One - The Iris' Willpower
I opened my eyes. A red light shimmered through the liquid I was under. That’s when I realized that I wasn’t able to breathe under this said liquid.
Widening my eyes, I threw myself above water, gasping and coughing, my body begging for air. I felt my body - dry and…
Alive.
Did it not work? Is this glowing red cave the afterlife? I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t ready to find out. I had to get out of-
“Child.”
I jumped, looking around. Above me, a giant eye covered the roof of the cave. The Iris switched from green to red. It looked around as if to analyze me.
“...you took your own life.”
I hesitated and nodded. “Yes. I did take my own life.”
“It was due to stress, and people from your school, Rebellion High.”
I nodded again. “I - yes, it was all because of that. I-it was all too much for me to-”
“You seek a second chance.”
“...no, I don’t,” I said softly, looking down at the water I was sitting in - for some reason, I was still dry, even while my bottom half was underwater. I sighed and got up, walking around the enclosed cave - I was trapped, with no way to escape.
“You seek a second chance,” It said again. This time, I hesitated before saying, “No, I don’t-”
“LIAR.” It roared, the walls of the cave trembling. “Do not lie to me, mortal. I see everything, and I see through your lies. Now, do you desire a second chance, or would you rather leave to the afterlife?”
I paused and thought carefully about what to say next. If I had a second chance, maybe it was a good thing… But was I willing to go through the same stress, the same fears from before?
“What’ll I get for saying yes?” I asked, not sure what the answer would be. “What’s the catch?”
A pause. “You shall become the Goliath - a personification of chaos. Every illness the world has seen, you have lived to tell the tale. And you have seen one of the greatest killing illnesses of all… depression.”
I looked down. “What do I need to do?”
“Fight the Trojan.” Was all he said, before a flash of red light consumed me.
The red light flashed images through my brain - images of chaos, destruction, and death. Then the red hue faded to green, and it showed me hopeful things.. My family and friends…
My girlfriend.
My vision blurred again, then darkened, and before I knew it, I was walking my dog. Hours before my attempt.
Wait… Alleiah.
Alleiah and I intended to kill ourselves together, and now that I didn’t want to die, she had to know that our “plan” was canceled. I ripped my phone from my pocket, dialing her number quickly.
She picked up almost instantly, making me jump. “Hello? Will, what are you doing? Aren’t you going to-”
“Yeah, um, about the whole ‘dying’ thing, I’m not gonna do it… I’ve decided to, uh… you know, try and go-”
“Fuckin’ pussy.” She snarled before hanging up. I sighed, and looked down at my phone. My hands… they were trembling like crazy. Was I scared?
I shoved my phone into my coat pocket, scoffing. “I’m not the one wanting to commit suicide..”
At least, not anymore. As I walked inside my house, I thought countless questions - was that iris God? Was it a god? What did it mean by “Goliath,” or “Trojan”? I couldn’t stop thinking, my mind constantly active.
I flopped onto my bed after taking my black dog off the leash. I sighed, moving my blond hair from my eyes. Ironically enough, my deep emerald green eyes were the same color as the iris from that weird afterlife.
How funny.
I woke up early the next morning to the sound of rustling in my bedroom and looked around. The dog was asleep next to me, so I grabbed a baseball bat from the corner of my room, readying myself to smash someone’s head in when I saw… her.
Alleiah, my next-door neighbor, was sobbing on the couch, curled up and trembling. I slowly lowered the bat and approached her.
“Will… Will, I-I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t-”
“I know, Alleiah…” I said, despite me, well, not knowing.
“I-I was holding the pills, and I almost swallowed them, but… I just couldn’t..”
I sighed, almost annoyed. “I know… Take a breather, we’ll talk about this over coffee.”
She stayed silent, even as she drank some of her coffee. I took a sip, sighing. “Look, I didn’t do it cuz of the meds I’m on,” I lied, looking out the window. I didn’t think that it was the right time to tell her that an otherworldly being gave me a second shot at life. It didn’t sound like I should say it at all, if I was being honest.
“Will… I want you to be honest with me…” Alleiah stared deep into my eyes, her gaze piercing my soul.
“Did you refuse to die because of Ellie?”
My girlfriend, Ellie, was not the reason I refused, but I nodded. “I just couldn’t bear putting her or anyone through what I was about to put them through.”
Alleiah rolled her eyes, and stood up. “Alright, asshole. I get it - you two are inseparable.”
I sighed, but before I could speak, Alleiah left my home.
