Chapter 2: The Afterlife(?) (2)

As a gangster, his life had been in a constant state of danger. 

Deep down, he always felt that someone was always out to get him, always a threat looming over his head especially when he had gained his position.

Now, though, he felt a sense of tranquillity. It was as if all the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. He could feel the tension in his muscles melting away, and his mind was clear and focused.

"I don't understand," he said, his voice a whisper. "Why am I feeling this way?"

A thought occurred to him. Maybe this was the punishment he had been expecting. Maybe this was his hell. But it didn't feel like hell. It felt like heaven.

"So, is this it, then?" he asked, his voice barely a thought. "Is this the end?"

A long, empty silence stretched after his question. He closed his nonexistent eyes and let himself drift through the endless void.

"I guess, this is really it..." he muttered, his voice little more than a thought echoing in the blackness. "Death finally got me."

In the past, he'd cheated death a dozen times before, always with a cocky grin. Now, there was just a hollowness where his bravado used to be.

"No body, no worries," he said with a ghost of a smile, humorless and bittersweet. "Not exactly the afterlife I pictured, but hey, who am I to argue?"

Even in this situation, he almost missed the thrill of a good brawl, the camaraderie of his family, the satisfaction of a job well done. But those were just echoes now, whispers in the endless dark.

He drifted for what felt like hours, or maybe days which ultimately led him to understand that time has no meaning to him here anymore. There was just an endless expanse of nothingness, devoid of light, sound, or even the comforting presence of his own thoughts. It was a monotony that would have driven him mad in the past, yet now, a strange serenity had settled in.

"Maybe this is it," he mused, a melancholic acceptance colouring his thoughts. "Maybe this is the peace I never found in life. No more running while dodging bullets, no more fighting, no more looking over my shoulder or sleeping with one eye open, and no more..."

He trailed off, the words dying in his throat. His mind wandered back to the life he'd left behind. The thrill of the chase, the adrenaline rush of a daring escape, the satisfaction of outsmarting his enemies. He'd always lived on the edge, a life of constant danger and excitement. But now, as he faced the ultimate consequence of his choices, he realized that the thrill had come at a cost.

"Maybe this is the price I have to pay," he mused, a hint of resignation in his voice. "For a life lived on the edge, a life of constant danger and excitement."

As he was about to fully surrender to the emptiness, a faint tremor ran through the void. It was a sensation unlike anything he'd ever experienced - a whisper in the darkness, a vibration against himself.

"Huh?" he rasped, a spark of curiosity igniting in the vast emptiness. "What was that?"

The tremor came again, stronger this time, and with that, it also came with...a thought?

It obviously didn't belong to Victor, but it brushed more strongly against the edges of his consciousness, like a distant memory. Victor didn't know how to describe it in words, but he could sense it through his emotion, his feeling, and it felt rather familiar.

Then, a flicker of movement caught his attention, a pinprick of light appearing in the distance. It pulsed a soft blue glow that grew brighter and mesmerizing. He focused on it, the small spark igniting a flicker of curiosity. Was it real? Or was it a hallucination born of his fading mind?

As if to answer his thoughts, another light bloomed. This one, a deep, pulsating violet, hummed with an energy that sent a phantom vibration toward him. Then another one appeared, a vibrant green, followed by a swirling red.

More lights materialized, an assortment of colours blooming in the endless nothing with different intensities.

Victor, for lack of a better word, stared, a mix of terror and awe battling within him.

"Who are you?" he croaked, his voice barely a whisper.

Silence. The lights continued their erratic dance, flickering and swirling without any discernible pattern. He tried again, his voice laced with urgency. "Hey! Can you hear me? Who are you? What is this place?"

The lights continued their silent ballet, offering no response. Frustration bubbled up. "Damn it! Answer me!"

But they continued to remain silent, offering no response to his desperate call. He then tried focusing on one, willing it closer, hoping for some kind of interaction.

"Hello? Can you hear me? Anyone there?" His voice, though disembodied, held a desperate urgency.

The light, a vibrant emerald, pulsed once, then drifted away, joining the chaotic dance of its brethren. Frustration gnawed at him. Was this some kind of cruel joke? Would he be trapped here forever, surrounded by these silent, mocking lights?

"Damn it!" he roared, the sound echoing endlessly. "At least give me some kind of response! Or even anything"

The lights continued their silent dance, their only response a random flicker and this only caused Victor's annoyance to grow increasingly. He then tried everything he could, but these lights seemed completely unresponsive.

"Fine," he muttered, forcing a semblance of calm into his disembodied voice. "If you're not going to talk, then maybe you'll react. Let's see what happens." 

He focused on a fiery red light, the closest one to him. With all his will, he tried to push himself towards it, to make some kind of contact.

But for some reason, as he approached the fiery red light, it flickered erratically, then darted away, leaving him behind. 

"Hey!" Victor shouted, his voice echoing through the void. "Come back!" 

He chased after it with all of his might, but the light was faster. It twisted and turned, weaving through the other lights, taunting him with its elusive nature. Victor's anger began to boil.

"Goddamn it!" he exclaimed, his voice cracking. "This is getting nowhere!" 

Frustration gnawed at him to the very core. He slumped down with a sigh, his shoulders slumped. "Screw it!" 

"I gave up," he uttered, feeling a little ridiculous from the realization he had been chasing some random lights. "What the hell is the point of this anyway?" 

As he was about to give up, something caught his eye. One of the lights, a soft, golden one, began to flicker and dim. Unlike the others, its erratic dance was replaced with a slow, fading glow.

"Hey!" he called out, a flicker of concern sparking within him. "What's happening to you?" 

The dimming continued, the golden light shrinking in size. Panic clawed at his throat. While he had no idea what these lights were, their presence had offered a sliver of comfort that felt familiar to him in this endless nothingness. Now, one of them was fading, and with it, a piece of that comfort seemed to be slipping away.

Without hesitation, he surged towards the dimming light. It was a futile effort, of course, but the instinct was stronger than the logic of his mind. 

As he neared the fading light, a blinding flash erupted from nowhere, engulfing him in a white-hot brilliance. He shielded his nonexistent eyes, a primal scream rising in his throat.

"AAAAHHHHHHHH...!!!!"

- o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o -

Somewhere deep within the imposing headquarters, a man sat at his desk, his fingers dancing across the keyboard as he typed away at a report. The room was bathed in a soft, artificial glow, the only sound breaking the silence being the rhythmic tapping of keys and the occasional rustle of paper.

The black-haired man, with his sharp, intelligent gaze and strong jawline, was completely absorbed in his work. He was dressed in a charcoal-grey tailored suit. The suit was impeccably cut, with a slim fit that accentuated his muscular build. Beneath the suit, he wore a crisp white dress shirt with a navy silk tie. A silver watch adorned his left wrist, and his shoes were polished to a mirror finish.

As he typed, a faint glint caught his eye. He paused, his brow furrowing slightly, and glanced down at his desk.

"Huh? This is rather unexpected," he uttered, his eyes widening in surprise. There was a soft, ethereal light emanating from one of his desk drawers. "Who is it this time?"

With his curiosity piqued, he quickly pulled the drawer open. Inside, nestled amongst a stack of papers and files, was a leather-covered book. The light was coming from the book itself, a gentle, almost pulsating glow that seemed to emanate from within its pages. The man's eyes widened even further.

"No way!!" He exclaimed, his voice filled with astonishment. "I thought my story was over after all of that..."

A light smile crept across his lips as he took out the book. "But I guess I was wrong on that."

The man's smile faltered slightly as he heard the door creak open. A woman burst into the room, her blonde hair bouncing as she rushed towards him. She was dressed in a sleek, ivory-colored pantsuit that mirrored the man's style. A matching blouse with a delicate lace collar complemented the suit, and her feet were encased in a pair of pointed-toe heels.

"Hey honey, what are you doing right now?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"I'm just finishing up a report for the next meeting," he replied, his voice calm and collected despite the sudden interruption. She then paused and scanned around the room before landing on the book being held by the man.

With a surprised look, she asked, "Wait a minute, did your book shine as well?"

The man nodded with a chuckle.

"Yeah, happened earlier," he said, realizing something weird with the question that just came out of her mouth. "Did your book shine too?"

The woman nodded excitedly.

"Yes, it started shining earlier on my way to get something to drink," she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "That's why I came here so quickly. I wanted to show you."

The man grinned, opened the book, and took a peek at the content that caused him to laugh heartily. "Looks like we'll be on a new journey together again."

To Be Continued