Fuck! He's going into cardiac arrest again! Where's that defIB: ?"
I bolted upright, literally screaming Sam's name. Well, I would have, if I didn't have a tube going down my throat.
I started gagging, as a nurse ran in, and took it out.
My head throbbed, and my arm ached.
As soon as I was able to, I asked if Sam was alright.
The door opened, and a doctor walked in, to whom I asked the same question.
The doctor sighed.
"Jack," he said, ominously, "She's dead,"
My blood ran cold.
"Wh-what?"
"Jack, you were in a car crash. You were hit on the passenger's side by a drunk driver. She was killed instantly. I'm sorry,"
"B-but she can't be dead! She can't!"
I started crying, uncontrollably.
"She can't be dead," I whispered, before blacking out.
_I was sitting on a hillside, watching the sunset with Sam beside me.
"It's a beautiful day, and I had a great time. Thank you, Jack,"
She sighed.
"If only we could have just one more day together,"
I winked slyly at her.
"Well, you'll get that wish. I've got three weeks of long service leave coming up, and I'm gonna spend all of it with you!"
I looked at her, expectantly, and was confounded by her sorrowful expression.
"That's not what I mean, Jack," she sighed.
I looked at her, confused.
"Jack, we're not going to see each other for a long time. At least, not hopefully,"
I was still confused.
"Jack, I'm dead,"_
I slowly opened my eyes, and I thought I saw Sam sitting beside me.
I groaned, and sat up, dismayed to find that it wasn't Sam, but Chloe, a close friend of mine, who I've known even longer than Sam.
She yawned loudly, and shook herself awake.
"Jack!" she exclaimed, surprised, "You're awake!"
She ran to the door.
"Doctor, he's awake!"
A tall, grey wolf ran in, wearing a doctor's coat, and carrying a medical chart.
He walked over to me, and gave me a quick check-up.
"Good, let's try and keep it that way," he said, as he peered into my eyes, shining a bright light into them.
As he did, I remembered that night, remembered those lights.
I yelped in terror, as I turned my head away from the light, covering my face with my hands.
Within seconds, Chloe was sitting beside me on the bed, stroking my back comfortingly.
"What happened?" I heard her ask.
I slowly looked up, hoping to God that I wasn't going to remember anything else.
The doctor scratched his chin.
"Given the nature of the accident, I'm not surprised that that was his reaction,"
I was still shaking as he left.
I was discharged within a week, and Chloe had moved in with me. She assured me it was to keep me company, but I knew it was to make sure that I didn't do anything stupid.
Like taking my 9mm to my head and pulling the trigger...
One day, I was walking down a mountain trail, when I caught sight of something up ahead. It looked like Sam's favourite yellow dress...
I saw it go over a hill, and I ran after it, hoping to catch sight of it, and hopefully, Sam.
I skidded to a stop and almost tumbled into a deep ravine just over the hill.
I heard a familiar giggle, and looked around wildly, trying to find the source of it.
With a heavy heart, I slowly walked back down the rest of the trail.
I then felt someone tap me on my shoulder.
I turned around, and saw Sam smiling warmly at me.
"Oh, Sam! I knew you weren't dead!" I exclaimed, as I hugged her.
I noticed something sticky starting to coat my hair, and it was red...
I looked up, horrified, and saw a huge, gaping hole in the side of Sam's head.
"No, no! Y-you-re n-not- Keep away from me!" I yelled at her, backing away.
She looked hurt.
She slowly walked up to me, and gently caressed my face.
I whacked her arm away, and turned to run back into the house, but instead, I ran into Chloe, bowling the both of us over.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," she said, "What's wrong?"
I just shook my head, not wanting to put words to images about what I had just witnessed.
"If you don't tell me, I'll just have to have a peek myself," she said sternly.
"Wh-what?" I gasped, even more confused.
She shrugged.
"Fine, have it your way, then,"
She closed her eyes, and had a distinct look of concentration on her face.
Within seconds, I was reliving the events of the past day, all seen both from my point of view, and from somewhere outside my body...
With a gasp, her eyes flew open, and slumped to the ground.
She struggled up, with tears in her eyes.
"Jack, I'm so sorry! If I'd known, I swear that I'd never have done that," she stammered.
I took no notice as I saw a familiar dress fluttering on the edge of my vision, and as I smelled the familiar smell of Sam's fur...
Chloe looked around nervously.
I noticed it, and looked at her questioningly.
"You see it too?"
She just nodded.
With that, we walked back into the house, away from whatever was taunting us.
The next few weeks were absolute hell for me.
Chloe soon stopped seeing things the next day, which left me the question: was I seeing things, or not?
On one hand, it may've been something trying to contact me for whatever reason, and Chloe was able to see it because of her recent telepathic link to my mind; on the other, it could've been delusions brought on by loneliness and my longing for Sam, and Chloe was also able to see them because of the link.
To be honest, the second option was the probable one.
One night, I crept out of the house, being careful not to wake Chloe, and clutching the 9mm that I had taken from my drawer.
I started walking up the nearby mountain path, aiming for the lookout point at the end of the trail.
I saw Sam again, but I ignored her, and walked straight past.
I was surprised, then, when I found Chloe sitting on a rock, waiting for me.
"Hiya, Jack! Whatcha planning on doing with that gun there?" she asked me, cheerfully, "I hope you're not planning on leaving,"
"I-I-I'm sorry," I sighed, before whipping the gun to the underside of my chin, and pulling the trigger.
CLICK
I looked around, confused.
Chloe looked at me sadly.
"You didn't honestly think I'd leave that there without disabling it, did you?"
I sighed, and threw the gun away in disgust, before planting myself on the ground, my head in my hands.
She slowly walked over to me, and laid a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"I know what it feels like to lose a loved one, you know, and how much it hurts afterwards. And I know what you must be going through, and how desperately you wanna be with her again, but think of this: it isn't about how much we suffer that defines us, it's how we deal with it. I won't blame you for, say, jumping off the cliff and killing yourself, but is that really what Sam would want? She'd want you to be happy, and to find someone else,"
Tears started rolling down my face.
"B-but why does it have to b-be so h-hard?"
She wrapped a comforting arm around me, and I laid my head on her shoulder, crying away my misery and pain.
Soon, though, my tears ran dry, and I pulled myself away.
"Better?" she asked.
"Yeah, a little bit,"
"Well, just don't go committing suicide, now, and you'll be fine!" she said, cheerfully, before walking off.
Mixed and conflicting thoughts ran through my mind at a million miles an hour, about Sam, Chloe, what Chloe said.
_"Maybe I should..."
"What, and forget all about Sam?"
"I never said that!"
"But you thought it! How could you even think that! She's your best friend!"
"And?"
"And? It'd be wrong!"
"But- Well- Shut up!"_
I sighed, and ran after Chloe, calling after her.
She stopped and turned around.
"Umm, Chloe? I'd lov- like it if you'd stay with me for a while, you know, to stop me from doing anything stupid, like jumping off a cliff or something," I asked her, blushing.
She gave me a warm smile.
"I'd like that,"
It was a cold, frosty July morning, when I knew my time had come. My family crowded around my deathbed, as I took my last breaths.
I looked into Chloe's eyes, into the person who saved me, and I gave her a comforting smile.
"I'm gunna see her again, Chloe, I'm gunna see her again..." I whispered with my last breath, before leaving the world forever, and entering the great halls of the afterlife.
The first thing I saw was Sam's glowing smile...
**********
A few notes:
This Sam isn't the same one from the Dying Breed series, although both are based on the same person...
July here in Australia is winter, so sorry about that...
This is based on a true story.
I'm still deciding what I'm gunna do now...
Chloe, Jack and Sam are copyrighted to me, ChloeTheFirefox
* * * * * *
_And as the Darkness gathered around me
A Light began shining
And from that Light, a voice
Be strong..._