Chapter 2: That's all this was? A Whoopsies?
It had started as most stories like this went. A simple accident, a run in with a vehicle, falling off a high location. You know, the classics.
For Caspian, it was a simple accident. He'd been walking home from university past a construction site, and one thing led to another and all he remembered was shouting, but not the pain.
That led him to believe that it was instantaneous. At least he didn't feel any pain, and it wasn't a drawn out death. It was a small comfort to him. And he was sure of an even smaller comfort to his sister.
Fuck. His sister.
His only living blood relative. Outside of the baby that was growing inside of her. He was supposed to be with her during this time. Help her out. Take care of her in the place of her husband who had been called away to fight in a war zone. He'd made a promise to both of them, and he was the one who left them first.
Fuck. He was so angry at himself.
In fact, he had been so angry at himself for getting involved in a stupid accident, that he hadn't noticed even in his death, he was still himself, still had his body, and was...still around?
"Ah. It seems as if you have finally realised something is wrong." A voice spoke. It wasn't quite...male or female. Cass couldn't distinguish anything about it. It just...was a voice. But...where was he?
Why was everything so...dark?
"Where am I?"
"How unoriginal. I expected more from you, Caspian Spencer." A shiver, a warning went down his spine at the way the voice said his name. Like...it was taking it from him. Stealing it.
"Why would you expect more from me? Who the hell even are you?" Cass swallowed thickly. Something was wrong. This was not a good idea, and his whole body was protesting.
Suddenly, chains snapped out of the void, as if highlighted by sharp, contrasting colours and wrapped around his wrists and ankles.
The voice chuckled, and Cass did not like the sound of it.
"Well well well. Someone is scared, aren't we?" The voice teased, and Cass struggled against the chains. He yanked, pulled, tugged. He fought against the restraints until he was tired, but it meant nothing. He wasn't going to be able to escape from them. He was forced to be here, forced to listen to the madman or madwoman who had captured him.
"Who the hell wouldn't be? This is fucking awful. I am...I am supposed to be dead!" The words felt bitter coming out of his mouth. "Fuck! She's probably going to name the kid after me." He muttered angrily. It was the last thing he wanted. He knew she had names picked out for the kid.
Hell, he'd been so excited to be an uncle. And it was all gone. Poof. In a second.
"Hmm, that's quite true. Your body is dead, but it was also...an accident." Cass' arms went slack. A what? "Whoopsies? An accident? You weren't supposed to die today."
Cass felt such a vicious emotion fill him he was scared of himself.
"Did you just...call my death a whoopsies?" Cass asked, dangerously quiet and even the chains tightened around him.
"Now now, don't let the anger overtake you. We don't want you becoming a demon, do we?" Cass shot a glare towards the sky, unsure where the speaker was. It sounded like the voice was coming from all around him, but he was sure he could feel the force of his anger.
"A demon isn't sounding so bad right now if it means that I can hurt you." Cass growled, and the sound of nervous laughter filled the air.
"D-Demons aren't quite capable of that just yet, so it would be a foolish choice if you asked me." Cass knew he didn't have a heart at this exact moment, but he could feel the sensation of his heartbeat. It was fast, angry, and he knew he hated whoever this creature was.
"So can you send me back? If it was a mistake. Can you send me back?" Cass demanded, and was met with silence. He laughed harshly as the silence prolonged. "Then what's the fucking point of taking me here then? Why me? You should have just let me pass on instead of whatever weird power trip this is. Let me fucking die properly. If I can't go back, what's the fucking point?" Cass felt so angry and upset and defeated. What was the point of this?
Did this creature just want to play with a soul? Did they just want to fuck around? Why did it want to do that to him? It was so fucking rude.
"I grabbed your soul because it was an accident. You aren't supposed to die right now. That and I-"
"No. I'm not doing whatever fucked up shit you want me to do." Cass declared angrily. Why the fuck they thought he was just going to go along with whatever they fucking wanted was insane. He was pissed. He was dead. And they had not left a good impression so far.
"I didn't even get to say what I needed help with."
"Go suck a dick. I'm not helping someone who can't even fucking apologise for being responsible for an accident." Silence met his words, and Cass gave a startled laugh. He'd been guessing, he didn't think he was actually right. This damn fuck.
How dare they try to play it off like they were doing him a favour, when it was clear that they had fucked up? Ugh!
He'd always hated reading stories where the protagonist just blindly agreed to whatever the "gods" or whatever said. It was annoying. And frustrating. They never asked for clarifying questions.
"Look. I know you're upset. I've never died, but I can see where you're coming from. That is no reason to speak to me that way. I want to help you." Cass laughed again.
"Help me? You just want me to clean up your mess." Cass replied, and it felt like he'd hit a nerve. The energy in the room shifted, and while Cass had been scared before, he was now terrified.
"I don't make messes." The voice replied, and Cass grew bold.
"Oh? Then did someone else create my 'accident?' Or are you going to tell me that you killed me on purpose?" Cass shook his head, his smile harsh, cruel, and upsetting. "Why would anyone want someone like me? I'm not special. I'm just one out of many." A deep, shuddering sigh filled the air, causing the chains to rattle around his arms.
"...I picked you. It was an accident, but I selected you out of the many offered. I need someone to help change the fate of another world, I picked you to do it." Cass felt his eyes widen at the admittance of the "god" or whatever.
"What? You want some dumb human to fix your mistake?"
"It's not a mistake! I need some dumb human to fight against the forces of evil!" Cass laughed.
"From where I'm standing, I don't think your evil and their evil are very different." Cass shot back, and a growl erupted from the creature.
"You are so-No, this is why I chose you. Calm down. You are a mighty god. They are just a child. A speck of dust in the wind." It was clear that the creature, the "god" was getting frustrated with Cass. He hoped that was a good sign. The sooner they released him, the sooner he could finally be at peace.
Or at as much peace as he could muster. He was still pissed. Could he ask to haunt his sister? Watch over the kid?
Would he even make a good poltergeist?
"I need your help. I know this isn't...ideal, and that you had plans in your future. I honestly intended to wait until your natural death day, but...something else interfered." The voice admitted. "It was not me, but I do...apologise for their...actions." The creature sighed, rattling the chains once more. Cass was surprised. He didn't think something like it would be able to own up to any mistakes.
"You didn't kill me?"
"No. I did not. Why would I rush it? I have no need to. I almost missed grabbing your soul because it was so sudden. You had at least another 30 years left in your current cycle." Ah. So the family history of cancer probably got to him in the end. Well, at least his sister didn't have to watch him slowly die.
It was a small comfort.
"If you want my help, you need to do some things for me." Cass stated, and the "god" scoffed.
"You want to negotiate with a god?" Cass shrugged.
"What do I have to lose? Apparently, you chose me. I didn't choose you. So, make the deal worth it to me." Cass was cocky. He had no reason not to be. His whole reason to keep on living was gone, and he was just a spirit. He should have been more scared, but it just didn't feel real.
This just didn't feel like it had any weight.
"What do you want, Caspian? For me to look out for your sister?" The "god" was mocking him, he could feel it. Cass scoffed.
"No. Look out for the child in her stomach, and any others she might have. I don't want them to turn out like us." Cass said, and that seemed to surprise the "god".
"You didn't have a bad upbringing." Who was this creature to judge what was good and bad? Sure, Cass hadn't been beaten up, but growing up without parents in a society that judged one heavily for being an orphan wasn't a good upbringing either.
It had been just him and his sister against the world for so long. He didn't want the same thing to happen to them. So, wishing for the best for her kids would mean the best for her too. It was what he wanted, and he knew that this creature was going to be tricky about this.
He'd read too many novels to not expect it.