‘........it stinks……….’

Silence.

‘.....weird……..wait…what’s going on?!?’

My mind started to panic.

‘What happened!?!...no...wait.....I died right?.....ya...I did........so...is this death then?...no, wait... is this what happens after death?’

My mind slowly starts to come back to me. All the events of what happened rolled through my mind.

‘.....hmmmm…....it really does stink…....’

I slowly open my eyes. It feels like mountains are weighing down my eyelids. It takes everything I have to just open my eyes. Once open I can see nothing but darkness.

‘.....darkness again, ah….that's comforting…...but is this really death?..........or…….am I still in the box…....’

I shuddered at the thought. Fear starting to form in me again, taking control of my mind.

‘NO!’

The fear was quickly replaced with rage and then cooled to the point where I was level headed again. I was able to think clearly and observe my surroundings, or lack thereof, with my eyes. In the end though, I just kept staring into the darkness; waiting.

My mind began to wonder in the silence. I had never experienced death before. I didn't know what to do or expect, and, if this is death, then I guess I have an eternity to wait for, well, whatever to happen.

‘I don't feel any different so that's good. I think.’

Silence.

‘My mind feels like it's fine-ish with the fact that I died. So, I think I’m ok. I’m already dead so I’ll wait for some god or devil or something to tell me what’s next. Time’s really no issue for me now.’

So I stayed there, in the dark for, what I believed to be, a few hours. I had no idea. Time has no meaning in the darkness.

My mind wondered while I stayed there in the darkness. I thought about a lot of things, the meaning of life, the greatest sport, my favorite color, and a bunch of other nonsense stuff. However, the mind can only think about so many things for so long. The next topic though, that I thought about made me ponder for a long time; am I content? Am I at peace?

Most people should be content after they die, right? Well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized, I was not and the unending darkness around me was not helping me answer my questions.

The longer I waited for something to happen the more restless I became, until I couldn't take it anymore. People can only go for so long without anything happening. I decided then that I would explore the darkness to try to find anything. I had been in the darkness for a long time, at least I think I was.

However, before I do anything, I have to face the last fear I have in my mind. The only fear I’ve ever had after dying and ending up here in the darkness.

I began to wonder to the dark parts of my mind again, thankfully I had some control on my fear and I didn't need to be afraid of death. I had already died so there wasn't anything really to fear. So, I pushed on and confronted my final fear.

‘......Am I still in the box?....Is this darkness, the darkness, of inside of the box?...’

Surprisingly, none of the fear of that thought entered my mind when thinking about it. No fear, no hesitation, no worry. It's like I became a completely different person after death. I felt relaxed thinking about my death. I felt calm and focused, more so than in my entire life.

‘Hmmm…...if this is the box again, I’m going to be pissed. I mean, am I to spend an eternity dying over and over again in this box? I mean, come on. I don't even get any playing cards? How about a tv? A book? I would love to play some video games if I’m still in the box. Maybe I’ll decorate the box if this is where I’ll be for eternity. I heard a saying that it's better to make where you are home than where you want to be. So I guess that means I need to make this darkness my home.’

I smile and chuckle at my own mind. My carefree sporadic attitude towards the fear that almost destroyed me feels nice. It feels nice to let my mind wonder and think what it wants without fear of anything.

Then it hit me. The box doesn't and can't scare me anymore, death doesn't scare me anymore, and after dying once, the darkness is actually really comforting. It feels like I’m under a thick blanket and relaxing. My carefree attitude allowed me to challenge my fear without worry.

I took a long deep breath in and then out.

‘huuuuhhh...I guess I should start to focus and get moving now. Can't goof off and sleep forever. I made a promise to those bastards and I intend to keep it, so lets get too it.’

Pain. Horrible, devastating pain.

When I tried to move, I felt excruciating amounts of pain. I stopped as fast as I could.

‘Ok. Not doing that again. Hmmmm….ok, lets see what I can do.…..wait, do I still have my face and body in death? I mean, I can feel pain, so that must mean I have a body. Right? I can't feel anything but my eyes right now though.’

I can’t feel anything nor can I move my vision from right in front of me, but I don't give up. I try to force myself to feel for my right hand, to picture it moving in my mind. To my surprise, I can feel my hand now. I try to do the same for the other hand and my legs. They all appear one after the other in my mind. I could now feel them moving. I try to force myself to lift my hand up and check/touch my face. I can't see my arm in the darkness, but I can feel my fingers and arm moving towards where my face should be. Surprisingly, there was no pain in dong that action.

After a while of self discovery I found that I had my body and face still even after death.

‘huh...I thought I would at least turn into a spirit or something after death…...There go my plans on haunting those bastards to death…..hehheh…......two eyes...two ears...mouth….nose….two arms...two legs….two feet….butt...little dude…..yep I still have a face and body. That's weird.…..why would I have a body after death?....hmmm…..I guess I’m glad I didn't try to make a deal with some gods then. If this is death, then everyone was really off.’

I chuckle at myself.

‘So, what do I know so far? After death is darkness, no blinding light, no fiery pit of pain, and no singing angels. It's just darkness, and a very bad smelling darkness at that. So, looks like gods aren't real. Ok. I guess that's good to know. It would suck for me if after I died I suddenly appear in front of Zeus.’

I chuckle then sigh.

‘So then, what’s left? Reincarnation? Uhhh….disappearing into nothingness? Becoming one with the universe? Or something else?’

I contemplate these thoughts.

‘All of that is still conjecture, I don't have any hard facts so, first things first, I’m going to have to get up and explore...….hmmm...pass...I’ll try some other things first. Getting up hurt a lot last time. Let’s be smarter about this. I don't really have to rush this.’

I smile.

‘How about speaking? Can I do that here?’

“.....*cough**cough*....testing, testing, 1, 2, 3. Peter piper picked a pair of raw potatoes. *clears throat* Ah, Thank you. Thank you very much.”

Silence.

‘hmmmm….my voice doesn't feel constricted in the darkness and it doesn't sound like an echo either. I can still do impressions though. I guess that's good to know.’

I chuckle again.

‘I’ll have to run a few more tests on my body before trying to get up again.’

“.....so this is death…....”

‘My voice sounds weird. But other than that I can speak.’

Still lying on my back, I turn my head to the sides and look all around me. I couldn’t see anything. The second I turned my head though I noticed a few things about me though. Other than the fact that I was still on my back, I am now laying on something hard and cool, like stone. I was still naked though.

‘Good thing it's dark, don't want anyone to see me naked and call the cops on me for streaking like a pervert.’

I smile.

“I’m glad I can still think about such things like that.”

Silence returns to the world of black. Over the next hour I performed more tests on myself and my surroundings. I made no sound, I watched with rap attention at any detail I could possibly see through the darkness. I listened for any sound in the darkness. I even tried to feel any movement of air around my naked body to signal movement in the darkness. However, nothing happened and there was nothing to see, feel, or hear but more darkness.

Eventually, my stomach breaks the silence with loud gurgling.

The sound was so sudden that I was shocked and thought it was a beast out in the distance but after I realised the sound was from me I started laughing out loud. I laughed and laughed myself to tears. I haven't laughed that hard or that long in years. The whole seriousness of my earlier actions made it that much more entertaining to me.

“....great….so, even though I’m dead I can still get hungry?…...wonderful….haha stupid stomach. Does death make you hungry? Really? Maybe I should die with a full stomach next time. Well, hindsight is 20/20. I guess next time I die I will have to make certain I have a full stomach beforehand. I mean I would hate to be dead AND hungry.”

I continue to laugh my head off.

After a few minutes, I calm back down. My good mood stayed with me though. Ignoring my extra loud stomach, I casually try to reach up and see if I’m still in that wooden prison. Something I had been hesitant to do beforehand because I thought the pain from earlier would return to me, but, to my surprise, I found that I could reach up all the way up without hitting anything. I then spread my arms to my sides in a T formation and I found that there was no wall there either. Then came the moment of truth, with a smile on my face and the determination to not care what happens next, I sat up on my butt. To my surprise I didn't feel any pain like before. I stayed on my butt for what seemed like hours, but nothing happened. No fire, no pain, no light, no singing angels, just darkness and nothingness.

‘huh….how anticlimactic…..It was a big deal for me to sit up after dying in that box. I guess I’m not in the box anymore thought. Sweet…….so where am I then?.....should I be scared or something about all this?....hmmmm….naaaaa...heh..death is just boring not scary..’

I smile and then frown. I was starting to get bored.

“Fuuuuuuuck…death is so boring….I thought I would at least learn some knowledge of the universe or something. I didn't think death was just darkness, nothingness, and stink.”

The world resumes it's darkened silence. I started to get angry at the solitude and the unbroken silence. It felt like I was being ignored again.

“YOU HEAR THAT DEATH!! YOU’RE BORING!!! AND YOU STINK!!”

I yelled at the top of my lungs in the darkness. I assumed that I wouldn't hear anything back from the darkness, but I was horribly wrong.

<>

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I jump back from the voice and fell on my back. I scrambled to sit back up. I then searched frantically for the voice in the darkness. My mouth open, shocked and dumbstruck. After a few minutes of silence, I regained my senses. Although it sounded like it was coming from all around me, I looked into the never ending darkness ahead trying to find the owner of the voice.

“Who is there??!?! Where are you?!?!”

<>

My mind was a mess. I tried to keep the voice talking as much as I could.

“Wait! Wait! Wait! I’m sorry. I didn't know anyone else was here?! Did you die too?!”

<>

The voice started to loudly laugh at me. I tried to regain some composure. I haven't heard someone else's voice in what felt like so long. I didn't want it to stop talking even if it was making fun of me. It was exciting to hear someone else was here with me. It meant that I wasn’t alone. However, his laughter was getting a little annoying.

“Ok. Ok. You can stop laughing at me now. Can we start again? My name is John. It's so good to hear another voice. What's your name? Do you know what's going on? Do you know where we are?”

<>

Laughter erupts from the voice again, surrounding me. It sounded like I just told him the funniest joke in the world, and I didn't get the punchline.

<>

I sigh loudly.

‘Great. This kind of person. Hmmm...this voice sounds familiar...where have I heard it before?’

“So, you name is Death? Ok. I’ll roll with that.”

I breath in and out, focusing my thoughts.

“If you really know, can you please tell me what's going on and where we are in detail?”

<>

The other voice clears its throat in an exaggerated manner.

<>

A pause followed his words.

<>

A long silence followed deaths words.

<>

“Uhh...Ya..I heard you but I don’t quite understand you.”

<>

Another long silence.

<<….so..do you?>>

“What?!”

I try to process what this thing, “death,” just said.

‘wait….I remember now! That was the voice that I heard before I died!!! So if I believe in what this thing just said then I guess someone or something actually did hear me at the end. It did say it was trying to help…..hmmmmmm...If that is true then this “death” is willing to give me a chance and help me achieve my revenge….’

I pause in my thoughts.

‘...do I believe him though?.......wait. I don't really need to believe him. If he is telling the truth, great, if not, who cares. I already died and my goal was to get my revenge, so in the end I don't really see a reason to refuse. It's time to throw caution to the wind.’

A wild smile appeared on my face. It almost looked sinister and evil.

“Yes I am certain. I will get my revenge on those that killed me no matter what, and after that I will live my life the way I want to and no one will be able to stop me.”

I say that matter-of-factly.

<>

Silence.

<>

I just sit there smiling, staring into the darkness. The voice coughs to clear the awkwardness.

<>

“Eh, not really. I already died so I’m really up for anything. I mean, if you are a voice in my head, that just means I have great confidence in achieving my goals. If you can allow me to get my revenge then sweet. If not, then I’ll just find another way. I’m in no rush right now.”

Silence.

<>

The voice starts laughing boisterously again, this time though it was a nice and jovial laugh, not a mocking one.

<>

“Your not so bad yourself death.”

Death clears his throat.

<>

A long silence permeates after death finishes.

“That sounds great, but also really unbelievable. Although, I am dead, so anything is really possible. Wait if your death why don't you just kill them yourself with like a snap of your fingers?”

<>

“Hmm..that's true. I would prefer to kill them myself. Ok. However, I have a few more questions. Oh and thank you for answering my questions so honestly by the way, for a god you are very forthcoming with information. It makes things easier to understand.”

<>

“I thought there would be a catch, but you are probably right about me not saying no.”

I feel death becoming more comfortable with me as we continue our conversation. After a momentary pause death continues.

<< Hah! I knew you would be a great candidate for this. So, down to the catches, there are a few. The first is that there is a hiccup with the process of getting you there. That is to say, after arriving and getting your revenge, your soul, when you die, will be stuck there forever. The process is a one way trip. I mean, there is an afterlife in that world, but you won't be able to see any of your family from the afterlife of your world. Every universe has there own afterlife but they don't mingle between each other. So ya, that's the first catch. What do you think?>>

I wait patiently in the silence for death to continue.

<>

I stare at the void of darkness all around me, not breaking the silence as I think.

“Ya. I made up my mind when I died. I know it would crush my parents to know they wouldn't see me again, but they would at least know that I would be able to live my life to the fullest and be happy with my new life. If they knew that then I think they would be ok. I know it's probably cold of me to think like that, but my parents should be content where they are knowing I’m ok. Hmmm...actually, could you maybe pass a note along to them in their afterlife that I would be ok?”

Silence.

<>

I smile fondly as I remember my parents and wish them well without me.

“Thank you. So, what’s the next catch?”

<< Ok. So, to understand the next catch you need to know a little bit about me. My job in every universe is to collect the souls of the dead and send them to their respective universes’ afterlives. In fact, most gods that create life in their universes don't even know that when they create life they let me into their universe to collect the dead for them. I don't really hold any power in each universe other than collecting souls, so the gods in most universes don't really pay me any mind. You could look at it like this, I’m technically working for them. It's a boring job with no pay, no vacations, and no breaks, but hey, it's what my purpose is.>>

Death clears his throat again.

<>

Death pauses again.

<>

“How so?”

There is a pause as death gathers his thoughts.

<>

Silence.

“Oh? What do you mean by that? How can I get death's revenge? Aren't you an underpaid and underappreciated god? What could you need a mortal to do for you?”

I’m now incredibly curious and complimenting him will probably make him explain more.

Death lets out a long sigh.

<>

Death sighs again.

<>

Silence.

“That's a lot to take in, but I don't understand my part in this.”

An evil cackle erupts from the darkness. I can almost feel the evil intentions coming off of death.

<>

“Yes. I had to sign a lot of them back on my world.”

The evil cackle becomes louder.

<>

I can almost feel death smiling at me.

<>

Death pauses for what I’m guessing is dramatic affect.

<>

Silence.

It was a lot to process. It wasn't everything I needed to know but I don't think anything so far would make me say no to this. However, I still had some questions.

“Ok. So why does sending me to this world and helping me get my revenge help you? If you send me there that just lets them have another soul to keep away from you right? I don't see the benefits of that.”

<>

Death pauses for a moment.

<>

“Hmmm……thats a lot to process. So no major thing or being I have to kill? This still feels like it's too good for me.”

<>

‘Hmm...ok. I guess I understand. He just wants the souls of the ones from my world returned. And I can promise him that he will get those souls back after my revenge. Hmm….and I guess he is betting that I will be killing other people in that world too. It's not a bad deal. I don't really have any problem with killing anyone who gets in the way of my revenge so he is probably getting more out of this than I think. Hmmm….however, I don't feel like he is telling me everything……...I guess I’m ok with what I know now. I don't need to know everything, I just need to know where they are and who they are…..hmm...and also why, but that's for later.’

<>

I smile wildly.

‘Heh. I already decided a long time ago. I’m going to follow through. I’m sorry mom, dad and the rest of my family, those bastards put me in that box and left me to die. They killed me and now they have run off to another world thinking that they are safe from me. I swore that I wouldn't let anything get in the way of my revenge, not gods, not devils, nothing, not even death. I will follow through. I won't hesitate. I won't be weak. I will be my own man and I’ll take all the risks to do it.’

I clear my throat, my blood pumping with excitement. I yell into the silent black void for all I’m worth.

“MY ANSWER! HELL YES!! THEY ARE ALREADY DEAD! THEY JUST DON'T KNOW IT YET! I’LL KILL THEM ALL!! I’LL MAKE THEM SUFFER AND I’LL MAKE THIS NEW WORLD MY BITCH!! I WON'T HESITATE ANYMORE!! I WILL FIGHT FOR MY LIFE!!”

‘Everything else doesn't matter. What matters is getting my revenge. All of the things I felt and all of the fear that you basterds put me through, you will all experience true fear. You basterds better be ready! I’m coming to kill you all!!’

<>

“Oh! Sorry. I forgot. I started to get really pumped up and I just spoke what I thought. I hope you can forgive me.”

<>

Death then clears his throat and in a big and powerful voice he speaks.

<>

I’m slightly in awe and a little afraid of death, but I’m mostly trying to not laugh at his serious tone. It sounded so fake. It sounded like he was trying to make you feel like he was extra dignified. I don't think I will be able to take to many serious tone conversations with death. I tried my best not to laugh in my response to death.

“...uh...Yes….um...Thank you. I’m prepared.”

A loud sigh then reverberates around the darkness from death and his normal voice came out.

<>

I roll my eyes.

“Oh...uhh..ok. Sorry your magnificent Deathyness”

I stood up, gave a complete sarcastic, magnificent bow towards the darkness and then stood upright again. Then my face scrunched up.

“Wait!...did you say this might not work? What do you--”

Deaths booming voice overshadowed mine in an instant. This voice wasn't the, trying to be even more dignified voice, this was a very serious and powerful voice. It felt like my whole body was shaking from his words.

<< --Alright, I’m sending you now. Be warned! I have watched this world for a long time, seen how people died. Some words of wisdom:

Don't get cocky. You could experience more pain and sorrow in this world if you are not careful.

This isn't a spring vacation, you will have to kill other people and innocents. When you are put in that situation, don't hesitate. If you hesitate you will die. Even if you think they are innocent and pure, know that no one is pure in this world.

You are not a hero. You do not want to be a hero. Being a hero in this world is worse than being a villain.

You cant save everyone; death is apart of life. Never forget that.

And finally, the most important wisdom I can pass onto you, trust no one that you can't control or manipulate. I will give you the tools to become stronger and the power to never be betrayed. This is the only gift I can give to you. Goodbye.>>

A serious silence spreads across the darkness. I gulp from the pressure of deaths words and wonder what kind of world I’m entering.

A silence permeates the dark world. Then in a completely different and off puttingly happy tone breaks the serious silence of the void.

<>

Silence.

My veins feel like they are about to pop in my forehead from anger and surprise.

“WHAT THE HELL!! You were so serious before and then you just threw that in there, have fun?!? Really?!? WHO IS RUINING THE MOMENT NOW DEATH?!?!?!?”

<>

I wanted to give death a piece of my mind but I didn’t have time to respond. My vision turned white and then black. I couldn't hear, I couldn't see, or feel, I couldn't even smell that nasty smell of death. I lost consciousness.