Reaping of the Scythe Hero

Chapter 1: The End of the Beginning

People are born on different levels of privilege. These privileges allow them to have others perceive them however they want. A completely psychotic serial killer could seem like any other average person. People are complicated and layered. The surface, the personality, and the soul.The surface is what people tend to judge each other on. Some are judged on looks or titles, blood ties and achievements of others. Being born as someone with Autism Spectrum Disorder has made it more difficult to understand people. Reading the room, making friends, understanding what's meant versus what's being said. These are the bulk of my troubles with my condition. And because of my condition, most people view me as someone who will snap at the drop of a hat, or some people treat people like me as inferior to them for no other reason than my social impairment. Sometimes I can't understand people as well as others, and sometimes I can read them better than others by the way they act alone.

As a man in a judgemental world, I learned to be more observant than I may seem. Learning to read people's actions and getting into psychology was a fascination of mine in high school. People often accused me of cheating because I earned higher grades than them. They judged me based on what they saw, and refused to see what I'm capable of, so I decided to make my life's goal to prove that people with impairments similar to mine can accomplish just as much as anyone else, possibly more. There are theories that historical geniuses were on the spectrum like me, so it's not completely unheard of.

But that's enough about that. I'm currently on my way home from the bus stop after a late night at work. I was in a little corner store looking at options for energy drinks. It's finally the weekend so I have a few days to myself, and naturally that means it's time for all nighter game sessions on my favorite MMORPG.

I made my choice and brought up a few cans to the line at the register. The dude in front of me however had a different transaction in mind. "Give me all the money you got! And make it fast!" The man yelled. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at the cashier who started panicking. "O-Oh God! Ok just please don't shoot!" She cried in a shaken voice. The poor girl can't be much older than I am.

This guy is seriously robbing the place?! I acted on impulse and quickly bashed one of the cans of energy drinks against his head, knocking him to the floor. I looked at the cashier. "Run and call the cops!" But before I knew it, I heard a loud bang. Looking down, I saw a hole in my stomach bleeding a lot of blood.

"You fucker! I'll kill you!" The robber yelled at me but before he could shoot again, the cashier had thrown whatever she could grab at him and took his attention. Doing my best to ignore the agonizing pain in my gut, I roundhouse kicked his head into the counter and he fell over on the ground.

Whether he was dead or not, I couldn't tell. But before I could even try checking I lost the strength to stand and fell flat on my face. "Shit. Am I... Dying?" I mumbled to myself. The cashier girl kneeled down to roll me over and rested my head in her lap. "Thank you for saving me. I'll always remember this." She said to me, I could see tears welling up in her eyes. If this is it for me I can't let it be scarring for her. A normal life was too far out of my reach but I won't let anyone else lose that privilege. "Just promise me you'll live life happily." I smiled softly as my eyes started to close. The last thing I heard was police sirens and her response. "I promise! I'm so sorry..."

This might be how stories normally end but this is how mine began.

I felt my heartbeat weaken before it stopped entirely. All warmth and feeling has left my body. Despite the gunshot pain this is actually less scary and painful than I thought dying would be. "So what now? Eternal rest? Heaven or Hell? What happens next?" I asked myself. I was left in a black void wondering what happens after people die. When a voice broke me out of my thoughts.