Life after Death

Chapter Three

PRESENT-DAY

When I was alive and brought up in the church, I learned that there were only two places for mankind to go after one dies. Heaven is for those who have lived wholesome lives and are rewarded with eternal life, impressive real estate, walking on streets of gold, abd a reunion with loved ones lost long ago. There's lots to do there- not just sitting on clouds and playing harps, and there's a lot of eternal singing of God's glory.

Hell, on the other hand, is for those who have committed all kinds of sins and never repented of them. The people who commit suicide are also there because God doesn't like it when people take their own lives. There's eternal burning in a lake of fire, people crying and reliving miserable moments, and lots of loud noises there.

The long and short of it? Heaven is for the righteous. Hell is for the condemned. And from my lessons from the Christian-minded nanny that I was with back when I was a kid, those were the only places that I knew were in the afterlife.

And then you have the Nexus, the place where I was heading since neither God nor Satan wanted me in their respective realms. And all because I wasn't meant to be born thanks to a gypsy (more on that later).

"The Nexus is simply a world similar to the land of the living," Louis explained as I was sitting down at the park bench with the man in question and the two archangels from heaven (whom I learned were Gabriel and Michael) beside me. "But while there's a lot of chaos in the land of the living with wars, illnesses, and all that; everything's rather peaceful there. You won't be growing old or getting younger- like the ones in heaven and hell, but you're going to get small glimpses of the world where you never exist."

"What does that mean?" I asked, confusion lit in my eyes.

"It means that you'll see people living their lives, but without you involved," Gabriel (the archangel with slightly-longer brown hair) explained. "You'll see your family living their lives that you'd never expected if you hadn't been born. Same thing for your schoolmates, teachers, and the people in the neighborhood."

"Meanwhile, you're going to be living life in a way that you would if you were alive," Michael (his blonde hair cut low and styled like a preppy's) continued. "There's some people around who are in your shoes, but those are the ones who either were aborted, stillborn, or those who died before their time was up. But they all end up in the same world you're heading for, Hezekiah: the Nexus."

"Any questions?" Louis asked. "I know you have some."

I only had one. "What can I do in the Nexus?"

"Anything that you'd like. But know that you can never enter heaven or hell, let alone go back to the land of the living," Gabriel answered seriously. "Sorry to say that, kid, but it's the code of the afterlife. And we take it very seriously."

I guess that answers one question, note the sarcasm.

Before I opened my mouth, a white door emerges out of nowhere. "This is it," Michael intoned as he helped me to stand. "Behind that door lies the world of the Nexus, Hezekiah Chamblee. "And once you enter it, there's no going back. Are you ready?"

Was I?

This was a bit to take in since I never stepped out of line and yet earned nothing but indifference from all around. Then again, I guess you can say that everything has a way to...well, I guess there's nothing left to say about what I thought I knew best.

I took a deep breath and nodded once. "Ready as I'll ever be," I replied as I strolled up to the door.

"Farewell, Hezekiah," I heard Louis say. "I'll pop in to check in on you to see how you're faring."

With that said, I turned the knob, swung open the door, and crossed the threshold as I was soon enveloped in a bright light.

**************

"One. Two. Three."

I opened my eyes slowly to find that I was back home, but...it was as if everything as in pure high-definition Technicolor while my home was more simplified. I was in the small den area- the same room where I was gunned down- and saw that everything was painted in the colors of a sunny beachside. A set of chairs, a sofa, and a small entertainment center (complete with a flat-screen TV) were waiting for me.

"Home at last," I muttered as I took a look around my home. The next several minutes were spent getting a look inside my "house" as I saw that everything was relatively the same, except that there was only one bedroom (mine) and the other rooms were mainly vacated and had little or no decorations. Outside, everything was picture-perfect with a manicured front and backyard (the latter boasting of a swimming pool and a guesthouse. There were other houses that looked the same as mine, but with different amenities.

"Looks just like my old life," I mused as I stepped back inside and headed for my bedroom. I had a mind for a good shower and maybe a nice lunch before I noticed a small letter on the dresser drawers. "Welcome home, Hezekiah Chamblee," I said, stripping out of my clothes and heading for the shower (which had a nice hygiene kit that waited for me, nice touch).

Fifteen minutes later, I was now dressed in a white T-shirt and shorts and made my way to the back yard. No sooner than I stepped outside was when I was greeted by a demigod of a young man who was emerging from the pool in a form-fitting black triangular swimsuit. His short, black hair was slicked back and his skinned nice and tanned perfectly.

My eyes went wide as I saw his handsome face...and I recognized him at once.

"Chance? Chance Dalton?"

Cumulative word-count (as of now): 3,116 words.

And we have a new character, folks! And Hezekiah knows him very well! Who is Chance Dalton, you ask? Stick around and read chapter 4 to find out as they talk about how they got here and Hezekiah gets a note from God (and Lucifer)!

Dedication: Carolyn_Hill (Read her new ONC Project "Don't Look Back" now).

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