101 Ways to Skin a Hoodie

Chapter 14.1

My eyes open, almost against my will, onto a clear blue sky. I haven't seen one of these in so long, it seems. I start to break into a smile, but then everything that happened rushes back to me. I was finally starting to get answers, so why? I clutch at my chest, and my stomach sinks a little.

I feel no beat from my heart. It seems like said organ really did stop when that man clapped his hands. And then- I wake up here? Where is here? I push myself up off of the ground, and as I do so my hand sinks into it a little.

Oh.

So that's how it is.

I wasn't looking into a clear blue sky, I'm in a blue sky, and it's not exactly clear if you count the cloud that I'm currently sitting on. So this is the afterlife? Wait- would that even make sense? I mean, that man claimed to be the Author, the creator, of this world so wouldn't he be the one to reside in heaven?
Well, the longer I sit around the number of questions I have will grow while the amount of answers I receive will remain the same, so I figure I should look around this place.
I get up, which is somewhat difficult as the cloud below me sinks where I put weight on it, making it hard to keep my balance. After some trial and error, however, I do manage the feat, and I start to survey the area. There are plenty of clouds scattered around me, and they stretch as far into the distance as I can see. I walk over to the edge of the cloud I'm on, and the view is as I expected. The curvature of what I can assume to be the earth stretches out below me.

I say assume because the planet's surface is charred black, and the oceans are a deep red. It's actually really off-putting. This view contrasting against this stereotypical blue heaven. Well, at least it goes along with the theory I was beginning to form when I died.

The seers in the prophecy division in the royal academy had foretold of an event in the future that would end up destroying the world, and if this world is the original timeline like the Author said, then it makes sense. Having our timeline's events converge somehow with this one's.

I'll try not to think about what that means for my folks back home.

I forcibly pull myself away from the ledge, but when I turn around there has been a minor, albeit significant change to the scenery. Silhouetted on a cloud a bit above me is a human figure, and it seems to be motioning to an unseen person behind it. I reach to my hip, but I swiftly realize that I don't have my sword with me. All I came with were the clothes on my back, I suppose.

I'll have to make do without, and I brace myself as the figure turns back to me. However instead of an attack a black rope that seems to be made out of suit-jackets falls down to me.

What a waste of fine dresswear.

I won't let it be in vain though. Deeming this person to be non-hostile, as well as the only potential source of information about this place at the moment, I walk over and grab a hold of the rope. It starts being pulled up, and I climb up along with it to lessen the burden on whoever is hauling me up.

I quickly make it to the top, and a hand reaches down, which I take, and it hoists me the remaining way onto the cloud. I get up and brush myself off, and then I freeze. It looks like the person that pulled me up hadn't been motioning for someone else, but rather motioning for many other people.
The number wasn't what made me freeze though, but rather the fact that each one of the many people in the approaching crowd was me. In one form or another that is. I double take back to the person attached to the hand that helped me up, and sure enough, it's me as well.

"W-what is this?" I wonder aloud.

"Yeah, we get that a lot," it's the me that helped me up, his voice is a bit gruffer than mine though, and there's an off-coloration around his neck. He continues; "well, you've probably at least figured out that this place is heaven, or at least the afterlife. We've taken to calling it heaven since it's quite the juxtaposition to that hellscape down there." He gestures to the scorched earth.

"Are we- I mean, am I- I mean, is it just us that are in this place?"

"No, although the only other group that's really functioning up here are the Samanthas. They're back at the main camp right now though, tending to the people who came here before us. The people that died in the disaster which made the earth look like that arrived a long, long time ago, and the ironic immortality of death has sent most of them into a recluse state. I suppose it would be easier to stop thinking after all that time with nothing to do, but it does make more work for the rest of us sentient dead people." He laughs.

"Enough about that though, tell me about yourself. The details of your death I mean. I can take a gander at your various personality quirks and the like." He winks at me. "We can talk while we head back to base camp." All of us starts to head away from where I came, and I follow in suit.

"Well," I begin, "there was this guy, and he claimed to be the Author of this world... Actually that's about as much information as I got before he clapped me out of existence."

"He just snuffed you out? That's weird, he's always fought the latest ones before killing them. But what he said is true, as far as we can tell. The story matches up with the accounts of everyone else here, and some of them have gotten more in-depth demonstrations before they were killed. This place as well. We figure the reason that it seems so half-assed and empty is because when he was creating this world he wanted to add an afterlife, but realized that he wouldn't be dying so it was useless to him, so he gave up with just the basic design completed. As you can see though, the functionality was still implemented so now we're trapped in this wasteland."

Bounce, bounce. My feet spring up from the cloud as I walk along, lost in thought. A refreshing breeze blows into my face.

"Well, I don't know man," I pipe up again, "the way he was talking was kind of weird. He seemed impatient, like he wanted to get our confrontation over with. Also he was using conclusive words like 'last time' in regards to him having to repeat this process."

The words barely finish leaving my lips before the other Ben grabs me by my shoulders, his jovial attitude gone. The mass ahead of us stops as well.

"Are you sure about that? Are you sure that those were the exact words he used? Listen, we know this guy, and he's only acted like this once before, when he seemed awfully depressed, threatening to destroy the whole universe. Not just the remains of the planet. We know he could do it."

"Yeah, I'm sure. He seemed like he was just tying loose ends." If I had a pulse it would be racing.

"Shit! I should have seen it earlier. Samantha isn't with you. He's always favored her, in whatever way appreciation works for that monster that is." He calls to the crowd behind him; "You heard him, we can't afford to take chances. We're doing it like we've theorized!" A commotion begins to stir in the crowd of mes.

"What? What are we doing?" I ask, my voice cracking a little.

"Listen, we have no way of knowing what's going on down there, but from what you've said it seems like the Author has the apocalypse in mind. Knowing him he's probably making Samantha duel him with the fate of the universe on her shoulders, so she's going to need as much help as she can get.

"Long story short; we've developed a theory based on the knowledge of life-lilies that has been accrued over these years of repetition. The fresher they are after a person dies, the more closely that person's soul is still linked to their body. If we condense enough magic into one place, we believe that we can temporarily reverse the death process, though we don't know how that action will manifest. That's what we're gonna do. That's what we have to do. The other timelines deserve a shot at avoiding destruction."

"...Alright, how do we do it."

The Ben I'm talking to motions to the other mes, and they hustle into a circle, with me me at the center.

"It's similar to astral projection, which we've all had at least a minor course of at the royal academy. Just reach out to wherever your body is, and imagine yourself there. Ready?"

I take a deep breath, although it's pointless as my blood no longer needs oxygen. "Ready." I don't feel ready, but if I can see Samantha one last time...

"Alright, three, two, one, go."

At first, nothing. I simply see my body floating out on a starry battlefield. Then it happens all at once, and I feel a greater magical rush than I've ever felt before. My mind melds together with all the other iterations of myself that are here, and collectively we speed across space, back to the flower blooming brightly in my body.