The Afterlife

Day 1

My eyes fly open. 

There's a terrible, throbbing, aching pain right in the center of my chest. I sit up on the cold, hard floor and lay my hand on my chest. Pictures flash through my mind. Ethan. The knife. The blood on Peter's shirt. 

I died. 

Looking beneath my shirt, I notice there's no wound. No bleeding. No scar. Just the unmistakable reminder of how my life was taken from me. How am I alive? The last thing I can remember is being tied up in that basement, afraid for my life.

He killed me. All the thoughts, all the memories point to that single fact.

I should be a ghost or something. But I feel the same. I still have a body. I can still breathe. I don't know how, but my heart is still beating. Was it some kind of illusion? Did I just hallucinate the whole thing? Was it a dream? The pain subsides but I can still feel it's presence. As I sigh a breath of relief, I look around me. 

Where am I?

I lean up against the wall. The room is pitch black. The floor is dark as well, and smooth like marble. On the other side of the room, there is a window; it's almost as long as the wall surrounding it and a faint light is shining through. The light reminds me of the sky just before the sun rises. Without hesitation, I rise to my feet and saunter over to the window. I lay my cold fingers on the glass. It's hard to see anything on the other side; it's foggy, like it was sprayed with steam, yet as much as I try to clear it, it remains the same. I try to open the window, lifting the frame with all my strength.

It's sealed shut. Looking around, I check the room for doors, hidden entrances, anything that might indicate an exit. Nothing. I sink to the floor. I shouldn't be here. I think about everything I left behind. My mom is probably losing her mind right now. I wish I could go home. 

As I close my eyes, I'm disrupted by a voice. 

"Welcome." 

My heart jumps. I look around the room, but there is no one here. Frightened, I whisper, "Who's there?" I jump up and look out the window, but the glass provides no view of the outside. I see no figure outside, and the voice didn't sound muffled. 

"Sorry to startle you." The voice says from behind me. I turn to find a tall man dressed in white staring right at me. Oh great. Another person. At least I'm not alone anymore.

"Who are you?" I ask him. "How did you get in here?" 

"Don't be afraid," he said calmly. "My name is Will. I'm your spirit guide."

"Spirit guide?" I was dumbfounded. This guy just appeared out of nowhere. How do I know he's real? How do I know any of this is real? I pinch myself on the arm, and sure enough I feel the slight twinge of pain. I don't understand. Aren't spirits supposed to be all transparent and be able to fly and stuff? Shouldn't I be flying around and haunting people? 

"Yes. You've just awakened in the Afterlife." he was far too relaxed after delivering that mind-boggling statement. Great. So I am dead.
This dark, vacant room with no entries or exits. This was the afterlife? 

I thought about all the times my mom told me that dead people went to a better place. Where God waited for you and you became a part of his family, leaving everything you know behind. Instead of that 'afterlife', filled with luxury and flying around up in the clouds, I'm stuck here. In a flat, empty space. How depressing.

"Why? Why am I here?" This place had disproved all of my beliefs. Everything I'd ever known had just been thrown out the window.
"Basically, you're life was taken prematurely. All souls who die before their time are brought here, to reflect on the years of their life before it ended..." He pauses, eyeing me cautiously. "At the end of this term, you are presented with a choice. You can either move on to the next stage, or you can go back for a second chance at life."

His last sentence hooks me. I can go back. I can go home. I glance towards the window.
To be able to live again... To see my family and let them know I'm alright. To be able to live my life the way I intended. To find that bastard and give him what he deserves. What I would give to have that chance. 

"When do I start?" I ask enthusiastically. I need to get back. I had my whole life ahead of  me and all that was taken away. I won't let him get away with this. 

"Your trial starts now." Will turns, and disappears into the shadows. And, before my eyes, the visions start. My life flashes before my eyes, and I see the moment I took my first breath. The first day of my life. Then it turns into the first year. And I see all the laughs, the crying, the hard times, the triumphs, everything that my parents went through. I can see the pure love in their eyes as they watch over me and protect me. My creators. Full of hope for my future.

I wonder if they know that I'm gone.