The Last Piece of my Soul

It was cold. My limbs were numb. All my surroundings were somewhat hazy. With every minute passing, the pain in my heart became less and less hurtful. Surely, I was dying. Pierced with a bullet in an abandoned warehouse like some mafia thug who dared to steal money or sell the poor quality drug to his business partner. Oh my, wasn't I pitiful? Well, I wish that was the case. Honestly, in my last moments, I preferred to die for whatever reason, including incurable disease, being a bad person who did unimaginable deeds and now suffered retribution or just a f*ckin incident where the plane crashed.

But no. I was dying mostly because of my stupidity. Maybe, at some point, I started to realise that my feelings would lead me to suffer like hell. But little did I know that I would have been killed because I dared to fall in love. I was shot because I was seen as an obstacle to the happy ending of two people. How pathetic. Too bad that I realised that late. If I didn't feel too weak, I would laugh at myself.

How could I be that stupid? To pour all my energy, desperately trying to make that man fall in love with me, forget all my self-respect and do everything for him even when it was harmful to me? To breathe and eat just for him, dressing up to make myself more likeable for his taste. I erased myself, becoming someone who I would never be, was it not for him.

And what did I receive as a reward? I was kidnapped from my apartment in the middle of the night, beaten to a pulp and then shot because the woman he loved ordered so. Maybe he didn't know anything or was as vile as her and even helped her somehow. It didn't matter anymore, though. While my body and soul were crushed during the beatings and screaming, the same happened with my long-lasting love. At least, when I meet him after years where all souls go when they die, I would make this duo regret what they did to me for eternity.

''Oh my, such a potential will be wasted.'' There was a voice above my head. I blinked slowly, not interested at all. Breathing was hard to do, and there were black spots in my vision. ''No, you can't die.'' Next second, the blood which was oozing from the wound on my chest strangely stopped. The feeling was unusual. It still hurt terribly, and when I took a breath, I sounded like Darth Vader due to my lung having a hole, but I stopped feeling like my soul is trying to leave my body.

''Who are you?'' I asked with a gurgling voice when someone unimaginable filled my eyesight. A young woman was standing above me with a slight smile on her face but seriousness in her onyx eyes. It wasn't her presence that shocked me. It was her close resemblance to me. Actually, including few things such as her eyes and freckles, she was like my long-lost twin.

'' I am you.'' My eyes slightly bulged after I fully realised what she said. As I was trying to ask what the hell did she mean, she stopped me. '' The answer to your question is not important right now. Our time will expire soon, and you will die for real. So, I have a question. Do you wish to go to the past before making the decisions that led you to this unenviable state or die like a pathetic heroine in a play? Be fast.''

I blinked slowly, thinking that I should be hallucinating. Maybe there wasn't enough blood in my brain. Despite that, I started to consider the unreal possibility of being able to change my fate. Did I want to die?

''Save me.'' My voice was barely a whisper. I was too weak to speak, but I did it. Despite all pain, desperation and hopelessness I felt in my heart, there was something that urged me to grab the last straw of hope.

''Good.'' She praised me with a meaningful smile. Next, my vision started to enlarge. My body had a seizure and my muscles hurt like they were torn apart. Breathing was hard, and the pressure was high. The second before I blacked out, I thought I was deceived.