most people would be happy not to be dead.

[jinzhong]

Characters: Jackie Ma and YOU!
Date: June 13
Location: Welcome Center
Situation: Jackie's not taking being brought back to life well, and it all catches up with him at the Welcome Center.
Warnings/Rating: Mention (detailed) of torture and violent death; linked image of video-game corpse; flashbacks; post-traumatic stress.

It takes until Jackie's been brought to the Welcome Center for the numbness of shock to wear off, and for everything to filter back in far too quickly.

He's not alive. He can't be alive. Tong had put his damn machete in his gut, he'd felt it, he'd felt himself bleed out and the rest of him had come spilling out too.

But his stomach is hale and unwounded, and the only remnants of his torture are the scalpel cuts on his chest and the few fingers and toes that had been broken now seemed to be in the process of healing.

And, of course, the clothes that are soaked nearly head to toe in his blood.

And Jackie can't handle it.

And this place? Fuck, it's too normal, it looks like a goddamned hotel lounge, like some swanky tourist center up in Central, not...whatever the fuck this place is. Some bullshit backwater of hell.

He sinks to the floor in a crouch, cradling his left hand with its two broken fingers, and tries desperately to calm himself down.

It's not working.

"I'm dead, I can't be here, I'm dead," he can be heard muttering to himself, half-sobbing. His voice is scaling up in panic and getting noticeably louder.

Comments

[peacefullywreathed]

"It was very recent," Solomon said with a shrug. There was still a degree of clarity to which Solomon was unused. Being able to see enough to know the cuts and the pain, yes. He could have guessed circumstances from that. But to see the killer, even so vaguely? That was new. He could see that with the rest of the deaths around the city--most likely they were too old.

"Then you ought to be fine." Solomon rose, absently brushing down his clothes. He wasn't a member of the welcome-wagon, after all, and now he knew from where the death had come. A gangbanger wasn't high on his list of people to find interesting.

He smile down at the man, a deprecating smile bordering on innocent. "If you should happen to die again here, rest easy in the knowledge that it's equally impermanent."

[jinzhong]

Recent? Yeah, within hours recent. That made Jackie feel distinctly uncomfortable. He didn't think he liked the idea of any random fool with death magic being able to get the damn home video of his execution. At least the guy didn't seem too interested in him anymore.

"Yeah, well, I'll try not to," he muttered, not looking up at Solomon.

[peacefullywreathed]

"Most of us do," Solomon said dryly, "and yet you'll be surprised at how many people here actually have." He strolled toward the doors and then paused, and glanced over his shoulder, mischief gleaming in his eyes. "But if you see a skeleton, do feel free to mock him for his lack of talent at life."

And he strolled out the doors.

[jinzhong]

There's like, about twenty things wrong with that, Solomon. Mocking a skeleton for failing at life? That's just cruel.

...wait, a skeleton?

"What do you mean, a skeleton?" Jackie called after him, but he was already gone.

Maybe he was in hell.

Figures.