The Last Star in the Sky

A Story by C.L Natore

The plague has extended throughout Europe and no one can do something to stop it. An infected girl gets lost, blacks out and wakes up in a hose that isn't hers. Who is this strange man?

"Is this how being dead was like?" Was one of the girl's questions. Other questions were: "Am I just going to see darkness?", "How long will it be until I see something?", "Why don't I hear anything?" and a few others, but the point is that they all came to her main question. The protagonist was more than sure that she was dead, but nothing that she thought happened when you died was happening. Actually, absolutely nothing was happening. While growing up she always got the same answer from the elders when she asked what happened after you die, which was always something like: "When a good person dies, they go to paradise where they live happily all eternity; but when a bad person dies, he goes to hell where he suffers until the end of time." However, she was not in a green meadow with a clear blue sky, nor chained while being burned alive (dead?)and listening to the desperate cries of other souls. Everything was dark and it was silent. And to top it all, she didn't felt the necessary strength to move her body. She didn'tt even wanted to fight against death, she did not want to return to life only to continue in the rotten world that was withering more and more each day. She just closed her eyes, hoping that maybe she was only in that place because she was between life and death. From a distance, she thought he heard a sound, a murmur, a voice?

"Do not go. Not yet."

When she opened her eyes she didn't meet the darkness again, this time a soft white color awaited her. She was laying on a bed, facing the ceiling. She stayed a few seconds like this, without believing that she was still alive and with mixed emotions; such as surprise, disappointment, confusion, happiness maybe? She wasntt sure. The room was so quiet that the protagonist could hear her own heartbeats, slow and soft but without no intention of ceasing to throb. She didn't have the strength to lift her head or body, she could only move her head from one side to the other, but could move her arms freely. She had a fever, was cold and some parts of her body were bandaged. When she got a better view of the room, she could see that it was quite empty except for a wooden table that had on it scalpels, with two chairs of the same material and the bed where she was lying. She didn't remember having been in a place like this before, nor knew who had brought her here or why, she didn't even understand how someone could have found her in the place where she fainted with how far it seemed from civilization. The sounds of footsteps made her come out of her thoughts. Apparently the person who was responsible for her being there was in the house, and was heading straight to her room. She layed down between the sheets in a vague attempt to seem still asleep when she heard the door open. She was very nervous and her heart was going a thousand times per second, she was already betraying herself that she was actually awake by the ragged way of her breathing and her body that was shaking every time. When he felt a hand lie heavily on her shoulder and a voice saying, "Are you awake?" she panicked.

It was a low voice, the voice of a man.

The girl, after a few seconds thinking about whether to move or not, turned slowly and observed the person who had found her. For a few moments she thought that maybe she was still dreaming, since the figure in front of her did not seem human and seemed more like some fictional character that would only appear in a fantasy story. In front of her was a totally black being with a dirty white face that looked like a bird, who apparently had a hat and a cane too. She swallowed before speaking.

- Who ... are you? - she said almost without voice, her words were barely heard.
- You don't know? - The voice of the man had a hint of confusion.
- I just woke up, should I know?

The man put both hands on his cane and looked at her (actually, she wasn't very sure if he was because in his mask there were red lenses that prevented her from seeing his eyes).

-With the situation we are in now, I thought you would have seen other people with my profession, but apparently I'm wrong. I am a doctor, one of the black death to be exact.

The protagonist remembered having heard that name somewhere, at some point which she could not remember.

- But now I'm the one asking the questions - he continued while he grabbed one of the chairs at the small table and sat in front of it. - What is your name?
- Catherine, sir- she said without looking at his face.
- Well Catherine, tell me what happened to you to end up so far from the town.
- I ... I can't remember anything right now.- she replied, rubbing her forehead. Her head was spinning too much to remember.

The doctor panted and kept insisting.

- Make an attempt, can't you remember any details?
- I'm too dizzy. I'm sorry.

The man got up and left the chair where it originally was.

- I hope that for tomorrow you can remember, because I really need to know what to do with you.
- What do you mean by that?- asked Catherine, somewhat frightened.
- I mean I do not want to be accidentally kidnapping a girl without realizing it. The last thing I need is for them to believe that I killed you in case you die.

Catherine kept silent at that response.

-Be careful not to touch the lumps. Rest well.- he said and closed the door, leaving the young girl alone and confused. Lumps? The girl touched her body and in the neck she could feel the lumps to which the doctor referred. Not only they were there, there were also in her arms, under the bandages and in her groin. Since Catherine had nothing else she could do, she snuggled into the blankets looking for warmth and closed her eyes, even with the little theory that everything was still a simple dream before eternal death. Just to be sure, she bit a finger and seeing that it hurt and that nothing seemed to change abruptly she realized that everything was really happening. She was still alive.

And part of her hated that reality.