-Where am I?
Shinji had just woken up, confused, lying in a narrow, dark alleyway only partially lit by rays of sunlight.
The cold and darkness made him feel an anguish he couldn't explain, an anguish he'd felt before.
There was nothing unusual about this alleyway in his eyes, in fact it felt like déjà vu.
The pain he had felt in his last moments no longer affected him, and his hearing and sight had returned. The blood that had covered him and its smell had also dissipated.
He could speak again and didn't seem to have any scars from the gunshots.
-Am I in the world of the dead?
Shinji remembered that he had died, but the circumstances of his death and the life he had led seemed to have no memory of them.
This lack of memory seemed strange to him; he knew he had died, but no matter how hard he tried to remember how, he just couldn't do it.
Despite this, he decided not to dwell on it too much, as it must surely be a rule of the world of the dead.
For him, it must surely have been cited in the holy scriptures. After all, Shinji had never really been interested in religions, the death of his parents having driven him to see only evil around him.
As he looked up at the sun, a tear began to roll down his face.
-What's happening to me?
The tear made no sense to him, after all he was finally going to see his parents again.
At the end of the street, he could hear the sound of passers-by shouting prices.
-How could there be a market in the world of the dead?
The noise, like the alleyway, sounded familiar.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a cat that looked hungry, with soft white fur.
-You remind me of my cat, but you can't be Neko.
No sooner had he spoken these words than he noticed a flaw in his own logic.
How could he remember his cat if the world of the dead had made him forget the life he had lived?
After a moment's thought, he realised that he hardly remembered anything from the moment his parents died.
-Mom, Dad?
These words, like a vestige of his past, were all he remembered from his last moments.
So many questions tormented her mind.
-If I could remember those words, could I remember my life? How am I going to find my parents amongst all these people? Could my parents have forgotten me?
He realised soon enough that he wouldn't have the answers to his questions if he stayed in this alley. He finally decided to go and explore this world.
-Neko, wait for me here, I'll get you something to eat.
Although he didn't admit it to himself, Shinji had made this promise in order to make himself look good to a possible deity who would rule this world.
-Neko, wait for me here, I'll get you some food.
Although he wouldn't admit it to himself, Shinji had made this promise in order to make himself look good to a possible deity who would rule this world.
If this hungry cat could be a sign from her that she would allow him to find his parents, he wouldn't take the risk of missing this opportunity.
After all, although he didn't believe in heaven or hell, the very existence of this world went against his beliefs in absolute nothingness after death.
-World of the dead, here I come!
He couldn't explain the existence of a market there, but attributed it to his lack of knowledge.
To his right was a butcher, surely a sign from the divinity that was making his task easier.
-Well, maybe I should explore a bit first.
Barely had he had time to turn his head when he noticed that an aura of terror reigned on the other side of the alley.
The faces there showed no sympathy for the others.
Now that he was closer, he understood where the screams in the alleyway were coming from: a slave auction was taking place.
He couldn't bring himself to accept it.
-How could such a crime against humanity be allowed?
Shinji was enraged at the idea that even after death, such immoral acts continued to exist.
-Would I have ended up in hell?
For Shinji, this was the only explanation that could explain why such immoral acts were not just ancient history in this world.
Seeing that his anger wasn't subsiding, he decided to return to the alley, even though he felt an unexplained anguish there, as it seemed to be the only place in this world that he didn't hate.
When he returned he found a frightened young girl.
- Shinji : What are you doing in this dark alley, young lady?
- The girl : Sir, save me, I don't want to lose my freedom again!
At that moment, three men appeared behind him, the one who seemed to be their leader seemed to be annoyed by Shinji's presence.
- The leader: Move!
Shinji still had the image of the bidders' faces stuck in his mind, he couldn't let this young girl end up in their hands.
- Shinji: I can't let you take her, please listen to what I have to say!
- The leader: So you've chosen death!
- Shinji: Please, I'm prepared to do whatever you want, just leave this young girl in peace!
- The leader: The way you're dressed, you'll only make a joke of yourself in front of the other bidders.
Although Shinji wanted to prove them wrong, it was impossible.
He had nothing on him and his clothes, which he had soiled while lying down, only made his case worse.
- The boss: Well, if you understand the situation, I'd advise you to let us do our job!
Shinji knew that in three against one, he had no hope of escaping with the girl.
He saw the crying girl being violently grabbed by the three men without being able to do anything about it.
The cat from earlier was still at the bottom of the alley.
-Neko, are you still there? You thought I was a coward, didn't you?
It was only then that he thought of the death threat he'd just received.
-What was it? What did he mean by dying? Was he bluffing?
Shinji didn't understand anything any more, he thought about the possibility that he had misheard under pressure but he knew that his hearing had not deceived him.
He also considered the tiny chance that the deity was trying to test him, but he knew that was ridiculous.
- I really am just a hypocrite.
He who didn't believe in any religion found himself assuming the existence of a divinity that would give meaning to the world he had landed in.
Despite the fact that he no longer believed, he decided to continue following this sign as it was Shinji's only reason for living.
He used what little willpower he had left to set off towards the butcher.
His eyes only looked down, he didn't want to risk coming across any more atrocities.
Although he had recovered his sight, he wasn't trying to use it to see this world he considered worse than hell.
His eyes riveted to the ground, he drove forward without paying attention to his surroundings and ended up hitting someone.
- ??? Watch where you're walking!
- Shinji: I'm sorry, please spare me!
- ??? : If you're not here to buy, get the hell out!
He realised that the person he'd just bumped into was the butcher.
- Shinji : I'm here to buy some meat.
- The butcher : Have you got the money?
- Shinji : I haven't got anything on me, as you can see.
- The butcher : You want to die, don't you?
- Shinji : No, listen, I'm prepared to work for as long as it takes.
- The butcher : As long as it takes, eh?
He realised that the butcher didn't mean well, but he had no other choice.
- Shinji: Yes, please, I've got nothing left to lose.
- The butcher : OK, you'll work until the end of the month and I'll give you a piece of meat.
- Shinji : But by then the cat might be gone!
- The butcher: What are you talking about, have you lost your mind? Shinji: Excuse me, I accept your offer...
He accepted, even though he knew he couldn't take the risk of no longer finding the cat, which was his only chance in this world of terror.
He took advantage of a moment of inattention to steal a few pieces of meat.
- The butcher: You traitor, come back here!
The butcher had unleashed his rabid dogs in pursuit, and Shinji ran as fast as he could towards the alley.
When he got there the cat was gone, and he knew it was ridiculous, basing his hopes on a cat only proved that he had lost all sense of logic.
Fleeing was no longer an option, the pack of dogs had blocked his way out, and all he could do was get deeper into the alley to delay the unstoppable.
At that moment, Shinji knew that only death awaited him.