Cayden cracked his eyes open. Dozens of dancing colors swirled overhead; Cayden sat up in shock as a wave of nausea flooded over him. Waiting for his stomach to settle, he scanned his surroundings. Millions of black, maroon, and purple blades of grass shot up from the dirt. First with fear, then reservation, Cayden ran his fingers through the blades, rubbing against his hand like velvet. An expanse of the material encircled him for miles, and behind him, the field twisted upon the outline of a collapsed structure.
Two towering, purple-topped trees broke through the hilltop. Within their broad leaves, virescent veins pulsated, and from their branches roots plunged into the earth. Amongst the trees, thousands of shimmering lights flickered.
Cayden glanced down to canvas pants, and an canvas shirt. Over his feet stretched two laced shoes. Attempting to stand, gravity confounded him and he fell flat on his back. Floating above his head, a digital readout shone from a glass panel.
'LOADING INFORMATION...' read the green-barred letters. Cayden lifted himself to his feet and managed to stay standing this time. Blunted by a thin haze, emerald and gold vines matted the outlines of what appeared to be buildings, spreading for miles like an abandoned jeweled city until the meadow rolled into jagged mountains on the horizon. A ding reminiscent of an egg timer rang. The digital sign now read:
CAYDEN CALDWELL
AGE OF DEATH: 19
DATE OF DEATH FWST: 1/21/16
DATE OF DEATH SWST: 1/18/834
CAUSE OF DEATH: FIRE
ANCILLARY CAUSES OF DEATH: ... ERROR ... RELOADING
A lump tightened Cayden's throat and he swallowed hard, making several attempts to speak. After a dry wheeze, a scream burst from his chest. "Sarah! Toby! Charlie! Rebecca!" No sound returned. "Anyone!" The serration of his words cracked his throat. Another ding.
"ANCILLARY CAUSES OF DEATH:... ERROR... RELOADING".
The plains rose in lines 10 yards wide, coursing through the field. One of the lines extended past the rubble and curled out of sight. It seemed familiar. Something screeched and Cayden craned his neck to view four blue birds flying overhead, riding a circular wind that somehow emanated from themselves.
A shivering sigh escaped him and melted in all directions, finding nothing to echo off as the wind carried it to infinity. Everywhere, color saturated the land--a sight enormous, beautiful, and meaningless to him.
Cayden wheezed, struggling to inhale enough air in a world with no one to share it with. A horrific thought suddenly crossed his mind: If his own insanity had not created this place, it would soon rewrite it. A ding rang again.
"ANCILLARY CAUSES OF DEATH:... ERROR... RELOADING."
Cayden grabbed a rock from the ground and launched it at the readout. Glass shattered and electricity sizzed, echoing through the flat expanse as the screen snapped in half and fell to the dirt.
An intercom crackled. From everywhere and nowhere at once, energetic jazz music swooned, sounding muffled as if resonating from a giant tube radio. An enthusiastic man's voice chimed in.
"Welcome to the wonderful new world! I sure betcha you're pretty confused down there, but that's alright! By golly, you must be in awe right now of the massive buildings and hovercrafts flying about!"
YOU ARE READING
The Dead Scout's Handbook of Afterlife Survival
FantasiaFor Cayden Caldwell, life had been the easy part. Yes, he had to escape a neglectful household, and sure, he had never been popular, and no, he certainly hadn't been blessed with intelligence, good looks, or money. But he had a little half-brother...
