Hello everyone! I realised that I forgot to write a disclaimer in the first chapter so here it is. I obviously don't own Lord of the Rings, I wouldn't be here if I did, so please don't sue me. Now for this chapter, I know it's boring, it is only the beginning. But it will be better in the future, I promise! Enjoy the chapter and please let me know what you think :)

I woke up feeling very confused and disorientated. I was on my stomach, with the side of my face pressed into something that felt and smelled like grass. I started to groan, but then realised that nothing hurt me and stopped myself. I sat up and stared dumbly at my shoes, waiting for memories to come to me. Pictures of a dead rat and a car flashed through my mind and I suddenly remembered. The first thing I could think of was: 'I got hit by a car and nothing hurts? That's pretty impressive.' It was much better than the last time. No hospital smell and annoying beeping. Then I mentally smacked myself for not focusing on the main problem. Where the hell was I? I looked around, but all I saw was yellowish grass and a cluster of trees in the distance.

''What the...'' I started when a thought hit me.

Am I dead? This was the only logical conclusion I could come up with and once it came to my mind, I half expected a white figure with a halo to pop up and shout 'Welcome to heaven' at me. I didn't know where I came up with that ridiculous idea and briefly wondered if I had a concussion or just simply went mad. I rejected that notion almost as soon as it came, because I felt fine, and I wouldn't have felt fine if I were crazy, right?

Okay, focus. I stood up and noticed I was still wearing the same clothes, which consisted of black jeans, grey sweater, dark blue parka and black ankle boots. I also saw my backpack on the ground just a few feet away from me and immediately went to pick it up. I thanked whoever was in charge here for letting me keep it and opened it to check if anything was missing. When it looked like everything was intact, I swung it on my shoulders and then froze. What now? I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where I was. It definitely didn't look like Manchester, or even England for that matter. There was still the possibility of being dead, but I thought that heaven or whatever came after death would have been more organised. They wouldn't just let someone stand in the middle of nowhere. There would be some sort of induction where you were told what to do, and a bunch of smiling people ready to answer all your questions. There would be snacks too.

But what if I was still alive? What if this was just some kind of sick joke played by my friends? I mentally shuffled through their faces and wondered who would be stupid enough to pull this prank on me, but I came up with no one. This was not their style. It would be too complicated to pull off and most of them were lazy butts, so that was out of a question. I quickly rejected the idea of being in some stupid reality show, because there was nowhere to hide and unless they had invisible equipment, I didn't see how it would be possible. Then I remembered that I was hit by a car and yet somehow standing and breathing and functioning as if nothing happened, so what did I know?

All the thinking was giving me a headache. I didn't know whether to sit down and wait and see what would happen or try to go look for help. But who would help me here? Fellow dead people? Angels? If this really was the afterlife, I wasn't impressed. No hospitality, whatsoever. I sighed and looked around again. I could see rolling hills in the distance, and I figured it was my best chance since it would give me a good vantage point. I checked my phone for time, but it was dead. It looked like it was maybe 11 or 12 am, which was weird, because I was pretty sure it was dark in Manchester when I died. I paused. On the other hand, it wasn't that weird. I mentally shrugged and set off.

I had been walking for maybe two hours when I started to feel thirsty. Hm, curious. Apparently, heaven will not take care of one's physical needs with a snap of a finger. Heaven's finger? Angel's finger? I shook my head at myself, but then froze when I realised what it meant. Will I have to...relieve myself right here? In the middle of nowhere? With no tree to crouch behind? I thought with something close to panic. I glanced towards the hills and started walking faster. There were some low bushes splattered across the ground, but they reached maybe up to my calves. They were definitely not big enough to provide any kind of protective barrier.

I took my backpack off and fished through it for a drink. My fingers curled around a bottle and I took it out with a triumphant ''Yes!''. It was Ribena. Amazing, delicious, sweet Ribena. I took a sip and sighed in pleasure. At the same time, I thought that I would have to be careful with it, since I haven't seen any signs of a water yet. I didn't know how long my provisions would have to last for. I mentally patted myself on the shoulder for being clever and getting energy bars and drinks before I died.

That made me think about my life, which was kind of depressing, but I couldn't help it. I thought about my father and wondered how he felt about my death. Because by now, I was pretty certain I was dead, there was no other logical explanation. He is probably relieved, I thought bitterly. Now he will have all the time in the world to spend with his sluts and no one to make him feel bad and guilty about it. Oh well. There was nothing I could do, unless I could somehow return as a ghost and haunt him. I giggled at the mental image of my father's shocked face as my ghost form laughed evilly in front of him. I sobered up when I thought of my mum. Her beautiful face and warm smile flashed through my mind and I felt a hollow pit form in my stomach. I tried to stop the emotional onslaught by focusing on other things, like the sun warming up my skin, or the way the wind was playing with my tangled hair. It was quite beautiful here, really. When I forgot about the circumstances that brought me here, I could almost enjoy myself.

Another couple of hours passed and I was hungry and tired. However, I felt reluctant to eat anything, because I had only four energy bars and half of my sandwich. I felt kind of stupid, because the logical side of me was telling me that I was dead, and therefore quite safe from the horrible fate of dying of starvation, but better be safe than sorry, right? So when my stomach refused to stop rumbling, I hesitantly ate half of the sandwich and continued on my way.

My surroundings haven't changed, everything was still yellowish and green and brown, but the hills were thankfully closer than before. I estimated that if I kept my fast pace, I would get there before the sundown, which was good, because I didn't fancy sleeping here in the open-heaven or not-and the hills looked rocky so I hoped to find a cave I could sleep in. The thought wasn't very appealing, but I guessed that if there wasn't a comfy bed, cave was the next best thing.

As the day passed, I was getting more tired and also slightly nervous, because it was getting dark and the hills were still a good distance away. I really didn't want to run, but I saw no other option. The image of being all alone here in the dark made me uneasy. If I'm really doing this, I will need energy, I thought and my stomach aggressively agreed and screamed encouragements. I ate the rest of the sandwich and half of energy bar without hesitation. I finished my Ribena and tried to convince my brain that I didn't really need a toilet, that it could wait an hour or two. I glanced at the quickly darkening sky and resignedly started running. It wasn't good. My coat was terribly impractical, I was wearing the opposite of running shoes and my backpack was bouncing uncomfortably on my back. It could be worse, I thought, I could be wearing heels.

It was the primal fear of darkness and a need for shelter that kept me going for the next two hours. I collapsed on a rock at the foot of the hill and attempted to calm my breathing. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but I was still exhausted. When I no longer felt as if I was about to spit out my lungs, I got to my feet and started making my way up the hill. It wasn't very steep, but my legs still burned like hell. I realised that it was mostly rock with few green bushes growing here and there. The hill reminded me of a side of a canyon, except the fact that the canyon was missing. It was dark now and I realised that I could easily break my leg or worse if I wasn't careful.

My path lead me to a narrow pass, with rocks towering over me on both sides. I was suddenly glad I didn't have claustrophobia, because I could barely squeeze through some places. My heart was beating slightly faster that normally and the darkness was getting to me. It was eerily quiet as I made my way through the pass. I wanted it to end already so I could be in an open space. My wish was granted and I could see a little better now that I was out of there. I was in a circular space about as big as a house, with rock walls surrounding me on all sides. They were quite steep and I looked for a darker spot that would hopefully signify a cave. I found one soon and judged the distance from the ground and the best possible route with an eye of an amateur climber. I used to do rock climbing often back when I was still alive-one day ago, I realised with some shock-but this was different. I had no ropes or equipment or even the right shoes.

The cave entrance was about ten meters from the ground and the wall was relatively straight. I can do this, I thought determinedly. I took my coat off and shivered in the cold evening air. That made to stop and think what I was going to do about the cold at night. It couldn't get much colder than this, right? I would be fine. My reassuring wasn't working, because my brain refused to stop thinking about the dangers of hypothermia. I sighed and kneeled to rummage through my backpack. I found an old lighter from my more rebellious days in one of the side pockets and sagged in relief when it worked. I had no clue how to make fire without it and didn't really want to try. Next, I knew I needed some wood. Well, damn. Where the hell am I supposed to get wood? I desperately looked around and my eyes fell on the stupid bushes I've been seeing the whole day. Hmm, I wonder... I strode towards the vegetation and gave one of the branches an experimental tug. When it moved a little I grew excited. Maybe I will have a fire tonight! The thought of warmth and light was more than pleasant. I grabbed the bush with both hands and pulled with all my strength. I winced when the sharp wood dug into my hands, but kept going. After a minute or so, it finally gave out and I landed on my butt with hands full of bush. I grinned and carried it to my backpack.

I cursed silently when I saw that there wasn't enough space for it. I considered my options and decided to wrap it in my coat. For some reason, I was reluctant to get rid of my university books, even though I knew they were useless now and I would probably never need them again. I tied one sleeve to my backpack, shouldered it and immediately groaned under its weight. This was going to make my climb much more difficult. I walked to the wall of rock and searched for my first grips. It was completely dark now, but I knew that I would be 'inside' soon, so I wasn't overly concerned. One hand after the other, I slowly made my way up. My right hand slipped at one point and my heart stopped when I didn't feel rock under it but air. The short moment of panic passed and I continued to climb up. I didn't even feel the scratch on the palm of my hand due to the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Breathing hard, I reached the top and with one final burst of strength, I pulled myself onto the ledge of the cave.

I exhaled in relief and looked around my 'room' for the night. It was surprisingly big and spacious, which was a plus because it meant I wasn't going to choke on fire smoke. I seriously tried not to think about the fact that I was probably not the only occupant of the cave. I threw my backpack and coat on the floor and took the wood out. Then I spread the coat where I decided I would sleep and placed the bush in the corner of the cave, little next to the entrance. That way, it would have enough air, but there was a way out for the smoke as well. Pleased with myself, I kneeled down and took out the lighter. When I looked down though, I felt like something was missing. I smacked myself on the forehead and went to fetch some stones to put into a circle around the bush. I also tore a few papers out of my notebook and placed them in-between the wood. Finally feeling ready, I lit the papers and waited. I watched the branches catch on fire and laughed in relief. I did it! I made a fire.

The laughter froze on my lips when I caught sight of my hand. It was bleeding. My hand was bleeding. As a stared at it in complete shock and disbelief, I started feeling a stinging pain as well. How the hell is this possible? This question kept replaying in my head as my knees gave out and I fell on the ground, still gazing at my palm. Dazed, I touched it with a finger. It came back red and wet. Not possible. This is not possible. My blood could only mean one thing: that I was alive. But how? I was hit by a car. I was supposed to be dead, or at least seriously injured. But apparently, I was neither.

I couldn't stand it anymore, I felt more puzzled and scared than ever before, but I was too tired to deal with it. It could wait until morning. I crawled onto my coat and stiffly laid down, staring fixedly at my hand. I don't know how long I laid there like that, but in the end exhaustion overtook me and I fell asleep.

Thank you for reading :)