Beyond Heights and Depths

Beyond Heights and Depths

Christian Brown

Beyond Heights and Depths

By: Christian Brown

Published by Christian Brown at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Text copyright © 2013 by Christian Brown

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.

C. Brown Publisher, 2013

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

ISBN 9781301231515

This book is dedicated to my incredible wife and my two wonderful boys, who inspire me to see the world in different ways and be creative everyday.

Table of Contents

Preface

1: Definitely not the fresh start I was hoping for

2: If this is dream…well, you know the rest

3: It’s an age old tale, really

4: Welcome to the freak show that is my life

5: Eden

6: Out of the frying pan, and into the middle of nowhere?

7: I wonder if I just make a break for it…

8: The Kingdom

9: Is it getting hot in here?

10: I guess this is my part of the lake

11: Welcome back! Though, things may not be like you remember

12: I just need one more chance at life

Revelation 21:8 The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable,

and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,

shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.

Preface

As I awaken in the dark warmth of this terrifying place, laid out on the strangely uneven ground, I open my eyes to see the true horrors this place was built upon. The hills and valleys are not made of dirt at all but rather the bodies and remains of various humans and unidentifiable creatures. The uncomfortable warmth quickly turns to searing heat; with each second that passes my skin slowly burns away from my body, literally turning to ash and dispersing into the fiery air. The pain is excruciating. I want to scream in pain, but I quickly realize that all I can hear are the tortured screams and moans that seem to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I try to move and the skin on my legs tears away in large grotesque chunks. What am I doing here? I think to myself, and I remember that I am here for a very specific reason. Where is she? She is supposed to be near where I landed. If I don’t reach her soon, we will be doomed to remain in eternal fire and pain forever.

I turn franticly, looking everywhere, all the while hoping the pain that feels like burning needles in my eyes doesn’t mean that my eyes are about to fall out of my head. I feel a sharp jolt in my chest as I peer into the noxious haze that seems to be growing right before my burning eyes. There, there she is, she can’t be more than fifty feet away. I can make it to her, just as I thought. This plan has to work; I only have a minute or two to make this work. Just then, I realize just how difficult this is going to be. To my left are the shadows I had seen before, on my right I see the disfigured faces of what I can only imagine were once human beings descending upon me, and right in front of Ash is the menacing figure of a twenty foot tall man-beast. Suddenly the screams and moans stop, only to be replaced by something more sinister. All I can hear is the malevolent laughter of the creatures that have come to make sure that we never leave this unholy place. Wake up, Ash, please; I can’t do this without you.

Definitely not the fresh

start I was hoping for

Beep…beep… what is that horrible sound? Oh, it must be my alarm going off. It must be early; it’s still dark. Hmm, I hear a familiar gurgling sound. That must be the coffee maker. I guess its 6:30am already. I can’t believe I have to get up. When was the last time I actually got up this early? Must be like 2 or 3 years. Why am I getting up this early again? Oh right, the first day of school. Ha, that is hilarious; I can’t believe I am going to be a senior this year. I may actually hear a principal say the name Emmett Goode and it will really be for something good, instead of please report to the office, or the police are here to speak with you.

This will be my fourth high school, in just as many years. As you might be able to guess by now, I am not much of a fan of high school. I tend to get in a lot of trouble. I’m not a bad person, per se, but I do tend to make very poor choices. In my freshman year, I got thrown out for fighting. I like to say I have been pretty consistent each year after that by getting thrown out of a school each year. I spent a sizable portion of my teenage years as a runaway: living on the streets, staying with different friends, and getting caught up in some very bad stuff. That is until I got into so much trouble I had to make my final run to my father’s house in Hawaii Kai, where I currently reside. Some may find it strange that someone as ghetto as me now lives in one of the richest areas on the island. It’s like Beverly Hills, island style. But this is the only place I can get a fresh start. Somewhere where no one will recognize me, or bother to get to know me for that matter. Exactly what I need, if I am ever going to get my act together.

It still feels weird to wake up in my own bed, but I don’t have to worry about much here. We live in a pretty wealthy neighborhood; the type where no one talks to each other. This area is interesting to say the least. A mixture of outrageous mansion type homes stick out amongst the older homes of another generation. Waterways that possess the most beautiful crystal clear water appear to cut through the homes and the streets, but the area has no real beaches to speak of, just marsh and entry points for boats, jet skis, and other tourist activities. A couple of shopping centers are close by, although they cater mainly to tourists. I know; not exactly the mainstream idea of paradise that many have come to believe that Hawaii looks like. Oh believe me, there are places on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that look just like the post cards, commercials, and films depict, but where I live a lot of that has been covered up by the homes, buildings, and businesses that litter much of the landscape. One could say that Hawaii is mostly a paradise; it’s just not always readily visible unless you know where to look.

Our house is pretty average: white paint, large driveway, and no yard. My room is simple: white walls, a bed, and an old TV. I haven’t really had the chance to accumulate anything since I just moved in. It’s not like I planned any of this out. If I had things my way, I would just stay out in the streets. But that lifestyle no longer seems to suit me. My parents are divorced. They don’t get along with each other, and I don’t really get along with them either. However, my dad likes to do his own thing, and I do my own thing, so it’s like I live alone anyway. As much as I can, I spend my time outside of the house. I go to the beach or hang out with whoever is around. Moving away from everything that was familiar to me hasn’t been very difficult, since I spent most of my life bouncing around from place to place anyway. Although right about now I am regretting the fact that I gave up smoking, so I really need to get my hands on that coffee, if I am ever going to get up and get my butt to school.

First coffee, then get ready for school. Need to keep my priorities in order. It’s hard to believe I passed enough classes to be a senior. I guess miracles do exist! I take a quick look in the mirror before I leave to see if I look at least halfway decent for school. Same old me: wild hair from living on my own too long, plain white t-shirt, black Dickies shorts, and a pair of Vans. I’m not real tall, but that’s okay. I have some muscles, even though I’m very thin. I guess I look like me. As I step outside, freshly showered, dressed, and properly caffeinated, I can see it is going to be another beautiful day in Hawaii. The weather in Hawaii is truly what many people consider paradise, and it’s not hard to see why. Everything looks like it came out of a postcard or some film. Why does today have to be such a nice day? I think to myself. With so many days as beautiful as this - 81 degrees, not too humid, and not a cloud in the sky - it’s no wonder that I missed so much school in previous years. I suddenly feel the need to go to the beach. Bummer, I need to push those kinds of thoughts out of my head. I said I was going to start the school year right this year. New school, fresh start, and all of that, so I put on my backpack and start my walk to school. Normally, I would drive, but seeing as how I got into a lot of trouble for driving without a license, joyriding, and auto theft, walking seems like the right choice for me. Besides, I hate buses; buses are just too crowded and move so slow.

Walking gives me a chance to think about things, and today I’m thinking about my reason for being excited to get to this new school. Kaiser High School is where Ash goes to school. I met Ash a few years ago, and she has been on my mind ever since. I never see her all the time, but our paths tend to cross every so often. When our paths cross, it’s like we were never apart. Our conversations just sort of continue on without missing a beat. I feel like we know everything about each other, even though we hardly ever see each other. I guess you could say she is like the best friend I never get to see. In fact, when we did hang out I hardly ever saw her more than a few hours at a time, but on the rare occasions when we did get a chance to really hang out, it was really hard to be apart from her. Sometimes we would just stay up all night talking about anything and everything. Of course I also smoked cigarettes all night, but she never complained about anything I did, which is also one of the reasons we were still friends. Ash lives in this area, and this is the school she goes to. That means we will finally be in the same place on a regular basis. I just can’t wait to see her.

Now that I think about it, the last time I saw her must have been like a year ago. I ran into her at a mall. We were talking story when one of my friends got into a fight, and I had to jump in to help him. She was the one to pull me away and point me in the right direction to start running before the police arrived. She kind of always had this way of getting my attention even in the most difficult situations. Take this fight, for example. In the middle of a fight she could simply walk up, take me by the hand, and walk us away from the fight like it was nothing at all. Although now that I think about it, she had that look on her face like she wanted to kill me, but helping me get away was more of a priority. Uh oh; I totally forgot about that. Oh man, maybe she won’t be happy to see me, I blurt out to myself, and then realize I am standing in a crowd of people who are giggling. Whoa, I’m almost in front of the school already. I look across the street at the school sign that welcomes everyone in and asks visitors to visit the office. I see the driveway that leads up to the campus from the busy street below just ahead. I also notice Ash is just about to walk in through the front and up the sidewalk into school. There she is! What luck! Overall, she looks the same as when I last saw her: thin, 5’5, lightly tanned skin, hazel eyes that look almost like a grayish blue right now, like smoke or mist on an ice cold lake, beautiful brown hair that reaches her shoulder blades, except for the highlights in her hair which look like glowing strands of pure gold.

For a second, I forget where I am, and all I can think of is running across the street. I yell out her name over the traffic, Ash! and she turns around. As she turns to face me, the face she makes is not the one I was expecting. Perhaps my expectations were a little too high. A smile would have been nice, or even that smirk she makes when I say something dumb. The look I see on her face now looks more like fear than anything else. Her eyes are darting from me to the side over and over again. What is she looking at? In the confusion, I stop, and I realize that I took a step without knowing it, and then the world starts to move in slow motion. I remember hearing that this happens when something really bad is about to happen. I turn to my left, and there I see the very bad thing: a bus is about 5 feet away from me. I really hate buses; I guess this one knows it and wants revenge. Amazing, I can see the bus driver through the window. He’s wearing one of those ugly aloha shirts with the bus company’s logo all over it. He looks frightened too. I can see a bunch of kids talking to each other in the front; obviously, excited for the first day of school, and totally oblivious to what is about to happen.

I can’t hear anything; I can’t talk; I can’t even breathe. Isn’t my life supposed to flash before my eyes or something? I turn to see Ash with that terrifying look on her face for the last time, but just as I turn back to face her, I startle at the sight of her. Ash is right in my face, and she doesn’t look terrified anymore; rather, she looks angry. She looks like she could burst into flames with the kind of intensity surging out of her. Everything looks blurry, even her. Everything except her face; of course, her face would be the only thing I can focus on in a situation like this. I’m about to get hit by a bus, and I’m staring at her face. I bet I’m smiling too. I hope this isn’t on camera somewhere. I feel so cold that I’m frozen right where I stand. Next a sensation hits me like something slamming into me although from the wrong direction. My hearing comes back, and I can’t hear anything except the sound of the bus’ brakes screeching, or is it people screaming, or both? A sharp pain like something is squeezing my heart takes over, and the pain is so intense I can’t feel anything else. I want to scream, but the pain is so much that nothing comes out. Finally, after what feels like minutes or even hours instead of just a few seconds, suddenly there is nothing but darkness.

If this is dream…

well, you know the rest

Everything is very dark, I think to myself. Why is it so dark in here? Then I start thinking about the fact that I am suddenly able to think but not remember anything. Where could this place be? I can’t see a thing. Hello! Is anybody out there? Nothing, maybe I need to start walking? That seems like a sensible idea, but where to go? I can’t even see my hand in front of my face. Where is the exit, anybody?

Hey Em, I hear from somewhere, and strangely, I know that voice.

It couldn’t be Ash, could it? She sounds rather casual, as usual. Maybe things aren’t so bad. What am I thinking? This is really bad. Now the both of us are stuck here in the dark!

Is that you, Ash? I say very cautiously.

Yes, it’s me. Grab my hand, so we can get out of here.

While I search very clumsily in the dark for her hand, I try to sound very casual, Sure, Ash, hey, um, where are we? How do you know the way out?

Hang on Em, you’ll be able to see better in a second. The way she is talking; she sounds hurried, like we are in a rush or something.

I feel Ash grab my hand. Her hand is very warm and comforting. Were her hands always this soft? It feels like I’m holding silk. She seems to know where she’s going; I really have no idea where we are going. It’s just too dark. Ash, why is it so dark in here?

It will all make sense soon, or not.

Awesome, wait, what do you mean or not? Is she ever going to be straight with me? What the heck is going on? This is all so confusing. Apparently, I can’t think. I can barely understand what she is saying to me.

Before she can answer, I notice a little glimmer of light that seems to be getting brighter and brighter as we get closer to it. Soon the light engulfs us, and it burns my eyes. I have to blink the tears in my eyes away a few times before I can see again, but when I can see again I am completely in awe. We are standing on a beautiful white beach that I have never seen before. There is no one around; there is nothing around either. The sand appears to stretch as far as my eyes can see. The sand is so fine it almost looks like snow. Then I can see that the sand ends at a shoreline where an ocean begins. The water is the kind of blue I have only seen in movies. The water is as blue and clear as the sky; in fact, they look so much alike that I cannot tell where one ends and the other begins. There aren’t much