A great man once said "Only in Death can one truly appreciate the gift of Life" it is upon that this story is based.

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

So this is it…..I can't say it was a good life….In fact it was terrible.
As everything around him turned to black the boy, now lying limp on the pavement, thought about his life, how much had gone wrong and how none of it was worth bull crap now. "Everything I've done, all the time and effort I put into it was just a waste". Everything was black now but the boy still thought about how bad his life and how all of it was just a waste, how everything was pointless all that wasted effort. The boy lay there on the pavement, just thinking. "Wait why am still thinking, how am I still thinking". Slowly the boy pondered to himself, everything still black but something seemed different. The cold wet ground seemed to fade to warm and dry. Still he lay there thinking to himself, as the scent of fresh cut grass filled the air around him. This caught the boy off guard, "wait wasn't I just in the city where's this smell coming from".

"Hey, Hey kid, WAKE UP!"

All of a sudden the boys head started ringing as if someone had just kicked him, He jumped up, eyes wide open and now on his feet he shouted "Ouch! What the hell was that for".

"Well you were just lying there on the grouunn….."The second boy trailed off as he noticed the 1st boy now in shock staring down at his hands slowly opening and closing them, "Hey, you ok" asked the 2nd boy.

"Huh what ah, I'm not sure" now feeling his head "im sure I was just hit by a truck, wait what the hell's going on here where am I.

"Hmmm what's the last thing you remember before I rudely interrupted your nap", said the second boy.

"Well I was walking in the street , I remember being hit by something big, I think it might have been a truck" as he said this he stuttered a little, "I remember flying through the air and landing in the street, and then and then, holy crap!" He stared back at his hands and then to the other boy "Am I, dead?" he choked out.

"Bingo", smiled the second boy, "welcome to the afterlife and this" the boy gestured to their surroundings "This is DMH, that's Deadman High for newcomers." He looked at the now seriously confused red headed boy, "don't worry, just let it sink in, come with me".

The confused red headed boy followed the blond haired boy. It wasn't very far, they walked over to the side of the path he had been lying on and sat down on the hill overlooking some sports fields.

"Firstly we should introduce our selves said the blond haired boy, the names Sam, Sam Queen and you are?"

"Ah Alex, Alex Johnson" Replied the red haired boy.

"Well Mr Johnson" Sam started "This is the afterlife, but considering it's a school I've taken to calling it Deadman High. Don't quite know why it's a school, but what I do know is that not everyone here is dead like us".

"What?" said Alex a little bit shocked by what Sam had said.

Sam went on "when I first got here I woke up in this exact spot, it was morning then. I sat up and there was this girl with long hair sitting next to me as if she knew me, or I was supposed to know her. Her hair was strange though, it was different, different from other people here"

"Different, different how" asked Alex

"Well" Sam continued "It was what looked to be naturally bright brown but the sun had turned the end blond".

"That doesn't seem that strange" said Alex.

"Let me finish" said Sam, "the tip of her hair had been dyed Neon pink, no one else here has hair like that, anyway I turned to her and asked where I was and she told me exactly what I'm telling you. Then from over there", Sam pointed back up to the pathway, "this big guy with jet black hair called out to her, she got up and called back to him to wait for her, she turned to me a said that I'd better get to class. She also pointed out the main building to me", Sam turned his right and pointed at the large building standing at the edge of the sports fields below them, "that's it, right there, although I don't spend much time there".

"Why" Asked Alex

"Well aren't you full of questions Sam said "Because it's boring as hell that's why and besides it's not like we need it, were dead".

Just then Alex heard a voice from over his shoulder.

"Hey Sam!"

Looking up at the pathway again Alex saw her. It was a girl, a girl with the pink hair.

"Terri! Ha ha how's it goin?" Exclaimed Sam as he jumped up.

Slowly walking down from the path was her, the girl Sam had described not moments ago. She was slim and of average height. The only thing that stood out about her was her hair, however there was something different about her, she just radiated something different, different from Sam but Alex couldn't wrap his head around what.

"Who's the new guy?" she asked in a half joking half serious tone.

Sam glanced back at Alex then back to Terri, "him? His names Alex, I found him lying on the path completely zoned out".

"is he?" Asked Terri

"like me and Mason?" said Sam "yea he is".

Terri walked slowly towards Alex with an outstretched hand "welcome"

Alex reached out and shook her hand, she then turned to Sam and asked "so, what does he know so far?"

Sam looked over and said "just that this is the afterlife and that he's dead, I was going to tell him about the other students when you showed up".

"Hmm trust you to take your sweet time explaining the important stuff", she looked at Alex, "Let me explain some of the facts, as you know this is the afterlife, meaning that you're dead Sam to, but the other students"….

"What about you?", Interrupted Alex, " I'm sorry to ask so abruptly but you, you just seem different from Sam and when he said I was dead he said like him and some other guy but he didn't mention you".

"Ha, observant one aren't you" laughed Terri "it took Sam a week to notice, she sat down beside Alex and a stared out at the setting sun, "The other students here aren't human there here just to fill the environment, in this case the school, there not really people, there more like computer programs, like the villagers from video games, you know Non Player Characters, well anyway"

Before she could finish a shout came from back up at the path

"Shit Prefects!"

It was Sam's voice, at that moment Terri got up pulling Alex with her "come on we have to go now"
it was only then Alex noticed that Sam had not been sitting next to them.

Just as they got to their feet Sam came barrelling over the side of the path landing on his back in front of Terri and Alex, Terri bent down and helped him up, he screamed in agony as his leg was bleeding heavily, there was no way he could walk on it, turning to Alex Terri shouted "quickly give me a hand" Alex grabbed Sam's arm and threw it over his shoulder, slowly they walked up the hill to the path.

Standing in the path was a group of 5 people, 4 were wearing the normal student uniform however they all wore blue berets and had arm bands that read Prefect, the 5th however was different, he to was wearing the normal uniform but he didn't have a beret or an armband and his blazer was open blowing in the wind.

"MASON!" exclaimed Terri

Mason glanced over his shoulder with his piercing blue eyes and shouted "get them out of here NOW!"

Turning back to the group of prefects mason said "what the fuck do you want this time"

The smallest of the group of prefects slowly took a step forward looked up at mason and said "This is the 3rd day in a row that Mr Sam Queen has skipped class only to be found here, the head boy would like to talk with him, in private."

Mason frowned and said under his breath "dammit Sam what have I fucking told you about skipping class", looking at the group of prefects now, he said "sorry but I can't let you just take my friend like that".

"Then you leave me no choice" said the small prefect joining his group again "Fire!"