Song: The Kids Aren't Alright - Fall Out Boy

"Whatever-your-name-is, wake up!"
The worried face of Annie and some other nosy onlookers were peering over at me. I groaned and mumbled something incoherent, before reluctantly sitting up.

"Who pushed me?" I yelped frantically, my grogginess evaporating as I remembered the events. Annie sported an unreadable expression as she grabbed my arm and pulled me up.
"Follow me." She growled, dragging me out of the tavern.
"You pushed me, didn't you?

"No one pushed you, whatever-your-name-is--"
"Georgie."
"Doesn't matter. I think I might know what's going on, though. How did you die?" Annie demanded.

"I was pushed off a cliff - why?"
"Post-Death Trauma. It's very rare - I'm not surprised a boy like you got it."
"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you're pretty scrawny, and you didn't handle seeing me too well. You looked a bit like a deranged monkey." Annie explained, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

I rolled my eyes, intending to drop the subject of this Post-Death Trauma thing, but curiosity had a tight grip on my mind.

"So is it just experiencing your death again?" I inquired quietly. Annie nodded, and I raised a questioning brow.
"How did you die?"
"That's none of your business." Annie responded shortly, her eyes flashing menacingly. I gulped and didn't dare utter a single word.

"We're leaving now."
I merely nodded tentatively.

//||\\

Time. It was on my mind as we travelled in silence. Was there time here?
It certainly seemed as though days were much longer and nights shorter. But that could just be me adjusting to the shock of being in a completely new world.

I would have asked Annie, but she seemed deadset on ignoring me after I questioned her about her death. To say that was sensitive topic would have been the understatement of ever.

Would our aching legs ever have a rest? It was, based on my poor judgement, around midnight and we still hadn't stopped trekking through the now-glacial conditions of Afterland. Thankfully, though, it appeared we were going to stop soon, as a village was approaching rapidly.

Nope. Apparently not. The village was now far behind us; a dot in the distance. I pressed my lips together, and decided to examine my now-blue fingers.
"Could I get frostbite?"
No response.
"Right."

The frosty atmosphere outside seemed to be seeping into Annie's personality as well. But oh well, perhaps if there's a savannah somewhere, she'll act a bit warmer.
We trudged on, and relief sparked my numb fingers - the snow, ice and cold were dissipating rapidly.
"What the actual—"
"This is where we're stopping."

I stared at her incredulously. We were stopping in the middle of a desert, with no civilians in sight.
"Why here?" I demanded, gesturing to the long-gone village back in the frozen biome. Annie huffed, rolled her eyes, and spoke.
"Because that place is dangerous." And then, seeing the look on my face, "don't bother. You won't get an answer until you're ready."

I cursed under my breath. Why was Annie being so damn cryptic?
I didn't press the matter further, and it wouldn't get me anywhere anyway. Annie had started busying herself with unpacking her backpack.
"Ouch!"
Something hard had hit me on the thigh. I glared at Annie, who had just pegged a hardcover book at me.

"What was that for?" I hissed. Annie shrugged and wrestled a small bag out.
"It felt good."
I gawked at her, agape. Since when did throwing a book at someone feel good?
"Aren't you going to apologise?"

"No."
At this point I was seriously contemplating lobbing the book back at her, but that would probably end up with me being left to my own devices. I heaved a steadying breath and studied the title.
"Afterland, a Guide for Dummies."
I squinted at Annie and pursed my lips.

"Are you sure you didn't know I was coming?"
"I'm sure, idi... Georgie. That book shows you what you want or need to read. For example, when I was training to be a Medic, it appeared as 'A History of Poisonous Plants'."
I nodded slowly. Honestly, this was probably the least shocking thing that's happened yet. And apparently we weren't even in the best part of Afterland.

I shrugged and opened the book.
"For over three billion years, Afterland has served a purpose. Of course, humans were not around for that long, and they're selfish thinking led them to believe that Afterland was created just for them. This is where they are incorrect..."
I yawned and shut Afterland, a Guide for Dummies. If there was one word to describe that first paragraph, it would be mind-numbing.

"Where are we going to sleep?" I pondered aloud, as there was no sign of a tent anywhere. Annie chuckled.
"Wow, when you were alive they really didn't teach you about Afterland!"
It sounded like she was more talking to herself, and she still hadn't answered my question.