Afterland.

I wake up slowly,

remembering a world that i never had seen before.

Welcome to the afterland.

Afterland.

seems a bit to familiar.

Like everything is the same.

But it's not.

Never have I crossed paths here before.

...

Chapter one: The Afterland Meeting.

"Hello? Wake up."

A girl that looks around 16 shakes my shoulder,

to see if I'm alive or not.

I look around confused.

Asking her what date it is.

"Huh... where am I... what date is it?"

She chuckles, and replies,

"Date? What's that? We don't have that here! Your must be confused with The real world!"

I'm very confused on what she's talking about.

Nothing makes sense,

so I ask her.

"Huh... there's no date here? where am I?"

She looks at me confused, and quickly realized,

"Your silly! Don't worry! Your safe in the Afterland, I can explain everything come to my House!"

I look at her like I'm demanding answers, yet I don't exactly trust her, and I ask her,

"Is there any other place we could talk? I'm not sure if I be comfortable in a stranger house..."

She looks at me unsure why I wouldn't want to come to her house, and thinks for a second, then paused before answering,

"It's okay if you don't want to come to my house, I'm still unsure why! But, we could go to the park nearby, that's usually empty, I can show you the way!"

She says cheerfully, as she lends a hand,

"the name is Lia! What's yours?"

I think for a second, then realized something,

"My name is... Is... Why can't I remember!"

She looked at me puzzled and then realized,

"Oh! I get exactly what your talking about! C'mon, let's go to the park so I can explain everything more clearly!"

I'm still unsure, but decides to grab her hand anyways, as she joyfully runs to the park,

She leads me to a quiet corner, with a lunch table, some dead flowers in the middle,

"Oh my! It's looks like they haven't replaced the flowers yet! They really should've taken more care of they souls!"

I sit down not really liking the smell, as the young elegance lady sits down,

"Okay let me explain everything,"

She pauses for a second,

"Okay let's see here, where should I start..."

I'm unsure what's to think, so I just stay silent until she explains, everything,

"Okay, I'm going to explain everything, and I want you to listen carefully, as they are important stuff that i don't want you to miss, that you have to keep in mind."

The young lady explains very carefully,

As I nod, still confused.

"Okay."

She signs,

"This is the land called... Afterland! Let me explain what happens as I was one of the persons who helped to design this,

Okay... The real world is called earth if I remember correctly, humans were slowly vanishing from the Asteroids, to save them, I build a machine, with all the resources I could get with my team, it was dangerous as we didn't know what would happen, but we still tried, we successfully builded afterland,"

She thinks for a second,

"After that we tried to save as much as humans as we could, I'm unsure what happened next as me and my team headed different paths before the leader told us leaving us wondering, so humans get teleported here, after well, something happens that I'm still unsure about,"

she signs, having a confused look on her face,

"After that, humans lost they memories when they come here, everything, they name, they friends, family, but. Don't lose hope just yet! Humans slowly recover all the memories within one to two weeks! After my team headed in different directions, they left me alone in this place, I wasn't sure on what to do, I didn't know anything about this place, so I didn't do anything in it for a while, until I had recovered enough resources, after that i started hiring people who knew how to build to slowly build some houses, i pay them with a currency, called, uhm, I might've have forgotten... Lemme just recall for a second!"

I try to understand her as much as I can, as the lady thinks with a puzzled face,

"ah yes! Gems! Gems can be found in... Well, random places, you don't have to work to get them! And well, I still don't know where they come from, they called... Fatchs like catch! Had a second to name them, heh, anyways! You could buy stuff like a baguette, or a t-shirt, for around 1 Fatchs! Okay I'm getting a bit of topic, let me explain things you need to understand,"

she paused, for a while and thinks,

"Well as much as I don't have alot of rules here..."

She chuckles,

"People don't like rude people, so you might get stares and ignored if you are rude, people don't like messy people who doesn't care about the mess, and just leave it for the others to clean," she chuckles,

"Yep that's it! Have any questions?"

I look unsure, as I understand her

but still have alot of questions in mind, but I just ask her the most important ones,

"So you said you helped this place right? Who were your team? Why did they leave you? How did you create this place? Is there time here? How to tell the time?"

I ask alot more questions than I expected, I'm unsure if she will answers all of these, I hope she will at least answer some,

"Oh my! That's alot of questions, I have a feeling you didn't listen very well, oh dear, what question should I answer first, let's see...

Okay, there's a clock on your hand, basically a phone but with not alot of stuff, there's a mirror, news app, a videos app, and more importantly, the time! Instead of 24 hours, we have 6 hours a day! Not sure if we should still say day, but you could look at the sun, if the moon is in the middle it's 2 am if it's not visible its 1 am! If it's down, it's 3 am! Same goes with the sun expect it's pm, I'm unsure about my team and where they are of to, I'm Lia, Lia Adams, I'm 16 years old, I live in the star house, down the street, i was in high school, with the news came in that Asteroids were hitting the city, i wouldn't want to talk about my team, as i don't remember alot. Anyways! Any more questions?"

She said smiling softly,

I look at her unsure of what to say about the answers, i ask my final last questions to the young elegant lady,

"How can I find my friends, and family? When will I remember my name? And do other people also get teleported?"

She looked at me like she knew exactly the answers.

"You can look at your watch Theys a app called find my people, you would have to describe them after you found you remember, we try to find them and ask them if they know you, if they do I will tell you, if not, well i also will tell you! You remember your name a week after you arrive with basically me and you have the count the days, or you can just wait until a though pops up in your silly brain! People slowly get teleported here, staffs will help the new one and explain everything, but teleportation, takes a quite long time, like around days? Unlike you, my staff told me your weren't waking up! So i had to wake you up by myself! Consire your self special! Or maybe my staff are just dumb anyways! She chuckles, softly, still staring at me with those golden eyes,

"I must go now I can't be late to the office meeting, I send some people who knows they way around here or staffs, do you have a preference?"

I pause for a second, thinking about which could be better, I guess I go with the people who knows they way around here, they probably understand me more,

"I just pick the people who knows they way around here I guess,"

She smiles as me as says cheerfully,

"Excellent choice! People who been in the same situation, will understand you more! I will send some people right now! Let me just call them!"

She looks at her watch, like she knows everything that works in the watch, she calls someone,

"Heyy, could you please come to the playground, at the quiet corner? Yes, the playground that's empty most of the times, yeah! We have a new guest that came today! they would love if you would showed them around! Don't forget to bring new flowers! The souls of the liles has died sadly, Okay great! be here soon!"

She then hangs up the call, and then looks at me again,

"They coming soon! Just wait here for a while until they come! Hope you don't mind waiting!"

She chuckles softly with that soft smile and golden eyes, that looks so peaceful, yet uncanny.

...

Chapter 2: The Familiar City.

Someone I don't exactly knows, walks while showing me around, the place looks so colourful and bright, that it hurts my eyes, it's so colourful that it looks... Weird.

"Hi there sweetheart! I'm Jessie I be your helper for today! I will show you around the place!"

She looked at me cheerful, softly smiling,

I look at her quite confused, then quickly asks her something.

"Do you have a bottle of water by any chance?"

I ask the woman that's look pretty old around... 34,

She looked at me and said,

"Sorry ma'am, I didn't bring my bottle with me, I hope you don't mind that,"

I look nearby, there's a ruined house nearby, if I remember correctly, the people doesn't like messy, and are rather elegant,

"May I ask why that house is ruined if you don't mind me asking miss?"

I just have a feeling... that's look like something familiar... That I can't place my hands on...

She looked at me, and thinks for a second.

"Yes Ma'am? Oh that house? Yeah that house was there when the early times, people were planing on rebuilding it, but no one really did, so people just ignore it, like it never exists, such a shame, it couldn't be rebuilt into a beautiful welcoming house,"

I look at it again, for a spilt second a memory of a house files in my mind,

...

Who's house is it..?

My thoughts quickly disappears as I realized the woman was talking to me.

"Hello? Ma'am, you okay?"

She looks at me confused on why I stopped walking and not saying anything,

I look at her once again and quickly shakes out of it,

"Sorry miss, I was just thinking of something, I must've not realized,"

I apologized, feeling a bit guilty,

"It's okay! Your new here! We all been there before!"

She quicky changes up her tone,

Kinda weird...

why did switch up her tone?

I quickly brushed it of, as she keeped showing me around,

We stopped at a house, as she handed me keys,

"This will be your new house!"

She chuckles,

then quickly realized something.

"Oh! right I forget to ask you this! Okay, so, would you mind telling me a bit about your self? So

We could get a better understanding on you?"

She chuckles softly, and looked at me cheerfully,

Kind of uncanny that she said "we"... Who's we? Anyways... I thought of some stuff before starting saying them,

"I'm.. oh right, I still can't remember my name, uhh, I'm around 14, I'm still in middle school, not really interesting about me,"

I chuckles,

then realized something,

If she said my memories will be back in around 2 weeks...

Why can I remember some things?

My age, what school I was in... Something feels of...

"Oh yeah... Thanks for the keys, have a good day."

The woman looks at me sweetly almost uncanny,

"Your welcome."

She then walked away, I went inside my house, it's looked so decorated like it was made by a teen with a kid dream,

I check my watch, it's glitches for a second before opening up, I see some apps, nothing really interesting

, i click the find my people app, before quickly realising, I don't know any people from my memories at the moment,

i look at the time as it is almost 1 am leaving me less then a hour,

i sign, not really liking this new world,

everything smells weird and is to bright for me,

how can people live here so... Happily..?

I brushed it of, and checked around the house, nothing seemed of,

expect well... the colours of course.

I should just head to sleep,

...

Chapter 3: The night everything went wrong.

I wake up at around 2 am, memories flooding in my mind, but I can't seem to remember any of them,

What are these dreams...

"It's fake. It's fake. It's fake. They brainwashed. They brainwashed. THEY BRAINWASHED. FAKE FAKE FAKE FAKE. THEY LIE. THE VOICES LIE.

WAKE UP. UP. UP. UP. LIE. LIE. LIE. DONT BE BRAINWASHED. BE CAREFUL-FUL FUL-FUL."

I suddenly wake up,

thinking to myself,

"what was that dream?!"

What happened... Is my dream real? Does it explain why everything is so happy? Or is my brain just trying to...

gaslighting me?

I feel light headed, my head is screaming, everything is so bright. Bright. Bright. Please just stop this.

I quickly get up from my bed and wash my face,

I think to my own self...

"It's happening... I'm getting... brainwashed... She lied... what more does she know that she didn't tell me. Why was I special? I need to act happy."

The doorbell rings so I quickly act happy, and answers the door,

"Why hello there ma'am! How may I help you on this beautiful day?"

I put on a smile that's fake

but doesn't look fake,

Lia quickly realized that it worked

and that I successfully had been brainwashed

or that's what she thinks.

She puts on a fake smile,

"Oh nothing! Just checking in to make sure my guest are feeling welcome and perfectly happy!"

She laughs to herself,

Sure you are.

Totally checking if I'm happy

and not if it worked,

I smile at her, and chuckles before saying,

"Well, ma'am, would you like anything else?"

She looked at me again with those uncanny golden eyes that looks soul-less,

"Ah! No need! I just had over to my House, tell ME if you need anything."

I smile and nod at her, why did she said me like that? Weird.

As she walks over to her house,

I go nearby to the mean looking old man who has a market with fruits and vegetables,

"Hey sir? Do you know where's Jessie?"

I softly smile as I talk to him, not sure if his mean or not,

He spoke up so cheerfully, maybe his not mean after all.

"Oh! Jessie! I know her! The kind lady who's always bring a smile to people face! I think I saw her right over that corner!"

I smiled at him and thanks him for giving me the answers I wanted.

"Thanks you so much sir, I hope you have the loveliest day!"

He smiled at me so cheerfully, and spoke with a cheerful tone,

"Of course dear! Your always welcome at Bob's market!"

I chuckles and smiled as I walked away he waved a goodbye to me, I waved back and continue on my way.

I walked quite quickly to Jessie, I need to ask her so many things.

"Hey Jessieeee!"

I put on another fake smile,

"Mind going to my house for a second?"

She looks at me confused on why I should go to my house, but nodded neither ways,

"Perfect! I lead the way!"

I said very cheerfully, glanced around to make sure Lia isn't around,

I walked to my house, with Jessie,

After that, I made her sit on the sofa upstairs in my room, I handed her a cup of tea, and sat down on the sofa Infront of her, I waited for her to finish her tea.

"So why did you bring me here?"

She looked at me with that innocent smile.

"Your being brainwashed."

She looked at me confused, looking at my serious face,

"W-what do you mean sweetheart?"

Without a second thought I grabbed her shoulder hard and started shaking it.

"Snap out of it!"

She then looked at me very confused with a puzzled face, and a curious look,

"W-what where am I? Where's my family! What date is it! Who are you! What's happening..? My head is hurting! What did you do?!"

She looked at me pretty angry wondering what's happening with here, and where is she.

She looked like she was about to cry, she's so confused, such a poor soul, I wonder how we can escape...

can we also save the others..?

...

Chapter 4: The explaining.

I look at her very nervously,

wondering where should I start explaining, should I tell her about Lia... The world here... Who is she and what does she know... The brain washing...

I just try to gain her trust for now.

"Okay if I tell you everything you promise not to freak out?"

She looked at me like I just said pigs fly, but she nodded neither ways.

"Okay, thanks. This is Afterland, we been teleported here, by Lia, I think she's lying about the real world. She said the world has been burned with meteors, but that's not really possible."

She still looks at me confused, but she has a understanding face on,

what's that supposed to mean?

I failed Social study's in elementary school.

"So, your Jessie, just remember that, Lia who teleported us here, the girl with golden blonde hair with blue streaks and golden eyes, that's her. She brainwashed you to act all happy to ignore the damage she caused, we need to find a plan and get out of here. It's not safe here."

She looked at me puzzled for a second, then spoke up.

"We... Trapped here..? How do we get out? What's the plan?"

I look at her nodding, but looking at her with a puzzled face after she ended talking, I started talking with a more soft hearted tone, so she wouldn't worry so much.

"Okay, I don't have exactly a plan yet. But, what do you remember from earth?"

She looked at me quickly remembering.

Then spoke up with a serious tone.

"Lia and me used to work on a machine, I wanted it to be a machine where you could time travel, but Lia completely dismissed the idea and said we should create a new world, but we didn't have enough resources or people to work on it. We weren't a big team or anything... It was only us. She then left me and never told me what would she do with the machine. And now... I'm here. Trapped."

I quickly understand her, so Lia has been lying. To my own face. I knew I shouldn't trust here. The world here is to perfect, to happy, she's always having that uncanny smile.

I realized something, and quickly spoke up.

"We need to find the machine! If we find it we can snap out the others and free all of us. Lia is planning to trap more people here. Do you have any possible idea where could it be?"

I quickly spoke, but I still don't exactly have a plan.

"Her house. She probably has it there! She never allowed anyone to come to her house. It probably hidden in a room or something."

I replied quickly after she mentioned her house.

"Her house? You said she didn't invite anyone in right? Then why did she ask me to come to her house?"

She looked at me with that serious yet innocent face.

"She knew it hadn't worked on you yet, she wanted you to come to her house so she could brainwashed you, the machine has a bug where They's a change it takes more time than expected to get brainwashed completely you were one of this people, but after she saw you happy, she though it worked. We need a plan."

I nodded at her, thinking for a while before coming up with a idea.

"Okay, I think I might have a plan. Okay I will distract her and tell her if she could come to the park to have a tea party after she replaced the flowers it would be perfect, she thinks I'm being happy, and all. After that... You go to her house, try to find the machine, after than you try to carry the machine if it's not to heavy for you to carry it. If it is to heavy... See if you could use it, to make it work. After you find it, tell Lia that someone waiting at her down the market shop, you then take me to her house, we discuss what happens later. Got it?"

She looks at me understanding everything that I said, and nodded,

Having a tiny soft smile,

"Got it!"

Jessie was such a kind soul, she doesn't deserve this, I spoke up.

"Do you have any questions?"

She looked at me and said something.

"What does Lia house looks like and where is it?"

Having a soft smile on my face I responded with...

"It's the house that's sun theme, next to the old man fruits and vegetables market, he's may look mean, but I assure you his so sweet."

. . .

Chapther 5: The plan.

I looked at her with a light hearted face,

"Okay, let's start."

She nodded at me, and then we got our bags, and then hand out, I went and distract Lia, I walked over to lia's house, I knocked on the door.

"Hey Lia!! I though it was the perfect weather to go outside to the park and drink some tea? Whatcha think?"

She looked at me a little confused before speaking up, she coughs to clear her throat.

"It's a bit weird... Your to happy for a regular guest..."

I now have a mental breakdown in my own mind,

"What are you talking about miss? Is there a secret tea party without me?"

I quickly put on a smile, with that innocent cheerful eyes.

"Oh! It's probably just my imagination! I can sometimes get out of touch with reality! hah!"

She looked at me again, with those golden uncanny eyes.

"Lead the way would you?"

She said with a cheerful voice, and smiles.

I nodded and said with a happy tone,

"It would be my honour!"

O quickly glanced around to make sure Jessie is still hiding, then I started walking to the park, with Lia,

"So how do you think of today's weather? I think It's a perfect sunny day!"

She then looked at me with those golden eyes, and spoke up.

"I honestly couldn't even agree more!"

Lia start down on the table with me as she grabbed some tea, from, school well i don't exactly knows where.

Shall we go back to jessie? Couldn't agree more.

Jessie jumped from the window, then starting searching the house, to find something she opened cabinets haven't find anything, she opened a box it was lia's info, she started reading it, it said...

"Full Name: Lia Adams. Age: 16 Birth Certificate: 2010/01/28.

Adoptive Date: 2020:08/21

Biological Parents: Unknown.

Adoption Parent: Jessie Adams."

Jessie looked so shocked when she saw the parent, she couldn't even think straight to read it anymore. She put the paper in her bag, and keeps looking around the house, she finally found the machine, it needed a code, she searches around the house trying to find something, but she found nothing, after looking around she decided to ditch the place and find another way, she tried every combination but found nothing.

She heard door keys opening, she quickly jumps out of the window resulting in a leg injury, but she kept walking, who knows how long she been in the house, she walked over to my house again, she she found me sitting there on the sofa.

. . .

Chapther 6: Who really is Lia?

Switching back...

I look at Jessie, wondering why and what happened? She have a worried face on, and a injured leg, so I get up, and then spoke up.

"W-what happened? Your leg is injured, and you didn't follow the plan, at all. You know how many time I had to distract her?!"

I quickly got angry, but then signs and got calm again, leaving her space to talk. I waited a while before she finally spoke up...

"I'm sorry, the machine has a password, but at least we know where's the machine is right?"

She forced herself to softly smiles, she thinks I'm that easy to fool?

I grabbed some bandages that I brought earlier incase anything happened with the plan, I then handed her the bandages to put it on her leg, she bandaged her leg up, then i finally spoke up.

"What did you find? You clearly doesn't look so happy."

She chuckles, after quickly realising I didn't fall for it, she quickly became nervous, but signs before finally speaking up...

"L-lia... I-is..."

She paused for a while, fidgeting with her hands, then I spoke up quickly to say something,

"Is... what? Spill it!"

I'm getting pretty impatient, I'm not the most patient person.

She looked like she was about to cry, she wiped her tears before any could fall, she then looked up at me and spoke up,

"My... Daughter. I adopted her..."

...

The silence was so awkward, I clearly needed time to process it. Why would she do that to her own mother? Why does she wants to rule the world..? Why is she so selfish..?

"She's what now?"

I spoke up with such a disbelief tone.

"She's my daughter... I adopted her when she was 10... Why couldn't I remember that earlier? What did she do to my brain."

I looked up at her, thinking for a little while before speaking up,

"She brainwashed you. Possibly with that machine... You said it has a password right? Do you have any possible idea what it is?"

I spoke up with a serious tone, we needed to find another plan,

"I have no idea... I tried everything... But nothing worked sadly sweetheart."

She spoke with a pretty sad tone, then I spoke up,

"Where did you find that you adopted her? Was it in a adoption paper or?"

She coughs, before speaking up with a pretty sad tone,

"Yes... I found it in a adoption paper..."

She then handed me the paper, I read it, she really did adopt her... I think for a second before looking up at her and cleared my throat before speaking up,

"Did you try 0821..?"

She looked at me confused on why I said that.

"W-what?"

She said in a confused tone, not knowing why I ask that,

"For the password... You adopted her on August 21th it could be that's the password, there's a pretty good chance that could be it..."

. . .

Chapther 7: Why betray?

I sighed before quickly speaking with a confident voice.

"Im heading out. I'm gonna find out what's happening. Don't follow me your to weak,"

I grabbed my bag from the hanger, and put on my shoes, than walked out the door, before I could walk out the door, I saw lia standing Infront of the door, looking like she was gonna knock,

"Yes miss what would you like on this lovely day?"

I Spoke up with a pretty cheerful voice, before chuckles and softly smiling,

"Have you seen any papers flying around? Like adoption papers?"

She said looking a bit worried, but she forced herself to smile,

I chuckles, thinking for a second, before I spoke up with a confident cheerful tone,

"I think Saw some around that corner, that corner Infront of that supermarket place"

She nodded at me, than spoke up,

"Thanks."

She stared at me with those uncanny golden eyes. than walked away hurrying, and then I quickly walked to her house and i got In the house pretty slow, I found the machine put in the code, it didn't work, I tried other codes like 2010, 2020 and more, I put on one that finally worked before I could do anything else i heard a voice...

"And where do you think your doing?"

Lia said confidently, then Jessie pushed me to the floor,

"Jessie! W-what are you doing?"

Before I could process anything, Jessie spoke up.

"You really I was your ally? We knew you weren't brainwashed from the start."

Jessie laughed at me, mocking me,

"We just wanted to play with our little toy,"

Lia said mocking me, why?

"So we played you, and made you think you were actually escaping afterland."

They both laugh, and looked at me again.

"Aw did little toy get scared?"

Lia said mocking me once again,

"She's gonna cry! Such a crybaby! Wawawa-"

Before Jessie could finish talking, I pushed her out of the way and quickly jumped in the machine.

. . .

Chapther 8: Reality.

I woke up on my kitchen floor, I slowly got up, and washed my face, everything was perfectly fine, nothing was wrong, it's not to bright, to happy, and kids are playing outside,

"I'm...Ari..."

I checked the date... 2026/08/21.

. . .

The end... Or is IT?

(Hope you enjoyed!

Info about this book!:

Name!: Afterland.

around 5k words!

Around 26300 characters!

Creator of this book!:

6fofo_F (On YT!) (me!)

Hope you have the most loveliest day! Until next time!)

. . .