Death wasn't at all like he had expected.

It wasn't painful. It wasn't scary. It wasn't terrifying. It wasn't horrible.

It was the opposite: relaxing, peaceful, calm. Pleasant, even. Everything was so much easier when he didn't have to struggle with the blackness anymore. The moment he gave in and let it take over, everything felt so much lighter, like a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.

At first, there was nothing but black, blackness that pressed down upon him, blackness that swirled all around him. It was so dark, he couldn't tell if his eyes were open or closed.

But then, the darkness started slowly disappearing, and beams of light were replacing it. Suddenly, harsh, painfully bright whiteness was hitting him full in the face.

What is this? he thought, bemused. Heaven or something?

It took a few minutes of blinking the spots away from his eyes to realize that he was back in the place he had just left: the hospital room. Except this time, he was watching the scene from the sidelines. This time, he was standing at the edge of the room instead of lying in the hospital bed.

What's going on? Did I not die, then? Am I somehow still alive? It wasn't making any sense. He was positive he had been dying.

But then he really saw the scene in front of him. Alicia was standing by the hospital bed he had occupied minutes before, just like she'd been doing before the blackness had overtaken him. And she was staring with utter shock at his body.

His body.

His body, which was still in the hospital bed, cold and still and clearly dead.

It was over there, but he was standing across the room. He wasn't attached to his body anymore.

That could only mean ...

The thought was too crazy to complete.

But one glance down at himself was enough to prove the unbelievable idea right.

He was looking down – and he could see right through himself.