1 Prologue

11 hours before death...

My morning began with about as much excitement you'd expect with watching the grass grow. Unless, of course, that's something that you were into. Regardless of knowing how dull my days usually ended up to be, I somehow still managed to pull the blankets from atop my head and yawn angrily at my ceiling. A kind of yawn where you use it as an excuse to make a loud and obnoxious screeching noise in a desperate attempt to draw human attention towards yourself.

Birds could be heard chirping just outside the window to my second-floor bedroom, perched upon the branches of an overgrown tree that long needed to be removed. My eyes still trying to squint past the crust on my eyelids managed to catch a quick glimpse of the digital clock next to my bed.

"Everywhere stopped serving breakfast by now..."

I let the words bounce off the barren walls of my nearly empty room, as I laid my head back against my sad bundle of dirty clothes I used as a pillow.

"Guess I should get up, right?"

Reaching behind my head with both hands I pull out a plain white sweater and a black pair of sweat pants I had worn to try and convince myself to go to the gym the night before. I jumped out of bed and immediately into the fit of clothes, knowing that if I didn't get out of my room soon I'd just go back to sleep.

"Better get going, can't be late for this one."

Nodding my head unnaturally, bobbing up and down as if responding to a hundred questions all with the same answer, I made my way for my front door. Reassuring my self-doubt that today was going to be a good day. Because for once I actually believed it could be.

10 hours before death...

The skinny figure in my mirror taunted me. The weak-looking knees wobbling under pressure and anxiety at the thought of another presumably botched job interview. Messy, dirty blonde hair fell wherever it liked along my forehead despite all the different hair products tried on it.

It'd probably be easier to stay home. I could save myself the trouble.

How long could one keep thinking like that though? If any day I was planning on making a change it had to be sooner rather than later. Reaching around inside the family's shared drawer I pull out a single bird-shaped hairpin. Grabbing at a clump of my hair I raise it up above my forehead and pin it in place, all while smiling the best I knew how. The way that convinced me I looked good enough for the outside world. A little bit more of fixing stray hairs upon my head into place and a few minutes of fumbling past a morning routine of acne creams and lotions, I finally got around to brushing my teeth. Clenching the toothbrush between my molars I turn around to the bathroom door. Rested upon the back of it by a few well-placed nails and tape was a body length mirror I thought distorted the reflection just enough to make me look a little bit more fit than I actually was. I walked closer, striking ridiculous poses I had seen others making fun of online. Finally approaching close enough to rest the end of my toothbrush against the surface of the mirror while I mentally picked at every flaw on my face.

"HEY! Irre, could you hurry up in here I have to—"

"—GAAKK!"

With one forceful kick to the door from an annoying younger brother I found that I could no longer breathe, knocked off my feet and now laying on my backside I gasped for air with pink a toothbrush erecting from my throat.

"C-an't... air! Get—mom!"

I frantically waved my arms in front of me as I felt my face turning blue from lack of oxygen. Kicking, crying, and yelling all at the same time to the best of my efforts.

"MOM! I think Irre is dying up here!"

Perhaps the last words I'd ever hear, being yelled down the stairs with such little enthusiasm as my vision went blurry and I found myself falling beneath heavy eyelids into a cozy black void.

7 hours before death...

"Hey, son wake up."

A rather soothingly raspy voice spoke in my direction.

"G-god?"

My throat hurt but I managed to push a single word out without much effort.

"Nothing is wrong with you, Irre. Come on and wake up, I have patients waiting for this bed."

Taken aback and confused I began to slowly open my eyes, peering up at a clean white ceiling with brightly lit beams shining down on me. Adjusting an ache in my neck away my face locks upon a disheveled looking doctor.

"You're not God..."

The frustrated looking man closes his eyes as if to try and tame a boiling rage inside.

"Nope, I'm just a doctor. I'm the guy who pulled the toothbrush out of your throat."

"Ohh... so I'm not dead then?"

"Dead? You were barely injured. The toothbrush merely knocked at your gag reflex and caused you to vomit all over yourself. You bumped your head slightly but in all honesty, you've just been sleeping. I ran a few different tests, you have nothing wrong with you. Now, that was prior to a real patient needing a bed here that you're laying in. So if I could kindly ask you to leave already you've had plenty of time to nap."

Eyes widened in confusion I merely nod repeatedly in agreement as I shuffle my way off of the bed, a hospital gown falling into place, resting against my body just to above my ankles.

"Thank you. Your vomit-covered clothes can be retrieved at the front desk. Have a good one."

I... don't really think I'll need those back. I'll stop by home to get clean clothes.

                    6 hours before death...

   "Yes, can I just have two of the chocolate sprinkled donuts, please?"

   Fingers connected to a starving shaky hand, I pointed to a case of delicious, moist-looking donuts properly displayed behind a glass case.

   "Sure thing! But you know sooner or later your gonna have to cut back on these?"

   The cute girl working the register laughed lightly at her remark. She saw me often since I had a horrible, seemingly never-ending craving for breakfast type foods. Especially, since I woke up late most days and missed the time most places served breakfast. I stopped by this place nearly twice a day because I could never get enough of the pastries they served here. That and the cashier was the only girl that ever really spoke to me like a human being.

   "I'll cut back when they fire you."

   Surely my face turned bright red as I made an embarrassing attempt to flirt.

   "I'd quit before I let that—"

   Suddenly the small bell above the door rang, announcing that another customer had entered my favorite little bakery. The cashier, who never wore a name tag so sadly I never got her name, just flashed me a quick smile and handed me my receipt as I moved out of line for the next customer.

   "Bye."

   Waving for her to have a good day I merely utter my words beneath my breath. Ushering past the next person in line, a large man wearing a bulky trench coat and boots probably the size of my head.

   "Hello, how can I help you?"

   The girl's voice was sweet yet shaky for some reason. I was just about to push open the doors back out to the street when for some reason a strange feeling kept me in place.

   "Oh! Excuse me sir you forgot your milkshake!"

   She waved me down over the shoulder of the larger man, her usually cheery composure somewhat crumbling like horribly baked muffins.

   But I didn't order any milkshake.

   "Lemme just run to the back and get—"

   "Don't you move!"

   The large man pulls back the drapes of his coat, revealing a pistol fashioned at his side.

   "Either of you moves and it's a bullet for your head."

   His voice intensified as he slid his firearm out from its holster. Circling around in his position to keep an eye on the two of us at the same time.

   Oh, damn!

   "L-listen we don't want to stop y-you. Just take what you want... p-please."

   The cashier looked my way, exchanging a glance for a mere moment before the man unleashed a single round of ammo in my direction. Grazing past my shoulder.

   "Ahhhh!!"

   "Quiet! Nobody speaks either!"

   I could tell he was furious that I even decided to exist in the same room as him. Even angrier from when I spoke out.

   "Now— you! Skinny kid, walk with the girl to the freezer. Both of you go quietly until I close the door behind you and nobody will get hurt."

   Clearly in shock, the cashier moves slowly towards the freezer without as much as a second thought. While I moved along the wall to the small shop towards the entrance behind the counter, making sure to keep my distance from the hulking man.

   "Good. Just like that, get over there."

   He waved me forward with his gun pointed directly at me, roughly ten feet or so away. My sight purely locked on the gun the entire time I shimmy along the wall, I shortly find my thigh bumping into the door to the counter space. I fumble my hand around the knob without looking down, grabbing ahold of it with a panicked hand. Preparing to open the door I can feel the sweat pouring down my face when suddenly I'm halted in my tracks by a ringing from the far corner of the room.

"Afternoon everyone—"

The man wielding the gun turns swiftly, while at the same time everything seemingly slowed down to the point where seconds felt like minutes. Immediately the face of the elderly man who entered the door turned to that of a frightened state. A gun raised to meet his greeting, his skin changed to the same shade of white as the paint on the wall behind him.

"STOP!!"

Something in me could tell the man would shoot the poor old guy without hesitation. Something in me that urged my legs into a charge. I began to run, when I saw a window just big enough between the gun being aimed at me and the old man.

"Irre, don't!!"

Some spark of courage shot through me.

BOOM!

Amongst other things.

4 hours before death...

...Damn... it

3 hours and 30 minutes before death...

"Out of the way! We're heading to the ER! Everyone move!"

There was a ringing in my ear, so loud that everything else became mumbling. I couldn't move, but I could tell that I was being rushed along a busy hallway by something with wheels beneath me. A gurney soaked in dark thick blood. My own blood.

"Patient name, Irre Sendr, age twenty-four. Multiple bullet wounds to the chest."

There were a lot of clacking noises, which could be made out as buttons being pressed.

"Irre! Please, be okay! I love you!"

M-mom?

"Just wait here, ma'am. Your sons a hero, we're not gonna let anything happen to him."

Doors to an elevator door shut heavily as a worried family was left looking upon the cold steel that would separate them and I.

1 hour before death...

"The surgery went the best it possibly could have. Honestly, your son is very much lucky. Each bullet somehow missed any major arteries. So, as the surgeon, I'm happy to tell you he's gonna be just fine. He needs to rest now is all."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"If I had any suggestions, it looks like he was buying donuts when everything went down. Maybe you can see on the ground floor if they have any for him for when he wakes up."

There's a short pause, filled with light-hearted laughter.

"Figures, the place he'd end up getting shot at is in a donut shop."

"He may like sweets but he sure is brave based on the report the cashier on duty gave. He rushed the man who pulled a gun on them, even went to town on him until the cops came in."

"He always use to wanna be a cop or some sort of hero when he was younger. He's gonna be bragging about this story for weeks when he comes to."

30 minutes before death...

...I

25 minutes before death...

...Am

15 minutes before death...

...A

10 minutes before death...

...Hero

5 minutes before death...

"We missed a bullet! We missed a bullet! He's bleeding out quickly! Hurry! Damn it!"

1 minute before death...

"I love you, Irre."

...

"I'm so sorry everyone. I have to call it... time of death, 9:45 pm. Cover him up."

1 minute after death...

"Wake up, boy."

2 minutes after death...

"C'mon kid, time to get moving. I've got others to pick up and you're putting me behind schedule."

3 minutes after death...

"Alright, screw it. Help me throw him on the bus."

4 minutes after death...

"D-doc... is that you?"

Tires screeched along some sort of road, as I fell under the presence of an obnoxiously cruel smile.

"Nope! Welcome to the afterlife, newbie!"

5 seconds after realizing my life was over...

~END ~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Authors Notes~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello, everyone! I truly hope you enjoyed the beginning to an exciting new story following Irre into the world beyond death.

If you have any questions or wish to simply talk about the story always feel free to message me.

As well, while I'm writing I tend to listen to music to help set an idea for a scene. So below I'll leave a few I used while writing this weeks work. Listen to the songs as you read again to perhaps get a feel for what I do when writing out the scenes

    1.) Ne:One by Survive Said The Prophet

I chose this song to listen to before writing in order to get myself in the mood for an adventure. I like to think of it as the opening theme to this story so far. I'm aware it's from Code Geass yet never watched the anime.

2.) In the arms of an angel by Sarah McLachlan

I chose this song in particular to be played as soon as the death counter begins counting minutes instead of hours. The death scene is meant to be sad yet a quick transition to the next world. Even a bit funny to an extent as Irre believed he wouldn't die.

3.) Highway to Hell by AC/DC

I chose this song to be played immediately after the "4 minutes after death" marker. As you'll see in the next chapter that the bus ride in the afterlife is rather hectic, as well as the driver of the bus. He may be one of my favorite characters of the story, but you'll see many more for sure.

As for things pertaining to the main character, I'm working on getting artwork of him commissioned for you to better imagine him in this story. And to those who it may confuse, his name is Irre, pronounced as Ear-E.

Be sure to follow to keep up with the adventure and drop a like and share to help promote the story. Much love and everyone have a beautiful week. Until next time.