Like a car being jumped, with a bodily jerk Kim Haeri opened her eyes and sat up with a gasping breath. Immediately and instinctively, she slapped her hands over her eyes to protect them from the blinding bright whiteness of the world around her. Haeri counted to ten in her head and then opened her eyes once more. The world was still starkly white, but it wasn’t blinding anymore. She paused. “Where…where am I?” She mused aloud, trying to reach into her memory for any indication of where she was or what she was doing. Or even who she was. All she seemed to know was her name. Everything else was…just not there.
     Haeri glanced around, still confused as to why everything was so white. It was like the world had been stripped of color completely. And then she looked down. A piercing scream escaped her lips as she fell over herself scrambling away from the lifeless body lying next to her. Her lifeless body. That was her lying there! Panic swirled through her head, her stomach tying itself into knots. Another, almost feral, scream left . Was she…dead?
     “Hey!” A booming voice suddenly broke through her cries. “It’s gonna be okay.”
     Haeri glanced up from her spot on the white, white ground and met eyes with a man who appeared in full color. “A-are you an angel?” Haeri mumbled softly, the man’s features looked razer-sharp with the all-white backdrop.
     The man grinned, seeming to enjoy her comment privately. “Not even close.” He said. “I’m Gabe, by the way. Come on, let’s get you up.” He reached out and gently grabbed Haeri’s arms, pulling her to her feet.
     Haeri’s eyes snapped back to the body, her body, still lying on the ground. “Is that really me?” Haeri asked, horrified but unable to look away.
    Gabe grimaced slightly. “Yes. That’s your body.”
    Gulping audibly, she met eyes with the stranger. “Am I…?” She stopped, unable to say the word aloud.
    Gabe shook his head. “Not exactly.” He said. “You’re in Limbo.”
    Haeri blinked. “Limbo?” She echoed, willing her brain to regain normal functioning again. But there was still a lot of fuzziness inside her head. It was making it hard for her to think or remember anything. Before Gabe could continue to speak, his eyes flicked to something moving behind them. Haeri turned to see a man jogging through the whiteness, heading straight for where her body laid. She watched with detached amusement as the man spotted her body, and opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. The man fumbled for his phone and began shouting into it, or so she assumed. She couldn’t hear anything. “Why can’t I hear anything?” She asked, still watching the man. He had begun vomiting off to the side now. His first time seeing a dead body, apparently.
    “You’re new here.” Gabe answered. “You’ll be able to see and hear the Living World soon. It just takes a bit to get adjusted.”
    “Here?” She said, stuck in complete neutral.
    Gabe smiled understandingly, his patience having no end. “Limbo.” He repeated. “You’re neither dead, nor alive. You’re what we call a Wanderer.”
    Sirens suddenly blasted through her eardrums, alerting her quite rudely that her hearing had returned. She whirled to see an ambulance pull up next to her body, EMTs jumping out to aide. The man that had called them was trying to talk, but she still couldn’t quite make out he was saying. It was like he was whispering. “I’ll explain the rest on the way.” Gabe said, moving past her to step into the ambulance.
    Not knowing what else to do, Haeri scrambled to avoid the commotion and grab the seat next to him. When her body was finally pulled into the vehicle, Haeri couldn’t keep her eyes off of it. The world suddenly regained color again and Haeri was faced with all the blood that covered her face. “I look pretty dead.” She couldn’t help but quip.
    Gabe chuckled, even though she wasn’t trying to be funny. It was the truth. Her face had been badly beaten, almost beyond recognition. Her clothes, reduced to tatters, exposed parts of her body where a knife had entered. Gruesome, horrifying, and cruel; who had done this to her? “Trust me, you’re not dead. Or I wouldn’t be here.” Gabe said.
    Haeri looked at him. “Who even are you? Who did this to me? Who…who was I? All I can remember is my name. What’s a Wanderer? I’m not dead. I’m not alive. What the am I supposed to do now?” She cried, feeling like her emotions were once again getting the best of her.
    “Calm down.” Gabe said, smiling with measure patience. “I’ll tell you what I can, okay?” Haeri nodded, not trusting herself to speak again. “First of all, what is a Wanderer? A Wanderer is what we call those who had their life taken before their time was up. The universe has an order to everything, and people dying before their time makes the universe unbalanced. Wanderers were born as a self-righting mechanism of sorts.” Haeri felt her frown growing deeper and deeper as things made less and less
    “Self-righting?” She questioned.
    Gabe nodded. “As a Wanderer, you have a chance to live again. If, and only if, you complete an unfinished task from your life then you’ll be able to return to your body.”
    “Task? What task?” Haeri asked, straining to understand this new world around her.
    Gabe gave her a judgmental look, like her question was utterly ridiculous. This whole situation was ridiculous. “Even if I knew, I couldn’t tell you.” He said. “You have to figure it out for yourself before time runs out.” He reached into his jacket pocket and handed Haeri a pocket watch. “You have 1 month to finish.”
    She took the watch and examined it. Lovely and exquisitely designed, the watch could fetch a pretty penny in the real world. Emblazoned on the top: 30 DAYS. Her own personal doomsday clock. “And if I don’t finish…?”
    Gabe smiled sadly. “Then you’ll end up like me. A ghost.”
    The ambulance came to screeching halt, causing the contents of the vehicle to shift. The EMTs pushed her body outside and sprinted for the hospital doors. But Haeri couldn’t follow. She just stared into Gabe’s eyes. Her heart would have stopped, if she still had one. “A ghost?”
    “I’m dead.” Gabe said, sounding at peace with the idea. “My body’s buried. I’m doomed to wander the earthly realm for all eternity now. I bide my time helping Wanderers like yourself so they can start off on the right foot.”
    Haeri felt like crying. “How long have you…?” She asked, not sure if she even wanted to know the answer.
    Gabe thought about it for a moment. “Oh…about 700 years now.” He said and Haeri’s stomach was in . “But, enough about me. You better get in there and get started. No time to waste!” Gabe reached for her hands and pulled her out of the ambulance.
    “But I can’t remember anything about myself!” Haeri squeaked, being pulled along by her ghost
    “You will, trust me.” She didn’t really have a choice when it came to trusting Gabe. “It’ll all come back eventually. Just like your vision and your hearing, right?” She figured he was right. If he had been around for 700 years then he definitely knew a thing or two about this Limbo place.
    The craziness of the hospital ER bombarded Haeri’s newborn-like sense. People screaming and crying, running every which way. A nurse was running right for them and Haeri braced for the collision, but the woman breezed right through them. Like they weren’t even there. Which they technically weren’t. “You’ll get used to that.” Gabe said, sensing her freak out. “It’s nice actually. You might miss it when you go back.”
    “If.” Haeri blurted, unable to hold back her cynicism.
    Gabe paused, gazing at her with stern eyes. “It’s best not to think like that. You’re being given chance. I suggest taking it. The alternative isn’t so fun.” Haeri immediately shut and followed Gabe in silence. He came to stop in front of an ER operating room. “Here’s your body. Good luck, Kim Haeri.” He said and then vanished into thin air.
    “Wait!” Haeri screamed, startled by his sudden departure. There was so much more she wanted to ask, so much more she still didn’t understand. But after a few more moments, it was clear he wasn’t coming back. She was on her own now. On her own to remember her life and some task she had to do. An unfinished task…? Although she couldn’t remember her life at all, any normal person had numerous tasks they never got around to finishing in their life. What could be so important…?
    Haeri entered the room where nurses and a doctor scrambled to stop the profuse bleeding from her chest and stomach, apparent stab wounds. The doctor said something about internal bleeding and keeping her blood pressure up. This kind of thing had always grossed Haeri out. Medical dramas and blood in general made her nauseous. But now, she was able to view the scene calmly, as if it wasn’t her battered and damaged body lying on the table there.
    After a lot of furious shouting, the medical staff took a step back, apparently satisfied with their work. Haeri stared blankly at herself. Though she knew it was her, it didn’t feel like it was her. It didn’t look like her with all those scars and dried blood and gauze. But those things would heal and go away in time. All she had to do was figure this whole Limbo thing out. Thinking furiously, Haeri walked with the nurses as they guided her body to a room in the ICU, where she could continue to be monitored. Her life was safe for now. There was a sudden ruckus from out in the hallway so the nurses bolted out of the room, ready to save another life.
    “Where is she?” A loud and angry man’s voice shouted from out in the hallway. Startled, Haeri turned to see a blonde-haired man stalking past the door. He stopped in his tracks when he looked into Haeri’s room. His face filling with rage, the man stormed into the room, stopping when he reached her bedside. The man’s scarred hands gripped the rail and his eyes burned into Haeri’s bandaged face.
    A frantic nurse clamored into the room behind him, huffing from running. “You can’t be in here, Detective.” The nurse said, clearly annoyed. “You’re disturbing the patient. She is still in critical condition.”
    But it was like the man couldn’t hear. He was laser-focused on her body. More ruckus clammored outside so the nurse begrudgingly left for the moment. Curiosity piqued, Haeri studied the heavily breathing man before her. He had to be important to her somehow. He wouldn’t be in here looking so angry if not. The nurse had called him ‘detective’. Haeri shifted her eyes downwards and took note of the gun resting on his hips. Then the badge. Its silver glint shone under the hospital lights. “Min…Yoongi?” She read the name aloud and at first, the name meant nothing to her.
    “Goddammit…” The man said, his voice barely a whisper.
    Like lightening crashing into her, her entire life and memories flooded back to her. Falling off her tricycle while her father laughed. Hanging with the “wrong crowd”. Fighting with her mother. Fighting with everyone. Getting her first tattoo and the many more that followed it. Smoking and drinking. Getting arrested. Drinking more. Getting arrested again. And again. And then, just when she decided she was going to turn her life around, something had happened. Her death. Who and what and why was still fuzzy to her, of course. This whole Limbo thing was such a pain in the .
    Haeri gazed at the blonde man and wondered how he fit into everything. Why had him swearing brought all those memories back to her? “What are you even doing here?” She muttered, frustrated that nothing was clear.
    The man’s head snapped up and he looked at Haeri. Not through her. At her. Into her eyes. Then, he looked at the body lying on the bed. Then, back at Haeri. A scream brimmed on his tongue, his deep brown eyes wide with fear. “Y-you’re a g-ghost!” The detective stammered.
    Gabe had not mentioned this in his little tutorial. “Can you…hear me?” Haeri asked, leaning into the man with wide, curious eyes.
    Yoongi scrambled backwards, tripping over the chair, and landing on the floor. The nurse from before raced inside. “What’s the matter?” She said with forced calmness, her eyes darting to Haeri’s monitors. But there was nothing wrong, at least, not that she could see.
    “Y-you don’t see her?” Yoongi squeaked.
    The nurse glanced in Haeri’s general direction, but her eyes didn’t register anything. She looked back to Yoongi huddling in the corner. “Are you okay, Detective?” She asked cautiously. “Were you close with the victim?”
    If Haeri had a physical body, she would have gotten the chills. Being referred to as the victim. It made her stomach turn. But she turned to Yoongi, needing to know what their connection was. The man had to mean something. “I-I, um, no. I didn’t know her.” Yoongi said quickly and Haeri frowned.
    Narrowing her eyes with suspicion, the nurse moved to help Yoongi to his feet. “Well, I really can’t let you be in here right now.”
    Suddenly serious, the detective met the nurse’s eyes. “She’s the latest victim in my case. She’s the only one who’s made it out alive. I need her to wake up.”
    “Latest victim…?” Haeri echoed quietly, her overly rusty memory gears grinding away.
    The nurse nodded. “We’ll do our best, detective. But, as you can see, the patient is very critical. I can’t guarantee that she’ll wake up. I’ll give you 5 more minutes, okay? Then you really have to go.”
    Yoongi didn’t say anything once again so the nurse saw herself out.
    It was just the 2 of them now. Curious and even a bit scared, Haeri walked over to stand in front of Yoongi. “Detective.” She said somberly. “Can you really hear me right now?”
    Again, Yoongi’s head snapped up. He was going to hurt himself like that. He met Haeri’s eyes dead on. “Oh .” He hissed angrily, and Haeri took a step back out of reflex. “You’re dead. ing hell, you’re a ing ghost and now you’re haunting me.” Yoongi moaned.
    “I know what it looks like, but I’m apparently not dead.” Haeri said, trying her best to sound like she knew what she was talking about.
    Yoongi practically fell into the only chair in the room, bringing his head into his hands. “I have officially lost my mind. You knew this day was coming, Min Yoongi. This shouldn’t be a surprise to you.” He muttered.
    Haeri sighed. The one person who can hear her and he thinks he’s crazy. Who was she kidding, though? Everyone would think they’re crazy. Even she thought this whole thing was crazy. How many Wanderers had passed through her and she had never even known they existed? Was that what was happening every time she got chills randomly? Perhaps. But that was a question for another day.
    Yoongi kept his head in his hands, not looking up at her. “Is this my punishment?” The ornery detective mumbled. “Is this what I get for not listening to anyone?”
    Haeri frowned, the details of her recent life and death still fuzzy. “Can you stop talking to yourself and start talking to me? I have some ques—” She began, but Yoongi stood abruptly, cutting her off.
    “I can’t do this right now.” He said, his eyes not leaving the floor. Haeri watched the man as he exited the hospital room, once again leaving Haeri alone with her body. Not liking that idea very much, she immediately followed the detective out and down the hallway. Besides, she couldn’t let the one piece of the puzzle she had get away. The nurse from before spotted him and tried to say something, but he ignored her, apparently a habit of his, and continued his walk. Haeri walked along behind him in silence, wondering where he was going. Because she, at least, was not going to leave him alone.
    Once outside, the early morning sun just beginning to peak over the horizon, Yoongi suddenly began a dead sprint for his car. Haeri easily matched his pace. Apparently as a Wanderer, physical exertion wasn’t a thing. Probably because she didn’t have a physical body to exert. Yoongi practically flung himself into his car and tried to lock the doors, but Haeri easily passed through the car’s steel frame, coming to rest in the passenger seat. Gabe was right, she was definitely going to miss this once she got out of this predicament.
    “Ohmyinggod.” Yoongi hissed, hands clenched around his steering wheel. “Please leave me alone, ghost woman.” He pleaded, finally meeting her eyes.
    Haeri saw the raw fear in his eyes and felt a twinge of guilt. She didn’t like this anymore than he did. She wanted to leave him alone, let him go on with his life. She wanted to, but it was her life on the line now so there was no turning back. “I can’t.” She said truthfully. “I know you’re scared, but...”
    Yoongi’s sharp brown eyes narrowed. “You’re not real. This isn’t real.” He growled and once again Haeri was taken aback by the man’s anger. He was an intense individual, probably a good trait to have as a detective, but not in that moment. Not when she needed him to listen.
    “This is very real.” Haeri said, matching his tone. “I need your help.” Apparently deciding to ignore her, Yoongi turned to face forward and started his car. “Fine, you can just sit and listen then.” She said, but as soon as the car revved to life, Yoongi cranked the volume dial on the radio and drowned her out. He couldn’t drown her out forever...