The in-between

Observation

Ira's eyes burst open as if she has been asleep forever. The small yellow dress she was wearing cling onto her body with sweat as she sat up , only to be confused with her surroundings. The last she remembers she was in her bed , staring at her white ceiling and now she gazed upon weirdly shaped buildings with iron windows .
"Where am I", she whispered as if the wind would give her an answer . Starting to walk towards the buildings , she had a lot on her mind .
Why am I here?
Who am I ?
She tried to envision her past and who she was before , but her mind was like blank pages in a book ; unwritten.  The building seemed further away then she originally thought and closer to her where miles and miles of black trees. So dull in colour they made her feel a sense of dread and sadness . The plants next to her seemed not quite dead but not alive either. It seemed every being in this unfamiliar place , living and not , was odd. Ira walked faster, eager to find someone or something that could tell her where she is.

Welcome ira

Ira stopped in her tracks. That voice was in her head, pounding from the inside as if begging to get out. It sounded like a man's voice; deep but calm. She looked around her , wondering if maybe it was someone near her. But as she was before, she was alone . No moving thing in sight ; she sighed , Thinking her mind was playing tricks on her and she decided to walk on, now speeding up the pace. Legs raising higher she finally realised she was running, but she felt as though she wasn't moving . There was no wind and no sweat. She didn't feel the hardness of the floor as she ran or the rocks that grazed her ankle on the way. She didn't feel like herself; although she didn't know who "she " was.

Coming to a sudden stop, she felt herself flying to the floor with a thud. Her yellow dress flew around her body like a tornado as she landed on her backside. Suddenly she was looking at the sky again.

" oh you must be ira, sorry I bumped into you, I'm Deccan"

The voice sounded familiar to her , as if she's heard it a million times before but she couldn't put her finger on who it was. A man leaned over to look at her then , his eyes were hazel and almost glistening at her. He extended his hand to her and she took it. As he helped her up she finally saw him fully. He was tall and skinny, wearing a fancy black suit . His black hair blew in the wind that suddenly started up, as if on queue.
" hi yes I'm ira , it's nice to meet you. Where am I exactly? " , ira said as politely as she could , taking a step away from the stranger. He seemed confused by her question but stayed calm , giving her a reassuring look.

" I didn't want to have to tell you so suddenly, would you like a tour first and I can explain everything?" He said , putting his hand gently on her back guiding her towards the buildings behind him. She let him lead her into the building and as he opened the door she saw long wooden stairs that seemed to go up forever. As they walked up , Deccan kept his hand lightly on her back. His hand was warm almost hot on her back as she walked she heard a crowd of voices above her .
" is this an apartment complex or something ?" , she asked turning towards Deccan with a puzzled look. He didn't seem to answer , instead he continued leading her to the first floor.

The smell of sweaty bodies suddenly hit Ira as her feet were firmly on the ground of the first floor. Around her seemed to be hundreds  of people sitting on the ground just muttering sentences she couldn't understand . Their faces seemed blank yet sad at the same time, as if they couldn't understand their own emotion.
" who are these people? What's wrong with them?" , she asked starting to tear up by the sadness of it all. Walking towards the people she tried to engage with them but with no response . They continued to stare into nothingness as if she didn't exist.
" answer me ! What's wrong with these people and how do we help them?", she suddenly exclaimed looking back at Deccan as he stood at the foot of the stairs seeming startled by her question.

" they are ,what we call the inbetweeners they have been stuck here for so long they have Sadly lost their sanity", he said calmly looking back at her with what seemed like a worried expression. He walked towards her and motioned for her to follow him as he lead her to a room on the opposite side of the building . As the door shuts he walks over to the table and sits down . Ira follows , not sure what's going to happen next.
" so, I suppose I should explain to you what's going on , I'm sure you have many questions ", he said sitting up straight. Anxiety filled Ira's stomach then , wondering what is going on and if she needed to have some sort of an escape plan .

What am I in jail or something ?

She sat up in her chair waiting for the news as Deccan sighs . He pulled his chair closer to the table between them , putting both his hands on the table close enough to her own to give her comfort.
" we are currently in a place called the in between . It is the place between heaven and hell " , he explained looking at ira with sad eyes.
" what are you saying ? ", she asked , astonished by what he was explaining to her . He slightly shook his head as if wanting to avoid the question . Ira felt a tear stream down her cheek as she heard him speak again , now putting his hand on hers.
" Ira, I'm so sorry I have to be the one to tell you. But you are in the afterlife, you are dead".