As the piercing sound of rushing water filled the room, James awoke with a start, his heart pounding in his chest. Confusion clouded his mind as he sat up, his eyes scanning the darkness of his bedroom. The incessant noise was unfamiliar, sending a shiver down his spine. With a sense of foreboding creeping over him, he reached out trying to find the nightstand and blinked in disbelief at the eerie message glowing brightly in front of his eyes: "Welcome to your new life."
James had expected to wake to his alarm, go to work, return home after another mind draining day, and try to convince himself to do it all again tomorrow. Life held very little meaning to him. Nothing mattered, he did what he was supposed to and that was it. There was no joy or happiness in his life. He had wished so many times for it just to end, but of course it could not be that easy. Instead of the sweet release of death, he got a message stamped in front of his eyes. No matter where he looked it followed his vision flashing bright, like it was mocking him.
“Ok, ok calm down, time to figure this out, he said to himself. Concentrating on the message it opened to a new screen. Welcome James to your new life. I know you just wanted it all to end, but that isn't really how it works. For some an afterlife of bliss or torture is possible, but many do not meet the requirements for either. So they get to try again and again until hopefully the find their end. You have been at this for a long, long time and never seem to get any closer to that end you so desire. So this time will be different, there will be no restarts. You will live eternally, you will no longer age, need sleep, or food. You will stay in alive until you reach the requirements for an afterlife. Your only choice will be whether you stay on Earth or chance the multiverse. Be warned most of the multiverse is beyond your comprehension. Some may be similar, but most will be new and unbelievable. So choose wisely.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
James was frozen with indecision. “I'll live forever, no need to eat or sleep, and what is a multiverse,” thought James. His main thoughts were how bad life had been, and now he would have to go through it forever without even a break for sleep. He couldn't do it, he would go crazy in no time and spend eternity locked up in some psychiatric hospital. No there was only real choice for him, it was time to see what this multiverse thing was all about. Concentrating one the message, he choose to chance the multiverse, whatever that meant. As soon as his choice was made everything started fading away until all he could see was darkness and the message still in front of his eyes. Welcome to the multiverse, selection will begin in a moment.