I drifted among nothingness for an age. The memory of my death was vivid. It was seared into my head like a brand. The sound of screams of horror, the clank of heavy machinery and the stench of diesel fuel.

It dominated my thoughts. Every second, a decades worth, was consumed by my mind as it replayed my death by steamroller, in high definition, for the millionth time. At least my death had been thankfully swift, my head crushed first.

Then my reminisce stopped and I was free to think and remember other things. I saw my life, short but full. My dreams, which were clearly unrealistic. My fears, potent and still undiminished. Apparently, I still had a deadly fear of being eaten alive.

Then something vast, something beyond measure, touched my mind.

"Hmm," It hummed thoughtfully in an inhuman voice that was genderless in a way that was artificial, it just was, "You'll have to do."

"Do? I'll do for what?" I implored the voice for an answer. My own voice was high pitched and far too human for this place of nothingness.

I could feel its gaze upon me as a wave of what could only be described as amusement flowed towards me, "You'll see, little spirit."

Then there was color again. So much color. An unending kaleidoscope of color. Many of the colors were beyond my comprehension. Beyond a mortal mind that only interpreted stuff in three dimensions. I felt madness settle in my mind, rooting itself with a fervor before a gentle presence tore it from my mind again. Within this inclusion of insanity I felt it as my spirit, my soul was remade. I felt my life expand towards infinity, only just falling short.

I stretched fruitlessly, reaching with my own soul towards infinity. A sense of mild reproach and amusement reached me as I was pulled away and gentle hands shackled my soul again to the mortal coil. Another tether was stretched through many dimensions until it was grafted to a fragment. This fragment was once part of something greater, merely a cell in a vast body of some measureless entity.

A human was like an ant, an insect, to its vastness. In turn this entity was but an insect to the being that plucked me from the void and I was but a bacteria to the original being. I had the distinct thought that if I was only a bacteria then the appropriate metaphor was that was being moved from one culture dish to another.

Then I gasped. I felt air again on my flesh, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and many others all in lesser amount. I felt the air... as it flowed through my flesh. I opened my eyes and looked down at my hands. I was clothed in a white garment, but my body and the garment were both translucent. I felt it as I smirked, I was amused that I looked like a ghost. Psychologically, I probably should be more bothered by hit but negative emotions seem almost beyond my grasp. I ha date feeling that something truly awful would have to happen before I was enthralled by the grasp of despair, anger, or horror.

I finished scrutinizing my pale emaciated flesh, which was weird in itself, and the white-sheet-tunic thing, that I was currently garbed in. Then I turned my focus, which was somewhat mediocre compared to what I remembered as a human. That last though was slightly disturbing, I mused as I ran a ghostly finger over the speckled white tiles covering the ground. I wondered why I didn't view myself as human anymore. Hmm, I thought seriously for a second before my thoughts jumped again in a manner that I suspected was similar to an attention deficit disorder.

The walls were metal. Perhaps a secret military installation? No, that was improbable. Maybe a secret laboratory? I looked the wall over again, looking for a detail I might have missed with my first cursory look over. Uh, lots of handles, my brain supplied. No, you stupid, walls don't have handles, these are lockers!

And the lockers had words on them! Yes, my errant thought voice responded, and the words are in English! Why wouldn't they be in English I didn't have much idea of, except of course if I was in a different country.

Finally, I read the words, 'Winslow High School'. Huh. I'm pretty sure that I have heard of that High School before. Perhaps it was near where I lived before I died? No, it wasn't, my mind supplied information sluggishly, I hadn't lived near it. Almost it seemed that my mind and my bodies mind were separate. I shook my head, that didn't make any sense whatsoever.

I inhaled, I had gasped earlier but had forgotten to inhale, a problem I intended to solve right away. After all if I was in a High School i should breath to blend in, right? I promptly gagged, what was that awful smell. Rot? Decay? Old blood? Fermenting dandelions? Sulphur and brimstone? I had never smelled anything so awful before, and i was happy that I didn't have a physical body that would have vomited by now. I promptly switched smell off. Hmm, I hadn't known smell could be switched off but I guess it could.

Actually, I then thought, if this was a school, where was all the noisy people? Unless of course they were all driven away by that horrendous smell. Or I suppose my hearing could be off.

Ah, that was it. My hearing was off. I mentally switched it on, ready for the clamor of voices to hit my ears. I was supposed when the school remained quiet. Well, the hallway was kind of dark, and the window over in the wall is dark too. Maybe it is night time?

I turned to leave the hallway when a sob broke the silence, a murmur followed, "P-please, please, l-let me out!"

What! Where was that coming from? I panned my view around gazing at all the walls and down the hallway. There was nobody here. Was there a ghost?! No, that would be far to juvenile, ghosts aren't real. So far, um, never mind, I'm a ghost so I really shouldn't be claiming that ghosts aren't real.

"Hello," Nevertheless I replied, "A-anybody here?"

Arrgh! Curse that stutter!

"H-h-help! Help m-me!" The voice spoke again. It was a girl's voice, teenaged and weary. Where was she? What could she be trapped in? The vents? No, there are lockers right in front of me, where else could she be trapped.

I zeroed in on the locker that emanate the sobs and tried to open the door. My fingers and hand passed right through it.

"Uh," I said intelligently, "I'll go get somebody to help!"

"No!" The voice sobbed, "Stay! Don't go!"

"I'm gonna get somebody to help get you out!" I reassured the trapped girl.

I sprinted through Winslow High looking for somebody that was capable of helping the girl. Needless to say that during the night a school is usually empty, seeing this I made a break towards the outside, perhaps I would be able to find somebody out in the nearby city to help the girl.

Unfortunately, as I ghosted out of the school's wall I ran right into an oak tree. Ugh, the inside of trees are weird! I attempted to ghost out of the tree and I was startled when I remained inside.

WHAT!

I refused to be constrained by a mere tree! I pushed a shoved and threw my will into escaping the tree and I slowly pushed my way out of the tree. First a hand then my entire body followed.

Scowling back at the Oak I took a step, again I was on the quest to save the girl trapped in the locker.

And I promptly tripped over a rock and face planted into the concrete.

"Gah!" I shrieked, cupping a hand over my nose, I thought I was a ghost! Green blood flowed out from between my fingers. Weird, now I bled green.

Wait a second! I slammed a hand into the ground, testing a hypothesis. The dust that exploded confirmed my thoughts, I wasn't a ghost anymore!

I jumped to my feet and raced back into the school, stopping only at...the front door...which was now locked.

I wouldn't let that stop me! I wrenched, and wonder of wonders the door broke, in fact the lock nearly crumpled under my fingers. Eh, did I have super strength or something?

Whatever that was I still needed to save the girl, that being said I raced through the halls. When I reached the locker I yanked it open spilling the girl and a whole bunch of other stuff, bloody somethings, all over the ground.

I could feel that the screaming girl, who was clearly delirious, was sick, an infection was working its way through her body. An energy welled up inside me, I needed to act fast before the girl suffered permanent damage. Strength flowing through my thin body I lifted the girl up in a bridal carry and raced towards the front of the building. With a thought I sent my inner energy into the girl, soothing her infections slightly.

However, she still was in dire need of medical attention...from...trained professionals! Like doctors. I made a slight detour to one of the school offices. I kicked down a door and scooped up an old fashioned, (not cellphone), phone and dialed 9-1-1.

I quickly relayed that I had just pulled a girl from a locker and she was very sick and delirious. The line was quiet for a moment before the person on the other end replied that an ambulance was on it's sway. I then, still holding the girl, made my way quickly to the front.

I was carefully trickling my energy into the girl, making sure that her infection wasn't spreading when I noticed something important.

Where. Were. My. Clothes!

I choked. Why was I naked? Did that Oak tree eat my sheet? If it did... I was going to kill it! And then use its bark to make a dress!