Purgatory Chronicles - A New Life After Death

Chapter 1 - Reborn Into Darkness

"Death is different for all, yet the same. The circumstances change; people experience death differently, but the same process happens. Nobody escapes the grip that death holds.
Where do you go once you die?
The question plagued humanity, and only those who perished discovered the answer. Of course, since you find yourself reading this book, you've ended up here, in Eternity, but most commonly referred to as Purgatory."

Chapter 1 - Reborn 
Beginner's Guide to the Purgatory (2002) 
by Viviette Grenadine 

***

Blood spread across the grass, sapping over it. His own blood drenched the scene. He couldn't see the blood, but he felt it and knew it was there. It seeped through his clothing. Everything was numb. His eyes fluttered open and closed, yet he couldn't see. The space was dark, and only blurry shapes made up his vision. Ding, Ding, Ding, the car chimed repeatedly, filling the night ambiance; it was mixed in with the car's radio, which still played "Running Down a Dream" by Tom Petty. The night air echoed every sound, amplifying it with a horrifying echo. Crickets didn't care about death, they chirped and sang away.

Stupid, Liam thought. The recent events were flimsy in his mind, he could slightly grasp them, yet they pulled a way, like remembering a dream. His consciousness tugged on him, stay awake. Stay awake! He knew he had to, but didn't know why. A coldness washed over his body. He lay almost flat, but slightly on an angle. Upside down.

It must be.... The thought was foggy. Car crash. The memories were coming back slowly; he knew he was in a car—he had been in a car. But who was in the car with him? Who was the driver? Faces flashed in his mind, Derrick.

The blurry vision slightly subsided. Liam lied on the ground, just outside the open passenger door of the car. The car's front end bent inward, a collision with a tree. The memories cascaded back; a deer ran out, and Derrick panicked. The last thing Liam saw was the tree.

Derrick was still in the car, passed out or dead. The driver's side looked less damaged, not too bad. Derrick hit the tree on the passenger side, Liam remembered. Where is help? Liam wondered; he tried to move, failed, and tried again. Each attempt felt like a drain; staying conscious was nearly impossible.

Liam rested his head back on the ground. This is where I die. Everything culminated to this moment. The cruel world was playing a joke on Liam. His hard academic work gave him the opportunity to attend his college of choice. Another flash of memories bore into Liam's skull with migraine intensity. He felt himself scream but could barely hear it.

The thought of leaving his friends and family pulled at him. I am going to die! Comfort was nowhere close, just the cold and empty darkness.

It was Liam's own fault. Socially, Liam wasn't very adept, but prom night brought him into the inner social circles. A group was holding an after-prom party. Liam remembered the alcohol. One shot turned into two, then to four, then—Liam couldn't remember how many he took.
Why'd I get into the car with Derrick?

It went against all the common sense. Liam was smart—or was he? Surely Derrick was drunk, he always was.

Hope kept him glued, maybe survival was possible. Help would surely arrive at any moment. If he rested his head now, he might wake in the hospital or even his own bed. Perhaps it was all a nightmare, a bad dream that seemed real. That didn't explain the pain. Liam knew it was a hopeful delusion. The situation was bad, he knew it. Sometimes living in delusion helps the pain of reality, the cold truth. Liam wouldn't survive.