[1]

Opening my eyes for the first time in what felt like forever, I honestly couldn't help but just grin triumphantly, as I stared out across the view in front of me.

Whether it was just a few moments ago or multiple days on end, I didn't really care in the grand scheme of things. The only thing that mattered to me was that the entity I had just got done talking to actually stood by their word. I could at least appreciate that about them, even though they were still kind of an asshole. I was too, though, so I guess it took one to know one or however that quote went.

To put it simply, I died.

…And then I wasn't.

The whole experience was very odd. I wasn't really even sure how to explain it, or at least not in a way that I felt did it justice, so I didn't even bother trying. Now that I was here, it meant that whatever happened previously no longer held any significance in truth, nor did I truly give a fuck about what happened. The way I ended up dying was shitty to begin with, and I definitely wasn't in the mood to reflect on it.

Glancing around, I quickly determined that I had been dropped off at the side of a bridge, but which one, I genuinely had no clue. I was originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, not New York City. Honestly, the only reason I really even knew I was here wasn't because I was familiar with the sights, but due to the amount of shit I had seen go down in this city from all of the fictional material I consumed over the years. That mostly translated from the Marvel universe, though, and not as much from the other.

While Marvel placed more of its focus on real locations, DC had always played more into its own thing, and both were fine. The realness was just helping me out a bit more in this case.

I began to walk down the bridge, headed in a direction that I didn't think much of. Either way, I would still be in New York City, and that was all that mattered. Unless I had been dropped off at a time where villains were running rampant, this is the place I wanted to be, that was for sure. This place was the biggest hotspot for activity, and I definitely planned on getting in on some of the action.

Part of the reason I possessed this sort of thinking, however, and wasn't nearly as worried as I probably should've been, was because of the gift that had been given to me by the guy that dumped me here. Well, the gift that he said I would be given once I found myself in the city, anyway. I had especially been looking forward to it as well, but after another minute or two of just walking farther down the bridge, it had yet to make an appearance. I even looked through the pockets of my clothes, and still nothing.

There was a twenty dollar bill I ended up finding in one of them, though, which was nice. I'd really be pissed if that was the actual gift, however.

Shrugging it off to think about later on, I eventually made it past the bridge and ended up roaming the populated streets for a while. The sun appeared to slowly be setting over the horizon, and I didn't want to stay out for too long, so I was mostly just looking for a place to lay my head tonight.

It took me about two hours of searching, as well as glancing at street signs and posing as an uncertain tourist for directions, but I eventually found myself in Harlem, and specifically the eastside if I wasn't mistaken. I wasn't delusional enough to think that I'd be able to get a nice apartment or something to sleep in, especially not when I just got here, so I had quickly considered my options shortly after getting off the bridge, before gradually settling on a seedier part of the city that was known for gang violence, amongst a few other pleasant things.

None of this really felt strange or foreign to me, however, or at least not the environment itself. I mostly grew up in Baton Rouge, and that place had its own fair share of problems as well, so I felt a bit more confident than usual after having just been dropped off in an entirely-different universe.

A few glances were thrown my way every once in a while, but I tried my best to not show any sort of reaction to them, even though I did end up quickening my pace after a while. The sun would be going down pretty soon, and I didn't want to get caught out in the streets before I could find a place to stay for the night. Luck appeared to be on my side, though, because I eventually came across what seemed to be an abandoned-looking building.

The problem was I wasn't entirely certain the apartment complex actually was devoid of people, and there was also the possibility of it being full of a specific group of individuals that likely wouldn't treat me very nicely. It was definitely a gamble, and after briefly weighing my options, I determined that it was a bet I would place whatever I had on, which wasn't really much in the first place.

Walking up the small stack of concrete stairs, I cautiously stepped through the entrance as I initially struggled to push open the old and decayed door leading into the interior, which already looked like it had been kicked a few times in the past, before I eventually found another set of stairs further in, this time much wider and directed up towards the multiple upper-levels of the winding complex.

As I gradually made my ascent, I tuned into the silence within the building, trying my best to determine whether or not I was genuinely alone in this place. However, after making it up five out of the seven floors there were, I hadn't ended up hearing anything notable, and while it didn't put me at ease very much, I did somewhat relax once I finally picked a room and locked the door behind me after stepping inside. The whole place was a fucking mess, but I didn't really care so long as I could find a spot to clean up a bit and use as a poor imitation of a bed.

Breathing out a sigh, I ignored the slight odor to the best of my ability and eventually began cleaning up a bit, eager to lay down and just close my eyes in order to skip to the next day. I'd have to find a way to get some food, but I didn't bother worrying myself over it for now, and instead dreamt of the possibilities of my uncertain future. That was a problem I would have to solve for tomorrow, not at this very moment.