Chapter 1: Heavenmen

Horrid, putrid, and dizzying. One could use either of those three words to describe the morbid scene that beseeched their sight, yet none of them would be able to do it justice. Puddles of scarlet liquid pooled beneath the person-turned-rotting-heap, and the light in their eyes was now but a memory in those who had witnessed it. There was no way this could be happening, this wasn’t supposed to happen, not to someone like them, this wasn’t supposed to…

…

A rude awakening might not be an apt description, but honestly, Blake was running out of words to describe this bizarre situation. He seemed to be inside some sort of… cloud? It imitated the structure of an office, but this certainly wasn’t any terrestrial office he had ever seen before. A quick check of his body revealed him to not be wearing any clothes at all, but somehow there was no sign of the *landmarks* a naked body would usually show. A sudden headache later, Blake remembered his little predicament. Had he… made it into heaven? It certainly didn’t look hellish, but it’s not like he had any expe-

*…ahem*

A sudden, very fake cough had freed Blake from his tangent, and as he located the source of this disruption, he was met with an even more unbelievable sight. Sat opposite to him in this cloud office (?) was a looming figure, emanating an imposing, almost celestial aura. Blake could swear their body was sorta see-through and judging by how tall they appeared while sitting down, this was either a world record holder for ‘tallest person alive’ or not a person altogether. After a couple of seconds of awkward silence, Blake managed to choke out a greeting-

“Um… What are you?”

…Or a question. The celestial giant seemed almost taken aback by the query, before settling back into his cloud chair (?).

“Do not be afraid, Earthfallen, for I am to be your assistant through these trying times.” The heavenly figure continued, unwise or uncaring to Blake’s utter confusion. “You may refer to others like me as Heavenmen, and as to my personal name, Ralse will do the job”.

Okay. Alright. Fine. Sure. He had expected a slightly more ceremonial welcoming into the gates of heaven, but Blake would be grateful regardless. These ‘Heavenmen’ seemed to be pretty similar to angels in concept and having heaven in your name could only be a sign of the good things to come. He hadn’t always been sure if he would make the cut for paradise, but apparently not being an asshole was enough of a resume to be accepted.

Almost as if sensing the misconception in the air, ‘Ralse’ would chirp in with an extremely unwanted correction. “Before you get too carried away, I must inform you that this isn’t heaven nor hell. It is, however, an after-life worth looking forward to, and I insist you don’t let such meaningless labels ruin it for you”.

Despite the giant’s attempt to cheer Blake up, his immediately crestfallen demeanor was an obvious tell of his dissatisfaction. Not heaven? Then what was thing place supposed to be? The Bahamas? Nothing could ever go right for him, it seems, not even-

“Child”, their words cut through the fog in Blake’s mind yet again, bringing him back to reality. “I know this is a lot to handle, but the truth is always worth confronting, and once you do… you’ll be a lot stronger because of it, I promise.”. The Heavenmen takes a visible breath, more to give Blake a chance to prepare than for any other reason.

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“The truth is… life on earth is not too dissimilar from a test or survey. The Universe must see the true character of your soul before deciding where you’ll spend your after-life”. So far so good, this description fits the concept of heaven and hell verbatim. So then why… “We select from hundreds of millions of worlds and find the best fit for each Earthfallen. However…”. The guardian shifts uncomfortably in their seat, an almost a reassuring sign that angels can feel anxious too.

“The Universe is not a particularly moral force; it seeks entertainment above all else. Thus, it hates boredom and drudgery more than evil or good, and... it seems to have marked you as the former”. Blake wasn’t eager to find out where this line of questioning ended; he wasn’t about to be sent to some sort of hell planet, right? He felt a sudden need to look towards the floor, down at his bare feet. It was quickly becoming the only familiar sight in this alien landscape.

“… T-then what happens to me now?”, Blake was forced to ask the one question he didn’t necessarily want the answer to. “As per your file, you’ll be sent to World 22. The particular specifics of this destination are… troubling. After their first three years, only eighty percent of Earthfallen sent there remain alive. The other twenty percent face an arguably worse fate than death... Truly tragic.”

…What? Blake had no choice but to collapse, no longer being able to handle the gravity of his situation. This all made no sense. Eighty-percent mortality rate? A fate worse than dying? This wasn’t supposed to happen, not to someone like him, not to…

“But then… what happens if I die? Would I get another chance? Would I-“, Ralse waved his hand in dismissal before Blake could even finish voicing his concern.

“Your soul would be destroyed. No reincarnation or third chance, dreary stuff, believe me.”, The Heavenmen let out a humorless chuckle, a sign of how truly disconnected from Blake’s reality they were.

…No…

Blake’s muscles all tensed at once as he felt a sudden rush of adrenaline invade his body. He wouldn’t let this injustice stand. Not while he was still alive. He snapped his head upwards, locking onto the dealer of his unfortunate fate.

“Who… are you? What gives you the right to toy with other’s lives? To sentence them to certain death… This is complete bullshit! You’re full of shit!”. Blake had completely lashed out, picking himself up only to stomp on the floor, giving the impression of a bull spotting his target. The Heavenmen simply shook their head, almost disappointed in Blake’s response to the truth.

“How crude. I had hoped we could hold an amicable relationship, but it seems your profile was spot on about your character. Goodbye Earthfallen, unfortunately for you, The Universe seems to hate cowards the most…”

As Ralse gave their closing remarks, Blake could feel his body being messed with down to an atomic level. It felt like all the particles within his body were being tinkered with, a violating feeling he’d rather forget as soon as possible.

“You can’t do this! You’re making a mistake… “

Blake could barely hold on to himself. He could feel his fervor melting like candle wax.

“I’ll find you! I’ll find you and kill you myself, I swear!”

…

“I’ll be looking forward to it, Mr. Forren”

Those were the last words uttered to Blake before his vision went completely dark. A complete desecration of what could have- should have been the greatest moment in his life. He was left with those taunting words as his consciousness completely left him.

.

.

.

Sand. As far as the eye could see, sandhills and dunes makeup both the horizon and foreground all around him. The sun itself seemed hostile towards this intruder, shining his deadly rays onto Blake’s parched skin. As silent as his surroundings were, one loud question plagued his mindscape and wouldn’t let go if its hold until answered.

“Why...?”

“Why couldn’t I have stayed dead?”