What happens when you die? You go to a Bar. || Death Parade

What happens when you die? You go to a Bar.

Ding.

The elevator I'm in comes to a stop, as the doors open slowly I see a dark hallway with a few lights here and there. I walk out and notice another next to mine, another girl wearing the same uniform as myself standing there emotionless staring down the hallway.

The thought, 'why am I here?' echoes around my brain. The other girl looked like she had the same thoughts as me. She looked over at me and with a small smile she spoke softly, "Shall we go?"

"Yeah," I smiled back at her. "So what's your name? I'm Sumino Rin."

"Oh... it's Kamishiro Ayano." Her voice was as quiet as a mouse's, kinda cute.

We walked down the dim hallway and noticed a few brighter lights. It felt weird, like we shouldn't be there. I guess the reason for that is because of the 'nightclub-like' atmosphere around us — just without the blaring music, drugs and crowd. Instead, this place felt like the V.I.P. lounge in a fancy bar — also without the people and other miscellaneous items.

By the time we reached the end of the hallway I could make out a bar shape and the figure of another person. We got closer to where he was standing before he motioned for to take a seat as he began to speak.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Decim, your bartender."

Oh so we are in a bar... Good to know.

"Hello...?" Kamishiro-san and myself both replied looking extremely confused.

"Excuse me but, do either of you remember anything from before you got here?"

Kamishiro-san looked at me before she told 'Decim' what she could remember, "I only remember sitting in my classroom listening to the teacher, then nothing."

"Yeah... it was the same for me but it felt like I was melting in that classroom, it was so hot... Then however, everything goes fuzzy and I just remember waking up in the elevator." I tug at my collar as if the feeling of the heat had come back to me, it was an uncomfortable feeling.

"Thank you very much."

"Hang on, you're name's Decim, right?" He nodded as Kamishiro-san spoke, "Well... I was just thinking, Decim-san, hasn't told where we are. So where are we?"

"I'm very sorry, but I cannot answer your question."

"So then why are we here?" I pipe up.

"Allow me to explain your circumstances. Please listen carefully.
First: I am unable to tell you where you are.
Second: You are both here to play a game.
Third: The game you are to play will be chosen via roulette."

A screen dropped down with a clank in front of us, startling me a little.

"Fourth: Your lives will be staked on this game."

Our lives, huh? This has got to be a joke... or I'm dreaming. Someone please pinch me!

"Hang on! I'm either having a really bad day or I'm dreaming but did you just say our lives depend on a game?!" Kamishiro-san looks at me as I yell this.

"You pinch me and I pinch you?"

"Please."

We both pinch each other, hard, "OUCH!"

WE'RE NOT DREAMING!

"Fifth: You May not leave this bar until the game has been completed."

We both just looked at each other and nodded. We were going to play this game without hard feelings — it didn't matter who won, we would still be friends... acquaintances... whatever.

"We'll play your game," Kamishiro-san stated.

The roulette board started to light up and make sounds before if picked our game.

Papa-pa-pa-paaa!

Our game was: Dirty Queen.

Aim: Get rid of all your cards by putting all doubles into a pile in the middle, however, if you are left with the 'dirty' Queen you lose.

"I will also be playing in this game. Allow me to explain the rules:
First: If I am the one left with the 'dirty' Queen at the end, you both win. However, if one of you has the 'dirty' Queen they lose and the other wins.
Second: There is only one Queen in the deck and to win you must be the one without it.
Third: To win you must discard all of your doubles.
Fourth: Players will pick a card from the other players hand going clockwise.
Fifth: Discard all doubles in your hand before we begin picking cards."

Easy enough.

Decim dealed all the cards out after getting rid of three of the Queens. By now I had realised we were playing with a custom deck of cards, different pictures replaced the usual drawings. They were anything from random drawings and people to animals and anime characters. I recognised a couple of the pictures; my two guinea pigs, husbandos, a few family members and some of my still un-drawn drawings.

It looked like Kamishiro-san had recognised a few too.

We started to play the game discarding our doubles, passing around cards and slowly but surely narrowing down the amount of cards we could choose from. The Queen had already been around and through everyone's hands more than once, getting rid of it nearly every time.

The game was slowly coming to an end. It was fun, too bad I already know why we are here.

The last cards were being discarded, Kamishiro-san or as I now called her, Ayano-chan and I both discarded our last pairs leaving Decim with the Queen.

"Say Decim, did you know we were already dead?" I asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Ayano-chan, did you figure it out?"

"I did... many of the pictures on those cards were just figments of my imagination. Those characters never came to life."

"So Decim, why didn't you tell us?"

"I am an Arbiter. I'm not allowed to tell you anything, it's against our rules. Now if you'll follow me." His face was unchanging as he spoke those words to us.

"Hang on. Rin-chan, how did we die? I can't remember... I only remember burning."

"Ayano-chan, we died burning — like many others. It was a fire at school." I sighed sadly.

"Now it makes sense."

"Decim, please show us the exit now... We should go."

"Right this way."

Decim led us back to the lifts we came to the Quindecim in, the masks above them were white. It looks like we were going to be reincarnated.

I turned to Decim before we left, "Thank you for the beautiful game." I smiled before a few tears came out and I gave the Arbiter an awkward hug. I walked to the lift, Decim motioned for me to enter earlier, and entered it still with tears streaming down my face as Ayano-chan also gave Decim an extremely awkward hug.

She entered her lift and the doors started to close.

Goodbye Decim. Thank you for everything.