DISCLAIMER: I don't own Degrassi, nor am I affiliated with Epitome.
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He knew he was dead the moment he stepped foot on the path. He had seen the bright lights and felt the shortness of breath. He remembers the tree and the crash, and his most precious memories running through his mind for one last time before he was engulfed in sudden darkness.
Adam Torres was dead, and he knew it. But there was nothing he could do about it.
He doesn't know how he got there, or what this place really is. The path was made of cobbled stones, just like the streets from old towns in Europe, but nothing about this place indicated him being in Europe. Instead there were trees, which Adam found to be strange because he knew that cobbled stones didn't really belong forests. The trees were gigantic. The branches were so high they disappeared into a sea of clouds.
It was beautiful to look at, but none of it made any sense. It was another hint that reminded him of his recent death.
This wasn't really how he imagined the afterlife to be like. Having grown up in a Catholic household, Adam had expected to be welcomed by St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. He imagined a round of trials before being allowed into Paradise, and most of all, he was disappointed by the fact that he wasn't up in the clouds (like the way Heaven is portrayed in movies and cartoons). Nothing in this place was as he imagined it to be, which made him all the more confused.
For one, he had entered through a door that popped up between two thin trees. He followed signs that led him to the path, where he found a stream of people walking in the same direction. Not knowing what else to do, Adam decided to follow their lead. He had contemplated asking one of the people where exactly they were going, but it seemed that every single person in walking bore the same confusion he assumed he had on his face. Every so often a door would appear between trees on the side of the path and once a person had come out from it, the door would instantly vanish again. Other than the sporadic emergence of doors on the side, there really was nothing else to do but walk.
It felt like he'd been doing it for hours before reaching a fork in the road. Most of the people around him had diverted toward the left, except for the few that stayed behind to actually read the sign that separated the road. There was a pillar with arrows pointing in opposite directions, the one on the left read For Rest, and the one pointing to the right read For Thoughts.
Adam thought it hard which road to choose. He was extremely tired, the effects of the accident were not as severe in the afterlife, but he still felt a lingering soreness on his ribs, which he assumed to be the one most injured from the impact. All of this made him want to choose the path to the left, but the vagueness made him hesitant. What did rest, mean in this world? Was it a bed to nap on, or was it the path that would let him be in eternal rest? Even if it lead to that state, Adam had no clue what any of it meant. The foundation of his reasoning at this point was based on the little things he remembered from Sunday school at Church.
That one on the right was even more cryptic, which wasn't doing much to help him decide where to go. Going to a place to think sounded like the most boring place to be, but what if it led him to an area where he could get answers to questions that started to build up in him.
Adam looked around and found a middle-aged man who seemed nice enough to start a conversation with, "Excuse me, sir".
The man looked down at him, eyes widening upon realizing just how young he looked. He smiled and nodded to Adam telling him to continue.
"I'm really sorry to bother you," he said, "But do you have any idea where these things lead us?"
"Ah," The man stared a the sign with as much confusion as Adam, "I'm sorry, but I only know as much as you do, kid," He took a final glance at the signs until he marched on his heel toward the path on the right.
"Why'd you choose to go there?" Adam asked.
"I'm not sure. Maybe there's something exciting up in here," and with just a few more steps, the man disappeared into the fog.
Adam still didn't know where to go. He was ready for some much needed rest, but he was also tempted to go find something "exciting". A new set of people behind him arrived, most of them taking the path to the left, just like the others had done in the group he came with. This time, only three from them had chosen to go for some Thoughts. One of them ran to the right with the most determined face he had seen in this world—as if she knew exactly what she was doing or where she was going. When the woman whizzed past Adam, a slight breeze passed him and somehow fixed his hair. He ran a hand where he felt the wind pass through and noticed that it had positioned itself in the way Becky had always smoothed it.
Just like magic.
Becky. The mere thought of Becky made him dizzy. He would never get to see his girlfriend again. Or touch her soft skin, kiss her lips, or be with her. Adam immediately lost all feelings of tiredness and was left feeling sad instead.
Knowing he was dead was far different from realizing the reality of his state. Not only was he far from his family and loved ones, but he was in a completely different world. They were still living on Earth and he was—he wasn't sure what or where he was anymore.
He remembers living. He remembers loving. He remembers dying. But what he doesn't remember is his life ending for good.
Adam took these questions with him as he took the road on the right. He hoped to gain some answers and sought the excitement that the others carried with them on their way there.
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Thank you for reading and leaving reviews on the previous chapter!
Let me know what you think of this one. I have an idea for where this story would go, but if you have suggestions, let me know =)
