The In Between

By Axens Williams

Zane Williams, a smart and healthy college kid with a bright future. A life many would kill for, but being born into it creates a disconnect with others. With fleeting ambitions and will to live, Zane drinks his college days away, begging for it all to end. One day, after a night of heavy drinking, he awakes to an unfamiliar place. A wish granted, Zane must fight through a gauntlet to decide his future in the after world. Will he be cut down by the many demons he must face? Will his heart get corrupted, or shine pure and true? An adventure through the In Between awaits him. The throne awaits the worthy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Axens
• Release date: Sep 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9780692955208

Book preview

The In Between

The In Between

By: Axens

Copyright © 2017 by Sean Axens Williams

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

First Printing: 2017

ISBN# 978-0-692-95520-8

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1 - Death

Chapter 2- Damnation

Chapter 3- Fight Fire with Dragon Skin

Chapter 4- Angel Camps

Chapter 5- The Path

Chapter 6- Trial

Chapter 7- Ascension

Chapter 8- Descent

Chapter 9 - Riding the Fire

Chapter 10 - Betrayal

Chapter 11 -Big Wigs

Chapter 12 - Demonic Power

Preview

Prologue

My name is Zane Blade Williams, and I have lived the majority of my life in such a fashion that many would kill for.  From birth, my mother and father had always taken care of, and looked out for me, raising me to be a respectable member of society.  My grades in school were always in the top ten percentage, yet I never had to study. All throughout school, I was never pressured about grades or studying and this always brought admiration from my peers.  However, not everyone liked me, simply because I was naturally better than them at school and my life was lived without worry.

Not only that, but my physical abilities were about as heightened as they could be for my age.  Being who I was, blessed with good genes, everyone had high expectations of me and that was what I detested more than anything.  I hated having everyone look at me like I was different, like I was a god among men.  As such, when I entered middle school, I cut my ties with everyone I knew and moved away to a school where all the other students knew only my name and face.

Being hidden amongst the crowd gave me relief and a refreshing new start.  Like all good things, this too eventually faded. My façade was up and I was shown for who I was, an exceptional student who everyone hated yet wanted to be like.

This was a different time than elementary school, however, as instead of shunning me away, my peers tried to befriend me even more than ever.  I understood that I was only a friend to them as long as I could provide information or other things to get them further in life.  As such, I hated myself again and wanted to just be normal.

This time, however, there was no way to escape. So instead, I just acted like the bigger man and gave and gave while receiving nothing, yet I lived with a smile on my face so no one could read into me or have any advantage over me.

By the end of high school, I felt dead.  The only escape from this world of people screwing each other over for next to naught was my music, which many deemed satanic.  I thought this was funny as I never could believe in religion as the all mighty truth, yet I also though science could never explain everything as well.  I just believed that an almighty power could exist and science is just definitions of what we experience because of this power. I never imagined that soon after I graduated, I would die and learn all about the otherworld and the process to see who gets in through the pearly gates and what happens to those who don’t.

Chapter 1

Death

Man, I am getting really tired of having to put up with all this bullshit called reality. I say to my best friend James.

Yeah, I feel you. Too many assholes. He replies with his usual, tired tone.

James has always been the one guy whom, no matter what, I could talk to and not feel like he’s judging me for who I am.  He is a year younger than I am and dropped out of high school as a senior.  He has long brown hair and brown eyes, a soft-spoken voice like mine, and the same tastes as me on just about everything.

You know, I get real jealous at how you don’t always have people looking up at you, mimicking all you do ‘cause they think your life is so damn great.

Hey now man, I got people like that around me too. He retorts.

Oh yeah cause everyone wants to be a high school dropout who basically lives at his job at a pizza joint. I jokingly poke at him.

Hey man, the smell of pizza brings all the bitches.

I suppose. I say with a laugh.

You going to the bar tonight man?

Yeah of course, gotta get something inside to kill me faster. You?

Nah man, I got overtime.

Sucks for you man, well I’m going then, see you tomorrow if I don’t drink myself into a coma. I laugh as a head out the door, not possibly knowing the weight of my words.

I get into my midnight black, muscle car I bought for a steal from one of James’ friends and drive past our old high school to the bar. As I do, depressing memories come back to me of people constantly using me.

Bunch of poor bastards, I don’t understand their drive to live at all. I think while blasting my music.

I pull into the driveway for James and my party house that we bought after I graduated high school. We both decided to live basically on our own after high school so we bought the house for cheap from James’ dad and use it for parties or just a place to lay low if shit hits the fan