I was walking home when the truck hit me. I'd had a long day at work. Working with customers was a terrible way to make a living.
I remember getting to the curb, music blasting in my ears.
I swear I looked both ways before crossing, but I didn't see it until a split second before impact. Its lights were like two glowing stars.
The grill smashed through my body and I swear I felt myself turn to mist under the charging metal beast.
I didn't have any time to think before I saw a tunnel of white light spear down from the heavens to lock onto me like the tractor beam of a UFO. It was easier to believe it was alien rather than God. There was nothing religious about it. Nothing spiritual.
It felt clinical.
It even smelled of ozone.
Agony had turned my thoughts to mush along with my body. I can't remember anything until words appeared in front of me. They were in a delicate silver script which twinkled merrily.
Welcome to the System.
Initializing. Please wait.
I waited, not believing what was happening. I told myself I was dreaming. That I'd maybe just fallen asleep on my couch like I did most nights after work.
But the longer I waited, the more afraid I became.
I looked down, and I couldn't see my body. There was just nothingness. An endless void in all directions.
But I could feel… something.
Something like ants crawling all over me. Gnawing at my skin. At my bones. They crawled on and in me. I screamed. I thrashed. I howled as wave after wave of vicious agony slit my soul to pieces.
And then, with a roar like an engine revving to its limit, it stopped.
System Activated.
Creating User Account.
Account Created.
What is your name?
I stared at the words for a long time, not knowing how to reply. What was my name? It was on the tip of my tongue.
"Bexley," I said. My voice sounded distant. "Finch."
User Name Bexley Finch Accepted.
Uploading Champion Interface. Please stand by.
An electric buzzing made me itch.
It wasn't painful, but neither was it uncomfortable.
"Who are you?"
The buzzing continued.
I tried again. "Hello?"
The buzzing rose in pitch to almost become a whine, but it didn't seem to be responding to me.
Then the buzzing stopped abruptly.
Champion Interface Uploaded.
Initiating Champion Assessment.
Assessment #1: You have died. What do you regret most?
"I don't know what you mean," I told the words, but they just stayed there in front of me, glittering patiently.
What did I regret most?
My mind turned over a lot of things. I had wanted to buy a sailboat and sail the Atlantic. I wanted to be an engineer. I wanted to play sports.
I wanted to go to Japan. I wanted to be rich. Famous. I wanted a house. A mansion. An estate in Italy.
But were these regrets?
"I don't know," I said slowly, picking at my memories. "Well, I never had a proper girlfriend, I guess. Not one who lasted. I never really felt like anyone loved me, and I couldn't trust them. I always felt they were lying to me. I wish I hadn't felt that way. I wish I could've trusted them. Although now I think about it, there was Jewel. Does that count? She wasn't a real person, but she loved me a lot. And I miss not being there when she died. I was staying at my aunt's house, and Jewel got hit by a car. Mom said she couldn't afford the vet bills, so they put her down. I cried for weeks, you know? Because I wasn't there. I didn't get to hold her when she died. She'd always been there for me when I got home. The other kids teased me a lot because I was skinny and weird. But Jewel didn't seem to care about any of that. She'd come sit on my lap and purr and I'd feel so much better about everything. That meant a lot to me, you know? But when it mattered, I wasn't there for her. Yeah. You know what? That's my biggest regret. That I wasn't there for her. Am I crying? I can't feel my tears."
Assessing Assessment #1 Response.
Response Accepted.
Assessment #2: You will live again. What do you want to do?
"If you can bring me back from the dead, can you bring her back, too?" I suddenly couldn't get her out of my head. I felt a crisp sense of frantic energy and a lump in my throat nearly made me sob my response. "Is that possible? I just want… I want to pet her one more time. I mean, if I'm dead, she should be here, too. Right? Don't tell me cats don't go to the afterlife. That'd be bullshit!"
Assessing Assessment #2 Response.
Response Accepted.
212 Summoner Classes Queued.
Undead and Infernal Removed.
168 Summoner Classes Remaining.
Assessment #3: Your Pet is alive. Identify Pet Family.
"Huh?" I blinked. "Oh, she was a cat. White with black patches all over her. Can you find her for me?"
Assessing Assessment #3 Response.
Response Accepted.
162 Summoner Classes Removed.
6 Summoner Classes Remaining.
Assessment #4: Your Pet wishes to communicate. How do you respond?
"Well, that depends," I said, feeling more confused by the second. "She was pretty talkative. She meowed a lot. And she was always rubbing my leg and purring. I guess I either talked to her or petted her. It depends what I was trying to tell her. Mostly, I think she knew what I wanted because we loved each other. That's how love works. Isn't it?"
Assessing Assessment #4 Response.
Response Accepted.
4 Summoner Classes Removed.
2 Summoner Classes Remaining.
Assessment #5: Your Pet is disobedient. How do you respond?
"Disobedient?" I couldn't help but let out a laugh. "She's a cat. Of course she is. Mom hit her with a newspaper when she was a kitten. You know, to stop her peeing on the floor. I always felt bad about that, though. I mean, she was so little and cute. And she looked so sad after getting hit with the newspaper. I knew how she felt. Mom used the belt on me. A lot. I still have scars. See? Oh. You can't see them. Do I even still have them? My mom was crazy. But I couldn't hurt Jewel, though. She used to claw my chair when I wasn't sitting in it, and I just let her. I miss her. I never thought of her as just a cat. I thought of her as my only friend. And, at that time in my life, maybe the only good thing in my life. When she died, I didn't have anything. I left home not long after. I couldn't take being there anymore. Does that answer your question? I'm not sure it does."
Assessing Assessment #5 Response.
Response Accepted.
Remaining Classes Incompatible.
Searching…
"Can I see her now?" I was feeling a bit dizzy and I couldn't think straight. I'm sure I'd just been babbling. There was an odd taste in my mouth, like chemicals and chocolate. Really dark bitter chocolate. "Hello?"
Additional Assessment Required.
Assessment #6: Your Pet has slaughtered an innocent creature. How do you respond?
"That's… normal?" I wanted to scratch my head, but I didn't have any fingers. I wasn't sure I even had a head. "Jewel brought me a mouse more than once. And the beak of a bird. Or lizard tails. I think they were gifts. It was pretty gross. They made me want to throw up. I just wrapped them up and put them in the bin and tried to forget about it."
Assessing Assessment #6 Response.
Response Accepted.
Calculating possibility of Mental Instability.
"Huh?"
Mental Instability Detected. Rerouting.
"What?"
System Rerouted.
New Class Choices Available.
1 Compatible Class Queued.
Modifying Class.
Class Modified. Unique Class created.
Confirming Unique Class Compatibility.
"Excuse me? What's going on? Can I see Jewel now?"
Class Compatibility Confirmed.
Initiating Transfer.
"What?"
Good luck!
There was another fizz. A pop.
Then a crackle of static that felt like it lasted a thousand years.
And then I opened my eyes, and I was in Neyteria.
A pig was charging me, squealing, its eyes red with rage and its tusks gleaming bright. The sudden onslaught of terror had almost gotten me killed as I froze.
I thought I'd forgotten all that. I had a feeling there had been more questions, but it was a stressful time in my life so it wouldn't be surprising if I forgot one or two.
Sapphire, though. How could I have forgotten my only friend when I was a kid? I could almost picture her fluffy orange fur and bright yellow eyes as she begged for food. I'd forgotten her name and only just now remembered it.
I decided Sapphire would be the name of my next Neko in memory of her.
As the car burst into a clearing, we saw a trailer set up on the edge. A police car parked beside it, covered in dust. A man, seated in a beach chair, wearing only tracksuit pants and a bright gold necklace.
"It's him!" Tippy choked. "That fucking cop! The one that stopped us on the way to Cali!"
I glanced at her, confused. Hadn't we talked about this before? "Are you sure?"
"He took our beer, Master." She snarled, gripping the wheel. "How could I forget that?"
"I knew he looked familiar," Shadowpaw hissed. "But I didn't see him clearly at the time."
The cop just watched us, a grin on his face as he lifted an arm in what looked to be a welcoming wave.
He looked happy, but I knew that wasn't going to last.