Ralph wakes up in a golden field.

Deep breath.

Where am I?

The field seemingly goes forever, except a small glow that flares before him.

Golden field after golden field with a soft breeze, and a magic hour sky that has no sun.

Ralph looks at his clothes. Like an advanced track suit or wet suit.

Ralph is a good looking, African American male. Strong and stocky.

He stands.

"Where am I? Who am I?"

"Confused?"

The glow before him starts to talk.

Ralph walks forward.

"Yes. I have no memory of anything. At all. Like, how am I talking? How do I know what talking is? Is this heaven? Is this hell? Am I dead?!"

"Quite a few questions," the glow says, irritated. "Do you know your name?"

"Ralph."

A human form breaks out of the glow briefly, and then goes back in. “You’ve been watched. You are of great interest.”

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"What else do you want me to say?" Ralph snaps.

"Are you brave?"

"I don't know!"

The glow does not respond.

Ralph looks to start running away in this field. Run forever.

"Don't do it. It is the same. Forever."

Ralph puts his head in his hands.

"Please," Ralph pleads.

The glow has compassion.

"There is the real world. The real universe. We are outside of it. Does that make sense?"

"Sure."

"Good. You are not in that world anymore. I'm sorry. You could say you are dead, but you obviously are not. But, you are dead to that world. Okay?"

"Okay," Ralph says, stepping forward. "So I'm dead."

"Whatever. Look. Things in this universe are trying to get into that universe. This place is called After. And things in After cannot go back to your universe. They aren't allowed. Sometimes they break through. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah. Actually, it does."

"Good!" The glow was happy now. "Versions of the universe are here in After. Uh, copies. How about that?"

"You've lost me there," Ralph says back.

The glow thinks about it.

"I might need to cheat and show you some more before you agree to what I'm going to ask you to do."

"What are you going to ask me to do?"

"Jumping right into it, are we? Okay. There are people who are trying to break back into the living universe. They are called anomalies. And they cannot do that. It messes with everything."

"So what do you do to stop them?"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The glow smiles, but Ralph can't tell.

"We use people like you, Ralph. What I'm about to offer you is a forever job of doing good. Of hunting down evil that is trying to go back to the living world. And they can't do that. For some reason, the battle of good and evil goes on after death for some. I can't explain something I don't know."

Ralph sits on the ground, shaking his head.

"What if I say no? Can I stay here?"

The glow thinks. "I've never been asked that. I guess you could. But it would literally be this. Forever. Nobody was meant to be here forever."

"So I have no choice," Ralph almost cries.

"I'll cheat. If you say yes, it will all make sense," the glow offers.

Ralph stands up and walks towards the glow.

It offers its hand. Ralph takes it.

Ralph’s eyes go wide. He cannot explain what he sees or what he was supposed to do.

All of the knowledge and memories of his life in the past universe come to him, but they don't matter now.

He sees weapons and cultures and technologies that are beyond comprehension. He is explained rules and boundaries. Time was being destroyed and manipulated in the old universe, and those trying to do it needed to be stopped in After.

Ralph himself is part of the problem, but he is also the solution.

The glow is proud of how it is going. "Like this field, there are copies of the living world. Why, I don't know. Maybe you couldn't relate. But there are. There are ancient cities and oceans and battles and civilizations. But they are not real. But to you now, they might as well be. Why is there even an After? And what becomes to you after the After? I don't know. I'm sorry. You are one of the better ones, Ralph. I can tell you that. There are many like you, but none like you. It is a hybrid. Hybrid wars."

Ralph ran across the broken streets. Gunfire everywhere.

The city copy could've been anywhere, but it felt like it was in the 30's or 40s, and definitely was in Europe.

Ralph told the glow they should call it a simulation. The glow thought that was too cute.

Ralph said it was something like a movie set. Almost real, but really fake.

The glow said it didn't know what a movie was.

Ralph had all the knowledge of the universe now, but it was pointless.

His first mission and target was not going to be easy.

Freedom fighters ran around Ralph. Were they like him? Or just part of the copies?

The glow didn't really explain it.

It didn't matter. They looked real and acted real and could kill Ralph and he could kill them.

Ralph ran with a huge pistol. One that did not fit in. Too futuristic in it is metallic and black covering and matte. 

One that had special bullets only he could use, on a fingerprint handle that would only recognize him.

Of all the things tearing up the After and trying to get back to the universe, this was the least. That's why they give it to him.

Thor had Mjolnir. I have Deerborne.

The glow had asked why Deerborne?

Ralph stated he thought it was where his parents were from in the old world.

The glow said don't be so sure.

Ralph was running down the streets of the copy of a city when a wall exploded before him.

A huge TANK drove through it. But not a 30's or 40's European war tank.

It was a mixture of a Mad Max like vehicle, with part spaceship, and some good old steampunk wires and canopies and pumps and levers sticking out of it.

Like an evil church organ on wheels.

Ralph ran out of the way as the tank tried to run him over. As he ran, he turned and fired Deerborne at the tank. Fire after fire.

The bullets broke through the tank, and the machine seemed to fall apart..steam and wires and water and fire and oil all exploded and fell apart.

"Easy enough," Ralph said, nodding at his first mission.

But the pilot wasn't dead.

Wolfram stumbled out of the vehicle.

Burned and hurt. Wearing a strange version of a war uniform mixed with the wet suit like outfit Ralph had on.

Wolfram was older but good looking. A good looking male with a scar across his face and bleached hair.

He stared at Ralph.

"Do you blame me?" Wolfram finally got out.

"For trying to go back?"

Wolfram nodded.

"No. But it's not for us."

"It is for us. You can't get all of us!" Wolfram yelled.

He pulled a long sword from his outfit, but collapsed before he could use it.

"I was close. I was close to figuring it out..."

Ralph slowly walked towards him and saw he was dead.

One down.

Ralph looked around at the city, which was now empty.

But he was still here.

So there must be something else for him to do.

He saw some people waving him over for cover.

Ralph slowly walked that way.