CHAPTER#67

"Ohhhhhh fuuuuuuuck." Alex relaxed, lifting her mound off of Dana's face. Dana sucked in air, briefly wondering if she even needed to breathe in this place. Alex was gently rubbing her own breasts, her cheeks glowing with post-orgasmic bliss. "Fuck, I missed that so much."

"Well I've missed something too." Dana fixed her gaze on Alex's body. Her eyes narrowed at the heavenly body on top of her. "And I expect you to deliver."

"Ooh. I love it when you're bossy." Alex shifted her body, moving down along Dana's torso. "I also know that you love it when I do this."

Dana grinned. "But it's not my birthday."

"When you're here, every day can be your birthday." Alex lifted one of Dana's legs, placing her leg beneath. Dana sat up, pulling the chair into a sitting position. Alex wrapped her legs around Dana, and both of them tightened their legs, pulling their hips together. Alex started slow, grinding her hairy lips against Dana's wet lips. Dana gasped, grabbing Alex's hips and pulling her close.

Scissoring was something that Dana loved. Something about staring into Alex's face while the two of them humped each other, both of their bodies tense with sexual heat. Dana leaned forward, kissing her way along Alex's chest, feeling the body that she had been so long denied. Both women were sweaty now, the humidity trapping beads of sweat against their skin, salty drops that the women licked off of each other with exploratory tongues. How long had it been, Dana asked herself, her soul finally at peace. An eternity of Alex lay before her, an infinite number of nights on the beach, of exploring each other's bodies. She had so many questions, but could only focus on the warm body pressed against hers, that moaning shadow that threatened to press into her, finally making her complete. Closing her eyes, she felt her own orgasm building, the first of many to come.

"Dana," Alex whispered, and then she was gone.

"Alex?" Dana opened her eyes. Alex was nowhere to be seen. Picking up her bikini top, she held it against her chest, standing up to stare off the balcony. The beach was empty, and the crashing waves had gone still. The universe had come to a halt.

"Alex? Alex!" Dana screamed into the night. The horizon had vanished, the waters of the ocean receding away. Dana watched in horror as the water vanished, revealing that the world had a crumbling edge. The Earth broke away in chunks, falling only God knew where, and Dana ran through the apartment, shoving her way through the front door.

"Ah!" Dana screamed. The world was caving in, and the parking lot in front of the building had swallowed up all of the cars. Looking down into the void, Dana could see distant stars beneath, shimmering dimly.

"Oh, God no!" Dana ran back out to the balcony, screaming Alex's name, hoping to find her. The room fell apart behind her, and soon only the balcony was left. The world crumbled like sand around her, the building breaking into dust and blowing away. Floating in the void, she could see a sky full of stars she couldn't recognize. One by one, they vanished, cosmic matches being snuffed out. Cold terror formed in her gut, and she clung to the railing as the final star was extinguished, and she fell into the void.

Dana sat up, a scream frozen in her throat. Her fingers clawed at the air, eventually grabbing on to the edge of the table she had been lying on. Inhaling deeply, she looked around, trying to figure out where she was.

"I see you're back." It was the man in the suit. He was perusing an old paperback that still had the used bookstore sticker on the cover. "How was it?"

"How was... huh?" Dana put her face in her hands, fighting back tears. What had just happened?

"Being dead." He turned the page, then folded the corner neatly before closing the book. "You've been dead for..." he checked his watch. "About two hours now."

"Dead? Me?" Dana looked at her hands. They were paler than normal. Rubbing her fingers together, she realized that they felt slightly numb. Her sense of touch had been muted.

"Yep. You're dead." Standing up, he got close to her. "I spent quite a bit of time on you. You see, you are here to serve a purpose, and I need you in perfect condition. Well, with one exception." He tapped himself on the chest. "No heartbeat. Not anymore."

"You... took my heart?" Dana placed her fingers to her neck, searching for a pulse. Nothing was there. Moving her fingers around, she felt panic begin to set in.

"No, nothing as gross as that." He snapped his fingers. Dana watched the landlady enter the room. It occurred to her that she must be in the basement of her landlady's home. Staring up at the unfinished rafters above her, Dana wondered if she could make it up the stairs before anyone stopped her.

"Is it time?" The landlady asked. Dana couldn't think of her name anymore, a memory that had been gobbled away by the situation.

"It is. You did a splendid job." He motioned with his hand, and the woman collapsed on the floor, a smile on her face. "You see, I have need of your services. Two hours ago, I killed you. Naturally, your soul left your body and went somewhere else. That's how it is for people like you, so eager to reunite with loved ones. I allowed you some time with your beloved Ms. Winters before reanimating your corpse and trapping your soul inside of it. If you do my bidding, I release you, and your happily ever after continues."

"Wait. I'm trapped in my own body?" Dana looked at herself. "I don't feel that different."

"For now." He yawned. "I apologize. I've been up all night tracking you down, and the magic has tired me. My name is Daryl. I'm your creator, your messiah, your god. And if you don't do exactly what I ask of you, I will leave you like this for the rest of eternity, going mad inside of a rotting body."