Chapter Two

Eddie awoke with a start. He was frightened. He did not know where he was. There were strange machines and the room was totally different to anywhere he had been before. There was a tube hanging out of his arm, but he dare not touch it. He also knew something he could not divulge to anyone. He had been to the Nacropolis. The city of the sleeping. His brain took a little while to adjust to the fact that it had not been here before. When it caught up, he rationalised he was in a hospital room somewhere. What had happened? How long had passed since his accident? The accident! Now it was all coming back to him. They had been downhilling as fast as they could. He was catching up to Slim. Then it was too late to stop. The truck had been coming up Disraeli Drive faster than they could react. The driver reacted though. A Mister Lombardi. How did he know the drivers name? The driver, he was lying in another wing of the hospital in a coma even as he thought about it. Slim! Poor Slim. Eddie had seen the demons carry Slim away. What had Slim done to deserve that? Slim was dead and gone. Then there was the Nacropolis. A city of the sleeping. Mister Lombardi was there now. Lying in sleep in the Nacropolis. Yet, Eddie had been there, and he had been awake. Awake in the Nacopolis. Who stays awake in the Nacropolis? It is where the souls of the sleeping rest. Where the soul makes account for it's actions of the day. It is where the angel and demons fight for the souls of the living. Eddie fell asleep again. When he awoke, his parents were beside his bed. Only now, his eyes were able to move, but he could not move a muscle on his body. What was happening? Why was he unable to move his body? 'Eddie? Eddie?' His mother was trying to get his attention. She had realised he had awoken. Eddies eyes darted back and forth, but he was unable to move a single part of his body other than his eyes. 'Eddie? Ralph, come quickly! No, get a nurse.' Eddies father had started to come to Eddies side, but followed his wife's advice and ran to get a nurse, calling down the corridor for any available. 'Eddie,' his mother continued. 'Are you alright? Can you hear me Eddie?' Eddie could only move his eyes back and forth. All he could think of was that he was paralysed. He would never walk again. Never move his arms again. Never skateboard again. Then in a sudden jolt, he suddenly found himself able to move. 'Mum!' He exclaimed! 'Mum, I was so scared!' Tears flowed freely down his cheeks and his mother started to cry as well. 'Eddie, it's Okay. You're alright now!' His father was at the doorway and was beckoning to a nurse further down the corridor to come quickly. 'Mum, I hurt all over.' 'I know Eddie. You've broken almost every bone in your body, but you're alright. You're going to be fine.' She so desperately wanted to hold him and hug him, but she knew that she could not. That single act of love could hurt him more than she would ever wish upon her son. 'Mum, how's Jim?' 'Jim's fine dear. He's broken both his arms, but he'll be Okay. He was lucky Mister Fisher was there to help him.' 'Slim's dead mum.' 'Slim? The other boy? You mean Rodney?' 'I don't know. I only know him as Slim. He was in front of me when the truck crashed.' 'Yes, Slim is dead dear. But don't worry about him. You're alive and we have to worry about you.' 'I know. I'll be Okay mum. You'll see.'