The Confusion

Umbra found himself standing in the middle of mall. It was like he had suddenly woken up from some kind of slumber, but he was standing on his feet, with no signs of the dreariness of sleep.

"W-what?!" Umbra breathed, dumbfounded. He couldn't believe this. He felt his breathing stop seconds ago in that restroom. He was most certainly dead.

Or I am? Umbra hadn't imagined the afterlife being like this. If this was the underworld, Umbra honestly didn't see the appeal.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Umbra murmured, touching a female passer-by on the shoulder. He hoped she didn't notice the fearful tremor in his voice.

The woman blinked, taking step back from Umbra. "Yessir?" She beheld him in an almost alarmed way, like she was afraid of Umbra.

"What is today?! What time is it?!" He had to get some orientation on what was happening.

"Gah, um, it's the twenty sixth of September!" She glanced at her watch. "And it's ten thirty!"

After hearing her last statement, Umbra frowned. That couldn't be true. Umbra and Matthew had split up for their shopping trip around that time. Time had to have  elapsed!

"You're lying," Umbra said hysterically, pulse pounding in his ears, drowning out all background noise. "It can't be ten thirty! That was like fifteen minutes ago!" Sweat formed along his brow as his eyes darted back and forth, searching for any hint of the woman being a liar.

"Sir, I swear it's ten thirty! P-please calm down!" The woman struggled to back away, obviously frightened by Umbra's frantic display.

Umbra rubbed his chest, attempting to steady his breathing. "This can't be happening, miss." His mind was racing, nothing was making sense. "I'm dead. I died. I'M DEAD, DON'T YOU HEAR ME?"

At the sound of Umbra's shouts, people stopped to browse at the situation. His cheeks flashed scarlet at the questioning and antagonizing looks he was receiving. He felt like a caged animal, scared and confused at the reality he had been suddenly thrust into.

He instinctively started to adjust his tie and brush through his hair with his fingers, attempting to symbolically restore his pride and mental stability. "Ah, um, s-sorry, ma'am...!" With that, Umbra turned on his heels, sprinting away from the scene.

Someone called out behind him, but Umbra ignored it. He had to find Matthew, he would help him. He wasn't sure what Matthew could do to improve his situation, but he had to at least see his face. The man's cheerful air always managed to make his mood better.

Umbra ran up an escalator, nearly slamming into a passing couple. He was searching for that silly store Matthew and Victor had traveled to, the one with the cats and whatnot.

"Brookstone, Candle Barn," he muttered to himself, sprinting down the long walkways and reading off signs. "No, no, no! Where is it?!"

He felt a tug on his arm. "Yes!?" He shouted, a little to loud to sound natural and casual.

Before him stood a policewoman, touching his arm and looking concerned. "Sir, do you need help?"

"I do, I do!" He was on the verge of sobbing. "C-can you please tell me where the Cute Department is? It's an emergency. I need to find someone."

The policewoman's eyelid twitched, like she wasn't prepared to find a man stricken with hysteria trying to make an emergency trip to the Cute Department. "It's all the way down, to the left." She pointed past an area with couches and a fountain. "You can't miss it, there's a whole bunch of music and stuff."

"Thank you!" Umbra said, wild eyes glimmering.

The woman's eyes traveled down to Umbra's skin, and her mouth dropped. "Sir, do you realize you have a major rash on your arms and neck? Do I need to take you to First Aid Clinic?" She attempted to pull him in the other direction, presumably the direction of the clinic, but Umbra tore out of her grip, rearing back in fear.

"No!" He screamed, shuddering. "I've got to get out of here!"

Following her advice, Umbra ran towards the store's location. He spared a slight glance at his arms to confirm the policewoman's observations- his rash had most certainly spread. It had made its way down his biceps, almost touching his wrists.

Reaching the large, glass doors of the Cute Department, Umbra threw himself into the sweet-smelling store.

The shop's walls were pink and seemed to be covered in some sort of tacky shag carpet, and large bins contained enclosures for small animals. It reeked of animal stench and smothering air fresheners, which only served to make Umbra feel even more sick.

Matthew and Victor stood in the midst of a crowd, hands stuck in a cage labeled "MITTENS THE KITTEN."

Umbra slammed into Matthew, wrapping his arms around his waist. "Matt!" Umbra shouted, tears slipping from his eyes.

Matthew gasp in surprise, blinking at Umbra. "Dude, you're crying! Are you okay?" Victor's attention was ripped from the domestic animals, now staring at his parents in fear.

"M-Matt..." Umbra didn't even know where to start with his story. "It's horrible, something's happening, and it's bad. I have this rash on my skin, and I think I died earlier, but now I'm alive-"

Matthew touched Umbra on the shoulders, politely escorting him out of the store.
"Victor, sweetie, you can stay in there and pet the kitties. Daddy and I need to talk." Matthew quickly explained, ushering Victor away when he tried to follow. The trembling child nodded, stumbling back towards the cat enclosures.

Once Victor was out of earshot, Matthew stared at Umbra in horror. "What are you talking about? We just walked away from you a couple minutes ago. Please, don't worry me like this Umbry-"

"I'm telling the truth!" Umbra cried, squeezing Matthew harder. "Please, believe me!"

Matthew gently pulled back Umbra's collar, inspecting the festering irritations on his skin.

"This rash seems to be the real deal, however..." he murmured to himself, adjusting his glasses. "Perhaps this is making you delusional? Maybe you just imagined, er, 'dying'? If that's the case, I need to get you home immediately. You're ill, Umbra."

How could Umbra have imagined that entire scenario? He couldn't even fathom that being an option. That was far too real to be a hallucination. He felt the itch, he saw the blood, he felt his breathing start to become difficult...the very memory of it made his body shudder.

Umbra laid his head on Matthew's shoulder, dumbfounded. He hadn't foreseen his story sounding this fantastical and impossible. He had somehow  been sure that Matthew would believe anything he told him.

As Umbra sobbed onto Matthew's coat, a familiar, intense feeling spread over him.

He couldn't breath.

Again.

He ripped himself from Matthew's arms, grappling at his neck to clear his airway.

"Umbra, what's going on?!" Matthew screamed, his voice sounding like he was at the other end of a tunnel.

Umbra dropped to his knees, coughing and sputtering blood onto his palms. His friend stepped back in shock, yelling at the crowd that had amassed to call the paramedics.

Umbra fell onto his face, the stores and people around him blending into one muffed landscape.

His vision turned to black, and for the second time that day, Umbra died.

Author's Note- oh