As the bright light faded, the young man found himself standing on a circular platform of some kind. He considered it a platform, since there was nothing around it other than white colored space that seemed to extend as far as he could see in all directions. The young man stood where he was for a while, both confused and a bit scared to do anything else. He had no clue where he was. Worse yet, he had no idea how he got to this place.

The last thing he could remember clearly was some crazy junkie sticking a gun in his face at a convenience store. Before that, he had been minding his own business, restocking some of the shelves and keeping the place clean like he had done for the last two years since graduating high school.  The young man scrunched up his narrow face as he finally realized something: the gun. He couldn’t remember what had happened after the junkie pulled out the gun!

Running his suddenly shaky hands through his messy black hair, the young man whispered, “No way… that can’t be right. But, I can’t remember. Frig… the gun. The bastard shot me.” The realization left him with a sick sensation in his stomach.  He had been shot, and based on what he was seeing around him, the young man realized he was probably dead.  “Ughhh.” Kneeling on the floor, the young man dry-heaved a few times, but nothing came out.

Shutting his eyes for a while, he cried quietly, wondering what he had done to deserve being shot.  He had never hurt anyone, never mind insulted anyone. He didn’t even have any real family, who might have pissed off someone.  Most of his life had been spent in orphanages and uncaring foster homes without him standing out in any way. Even his student life had been mediocre at best, with no real friends or hobbies. However, even if his life had been shit, he had still valued it since it had been his life.

“Why!” The young man screamed the question, not caring if he got an answer. It was his anger at existence for taking away what little he had.  Slamming his fists on the platform, the young man snarled, narrowing his thin eyes in frustration. He shook in anger at the unfairness of it all and felt like slamming his head against the floor to vent.

However, as quickly as the anger had come, it vanished with a single realization: he was dead. The young man huddled on the floor, quietly breathing as the frustration slowly filtered out of him, leaving him feeling empty. He knew he couldn’t do anything to change what had happened. It was over and done with. Getting angry might have been normal, but it wouldn’t give him back his life. Sighing, the young man wondered what was going to happen to him now.

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Ding!

The sound shocked the young man, who looked up in surprise. Floating right in front of him was a blue text box.

You are on the threshold of death. An alternative option is available. It is a grand experiment that has been ongoing for thousands of years. If you choose this option, you will encounter a new world filled with adventure, danger, and wonder the likes of which you have never faced.  There is no promise of a long life, and death is very likely. Do you wish to enter this new world?

Yes   or   No

The young man stared at the box uncomprehendingly for a while. It seemed like a joke at first, but looking around the white hell he was in, he realized the text box was probably for real.  It implied he was about to die, but a second chance was being offered. Of course, there were strings attached with the word “experiment” standing out prominently. However, the young man realized something: right now, death was a certainty while the text box offered an alternative.  

With a shaky hand, the young man pressed the “yes” option on the text box.

Ding!

The box blinked out, and a large, black door appeared on the platform, a couple meters away from him. The young man couldn’t make out anything within the door except for endless darkness, but he realized he didn’t have a choice in what he had to do. Worse yet, the platform around him began shaking and crumbling, with the outer edges being the first to fade away.

Clenching his teeth and mustering up his courage, the young man stood up and nervously walked up to the doorway. He stood right in front of it, wondering what to expect inside the darkness. His thoughts went round and round, until he finally decided that whatever was on the other side, it couldn’t be worse than this old life. Just as the last parts of the platform began to crumble away, the young man stepped into the darkness.

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