My vision was blurry; I couldn't feel anything except a cold, chilling embrace that seemed to never go away. The pain of being gruesomely killed by a 2,000-pound storage truck was still fresh in my mind, the sounds of bones snapping, and my guts splattered all over the pavement.
"I guess it wasn't too bad of a death... Most people where I'm from get murdered or starve. Hell, I heard on the news about a guy who got trapped in a burning building while on the toilet. They found him as just a charred corpse holding a newspaper." The pain soon faded as I began to collect my thoughts. "Wait... if I'm dead, then how am I still thinking? Could it be... oh no, is the afterlife real? Is this heaven or hell? Maybe neither? All I could guess was that it might be limbo."
I suddenly experienced all seven stages of grief, quickly accepting my fate of drifting endlessly through a blank void. But before I could react, a strange light assaulted my eyes. I flinched instinctively, then opened my eyes and blinked rapidly. As my eyes adjusted, I could finally see what was happening in front of me. "Augh! What the heck?"
In front of me, the only source of light in this strange, void-like space was a translucent dark blue screen. It was blank at first, but then I heard a robotic-sounding voice in my mind. At first, I thought it was God and was ready to plead for my life, but what it said left me shocked.
[CONGRADULATIONS!]
"So loud!" I tried to cover my ears but doing so didn't seem to muffle or stop the voice speaking within my mind. It continued, yet thankfully, in a less ear-shattering tone.
[You have been chosen to be reincarnated into another world! Rejoice! The worlds that will be selected are chosen from a randomly selected pool from the system database. Please wait...]
As the strange voice finished speaking, the translucent screen in front of me began to hum silently as some familiar words materialized on it.
[Please choose a world you would like to be reincarnated in below.]
The screen blinked, and four buttons appeared, each with a name.
[Team Fortress 2] [Half-Life 2] [Call of Duty Black Ops] [Dark Souls.]
"Woah..." I stared at the screen, reviewing my options. "...never heard of any of these except..." My gaze settled on the button labeled 'Half-Life 2.' Memories flooded back. I remember playing this game as a child; it was my favorite among all the Half-Life games, though it's also the only one I've played. I would still call it my favorite. Deciding quickly, I reached out and pressed the button. An indescribable feeling washed over me as the screen changed; the buttons vanished, replaced by text.
[You have selected HALF-LIFE 2. You will now spin the wheel to determine the creature you will be reincarnated as!]
As I finished reading, the text disappeared, and the screen turned into a giant wheel. Confused about how to spin it, a lever appeared beside me.
"Wait! What! These don't even sound human! What the hell is a barnacle? Oh... right..." I recalled the time I accidentally killed myself in the sewers, walking into a barnacle's trap, consumed whole by a strange flesh creature with razor-sharp teeth and a long sticky tongue. Pinching the bridge of my nose, annoyed at such a fate, I muttered, "Oh, why Gabe, why..."
Clenching my teeth, I grabbed the lever tightly and gave it a hard PULL! The Wheel began to Spin rapidly Each name Getting considerably more Unfavorable than the last...
"What the hell? A spider? A Chair how could that be considered a CREATURE?! Are you freaking kidding me? A Stalker... No way Am I becoming Somebody's Slave Again."
I felt A Sudden Anger Boiling Inside me remembering how Shitty my Life was, how somebody could Turn into Such a Corporate Slave..."Being Human fucking Sucked! I'd honestly pick being A Barnacle Over a Human Any day... At least then I Wouldn't have to Wake up every morning to All-day work Hours with no break."
I Looked At the flashing names as the Wheel began to Slow, And Slow... Until it landed On a Word that made me raise a brow.
"A Pulse Turret..." From memory it's a bit hazy I Don't remember All that much from the universe of half-life, some basic things I Do know Like how the World was taken over by the combine in just 7 Hours... All of Earth's Military United Couldn't Lift a finger to the overwhelming Might of the Combine Empire. And how Gordon with the help of the rebel army Is the last Chance of Humanity's Survival. I quickly got my focus back onto the wheel, and as it morphed back into a translucent Dark blue screen, I heard the Voice again Talking within my mind.
[Selection has been Chosen from the Wheel]
"Hey! Hold a Second! how is this going to work? will it Hurt?" Surprisingly my question did not go ignored as the Voice in my Mind Spoke Still in a neutral robotic tone.
[The User Will experience no pain During transfiguration to a Nonbiological entity, necessary Preparations will now be Instated Please wait. . .]
[Initiating a calming effect to help the user cope with the discomfort and distress associated with the loss of extremities or sensation.]
"Wait so does that mean I'll Lose my- OH GOD NOOOO!!"
[Locating a suitable Body, preparing to jump Across Dimensions user's mind Will be protected Via the System Firewall in case the user's mind is Hijacked.]
"God Dammit! Don't you take my Man Hood! FFFFUUUUU-." I Closed my eyes holding my Crotch area waiting to be Castrated in the worst way possible Only to be met with an Eary sense of Calm washing over my body...
[Calming effect has been activated to Ease the transition between worlds. Dimensional Jump Starting. In... 3.. 2 ...1]
The Screen Disappeared until I Suddenly felt a tugging sensation, I felt Almost unable to Fight against this feeling before I began to rapidly Move forward in the endless Void... I felt Wind rush past my Face, as I Saw a strange Square Light Appear Just Ahead, it Seems Space itself began to Distort around me. I saw the universe... Stars and Galaxies All turned into a Blur as the White Light Approached at an insane Speed, the View was Actually quite beautiful, but I didn't have Time to Say goodbye. I looked behind myself Seeing a Familiar blue dot Until everything Turned to white