The Second Chance (Open Novella Contest)

Chapter One - The Underworld, a Contest and a Choice

I was dead. I knew that for certain. But why did it have to hurt so bloody much? I mean, seriously, that was just rubbing salt in the wound. Although, when I did a quick check over on myself, I found no physical injuries. Or any salt, for that matter. In the distance I saw a statue, rising high above the thousands of other waiting souls. Black wings arched out from his back. Every few minutes, mist spluttered from his cupped hands, swirling into the shape of another soul.

"That's Thanatos." A young girl appeared next to me, dressed in Victorian Era clothing. "He bought us here. He's the god of Death. He works for Hades, the God of the Underworld. Of course," She added, "We haven't seen either of them in - oh - fifty-ish years?"

"Fifty years! How long have you been here?!" I questioned her, my curiosity overcoming my caution.

"Hundred-ish years? Although, there isn't really the concept of time down here. For all I know, I could have been dead for a couple of centuries." The girl, who really couldn't have been more than ten years old, said it so casually.

"How-how did you die?" I dreaded the answer to the question, but I had to know. The girl looked down. "It's okay," I told her. "You don't have to tell me." When she spoke, her voice was heavy with emotion.

"I was the youngest of nine. We were poor. Mother- she never had enough money to feed us all. Since I was the youngest-" She broke down. After a few moments, she seemed to regain her composure. "How did you die?"

"I-" How did I die? "I can't remember."

"Don't worry, it was the same for me too for a while. You'll remember. Eventually."

"What's your name?"

"Evangeline," Evangeline replied with absolute confidence, holding out her hand. "But you can call me Eva. What about you?"

"Sara." I replied, out of reflex.

"Pretty name." Eva commented, although there was something strange about her face. A sudden shout made us turn towards the Thanatos statue. Something was there. My eyes almost popped out of my head. (Not really, that would have been disgusting. But you know what I mean.) A smaller, but no less intimidating Thanatos has appeared. When he spoke, his voice was like everything powerful and deadly. It told you how many people he had torn from life.

"To some of you, I offer a choice. To others a single path. Others will remain where you are for centuries to come." I expected shouts of protest, but thousands of souls stayed quiet. Thanatos flapped his wings once and vanished. Pieces of paper appeared in the hands of each soul. I heard murmurs of disappointment and delight. Theories passed around the souls.

"What does yours say?" I asked Eva, leaning over her shoulder.

"I'm not sure." She shrugged, "I never learnt how to read or write."

I read it out loud for her.

"Evangeline. A single path was laid out for you, many years ago. You will follow it now. A contest. A second chance. There will be sacrifices."

"What do you think it means?" Evangeline asked. "What does yours say?"

"Sara. I present you with a choice. A contest for a second chance. But- be warned- if you take this opportunity, you either win - or your soul gets destroyed. Or you can go straight to the best part of the afterlife. What will you choose?"

I met Eva's eyes. They were panicked. "This is it. She said, "That's the contest and sacrifices mentioned on mine."

"You are not going in there by yourself."

"You are not going in there with me." The sharpness in her voice surprised me.

"But you heard what my letter said-"

"Exactly. And that is why you are not going to come."

"Yes, I am. And you can't stop me."

Eva sighed, giving in. "Fine." She wagged a finger in my face, "But if you die again, don't blame me."

I nodded, and the floor vanished. I screamed. I hate heights.