On the Road to Nowhere [Maura]

[Shawn Logan]

Shawn looked down the road to see what laid ahead of him, but there was nothing. Just more asphalt. The road ran in a straight line, merging together, getting smaller and smaller as it grew in distance until it disappeared, being too far away for the naked eye to see. No one knew where the road led, and no one stayed on it long enough to find out. There were so many different rumors about this place. One was that it was the exit out of this world, but not in the way that you'd imagine. They say that it's an illusioned road that took you nowhere until you came to terms with your death. Which seemed like it would make sense until Shawn came in contact with people that already had made peace with their afterlife. So the story couldn't have been true. If that were the case, then there wouldn't be anymore Discoveries around. Right?...

Shawn took a break, sitting along the side of the street while he sorted out his thoughts. The sky was covered in clouds and it was nearly impossible to determine whether it was now night or day. He could still see rays of light shining out from under them, but the light could've been the moon just as easily at it could've been the sun.

Something inside him was telling him to leave now, but the rumors had brought him to this point. He wanted to see if they were true. He wanted to know if this really was the way out. He wanted to see if it could be his escape. How long could he sit here, anyways?...

'I'm dead,' He thought to himself, 'so is food really necessary? As a person who has passed over, do I really need sustenance?' He was trying to figure out whether he needed to head back into town, or if he could just stay on the road forever. Deep in thought, he rolled over onto his side and began to close his eyes. Even if this wasn't the way out of whatever this place was, he felt that he would much rather be where he was. Asleep on the paved road, away from it all.

[Maura Arizona]

((what she wears.))

Maura's heels clicked beneath her as she walked across the concrete mess of a parking lot. Dodging pot holes and loosened ground from the previous thunderstorm, she finally made it out of the asphalt hell and onto the expanse of Main Street. Only going straight for about ten minutes, she eventually made it to the exit that lead to nothing but open expanse for what seemed like ions. Heels clacking against the sidewalk now, she continued along the curve until she made it to where the sky met the land. The horizon held nothing, and she sighed. She was really starting to hate her new job.

It was a job that had come upon her through casual suggestion from a social guard, regarding her living as a Discovery for six months now. Now was the time she was required to work, being she'd already figured out her reason, and to start becoming more responsible for the life she would hold. It had been between this interning job with a deceased fashionista, or being a nanny for passed, cancerous children. Not wanting to make herself anymore depressed than she had been Below, she went for her first option. And hated every minute of it. Every day, the late Misses Dilimonde requested for her to go get her a tea, which, at first glance, didn't seem like a big deal. LeStrange's was down the street. But, of course, it couldn't have been that simple. She wanted none of that "nonsense", nor Tea & Cream. No, she would only have The Tea Shoppe.

Every day, Maura was then required to walk a good length down the open expanse of road, take her known shortcut through the woods, and get to The Boardwalk. Passing Lazarus Springs and going to the Tea Shoppe, she would get a tea with soy to go, and ask one of the many fisherman on smoking break for a ride back. At least one of them always agreed, and it was more of a pain in the ass than a problem after day one. Heels still clacking against the concrete, she felt as if that day was somehow different. Eyeing the light above her, she wrinkled her brows. What was her heart trying to tell her? It was then that she felt it: a stinging in her shoulder, as if her ID was melting into her skin. Clutching it, she looked forward and say something. Was it a boy? Looking, she could answer then. Yes, it was. And he was asleep on the road. Running forward, and almost tumbling face first into the ground, she spoke.


"Are you okay?"

[Shawn Logan]

Her words sprung him to life. No, they startled him back to life! There he was dreaming of home and everything that should be, and then he was suddenly awakened by a worrying shout. It was silly, but when he heard the alarm in her voice he thought that he was going to die. After he had gained a little breath, he nodded his head in reply. He was fine, just a little... shaken up now. Slowly, with his hands still shaking, he got up and begun brushing the dirt off of himself. He started with his jeans and then patted down the front of his yellow t-shirt. In all honesty, he didn't know why he was doing this. He didn't stop until he had consciously realized what he was doing. It wasn't like Shawn cared much for his own appearance in Dead town; maybe it was just a thing of habit.

The place wasn't called 'Dead town'... As a matter of fact, he wasn't sure if anyone had actually came up for a name for it yet. He just found comfort in his new name for the place. It gave him a since of acclimatization. He had a home now, more or less, and as weird as it is, it made sense. Imagine living in a place that you couldn't identify with a title. It makes things a bit disconcerting, a little more mysterious and strange.

After he had collected himself, he turned toward the girl and formally answered her question. "... I'm fine... I was just a little tired, I guess."

[Maura Arizona]

Maura had to all but keep from sighing a sigh of relief. Putting a hand over her heart, she took in a breath and exhaled normally. Looking to the ground for a moment, she couldn't quite face him yet. In her heels, she was fuming. How dare he scare someone like that? She swore, if he was doing it as some sort of joke... Then, she noticed it. He seemed weak. Hurt. It was after taking in the sight of him that she knew he was a new addition to the Beyond. Subconsciously, that told her someone had moved on, but she shook away the thought. By then, she was speaking without caution.

"You scared me half to-" she cut herself off, her breath freezing. This was not the time to lose it. "Never mind." Starting to get up from her kneeling position, she held out a hand. It took a moment. "Well, you'd better get up. You wouldn't want to wither out here forever." Pause. "They're running out of room to hide the bodies." Smirking a bit, she could only laugh at her own jokes. No one ever got them, and remembering that, her face fell. Maura coughed. "Erm, well, come with me." Holding his wrist, guiding him into the line of trees, she sat him down on an abandoned, rotting stump.

Taking his face in her hands, she looked at his eyes. They seemed tired, maybe bloodshot, but nothing that would make her bring him to that atrocious infirmary. "Have you eaten anything today?" she asked. Digging into her bag, she rummaged through and eventually found some sort of breakfast bar. "Here." she said, holding it out to him. "This will keep you off until we at least get into town." Closing her bag, her mind clicked together and she did a double take on him. Squinting, she placed a finger on his skin. She spoke, again, without any caution.


"Are you bleeding?"

[Shawn Logan]

Shawn was too tired to fully understand her joke, but he did appreciate the breakfast bar. He chewed through the crunchy granola goodness as he looked the girl over a bit more. His eyes were still drowsy so it was hard to distinguish unique features. Overall, he could see that she was a brunette and possibly a little taller than himself, but he hoped that the idea was only due to the fact that he was sitting down. He clung onto the stump and tried to hoist himself to his feet. It wasn't easy, but once he had made it up, he was comforted to know that he was in fact taller than the girl. After she had spoken again Shawn looked down at his clothes to make sure everything was okay, then quickly flinched when she laid her hand upon him.

"Nope, no blood here." He said casually enough, then he paused to think about what she had asked. "Wait, why would I be bleeding? Is this road unsafe or something? Do you get a lot of muggers around here?" He squinted his eyes and tried to peer out at the trees in the distance as if looking for a predator nearby. What she had said had alarmed him, but it also made him wonder. Could they bleed? How could a dead person get hurt?... Was it possible for them to die again? Shawn had so many questions and few answers. He just felt lost.

[Maura Arizona]

When he stated he wasn't bleeding, Maura could only just shake her head. She could have sworn she'd seen a cut on his forehead, or even his cheek, gently oozing the crimson liquid onto his copper-peach complexion. "Must need my glasses then..." she mumbled, cursing the fact that her eyesight was slowly getting worse and worse by the day. Then, he asked it: why would he be bleeding? When the young man inquired the safety of this place, she couldn't help but giggle behind the hand covering his mouth. So he was new, wasn't he? Her chuckles stayed strong for a good minute or so, and then began to slow to a steady, air-filled chortle once in a while. She turned back to him after she collected herself.

"Sorry." she said. "I was just laughing at the fact I was... never mind." She moved on to the more important part of the conversation: his questions, which were deserving of answers. Sitting on another rotted stump across from him, Maura crossed her legs and rummaged a bit through her bag. "Listen, I can tell you one thing, and that's the fact that you're going to be safe here." She pulled out her glasses and wiped them with a handkerchief. "Of course, if you go looking for trouble, trouble will surely follow. Don't expect that just because you're dead that you can jump off of buildings and run on front of speeding cars. It's not healthy.

"The Beyond is not immortality." she explained. "It's simply a reason, and we have to figure it out. It's a place to go until you reach the standard of The Above." Pause. "It's more commonly referred to as Heaven, but, honestly, I've heard that it's not too much different than this. You're just a bit calmer." Putting her glasses on, she rummaged through her bag again until she pulled out a notepad and a pen. She began to write, continuing. "Here, you still get weak. You still can die." She looked up at him. "And that's why you try to stay conscious, so you don't scare people half to death." She looked down, then looked back up. "No pun intended." Clicking her pen again, she threw it into his bag and ripped out the piece of paper. She threw the notepad into her bag as well and shut it, pulling her glasses off and handed it to the boy. She spoke clearly, and seriously. "Write down everything you remember." she said.


"God knows you might need it later..."

[Shawn Logan]

His eyebrows heightened as he watched her become overtaken by laughter and he didn't know what to say. When she had handed him the food, he had thought that maybe she was someone he could trust. He thought that maybe she was there to help him sort things out, not to make fun of his serious questions. Instantly he was turned off by her presence, regardless of her incomplete apology. Now he just wanted her to leave. If he was looking for people to make fun of him, he could've just headed back to the community center. Shawn drew enough odd stares there to last him a lifetime (no pun intended). Well, obviously the girl must have had some type of compassion, because eventually she did begin to answer his questions. Shawn couldn't hide his amazement as he listened to what she had to say.

...jump off of buildings and run on front of speeding cars. It's not healthy. "Sure," he thought to himself, "it's not healthy, but it's possible?" What did that mean? He watched her jot down notes and then tear out a piece of paper for himself. She seemed to know what she was talking about, so he grabbed it willingly. Then as soon as he sat down to begin writing past memories he realized he didn't have many. Well, at least not when it came to his past life. While he searched his mind he could see faces, but he couldn't put names to them. At least not yet. A worried expression appeared on his face and he turned back toward the girl.

"Does this..." His words came out feeble and tried. He paused for a moment to clear his throat and try again. The stress was apparent in his tone. "If I can't remember my past right now, does that mean that it will come back later? This is normal, right?" He asked.

[Maura Arizona]

Watching the boy's hand hover motionless above the paper, Maura debated whether or not to speak up and ask him if he was all right. Often enough, these types of experiments could cause some sort of flashback, which was both good and bad. The positive was that they remembered things of some significance . The negative was simple: sometimes, the images were jumbled. Wanderers could get the wrong idea by thinking someone that hurt them was a parent, and vice versa. And, of course, the health risks were there too. Any kid could spark brain damage if they weren't careful enough, and both of them were no exception. Parting her lips, she was interrupted by his own voice, asking about his own recollection.

Maura nodded. "Of course it's normal." she said. She chuckled a little. "Honestly, it's more worrisome when you remember a lot." Pause. Silence. Walking over to him, she placed herself carefully on a rock that sat right next to his place. Pushing the hem of her dress down a little, for it had risen when she poised herself on the smooth surface of the stone, she leaned forward a bit to look at him, and placed a hand on his shoulder for comfort. "It's really scary not knowing much, I know, but I don't want you to worry. We're gonna make sure you get those memories back." She gave him a soft, reassuring, smile that spoke the truth. She clearly recalled when she was like this: so vulnerable, so naive. Now? Well, she still was, but she hid it well. Still looking him over, she placed a hand on his cheek and idly began to trace his skin for any marks.


Her eyes searched, careful and slow.

[Shawn Logan]

Shawn's worries faded somewhat after Maura had told him that what he was experiencing was normal for someone so recently "late". His muscles started to relax and he felt as if he could actually trust her. There weren't many people in the Beyond that he had ever thought to fratranize with, but the idea of befriending someone so experienced in the afterlife was tempting. He watched as the girl made her way over to the stump beside him. As he watched her graceful motions it hit him, that he had never noticed how beautiful his guardian angel was.

Goosebumps rose to the surface of his skin as she laid a hand on his cheek and purused his body with her eyes. He did the same to her, trying to be discret as possible in the matter.

[Maura Arizona]

Still tracing his skin, careful not to break what wasn't already broken, she began to notice small details about him. The way his eyes looked so curious, having such a dark tone to them. The way his hair moved so slightly in the autumn breeze of their surroundings. The way his personality seemed so drawn in, grabbing her interest as well. Maura tried not to laugh as she saw him trying to be discreet about looking her over. Suddenly, it didn't bother her like it did with other guys. She was beginning to give him a chance, seeing how charming he really was...

But then it all came back: her history. Her mind went to her mother and father. Her friends. Craig. The baby. Removing her hand from his cheek, she bit into her bottom lip. No, she couldn't feel anything for him. That was impossible... Looking away for a moment, she remembered that this was her duty. She was helping him, not because she loved him, or anything of the sort, but because she was obligated to. It was her job. Swallowing back any rising emotion, she turned back to him with a soft look and a smile. "We should go." she said. Standing up, she started to walk away. After a moment, she froze and knew: he wasn't going to just follow her. Turning back, she took his hand into hers and began to walk back towards the road.


"Let's go."

[Shawn Logan]

He was enjoying the soft sensation that her fingertips left upon his cheek, when all of the sudden he looked up and couldn't help but notice her uneasy expression. What had happened? He wondered to himself as he looked at their surroundings, hoping to find some sort of explanation, but no one was around. It was still as silent as it had been from the moment that he had stepped onto the road, so he could see no reason why she had felt the need to stop... Unless it was just him that she was worried about. He watched her as she picked herself up and headed back toward the road. She only advised that they should leave, which left Shawn wondering where to? To him, it seemed like no matter where they went or ended up they would still be in the middle of nowhere. This Beyond wasn't home to him. It wasn't Earth. So pretty much anywhere that this woman would think to take him, would still leave him as homesick as the last. He didn't want to be in this afterlife, if that's what it was. Why couldn't they all just let him be? Why couldn't he die?

Shawn was so deep in thought that he hadn't even noticed the brunette making her way back over to him. So it was no suprise that when she reached out for him, he jumped at the touch of her hand. Since he was lost anyways, he didn't complain when she pulled him away, taking him to some other place that he most likely hadn't seen before.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked, still a little weak from his previous journey down Express Way. If only she could've given him five more minutes to rest. He was just so tired, and it was just so cold.

[Maura Arizona]

As Maura pulled the boy through the woods, she couldn't help but think about all that had happened already. It was the first time in a while that she'd thought about her initial arrival so long ago, and the first time she even seemed remotely upset about it since then. Swallowing, hard, she continued on with his hand in hers, walking in between trees and shrubs, trying to avoid falling at all costs. After a few minutes of walking, his question registered, but she decided that it was probably too late to give him a response without it being out of place. The grass flattened under her heels, and after a while, they reached a path that forked into two, separate dirt roads. Looking back and forth between the two for a moment, she tugged his hand and headed through the one on the right. Once they gained a momentum in walking through the straightway, she turned back to him and spoke. "I'm Maura, by the way." she said. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself before. I kind of got a bit caught up in everything.

"I didn't catch your name..." she mentioned. She looked at him again. "I mean, you don't have to tell me, but it's a good thing to know." Facing forward again, continuously headed down the path, she thought of her past again. She remembered her father's family always saying that she had such a sardonic sense of humor, which always made her mother laugh. She's not trying to be snappy, she'd rationalized, She's just bright. Thinking about it then, maybe she had been a bit rude, and perhaps she could change that. There was simply no reason to be so damn cynical. She turned to the boy again. "And I'm sorry for the way I treated you back there. You know, laughing and stuff. It was a bit rude, and it won't happen again." As she said this, she tried not to look him directly in the eye, in fear that something might appear from behind his orbs.


Turning again, she pulled him towards the approaching light in the distance.

[Shawn Logan]

'Maura.' He said to himself after hearing her speak her name. It was so normal, like everything else in this place. But, in reality nothing was normal at all. They were both dead, or so it seemed, yet they were walking around the place as if nothing had happened and she still had not explained where they were going, but that fact was bothering him less and less. As they continued walking down the unsettled path he thought about the things that she had told him when they met and the new things that he was learning now. Her name reminded him of home, Earth. Life. It reminded him that there were still people, real people, somewhere going about their lives in a natural way far, far away from wherever they were.

"My name is Shawn." he said with absolute certainty. He was a bit proud of the fact, considering that his name was one of the few things that he did remember about himself, but Maura had assured him that his other memories would come back in due time, so he wasn't too worried about it. Once the trees had cleared and a beacon of light shone from just below the hill. His eyebrows rose in anticipation and excitement. Had he done it? Was she finally taking him to the other side? He rushed down the hillside, leaving her behind, only to face disappointment. The lights were no "crossover". They were just lights, leading to a city filled with people that were probably just as dead as he was.