Location: purgatory
POV: Ezell Redacted (20)
The first thing he noticed was the light. It was impossibly bright. So bright that it occupied all of my thoughts and left no cracks for anything else to slither in unnoticed.
"Fucking light getting in the damn way like always."" I need to change my lease and get the hell out of this shit hole."
"Every fucking morning I get up there's a bright light coming the room coming from the building across the street." "I've called thousands of times to ask that greasy fuck to put some cover for windows and does he do so?"
"No that asshole continues to accept my cash with chubby hands, a wide smile and a row of yellow teeth. He was about to continue talking about his shitty landlord but the light grew brighter."
The instant the light grew brighter all other thoughts left his mind and all he could bring himself to think about was how much brighter it was now. "Shit is getting even brighter."
The light was the most absolute guard in creation. He tried to close his eyes in order to lessen the light he see but that also didn't work.
One second it felt like the light was holding his eyes open to give me no choice but to address it. The other second it felt like his eyes had abandoned me in fear of something or someone. The reason his eyes did not follow his commands switched rapidly.
Either way his eyes did not respond to his wishes and that began to frighten him more than anything he ever experienced back at home. He tried moving them harder and nothing happened or changed and that caused him pain.
Not pain like getting stabbed but instead inner pain. It was similar to the pain one would feel when a day didn't go there way or a break up that seemed more important than it probably was in truth.
The pain continued stayed with him and refused to leave. Instead of the light disappearing it chose to grow and his pain increased.
He tried screaming and because of some internal and unknown reason for the first time since I woke up here he paid attention to what sounds followed. The answer made the previously small, insignificant and unimportant fears grew until they became great.
There was no sound that escaped his mouth. The fear of being muted against his will made him try moving but again his body disobeyed him.
The fear had cold and sharp hands that felt like electricity running through him and jolted me before it stopped him from doing anything.
Now I'm probably stuck here in some random place with no control over his body and I'm sure here because of some higher being. "All those years in that hellish family and no god answered my prayers but now they bother me."
He tried laughing at the absurdity of my location but again no sound followed my attempts. "The same gods I begged to save me but ignored me now appear or take me."
God is surely a cruel, hypocritical, indifferent, narcissistic being. "To ignore the cries of a child only to swoop in and take them once they become a man is despicable behavior."
He thought about trying to regain control over his body but I just gave up. "I could fight but what's the point?" He imagined hanging his missing head in defeat.
"The worse part about this is that I'm probably going to hell for not believing in a loser of a god." After he mocked god even in the hands of a fate that is probably worse than death the light did not dim but instead began to gather into one place in the new space.
He watched as the light began to gather and take form of a being that surely came to punish him. He sat in silence and awe as the light finally gained shape and when it did gain shape it spoke.
"Such a foul mouthed punk you are." The first words to come out of this powerful being was words a grandmother or grandfather would say when disappointed in a child's language.
Instead of the young man crying and feeling regret because of the beings first words of choice he instead tried talking back to the being. "Who the hell do you think you are to kidnap me and demand respect?"
The being chuckled at his ignorance and spoke softly and deeply at the same time. "No kidnapping of any kind has happened here.. you are just dead."
The beings words of his death made him pause with uncertainty and question it more. "If I'm dead shouldn't I just go to hell or heaven.. I seem to be the only one here and I doubt that's a good thing."
The mass of light quivered as if agreeing with his deduction. "Yes there is someone interested in you who wishes to give you a choice for something new."
The young man's excitement grew after hearing of a possible deal other than heaven or hell. "I'm all ears.. or I think I am it's hard to tell in here."
The light told him the terms of the deal and the young man exploded with anger. "You trying to turn me into some useless religious nut in a world without god?!"
The being tried to explain more of the deal but the young man wouldn't listen. "No the answer is no I'm not taking the deal so drop it."
He declined the deal and was about to complain more until the light spoke again. "Then we are to assume you are ready for hell young one?"
The young man's anger and rage faltered immediately with the question. He tried to distract the being from the question but it didn't work. "Why you bringing up hell suddenly?"
The light suddenly spoke with the grace of a respectable clerk. "If you don't take the deal then hell is where you'll go as that's where you were assigned at death or last breath."
The young man thought for a moment and asked the light about hell. "This is probably a dumb question but how bad is hell on a scale of one to ten?"
The being of light did not answer and instead froze still for a few minutes. The young man began to question it but it did something the moment he got ready to speak.
It opened a portal of a hot and red place. The moment the portal was opened the young man felt like he was in a hole full of heat and darkness. This was undoubtedly hell and he could not handle even being near it much less in it.
The being of light left the portal openuntil the young man felt like he was going to be destroyed and then it closed it. It let the young man pull back his embers of sanity and then it spoke again.
"That is hell young one.. will you bejoining its current occupants?" The question made him immediately agree with the previously unwanted deal.
"No sir or madam that was a great deal now that I thought on it more I'm ready to go whenever you are."
The being questioned him if he was sure he was agreeing of his own free will and he immediately screamed his agreement.
The being immediately opened another portal and prepared to throw him in it with words of unheardencouragement.
"We go through the worst not because we are strong but because sometimes hidden parts of us hope the pain will temper us."
The being looked at the portal briefly and continued speaking words he couldn't hear.
"You'll be something new in a world surrounded by evil.. pray for better ways and you shall become a better man."
The being took one last glance at theslumbering young man before it threw his through the portal.