I open my eyes. I look around. I'm lying on a plot of dirt next to a corroded sidewalk. The sky is foggy and the stench of gasoline is in the air. I sit up and see a burning car down the street. I look around and see crumbling buildings and dirt and not much else. It looks like some post-apocalyptic city. Where am I?

I hear a distant buzzing seeming to come from underneath, but otherwise a dead silence hangs over the area. I check myself over and I seem to be in one piece. How did I get here? As I'm patting myself down, I find a silver ring missing a gem in my pocket. Oh God, Elise… The memory of my little sister fills my head. Tears begin to form in my eyes, but I suddenly hear a scream in the distance.

I rise from the ground, not really sure what to do. I hear the scream again, this time closer. It's a really gruff sound, probably male, but it doesn't sound exactly human… I decide to carefully walk towards it.

I can hear the sounds of a struggle, dumpsters clanking and people being shoved against things. I can tell it's coming from an alleyway not too far off. I try to remain unseen as I creep towards it.

Suddenly there is a final roar and the sound of flames. I freeze in place, glued against the wall behind me. Then a man walks out of the alleyway. He looks like he could be in his late 20s, early 30s with a beard and mustache. He holds a wooden stake in his hand. He stops and looks right at me. I can't move.

"Who are you?" he demands.

"I'm—I'm Sarah," I spit out. "I—uh—I don't mean any harm. I don't know where I am. I—"

"Ugh, you're new? Welcome to the society. A step below hell."

I'm taken aback. I don't know what to say.

"You're dead. And you've got something to atone for. Yada yada. I don't really have time to deal with you, so just come with me." He starts to walk away.

I still don't move, but he doesn't turn around to make sure I'm following. I jump into a little sprint to catch up.

"Wait," I call out, "You can't just tell me all that and expect me to be okay with it right away! What do you mean I'm dead? And in hell? Who are you?! How can I trust you?"

"Calm down, princess. I'm Alex. I've been in your shoes before so I know how you feel. But the best thing to do is accept it and move on. And I didn't say you were in hell, I said you were in the Society, a step below hell."

"How can I trust you? How do I know what you're saying is true?"

"You don't have to. But do you want me to leave you here on your own?"

I don't respond. "That's what I thought," he says. We walk in silence the rest of the way. We end up in some old falling apart church.

"Here, go down that tunnel over there till the end. Knock on the door that should be to the side and tell them Teresa sent you," he discloses me and walks away. He leaves me, alone in this church. I look around at the broken seats and torn figurines. I then go to a bench and fall to my knees in prayer.