I sprint down the sidewalk through the cold air and sending the snow flying through the air with my speed going as fast as physically possible on the most average day I have ever had thus far, looking down at the impossible text as I do so. The text was from my Mother, it read “I am feeling better now, can you come see me?” 

When I saw the text I nearly fainted onto my desk in class. My mother has been in a coma for the past year and she wakes up when I am an hour away from school and don't have my car because I let my friend borrow it for the day? Really?! That’s not to say that I wasn't happy, I really was, but still…

I saw the intersection ahead of me ‘I am almost there.’ I thought to myself as I pushed all of  my 18 year old body to its limits, muscles burning and lungs straining as I made it to the end of the crosswalk directly before the intersection with streams of cars going at full speed, I planted my feet on the ground, trying to stop my momentum desperately.

It was then that I saw the dark patch of ice, almost perfectly blending into the concrete and using the snow as cover. Sitting 2 feet in front of me as I tried to stop myself, lest I fall over but it was in vain, I stumbled and nearly fell but caught myself  directly on the edge of the black ice on the sidewalk.

My feet kept sliding without my body, knocking me onto my but. “Ow!” I yelled out upon the impact and started trying to get up but only managed to get to my knees before falling again, this time launching myself directly forwards, onto my face and sending me out onto the middle of the street. I looked up just in time to see a pair of headlights cutting through the snow and started to say “You have got to be-” before my head was crushed under four thousand pounds of car, permanently ending my sentence.

Then there were lights, blurred and fragmented as if I was seeing something un-knowable, something that felt familiar yet wrong at the same time. ‘What happened?’ I asked myself, ‘maybe this is a dream?’ I proceed to try to pinch my arm only to realize that I didn't have an arm, or a body. This confused me as I was sure that I had a body and I started panicking.

Then I stopped and tried to think rationally, ‘Lets think, what do you remember last?’ I asked myself. At first nothing happened when I tried to recall my memories but then I felt a spark go off somewhere, possibly in whatever is allowing me to think, which began shoving memory’s into my head.

I was a 18 year old boy called Ardika Ekia and I was coming home when… ‘I am dead!?’ I thought to myself, emotions flooding my… Spirit? As I tried to comprehend what had happened. ‘I was killed before I got to see my mother again.’ I thought sadly. Well, if I really am dead, then spirits or something must be real. Perhaps I was in the afterlife? Or possibly in the process of being reincarnated? 

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I then began studying my environment which seemed to be a constantly shifting and changing spiral of colors no matter which way I… “looked” wasn't the best word to use as I didn't have eyes, perhaps “observed” then? 

I don't know anymore. All I could make out were the constantly shifting lights and the absolute silence that pressed against my senses. I observed this space I was in for a long time, I really couldn't say how long however, Is time even present in whatever dimension I am in? 

Then finally I saw something new, a rectangle of bright blue light that was gliding smoothly towards me. Or, was I moving towards it? I watched as we drew closer together and then finally connected. There was no impact, nothing seemed to happen. It was as if it was never there. I searched for it with my senses but found nothing, until I observed the point of impact. 

It seemed to be glowing? Then I felt something inside myself, moving around. ‘Oh God!’ Is it inside of me!? After a few seconds of panic I felt the something inside of me connect to something else inside of me and then I saw something fizzle into existence in front of me, it looked suspiciously similar to the other blue rectangle from before but this one was white in the center and something resembling symbols, that were slowly morphing into words that read “Integrating Complete. Scanning for habitable universes…” the three dots began slowly blinking, like you would see on a loading page. ‘What the hell!?’ 

My brain rushed into overdrive as I tried to think about what was happening and what that meant, and habitable universes? The blue rectangle flashed and now different words were forming, faster than before, that read “Scanning complete. One Universe compatible. Initializing transdimensional targeting…”

Before I could realize what was about to happen, I felt like I was being pulled towards something at incredible speeds. Then as abruptly as it happened, I slammed into something. I wasn't hurt, in fact I wasn't sure if I could be anymore seeing as I was dead. 

The blue rectangle appeared again now different words form, even faster than before, that read “Transdimensional targeting complete. Universe shift commencing…” Then pain flared as I had never felt before, it felt like my entire being was being shoved into a can. ‘Well I guess that answers my question.’ I thought as I experienced the pain. 

It felt like an eternity of suffering was passing for a very long time. I saw something flash bright orange around and in front of me and then heard something for the first time since I got to this place, a loud sharp crack. Then I felt the pain ebb away a little and I once again get pulled forwards into the unknown, my last thought being ‘I hope that this universe isn't that bad.’ instantly cursing me forever.