Chapter 1: Chapter One: Death
He opens his eyes but there was still only darkness. He feels the cold cement beneath him. His head throbs as he tries to regain his bearings.
Shaking the fog from his head, he struggles to get to his feet and feels the sting of ropes digging into his wrists, holding him firmly to the ground.
He feels the shadows around him move.
"Hello?" he says. The word catching in his throat.
"Hello?" he calls out again into the dark. "Is anyone there?"
A voice comes out of the shadows, cold and hard as steel.
"What are you thinking about?" the voice asks. The voice was calm but it sends a shiver down his spine.
"Hello? What the hell is going on? Who are you?" he asks as he feels warm blood drip from his hair.
The voice cuts through the shadows again, "What are you thinking about?"
He struggles to force strength back into his voice as he pulls against the ropes cutting into his wrists. "What do want from me? Where am I?"
"Answer me!!!" he shouts into the black that surrounds him.
"Answer me," the voice shoots back. "What are you thinking about? Now. At the end."
There is a whisper in his ear, "Answer."
He whips his head around toward the voice but sees nothing except the darkness that seems to slither around him.
His eyes start to pull shapes out of the darkness, painfully adjusting ever so slowly to the pitch black world around him.
He pulls harder and harder on his bindings. His wrists begin to bleed as the rough ropes bite into his skin.
"Goddamn it!! What the hell do you want? What do you want from me?" he demands through his fear and pain.
The voice gently but firmly responds, "I want you to answer my question. What are you thinking about? Right now. At this moment. Now. When you know you're going to die."
A torch lights suddenly flooding his eyes with firelight. The light stinging his eyes.
The newfound glow reveals the silhouette of a small slender man standing in front of him still obscured in shadows. The shadows seem to embrace the graceful figure. He can't make out the face of the stranger but in the torchlight the figure's eyes glow blood red.
"Listen to me. You don't have to do this. We can figure it out. We can talk..."
"No....We can't," the figure hisses from the darkness. Behind the figure shrouded in shadows more eyes flash in the torch light. They seem human but barely. Several shadows begin to move around him never fully entering the small circle of light from the torch just circling around the edges.
A chant of whispered voices surrounds him, "Answer.... Answer.... Answer"
The red eyes of the figure flash in the flicker of the torch.
He fights to keep his breath and puts on his bravest voice to negotiate, "Is it money? Is that what you're looking for? Well, I can do that. Money is no problem. No problem. I can get you whatever you want."
The figure bears his teeth in a smile that looks more like a snarl, "Money. Your answer for everything. Your money has no power here."
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!?" he screams to the dark figure.
Only those red eyes pierce the shadows. The red eyes and a calm voice penetrating the heavy air, "I want you to answer my question. What are you thinking about? Here. Now. At the end. Are you thinking about that next big deal? Are you thinking about that 401k? That beach house? All of those beautiful stock options?"
From behind the motionless figure, a massive body steps forward into the light. His arms covered in tattoos and jagged scars. His long filthy hair covering his eyes. There is the glint of torchlight on the blade of his knife. The figure stands behind him in the shadows.
"Please...please. I have a family."
The figure's red eyes soften. "Ah yes. There it is. Your family. The family you sacrificed at the alter of money. Wouldn't you give anything to see them again? To kiss them? To tell them you love them one more time?"
Tears stream down his face as he begs, "Yes.... my God. Yes... Please..."
The figure smiles gently. "That is the appreciation of life you can only get when facing death. That is my gift to you."
The figure nods and the massive man moves closer. His blade comes into the light.
"Please..." he begs as the massive hands grab his arms and the blade moves closer.
Suddenly the ropes binding his wrists are cut loose and the giant man moves back into the shadows behind the figure.
He blinks the tears from his eyes, struggling to make words come out. He finally asks, "You're letting me go?"
The figure shakes his head. He answers softly, "I am letting you fight."
The knife drops to the cement in front of him. He looks down at the sharp unforgiving blade.
He slowly picks up the knife. "Oh God. Oh God. Oh my God." He grips the knife tighter and looks into the red eyes staring back at him.
The figure smiles again and says softly, "I am God."
Fear and adrenaline fill his aching body as he takes a deep breath. He lunges forward with all the remaining strength left in his tired muscles.
Suddenly the shadows around him close in and slam him into the cement. He clutches the knife and pushes against the hands holding him down, struggling to reach the figure with his blade.
Sharp pain stabs through his body as unseen fists and booted feet slam into him from every direction. He let's out a howl of pain and rage as he lunges again toward those red eyes.
He brings the knife up with a final burst of strength and just before he can slash it down on the figure, a massive scarred fist crashes into his jaw.
A blinding flash of pain fills his eyes and then the darkness collapses down on him.
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