City of Eternity

The possibilities of life after death and James's journey and battle with mental health

An impact, a loud bang and then everything seemed to be in slow motion, it was like drifting in and out of sleep, loud sirens, people calling Jame's name and then came the shocks, whole body convulsing like when you twitch as you're falling asleep and then the words that you never think you would hear, especially early in life, words you would not expect to ever hear. The words, time of death. Wouldn't that be a scary one? Finally finding out what comes next.
James Mackenzie, 33, James would have called himself just James if he could, that's all he felt like he was, living day to day, payday to payday. However, he wasn't 'Just James', he was a friend, a father who worked hard to try and make ends meet and support his daughter, Ivy, all while trying to fight for sole custody, Ivy was only 6, an innocent child who was now having to face life without her father and living with her mother who was more interested in going out with friends, drinking until she was black out drunk and spending the whole of the next day in bed, sitting watching TV, watching the same old tv series while scrolling endlessly on her phone.
James was starting to win the battle, trying to win custody of his daughter, always fighting to make sure that ends met and his mental health, his biggest insecurity, something that he had always battled with and was ever fluctuating. Finally feeling like he was winning that never ending battle he never thought that he would win. Feeling like his mind was always screaming at him, the screams were finally being silenced, James felt like this was right, everything was getting better, even enjoying his boring dead end job picking and packing deliveries ready to be shipped out to supermarkets, ready for people to raid as soon as they hit the shelves. It wasn't until one day when he was on the way to work, everything changed. All so cruelly taken away, a man driving recklessly and drunk in a 4x4, crashing into the side of James's old clapped out car he had been driving for the last five years, he was pulling out of a junction just Infront of his workplace. James didn't stand a chance. His car was crushed between the 4x4 and a tree. The car hit the tree with such force, not only did it crush the car, but it killed James straight away. His life, his job and worst of all the battle to give his daughter a better life, gone, gone in a blink of an eye all because there was a man who decided he wanted to drink all night, fall asleep, wake up and realise he was late for work, driving recklessly and still over the limit an innocent man's life was gone.
James was still so young, life just starting, yet it was taken away from someone who was driving while under the influence, so much still ahead of him, but, taken away in the most unfair way.
It was bright, like sitting outside during the heat of the day during the summer, James rubbed his eyes, body aching, "fuck me, why is it so bright?" he muttered like he had just woke up from an unexpected nap. His body felt heavy, like he was weighed down, but he was not panicking. "relax" a voice spoke from the side of him "it's okay, it's just the transition" the voice was calm. "What happened, where am I, transition? What are you on about?" James eyes were still adjusting to the light, rubbing them he starts to sit up. The voice spoke again calmly and gently, "Mr Mckenzie, how do you feel right now?" "Mr Mckenzie? What am I? 60?" James eyes started to adjust, and he started to see his surroundings, still in the same clothes he was wearing when he was on the way to work, thinking that it was going to be a normal day. He was wearing black trainers, grey joggers and a black t-shirt. The man in the room sat down in front of him, hair was jet black, eyes piercing green staring through him, he seemed to be emotionless when he wasn't talking, but when he spoke the voice was calm and gentle. "so would you prefer me to call you James" the man asked "well, yeah that's my name, I don't do formality and all that, was never me, mate, what is this" James asked looking around the room, white walls, a grey marble floor and a wooden table with the time showing holographically. "This is the most vivid dream I have ever had, it almost feels real" just as James said this, he threw himself out his chair, knocking the floating table causing the holographic time to glitch on and off. "ERROR, ERROR, SYSTEM MALFUNCTION, SHUTTING DOWN" the calm voice from the man turned loud and robot like before all colour drained from him and he slumped forward, now completely pale, hair and outfit gone, just a robotic skin.
James sat for a few minutes staring at what he thought was a human, on edge to move frozen to one spot. James eventually managed to stand up, he started to panic he was in a room that was practically empty, he started to look for any way to leave the room, still expecting the person he was speaking to spring back into life, he stood staring at it waiting for it to do exactly that, but weary about moving close to it, scared it was going to jump at it him. James tried to compose himself, but he was in a room with no windows, and it looked like there was no door. He started knocking on the walls trying to find a hollow spot, but all of the rooms were solid. He felt trapped, he started to feel sick and sat back down, still trying to calm down. The room he was in was not that big, no bigger than a doctor's office, the walls were white, just one picture on the wall, a picture of a city, the sky was golden, the streets looked busy, people going around their day to day lives, buildings standing tall, at a closer look, the picture was moving, it wasn't a picture, it looked like a live feed. James looked closer and then realised he could hear chattering and hovering vehicles flying around each other, it looked frantic, like they were going to crash, but everything ran as if it was clock work and was perfectly timed.
After staring at the picture for much longer than needed, taking in the alien like city James moved back and looked around the room, the only things in the room were the floating table with the holographic clock still glitching, the body of what turned about to be a robot that he once thought was still twitching sporadically. It was then it dawned on him, this room had no doors, just a moving picture or possibly live feed. "Right, this ain't funny anymore, can someone let me out, tell me what this is maybe?" James called out to no one, he slumped himself back down in the chair he woke up in, "better get comfy then".
What seemed to be hours for James passed, James did not know what to do with himself, it was like time had paused and he was waiting for the now still robot to kick back into life and continue, then came the talking, it sounded like someone was talking to someone else, but it was only one voice. A bright yellow light appeared, down the middle of the wall to the right of James and the wall slid across revealing another room. A middle-aged looking man bounced into the room full of energy, he was wearing a checkered pair of trousers, a bright yellow shirt with a lime green tie, a lab jacket with multiple pens and dark blue in colour. James was too busy looking at one of the worst dress senses he had ever seen, or the man was severely colour blind had had no idea that these colours did not go together well. "ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING! DYER, I SAY! NEW AND UPDATED, NOT A CHANCE, MORE LIKE OLD CLAPPED OLD MODELS REBRANDED TO CLEAR THE WAREHOUSES!" The man exclaimed in annoyance repeating phrases that belittled the robot, some James refused to repeat, some in languages that did not even sound human. "OHH MY BOY, IM SO SORRY, I FORGOT YOU WERE THERE!" James recoiled in shock, not because of how he greeted him, it was how he looked, that surprised him the most. It was not the dress sense this time it was the extra eye sat in between what is normally just a regular set of eyes, his hair was wild and unkept, he was a ball of energy. James was thinking this must be a dream. He had a look of shock on his face. "what's the matter?" The man said seeming to recognise James's confusion. "OHHH, yes of course.... It's the hair isn't it, it's never been this long before, I know, I know, it needs to be cut... oh actually your new round here aren't you, the third eye, don't worry you will see individuals with much, much weirder, but do not worry my friend, you'll get used to it in time" he said pulling out a round white pod which he then flicked up and started to tidy his hair and then slipped it back into his pocket. "SO!" The man suddenly finding his energy again causing James to jump back, "where are my manners" now speaking more calmly but still energetically "I'm Oryan" Oryan took James hand and shook it vigorously, "Please ignore the hyperactivity" Oryan said smiling, Oryan leant in, "Coffee, it's wonderful, a little bit bitter, but when you put six sugars in, it's amazing, I've already had 15 cups today and I feel like I could take on the entire city in 1000m sprint, always a fun sport to watch that, write a ten thousand page book, and tidy my office all in one day and believe me, that is one hell of a mess, thinking about it I might need another one, coffee that is, not office, but then again the paper work I have could probably fill multiple offices the size of this very room" Oryan's eyes were wide and his smile almost looked psychotic. "No, I really don't think you do mate" James said. James was still stood in shock and awe that there was finally another person to talk to, James felt like he was having his arm pulled out away from his body "Pleasure to meet you...." Oryan paused "your name?" "Oh, yeah sorry..., erm, its James, James Mckenzie" he said after finally snapping back into reality "JAMES MCKENZIE!" Oryan shouted, "a pleasure to meet you, welcome, your time is spent and now onto the next" He said smiling at him "The next? What do you mean?" Finally puling his hand free "Well, your times up, welcome to what everyone always wonders" Oryan smiled "The after life, well, not yet you need to go to your life review first to see if your energy is pure" James was stunned "NO, NO, THIS IS JUST ONE FUCKED UP DREAM, I'M NOT DEAD" James ran towards the still open parting in the wall and froze, he looked around, still inside but this time he could see everything that outside just not the near empty room he arrived in, people of different colours, races, timelines and people that looked like they were from other universes. Oryan walked up to him, James felt Oryan's hand on his shoulder, "not quite the afterlife yet, we need to see what will happen after your life review, this is just the waiting room, well, I say room you'll have to go into a couple more before this, you'll be there soon, you seem to have taken well to the transition". Oryan said in a soothing voice, trying to calm James nerves "ANYWAY" He shouted with a sudden burst of energy, "lets go, we need to get you ready, for your review" trying to hurry James along, but as he tried this James, felt his knees buckle and he collapsed onto the floor, unconscious, this was too much for James to take. Oryan tried to catch him as he fell, but as he thought he had taken it well he didn't react quickly enough but just quickly enough to stop James hitting his head, "okay, maybe I was wrong". Oryan tried to bring James back around, but it looked like James had fell into a deep sleep. Oryan pulled out the same white pod he used as a mirror; he moved next to James crouched down spoke into the pod "Transition Recovery please". As he said this a blue light surrounded them and they disappeared from the room that they were in.