Chapter 1 : Beginning or the end?

"Is this it?" The first thought that came to Jack's mind as he found himself being pinned to the wall of the bakery nearby by a careless drunk driver. They say your entire life passes by during such a time, but for Jack it seemed as though he was watching the events unfold in slow motion. He could not hear the gasps of the passers-by nor could he hear the sound of the sirens of the police cars and the ambulance. All he heard was the crack in his bones as though they were a packet of Pringles which had been stepped upon, the taste of iron that he felt in his mouth, the cold sweat that ran through his forehead on that cold winter day, the sound of the last breath he drew, the pain he felt, which although unbearable in the start seemed to fade away along with the beautiful view of the wintry landscape that lay before him. The wintry view that would have gone unnoticed on a regular day, seemed so beautiful as the old willow tree, now covered in snow swayed gently in the cold December breeze. "Is this really it?"

Jack was the type of guy who would probably go unnoticed in a busy cafe. He found the stray dogs in the alley beside the cafe easier to deal with than the people inside. Although he preferred avoiding interaction with humans in general, there was this one human he did not mind spending his time with. Mark was his best friend since high school. He was the first person to have acknowledged Jack when he had once tried to state his opinions during a class debate. Their friendship developed when he found out that Mark loved playing video games as well. Their after school gaming sessions turned into meeting up in the cafe or bar near by after college. Mark loved writing poetry and short stories as an hobby, the inspiration for which he got by observing the people visiting the bars and cafes in their small town. He aspired to be a writer one day but he was happy with the job of a sales associate which he had been offered at the largest mart in town. Meanwhile Jack who had always been good with computers was supposed to start working as a software engineer at a start-up in the city.

As and by Jack's vision got hazy, he couldn't help but wonder, "Was this really the end of his life which hadn't even started? Would his mom, dad and Mark be okay when they get the news? He still had so many things to be done. He hadn't started his first job, neither had he gotten a chance to have his first girlfriend, his first kiss." As his world seemed to slowly dissolve into a dark abyss, he waited for the supposed ray of white light which would guide him to his afterlife. Instead he heard a stern condescending voice "Do you intent on standing there like an idiot for the rest of your time here?" "Now, wait a minute", Jack thought, "Aren't I supposed to be led by some angel or something towards a white light?" Instead he could hear the chirping of the birds, the distant honking of horns from the intersection nearby. Jack thought to himself, had the accident really happened? Was it a rather vivid dream? Had he fallen asleep in the bar after a couple of rounds with Mark? He felt a heavy lump form in his chest as embarrassment washed over his body like a wave crashing into the rocks. "Open you eyes will you?" The unknown voice commanded, "I haven't gotten the entire day." However awkward the situation might be, Jack had no other option but to open his eyes.

But as he did, he found himself standing outside the bakery at the intersection.The place where he had been hit. As he examined his surroundings more keenly this time, he saw the blot of crimson on the snow which had now been muddied by the boot prints and tire tracks etched all around him. As his eyes scanned around and finally reached in front of him, he was greeted with  pair of black shoes, belonging to the owner of the voice which woke him up so abruptly. As he raised his head, he found himself standing in front of a woman in her early 30s bearing a disgruntled look that you would usually see on a headmaster when they have called the parents of one of those delinquent kids in school. "You seem to be one of the slow ones" she muttered to herself, "Now before you start with the obvious questions - Am I really dead? What happens next?...Let me introduce myself" Straightening her suit she started with a forced smile like that of a sales agent you will find at a car dealership "I'm Ava and I have been assigned to you as your spirit guide. Nice to meet you."

"Wait, does that mean that I'm really dead?" Jack asked. " Well, to be honest, I really don't know, yet. We are only assigned the spirits which haven't crossed over, to help them complete their unfinished business or to keep them from going astray in the nether world." Ava's eyes widened for a brief moment. This is the first time Jack had seen a slightly flustered look on the rather stern expression she had maintained since they met. "Forget that I ever talked about the nether world will you?" She said trying to regain her composure with her fake smile. "So....what am I?" Jack asked, still confused. "You definitely are a spirit and according to my memo you shouldn't have been alive for this long." She said quizzically swiping her hands across the air to reveal all the relevant information regarding Jack on thin air. Jacks eyes widened as he asked with amusement "How did you do that?" "Now isn't the time." Ava interrupted "We need to figure out your situation first." She scanned him head to toe. "Your life cord isn't detached...which means you still are alive currently...maybe not for long? Let's go visit your meat suit shall we?" She said as she extended her hand towards him. Jack, trying to hide the shock and amusement from his face slowly took her hand and what felt like blink of an eye and a big painful punch in the gut, they were standing in front of his unconscious body which had been hooked to various machines to keep him breathing. "Now now...give yourself some time to adjust. This is the first time that you spirit has traveled without a body, you must have felt some discomfort, but it will fade away in some time" Ava said reassuringly.

As the nausea and discomfort faded away and he could see his life cord connected to his physical body, although he felt disconnected from his physical body. He felt that pull else where. Before he could look for it's source, his eyes went to his parents. His father distraught sitting on one of the chairs emotionless, mostly trying to comprehend the situation in front of him and his mother sitting by his bedside holding his hand, her eyes red and swollen due to the lack of sleep and endless tears, hoping that her son would wake up any moment. He was pleased to see Mark enter his room with some prepacked meals for his parents. Although he looked tired and dismal, he was trying all he could to console Jack's parents to keep hope. He was thankful that he had such a good friend. As he tried to reach out to his mother, Ava stopped him. "Come on. We might not have enough time." she said with a sense of urgency. "Your other bond seems to be stronger. I might get an answer for your situation from there."

"My other bond?" Jack asked. " Your thread of fate.....Look at your left hand" Ava said pointing down at his arms. That when he first noticed the source of this pull that he was feeling. It was a glowing red thread that seemed to be wrapped around his left pinkie and which extended outside the building. "Where does this thread lead to?" Jack asked. "That string leads to your soulmate" said Ava, her expression slightly enlivened and intrigued. " Although....this is the first time that I have seen this string glow so brightly...I think this is where we will find our answer to your existence in this form. Lets go!" As much as he didn't want to leave his parents and friend behind, the allure of this string was something he just couldn't avoid. "Well, what's the worse that can happen? Lets go."

Little did he know what the future held for him...