Second Chance: The Path beyond Death

Chapter-1- Prologue

It was a beautiful morning in Los Angeles. The sun shone through the cracks of the scattered cloud cover and into Blake's face.

Blake was your everyday Joe—a normal guy with a normal life. The same boring routine, day in and day out. He worked as a construction worker for Gründer Corporation, some German company that had expanded into the U.S. and was quickly taking over job sites. It was good pay, sure, but nothing exciting.
Blake wiped the sweat from his brow as he hoisted another steel beam into place. His life wasn't bad by any means, just... monotonous. The same early mornings, the same traffic, the same coworkers complaining about the weather or management. He'd thought about doing something more with his life once, but those dreams had been buried beneath the concrete foundations he helped build.

After work, he'd go home to his small apartment, crack open a beer, and scroll through social media, watching other people live their lives. He'd see friends from high school posting about vacations, fancy dinners, and new gadgets. Meanwhile, his biggest excitement of the week was getting paid so he could make rent on time.
"Yo, Blake! Mind handing me the drill?" Alex, one of his coworkers, called out, extending a hand.

"Sure thing," Blake replied, tossing the drill over to him.

"Thanks, man," Alex said before going back to his work.

Blake kept mostly to himself. Sure, he'd chat with his coworkers about the usual stuff—football, women, cars—but he didn't dive as deep into it as the others did. He liked to keep things surface level, not out of any dislike for them, but because he didn't feel the same connection.

Despite that, he did like the work. There was something satisfying about seeing the skyline of L.A. take shape, knowing that he had a hand in raising these towering structures. It gave him a sense of pride—something tangible in a world that seemed to be losing that kind of meaning. Every time he saw a building go up, he could point and say, "I helped build that." It wasn't glamorous, but it was real.

Blake wiped his hands on his jeans and took a deep breath, looking up at the half-finished tower rising above him. Yeah, life was repetitive, but moments like these made it worthwhile. There was something grounding about hard work, something that kept him tethered when everything else seemed to be speeding by.

"Hey, you coming out for drinks later?" Brandon, another Coworker, shouted over, breaking Blake's train of thought.

Blake hesitated for a moment. He knew what it would be like—loud music, cheap beer, and the same conversations they'd had a hundred times. Part of him wanted to say no, head home to relax, but the other part—the part that felt like maybe, just maybe, something was missing from his life—wanted to join in. To be part of something more than just the worksite.

"Yeah, maybe," Blake finally answered, giving a half-hearted shrug.

Brandon gave him a thumbs-up. Blake replied with a tired smile. He then took off his helmet, running a hand through his brown hair. As Blake moved across the scaffolding to help another coworker, Gregory, mount a window into its frame, something caught his eye. One of the bolts on the scaffolding looked loose. He paused, his gaze lingering on it for a second too long.

Blake was always prepared for moments like this. He had a pouch of tools attached to his belt at all times, just in case. Without a second thought, he pulled out the right-sized wrench and went down on one knee, tightening the bolt. It didn't take long, but it was enough to make Gregory notice his absence.

"Blake, where the hell are you?!" Gregory's raspy voice echoed through the site. The older man was a veteran—gruff and no-nonsense. He'd seen more than most and didn't tolerate delays, especially when he called for someone.