Terra couldn’t see anything after the blast, everything had turned black. It was a deep black, an almost comforting black. A black so thick no light could reach her now. There were no stars or moon, there were no shapes of any kind. Just an endless blackness. Terra’s entire body felt numb. There was no pain. She tried to move her arms but couldn’t detect the movement or even the slightest presence of her limbs. She didn’t know if she even had any arms anymore, or legs. She wasn’t sure if she’d just been blown into oblivion and there was nothing left of her.

After what felt like a few minutes of drifting through the darkness she began to regain a small amount of feeling in her body. Not a lot at first. It was just enough to let her know her limbs were all still attached.

Terra still didn’t feel any pain, but soon she could feel her entire body and then the sensation of falling. The sensation became more and more apparent until eventually Terra could feel the wind blowing past her. She tried to scream, but her body refused. She opened her eyes.

Terra jumped to her feet, panting heavily. She was standing in the middle of a dead forest, surrounded on all sides by petrified trees. There was no green anywhere to be seen; the dirt around Terra’s feet was a dull grey and so dry it was almost sand.

Terra looked up at the sky; it was dark here. Alarmingly there was no moon in the sky. Instead the space was occupied by thousands of thin purple lights that seemed to slowly slither their way through the empty abyss. There were no clouds and it was impossible to tell how far away the lights really were. It was beautiful in its own bizarre way. Had Terra been under any other circumstances she would have taken time to marvel at the sky. Instead she stepped back looking around frantically until she backed up against one of the petrified trees. The tree was dry and stripped of most of its bark. Terra spun around to take a closer look. She saw a variety of deep scratch marks in the tree that could have easily belonged to a bear or something of a similar size.

“Okay, okay, stay calm, just stay calm,” she repeated out loud to herself.

Terra realised her satchel was still hanging over her shoulder. She dug her hands into the bag to find her phone, which was showing 100% battery. This was very odd as she hadn’t charged the device anytime in the last twenty-four hours. Of course, there was no signal.

Terra cursed. She looked around the trees again. There was no sign of any human presence, though there must have been someone there at some point. If not, then how had she arrived? Terra put her phone away and went about the process of rolling up her right jean leg as memories of her injury flooded her mind. There was no wound. The helicopter and the mysterious soldiers, the sight of her friends’ lifeless bodies, and then the explosion. She remembered it all but her leg was fine. Was it all a dream, or was this the dream? Was she dead?

Terra snapped herself out of the thought. It tried hard to force its way to the front of her mind, but she had other things to be concerned about. She was alone in unfamiliar territory. Normally, the best course of action would be to wait for help, but Terra knew there probably wasn’t going to be anyone coming to save her.

“Okay, so I’m probably dead but I don’t see any flame so I guess this isn’t hell,” Terra whispered to herself in a calm voice in an effort to give herself some kind of reassurance.

“I don’t see any bright lights though, so maybe the old vicar was onto something.”

Terra decided her best course of action would be to move. She had no food or water and sitting in the middle of the forest wasn’t going to get her anywhere. The young girl picked a random direction and set off. As she made her way through the woods, she didn’t hear a sound besides her own footsteps. No birds, no bugs. Nothing at all.

After a few minutes Terra found a small structure. It was a single-storey wooden house with a small porch and a couple of windows. With no other options, Terra decided to investigate. She made her way to the door and knocked a few times.

“Hello? Is anyone in there?”

She received no answer.

Terra grabbed the doorknob and turned the brittle wooden object slowly. The door was unlocked, so she began to push the door open cautiously, peeking through the gap trying to see what was inside. Feeling something small and metallic pressing against the back of her head, Terra stopped and slowly raised her hands, realising it was the barrel of a gun.

“Do not move.” The voice was muffled and had an accent Terra didn’t recognise.

She was spun round and pressed against the door. A sub-machine gun was being held to her face by a large man in a black military uniform. His head and face were covered by a large gas mask with a tinted visor. Behind him stood another slightly larger man wearing the same uniform, and he too carried a sub-machine gun in his hands.

“Is the other one with you?” the soldier asked with a high sense of urgency.

“I just got here,” gasped Terra, shaking her head. “Who are you? What is going on?”

Terra spoke with as much fragile composure as she could manage. The soldier pulled her bag from her shoulder and threw it to one side. He slung his weapon and thrust a hand low between her legs, taking a firm grasp.

“Don’t you remember? You died.”

Terra tried to scream but the soldier’s other hand was thrown across her mouth, and his elbow pinned her arm against the wall. Though she struggled the soldier’s strength was far beyond hers. The second larger soldier opened the door and Terra was violently thrown to the floor. She scrambled back in a desperate attempt to get away. She tried to scream again but a gun was raised to her head, forcing her to freeze in place.

“Hush now,” demanded the first soldier. “We did not get paid for our last job, so you will pay us instead.”

Terra’s eyes streamed with tears as her body tensed up. She pleaded with the soldier in desperation. The second soldier stood in the doorway clutching his weapon, trying to distract himself from Terra’s desperation.

As Terra looked around the damp and empty house to find something to defend herself with, the soldier standing in the doorway turned to the side. Though she couldn’t see his face, she could sense the fear that overwhelmed him as he was ripped from the doorway. The muffled screams filled the ears of Terra, while her assailant turned back to the doorway, readying his weapon. The muffled screams continued. Blood sprayed against the outside of a window beside Terra and everything fell silent. The soldier levelled his machine gun at the wall and emptied the magazine. The bullets tore their way through the wooden walls sending splinters flying out at whatever had dragged the other man out of the building. Terra backed herself into a corner. Waiting a moment, the soldier heard a loud thud as something about man-sized fell to the ground. He moved towards the door slowly, keeping his weapon levelled. As he cleared the doorway and stepped outside, he screamed. Another man, this one taller, slammed an enormous gleaming bowie knife into his gut. The new figure tore the soldier’s machine gun out of his hands. The two men tumbled to the ground, grunting loudly. The new figure quickly got the upper hand. In a desperate attempt to fend off his attacker, the soldier grabbed his wrists with both hands, but his oozing wound left him too weak. The new man took hold of the blade with both his own hands and started forcing it down slowly as the soldier struggled against him.

“Please! Please don’t… I-I’m sorry!” cried the soldier as the knife moved closer.

Terra’s body fell numb; she cried out in panic as the knife plunged down into the chest of the gas-mask-wearing soldier who had pushed her inside. He cried out again as the blade was raised and violently plunged down back into his chest. Though this time he stopped crying. As the new man rose from his victim, panting heavily, Terra got a better look at him. He was tall, clearly wearing black-and-white military camouflage, but his standout feature was a boonie hat pulled low over his eyes.

“Saw them grab you,” panted the man in a low rasping voice. “Trust me, you don’t want to be with them, Miss…?”

“T-Terra.”

Trying desperately to focus, she stuttered out her name, not knowing how to feel, still crying. As the man moved into the light of the window, she realised it was Sharpe. He looked down his nose at her with a puzzled expression.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” growled Sharpe.

Terra heard another voice from outside the building as someone else approached the house. His footsteps were loud and his voice familiar. Terra almost screamed when Billy burst through the door.

“Hey, Sharpe, what’s taking so long? Zero is…” Billy stopped mid-sentence, locking eyes with Terra. “Oh my God, Terra?”

Terra fell silent and still.

“Get her on her feet, I’ll be outside,” Sharpe snapped.

The sniper left the two students alone, closing the door behind him as he left. Billy rushed forward embracing Terra in a tight hug. Any other day, she would have pushed him straight off, but she needed this. Terra embraced him firmly as she let loose the rest of her tears. Sometimes it feels really good to cry.

 

***

 

While Billy didn’t look as bad as Sharpe, he did look tired. The young lad had also lost a considerable amount of weight. He helped Terra to her feet and escorted her out of the cabin. Billy led Terra into the trees, making sure he stayed close to her.

“We need to stay quiet,” Billy whispered.

Sharpe’s gloved hand closed around Terra’s lips before she could respond. The shock of his sudden appearance combined with the deadly serious look in his eyes made Terra freeze. Sharpe gave her a stern, judgmental gaze for a few seconds, then left her as Zero appeared from the trees. Zero nodded and smiled to Terra; out of the three young men, Zero looked the healthiest. His presence was warming in a way and the air around her felt a little less cold, though it still greatly unsettled Terra that Sharpe and Zero had approached her so silently. She had not had the slightest idea that the two men had been so close.

Zero held up an open hand to Billy who nodded and proceeded after Sharpe taking Terra with him. Zero hung back with his rifle ready watching the small cabin they had discovered Terra in. His gaze briefly moved to the snaking lights in the sky before he followed the others.

The walk through the dead forest was agonising. There were no sounds except for the groups footsteps. On the few occasions a sound did echo through the trees the line would stop, Sharpe’s hand would be raised up and they would stand in total silence. Fear would hold Terra in place until the sniper waved them forward again.

For the best part of an hour Terra was alone to ponder, her mind racing with thoughts she couldn’t hold back in her subconscious. The words of the soldier in black were echoing over and over.

“Don’t you remember? You died.”

Were they dead? If so then why were the soldiers carrying their weapons? And why did she have her bag? And what had happened to Sharpe? He was so different. He was so cold and serious now; were they in danger?

The more Terra watched him the more she felt that she wasn’t watching the same man she’d met at the airport. Terra struggled to see Billy in the same light as before now as well. He had always been neat and tidy but now his clothes were torn and dirty. His face was normally smooth, now he badly needed a shave.

Something caught Terra’s eye. It moved fast and was only there for a split second. Terra heard two metallic clicks, one in front of her and the other behind as two rifles suddenly levelled in the direction of what she had seen.

Everyone stopped. The two soldiers remained completely motionless. Sharpe slowly dropped to one knee, keeping his weapon raised in the direction of the movement. Billy tapped Terra on the shoulder as cautiously as he could but she still gasped in surprise. Billy nodded towards Sharpe and they slowly started moving toward the sniper. Sharpe’s eyes worked back and forth between the trees. Zero joined them. He squatted down beside Sharpe and for a moment the two men seemed to share in a silent conversation before Zero gestured for Billy and Terra to follow him.

Sharpe stayed behind still watching the patch of trees until the group vanished into the darkness. Neither Terra nor Billy realised that Sharpe had caught up to them after another long bout of silent walking. The trees finally started to thin out revealing a string of valleys and hills stretching as far as the eye could see. They were made of the same dull, dry grey dirt as that of the forest floor, only here it was occupied by occasional shrubs spread scarcely amongst a low blanket of dry grass.

“It’s not far from here. Just need you to hold on a little longer, okay?” Zero finally said.

He gave Terra a warming smile, which she unsuccessfully tried to return. Terra looked past the soldier at the ground ahead of them. The dirt rose up into a low hill just high enough to block the horizon. Zero looked up over her to Sharpe who was leaning against one of the few trees, facing to the rear.

“Ten-metre spread. You, then the kids in the middle, then me,” he commanded to Sharpe.

Terra jumped slightly when she realised the sniper had once again sneaked up on her. Sharpe nodded to Zero. They moved out, beginning to crest the hill. Billy and Terra waited for a few seconds before following. Sharpe led them through the lower levels of the hills for ten minutes. The sniper’s weapon was constantly shouldered, its barrel moving aim from the top of one hill to another. His eyes never left the scope. Terra looked back to Zero to see he was doing the same thing.

“We’ve got a base nearby,” Billy croaked. “Once we’re there we can answer any questions you have. Well, try to at least.”

The low hills cleared into a mostly flat area. A small lonely petrol station with just four pumps sat at the base of a large hill. Vines had reached up from the ground and started wrapping themselves around the structure, working their way into the cracks and crevices within the walls. Terra looked at the station, perplexed, as she tried to piece together in her mind where the building had come from. Billy noted her gaze.

“Trust me,” Billy whispered. “Best not to ask how or why. Just be thankful it’s here.”

Sam, a female soldier with dirty blonde hair tied into a neat bun, sat on top of the hill beside the station. She clutched a scoped rifle in her hands. She used the scope to watch the students advance with Sharpe and Zero flanking them. Sam paid especially close attention to the girl clutching onto Billy’s arm.

“It’s not actually that dark is it?” Terra whispered.

Billy slowed his pace slightly and started looking around for whatever Terra had seen.

“It’s more like some of the colour is missing from the world,” Terra continued, talking to no one in particular.

A quick but small flash of light drew Terra’s attention. The light was only there for a moment in the corner of her eye but this time it was distinct enough for her to notice something. She stopped walking.

“What’s wrong?” Billy asked.

Terra looked around her, trying to spot the moving light again, but it was gone. She shook her head and continued walking. Her gaze met Sharpe’s for a moment. The sniper had stopped and was watching her. Sharpe’s eyes followed Terra for a few seconds before he sniffed and continued towards the station.

It wasn’t long before she could see the distinct orange glow of a small campfire coming from the station. Zero jogged up to the students from the rear.

“Wait here, don’t worry, we’ve got eyes on ya’ll,” Zero said.

He headed up to the station at double pace. Sharpe on the other hand strolled up the hill towards Sam.

As Zero approached the station, a pair of soldiers emerged to greet him. Terra recognised the larger of the two men as Boss from the airport, looking as commanding as ever. Tall, broad and greying, he radiated authority and power with every step and gesture. The man standing next to him seemed far less impressive by comparison. He was smaller built, with a narrow face and white armbands just above his elbows on each arm, displaying a red cross. The Boss called out to them in a deep bellowing voice that made Terra stand up a little straighter.

“All right. Come on over. It’s okay, you’re safe now.”

Terra gripped Billy’s arm as he urged her forward.

“Relax, Boss is actually a really cool guy,” Billy reassured.

She walked slowly, her gaze constantly darting around as she tried to survey her surroundings. Billy managed to take hold of one of her hands and squeeze to draw her attention back to him.

“It’s okay, they’ve got this place covered. Nothing can get near us without them seeing it.”

Terra thought about that for a second.

“Nothing?”

Billy smiled awkwardly; he released Terra as they reached the two waiting soldiers and moved off towards the station. Terra got a closer look at the soldier with the armbands.

The Boss started speaking and drew her attention. His voice was calm, and he tried his best not to intimidate the student.

“Terra, I’m Boss. This is Sev, our team’s medic. Now I understand that your time in this place hasn’t been the most pleasant…”

“Am I really dead?” Terra interrupted.

Boss looked to Sev who returned a stern gaze. Boss sighed. His expression dropped as he tried to find a gentle way to break the news. Terra looked to Sev.

“I-If I’m dead, why do I need a medic?” she stuttered.

The Boss jumped in before Sev could respond.

“Terra… you, me, all of these people are dead.”

Terra’s heart plummeted into her stomach. The feeling can only be described as if you’ve ever reached the top of a staircase and expected to find an extra step, only to feel your foot fall through the space the step should have occupied, as your mind tries to comprehend what just happened. Terra struggled to repeat her question again.

“S-So, why… why do I need a medic? How did Sharpe —?”

“Terra.”

Sev jumped in, speaking with an instantly recognisable Russian accent though his English was perfect.

“The situation isn’t as clear-cut as us… well… simply dying.”

Terra lost her words; a few shocked and confused sounds left her mouth. She fell silent again as Boss elaborated.

“You, like the rest of us, woke up wearing the same clothes you had on when… The same thing goes for all of us. That’s why we have all of our weapons. Our bodies are also the same in this place as they were before. Cut me, I bleed. A bullet still behaves like a bullet. We need to eat, sleep and breathe in this place just as we did back on Earth.”

“And if we don’t eat? Or sleep or breathe?” Terra asked.

As she finished her sentence her mind conjured images of the two men in black as they were cut down by Sharpe. She looked over at the top of the hill where Sharpe was now standing beside Sam.

“He killed those men, but that would mean…”

“We can still die here,” Sev finished.

A tear ran down Terra’s cheek; her throat felt dry and her legs didn’t feel so strong anymore.

“Y-You can’t be serious.”

“Terra,” Boss started, “you’ve seen it. Sharpe put down two men. I know this is a lot…”

In her panicked state Terra started listing off questions as she struggled to comprehend what she had just been told.

“What happens when we die here then? Do we transcend to the next level? What’s the point in ‘living’ here? Why not just eat a bullet and be done with it all?”

“A number of reasons,” Sev added, “the main one being we have no idea what will happen. For all we know it could just take us some place worse than this.”

Terra shook her head as she tried to fight back tears. “So what, we just hole up here and wait to die?”

Boss and Sev looked at each other. Terra felt as if they didn’t want to answer that question.

“We can’t,” Sev replied.

Terra’s eyes shifted between them.

“Why not?”

“Because we’re not alone out here,” Boss replied. “Limbo seems to have some rather unfriendly inhabitants.” Boss took a water canteen from his belt and started unscrewing the cap as he spoke. “There are these…” he struggled to find the right word, “… creatures here. They look human from a distance but up close they’re a fucking nightmare.”

Sev picked up the line of conversation.

“We’ve started calling them the Damned. They’re not very smart, maybe as strong as an average human, almost as fast but definitely not as dangerous in a small group.”

“Kind of sounds like zombies,” Terra mocked.

“That’s not far from the truth,” Boss said. “But don’t worry, if they bite you, you don’t turn into one of them.”

Terra stared at Boss in bewilderment.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

The Boss smirked.

“I wish I was, kid, their bark’s worse than their bite. Especially out here where we can see for a good mile or so around us, but you wouldn’t want to face a bunch of them in those trees back there.”

Terra was starting to feel faint.

“So, let me get this straight. I’m dead, but I can die again. I’m stuck in a nightmare with a bunch of rapists, murders and zombies, where it’s night-time all the damn time and somehow I feel like there’s still more bad news.”

Boss handed Terra the canteen. Terra took a long gulp of something that definitely wasn’t water judging by the way it burned and handed it back to Boss.

“Time gets a little hazy in some areas around here. In fact, depending on where you—” Sev went to continue but Boss interrupted him.

“But that isn’t something you have to worry about,” the old soldier said, more to Sev than to Terra.

“Got any good news?” Terra groaned sarcastically.

“Look up at the sky,” Boss said. “What do you see?”

Terra looked up at the swirling purple lights. She realised she hadn’t paid them as much attention as she probably should have.

“They’re all moving in the same direction,” she said.

“Yeah, Terra, this place isn’t hell, we figure it’s probably some kind of purgatory, limbo, if you will. Anyway, a little while ago we ran into someone.” Boss smiled. “He claimed that the lights were a path to something. Specifically, he said there was a door. A door that leads to a better life than this one.”

Terra laughed. She wasn’t sure why but her body forced it out of her.

“So, what, you’re on a mission to find a door that leads to heaven?”

Boss smiled again; this time it felt more sincere.

“I’m aware of how this sounds, kid. Nobody is going to force you to come with us. If you choose to stay with us, though, I can promise you a shot at a better life. Which is a lot more than you’re going to get out here on your own. We can keep you safe, we have food, water and we can offer you protection.”

Terra looked back over at the soldiers on top of the hill. Sharpe’s boonie hat was pulled down over his eyes but he was still looking over in her direction.

“Sure,” Terra said. “What do I have to lose?”