Many Lives

Ch. Death & Rebirth

Her eyes opened slowly, sharp rays of sunlight shining through the purple curtains which streaked across the carpeted floor of her bedroom, slowly creeping up the side of her bed like golden fingers. Jess sat up in bed rubbing her eyes and letting out a yawn, her curly scarlet hair tumbling down her back as she pulled the blanket off her and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Standing up and raising her arms over her head, Jess stretched long and hard, feeling all of the muscles in her body strain and flex in relief as she let out a long breath.

Jess wore a black tank top and short, pink pajama shorts that clung to her finely sculpted body, accentuating all of her curves and features, the rise and dips of her breasts and butt, her hips and her legs, and everything in between. Her glasses, an old but still endearing set with black frames and crystal clear lenses, sat on the side table next to her bed, which Jess picked up and slid onto the bridge of her nose, blinking as her vision cleared and she could see her room as more than just a fuzzy blur.

Jess moved across her bedroom, her feet padding softly across her purple carpeted floor, through a doorway, and into a small side bathroom connected to her room. Dropping her shorts, she sat down and relieved herself, fresh thoughts and ideas already soaring through her brain of all the different poses and scenes she would work on today. She already had two commissions she needed to get done by the end of the day, but she was already almost finished with those, so she figured she could make a little time for experimenting and creative exploration.

Pulling her shorts back up and flushing the toilet, Jess made her way out of the bathroom, looking across her bedroom. It was a small space, but it was hers. Her own little safe haven away from everything else.

Posters lined the walls, some of them rock band posters, a few of them from different movies she liked, but most of her posters were dedicated to video games and anime. A large flat screen TV, given to Jess by her parents on her nineteenth birthday just last week, was positioned atop an old, white wooden dresser at the foot of her bed, and standing against the wall next to Jess's bed was a tall white bookshelf, the shelves lined with nothing but books. The first two top shelves were filled with her favorite novels, most of them favorites from her childhood, the rest were new recent favorites she'd discovered, but the other five shelves were lined end to end with nothing else but manga volumes.

Shojo, Shonen, Josei, Ecchi, and more hentai manga than she knew what to do with. Most of her manga volumes were in near pristine condition, but those last two shelves were full of well worn and well used manga, their spines showing this perfectly.

Sitting down at her desk, a large piece of furniture made from dark wood, notched and a little beaten up here and there, but still sturdy and as reliable as ever, Jess took up her digital pen and powered on her tablet, preparing herself to begin what was sure to be a long day. As the tablet's screen powered on, Jess looked across the room at an old Pokemon clock that hung from the wall, blue rimmed, the two black clock hands spread across Pikachu's face.

Half past nine in the morning. She didn't need to have those commissions sent out until ten tonight. She'd be fine.

Finally, the tablet screen lit up, a pair of tanned titties spread across the screen, the nipples drawn to be perky, the bit of stomach that could be seen smooth and slender. Jess pinched the screen and the breasts minimized, showing that they were attached to the chest of a beautifully drawn woman. She had orange skin and long red hair that was drawn long and curling at the ends, spilling over her shoulders and down her back, ending spread out around her bottom. She was posed rather provocatively, drawn to be sitting on the edge of a bed, leaning back, her chest poked out, and her legs spread wide. Her eyes were half-lided, her mouth open in a silent moan, her tongue hanging out as one hand positioned itself frozen between her thighs.

Jess smiled at her work, feeling pride swell within herself. It had become one of her new favorites. There was just something about that looking the girl's face, the pose, the position. It just felt like she had gotten everything right with this one. She just hoped the buyer felt the same way. Jess's hand began to move then, her pen sliding and gliding across the screen as she drew lines and shaded here and there, filling in with colors and letting herself drift away with the movement of her hand as she did her best to really bring this piece to life. Within the hour, she had the entire thing finished. Saving and duplicating the drawing just to be safe, Jess moved them into a specific folder labeled 'COMMISSIONS', before opening a brand new page. Cracking open an energy drink that sat on the desk next to her, taking a long sip of it, she set it down, and began to draw.

Hours later, after taking a couple of small breaks to eat and use the bathroom, Jess sat back and looked at the finished product. It was a more elaborate piece than the first one had been, a scene depicting a poor, desperate looking girl with blue skin, violet colored hair, and white horns protruding from her forehead, being absolutely ravished by two ugly monsters. One stood behind the girl, holding the entirety of her body in its massive arms, resting her back against its wide chest, its large, thick dick pushed completely inside the girl's ass in a frozen thrust.

The second stood facing the two of them, its large cock buried deep inside the girl's pussy, the monster's head tipped back in a silent moan of pleasure and victory as it broke the girl. Jess let out a tired breath as she looked at her work, loving the look of pure pain, mixed with a slight look of begrudged pleasure and excitement despite her situation. Jess had dreams sometimes that she was in this exact scenario, being attacked and taken by monsters, pretending not to enjoy it, screaming and pushing them away, but loving every second of it. Loving the depravity and humiliation. It was all part of the fun, after all.

Jess felt a shock surge through her body as she looked down at her drawing, at their faces, the lewdness of all of it. Sitting back in her chair, feeling her sore muscles finally relax, she opened her own legs wide, letting out a nervously excited breath as her hand trailed down her stomach. She let her mind begin to wander, letting her imagination run as she slipped her hand into her shorts. She wasn't wearing anything below the shorts, so she was met with just bare skin and hair, the sensation of her hand sending shivers through her body. She thought of hard, muscled bodies, of even harder muscles that stuck out down below. She saw clothes tearing in her mind's eye, saw bare skin, rough hands grabbing and groping at that skin... at her skin... at her own body...

She pushed a finger inside herself and her eyes closed as she moved that finger back and forth, in and out, every stroke of her finger sending more and more jolts throughout her body as her mouth opened, a small quiet moan escaping into the quiet room. She did have roommates who were home, so she would need to be quiet, but fuck she loved those rare days when she was completely home alone and could just scream and moan and not give a damn about being quiet.

She slipped another finger inside herself, her mind conjuring images of things being pushed inside her holes. Of her asshole being opened wide, of some big scary monster fucking her throat until it came deep-

"Hey Jess," came a voice at her bedroom door accompanied by three knocks. "Jess, I need to go to the store, but I really don't wanna go by myself. Could you come with me, please? I'll buy you some food or something, I just don't want to go alone."

Jess stopped, her eyes moving to the closed door.

Dammit Dani, you have to go right now? Right this second?

Jess got out of her chair, powering off her tablet and fixing her clothes. She went to the door and opened it, finding Dani standing on the other side. Dani was her roommate, well, one of them at least, the other two girls must've still been asleep.

"Hi, Dani," Jess said in a bit of a monotone voice. She had to push down the sharpness that threatened in her tone. It was nothing against Dani, she actually didn't mind going with her, and she was quite hungry. But damn, she'd much rather stay home all day and draw and fantasize rather than go out into the world where there was no magic, no monsters, no sexy vampires or brooding werewolves. It was all just ordinary and boring and uninteresting. She hated it. But, as if to remind her that she did live in the normal world, her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn't eaten today. With a sigh, she agreed to go with Dani, to just let her change clothes.

Five or so minutes later, Jess met Dani out at her car, having changed into a pair of dark blue jeans and a red anime t-shirt. Dani clicked on the radio as they pulled out of their apartment complex, a nice, funky beat drifting around the car as they drove through town. Jess looked out the car window, watching all the people and buildings pass by them as they drove, stopping at lights periodically, but that funky beat seeming to continuously push them along all the while.

Jess and Dani pulled into the parking lot of an old discount grocery store, a short square building held together by old brick and mortar, patched up here and there with newer looking stone, dirty windows looking out from the front of the store to the street and parking lot. Jess had to stifle a soft groan as she got out of the car and followed Dani into the grocery store, her nose wrinkling at the dusty smell inside. There weren't any other people inside besides an old lady at the one cash register in this place,and Jess thanked the universe for small miracles.

"So,Dani, what exactly are we here to get?" Jess asked, looking around at the different shelves stocked with canned goods and box dinners. Her stomach growled again and Jess covered it with both arms, willing it to be quiet as she followed Danithrough the different aisles, watching as she picked up different items and threw them into a basket she'd picked up when they had walked in.

"Just whatever," Dani replied, picking up a moldy looking can of peaches before putting it back on the shelf. "We're nearly out of food at the house, and no one else seemed to be bothered with it, so we just gotta pick up whatever to get us through the rest of the month."

Jess shrugged and picked up a candy bar from one of the shelves, unwrapping it right there and taking a bite out of it. Chocolate and peanuts exploded in her mouth as she chewed, prompting another low growl from her stomach as she swallowed. It definitely tasted a little stale, but she didn't mind. She was hungry.

After another twenty minutes of searching and scouring the shop, Jess breathed a sigh of relief as she and Dani carried arm fulls of groceries out of the store, walking them to the car and setting them. In the backseat. Jess was about to open the door to get inside, when something... strange caught her eye.

Standing across the street, seeming almost to not be seen by the throngs of people walking past, stood a woman. Though, stood may have been the wrong word. The harder Jess looked at this woman, it almost looked as if she were... floating. She was naked, and her bare feet were hovering only inches above the sidewalk below, her golden skin shining almost too brightly for Jess to look at for too long, her long, blonde hair shimmering bright golden, each strand floating out around the woman's head as if she were freely floating throughout space. Jess was speechless. She'd never seen anything like this, not in real life. This woman looked like a character Jess would like to draw, but Jess knew she'd never be able to capture the pure beauty and power this goddess gave off. She had a very mystical, mysterious aura about her, almost otherworldly, and Jess almost found herself drawn to her, only making the pull stronger as she realized for certain that she truly was the only one who could see this woman.

"Jess?" Came Dani's voice from behind her, but Jess wasn't paying attention to anything but this glowing hovering woman across the street. She almost seemed to beckon to Jess, holding out a delicate hand towards her, the woman's finger curling once as if to say 'Yes, child. Come closer. Come closer to me so I may take you away from here'.

Jess stepped out into the street, not paying any mind to Dani's confused out cry from behind her as she moved closer to the light and glow of this woman. She didn't remember it being particularly cold outside, but she swore she grew warm and comfortable as she moved closer and closer. Jess reached a hand out towards the woman, hoping to be able to at least touch her hand, fear swelling in her chest from thoughts of this fantastical specifically disappearing from her life. She needed her. She wanted her. Even as she had these thoughts, she felt her underwear grow damp with a kind of pleasure she had only felt in dreams.

Jess didn't hear Dani's scream of warning from behind her as she moved closer and closer, nor didn't hear the screeching tires of the truck that barreled into her, sending her limp body flying several feet down the road, landing hard on the pavement and rolling several times before slamming into a nearby telephone pole, almost severing her in half, her glasses having been torn from her face lay only a few feet from where Jess lay lifeless. The last thing Jess saw before she went flying was a pleased smile on the glowing woman's beautiful face, the nod of her head,and the silent promise that they would be seeing each other very soon, before everything went black.

Within five minutes, an ambulance as well as the entire Low Port police department were looking down at Jess's broken and lifeless body, the paramedics zipping her up in a black bag, laying her gently onto a gurney before loading her into the back of the ambulance. Meanwhile, Dani still stood in the grocery store parking lot, her phone to her ear, tears spilling from her eyes. She was in hysterics, pacing back and forth in front of her car as she told their roommates what happened. She kept saying it was her fault, that if only she hadn't asked Jess to come with her, but this was no one's fault. This was fate set in motion by a golden haired goddess. This was the end and the beginning of Jess's life.

Somewhere else in the universe, somewhere where time had no meaning, where day and night were nonexistent, where time and space had no meaning; somewhere in between, Jess awoke. She lay naked on what felt like a cold, smooth floor, but when she looked around herself, she saw only black nothingness. Immediately, Jess knew she was somewhere no living human had ever been before, somewhere only those who are passing on has ever visited, and with this knowledge brought the knowledge of her own demise. It was a flashing blur to her, remembering the woman, then the screeching tires, and the impact. She saw herself flying over the pavement and knew that she had already been dead by the time her body hit that telephone pole. But why? What happened to her and why did it have to happen? And why did the goddess let it happen? Jess examined herself, feeling all over her body for cuts, scratches, or even so much as a bruise, but there were none. She seemed as fine and healthy as she had been when she had woken up this morning. She felt her face and realized that the only thing that was missing were her glasses, though she supposed that did make sense. Dead people didn't need glasses; and even as she thought it, she realized that, yes, her vision was perfect. Though there wasn't really much to look for in this black abyss, there also wasn't any bluriness in her vision. After realizing that there was nothing physically wrong with her, Jess's mind came back to the accident, back to her death, and back to the woman. Who was she, and why did she let me die?

"I am not the one who killed you, girl," came a voice from behind Jess. "I am just the one who was there to witness its' happening and the one who brought you to this plain afterward. I am sorry it happened to you, though. I know all of this must be very confusing to you, but there are more important things we must discuss than the mere ending of one life. It is time I make you an offer."

Rising to her knees, Jess turned her head, her mouth falling open as she once again saw the shimmering woman. Once again, jess was speechless, the woman's golden glow lighting up this black plain as the Sun brought life and light to the Earth Jess used to live on. But her thoughts of Earth and her previous life and experiences sat far back in her mind, already slowly starting to fade away completely. By this time, Jess had already forgotten the name and faces of her parents, along with hundreds of memories from her childhood. Her first time riding a bike,her first day at school, her first date and her first kiss which topped off the end of that date.. She couldn't remember the name of her younger brother... or had she had a sister instead? She couldn't remember, and she could feel more memories disappearing from her mind, like trash being carelessly emptied into a dumpster. But none of that even mattered to Jess, she barely noticed. All she cared about right then was the woman.

"Jess," the goddess spoke softly. "Get over your circumstances and listen to what I have to say. Take care to listen well, I command it." The woman didn't say this in a cruel or uncaring way. She had a very calming way about her, every word that came from her full of truth and care, but also urgency.

Jess, hearing her words, nodded and focused her full attention on the woman, letting go of her concerns for the time being, being totally and utterly engrossed in this goddess, daring only to ask one question. "W-where are we? What is this place?"

"This is a realm in between," the woman answered, holding out her arms as if to gesture to this entire, black world. "I believe your people called it Purgatory, a place for the dead to wait before being sent on to their own personal afterlife, though that isn't precisely true. This is a plain inbetween time and space itself. No one can live here for long periods of time, it is not a place meant for the living or the dead. It is just a place that exists, though it does have its uses. Sometimes we'll keep those deceased of which we haven't decided what to do with yet, and sometimes we use it as a sort of cell if needed, though it rarely is ever used in that capacity. Mostly, it is used for special cases. I could've sent you on to any old afterlife, allow you to live the remainder of eternity sitting in the clouds or down under, or perhaps sent you back into the human world as a butterfly or a dog. But I actually had a better idea for you, Jess. A proposition, you could say."

It may have been improper or impolite, but Jess used the goddess's pause to interject, unable to hold her tongue. "But why me? Why me out of anyone else? I'm no one."

"Ah, that's a fair question. And to be quite honest with you, I can't give you a full complete answer. Call it pity if you'd like, or you could say it's just me wanting a good show. Your people say in the legends of their own created gods and goddesses that they would come down from the heavens to play with mortals, whether that be devious play or well meant, your gods all have a commonality of wanting to watch their mortal subjects, and sometimes, those gods would intervene in their lives to make the show more interesting. So, in a way, you could say tha's what I'm doing here. Jess, you were destined to die this day, but I took it upon myself to offer you a different kind of afterlife, rather than the one that was destined for you. Being a goddess, I do have the power to do that."