Into the Domain

Becky Veroneau

Description

In a future where departed souls are intercepted to a virtual better place, one teenage girl slips through the cracks and finds herself in a very real, evil place. Evie is rescued from Hell and given a mission. The servers are going down, and Evie must save as many souls as she can before they are lost forever; however, the masterminds of this virtual afterlife have forbidden her from sharing the truth. The stakes couldn’t be any higher than eternity, but Evie doesn’t have an eternity to spread the word. She only has three weeks.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Sci Fi
• Science fiction
• Christian
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: LifeRich Publishing
• Date de parution: 21 juin 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781489748195
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

INTO THE DOMAIN
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BECKY VERONEAU
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Copyright © 2023 Becky Veroneau.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
 
 
LifeRich Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.liferichpublishing.com
844-686-9607
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
All Bible references come from the New International Version (NIV).
 
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4797-6 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4796-9 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-4819-5 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023911220
 
 
LifeRich Publishing rev. date:  06/19/2023
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
 
About the Author
Chapter 1
I drove myself to the funeral instead of riding with my parents and sisters. It had been chaotic at my house this morning, and all I wanted was some peace and quiet. Since getting my driver’s license four months ago, I prefer to drive myself places if it gets me out of the craziness of my family. They’re great but noisy.
Now that I’m at the church, though, I don’t know what to do. I’m early, and I don’t really want to go into the sanctuary yet. I opt to sit on one of the couches in the foyer.
I check the time and decide I have enough for a video chat with my best friend, Zoe. She has only been gone for a week, but I miss having her by my side for things like this. We have been best friends since she moved in next door when we were in kindergarten.
I think back to the day we met. I was playing outside, and my big brother had taken one of my dolls from me. I was crying, and she came over from her yard to see what was going on. She picked up some rocks and started throwing them at him. I quickly caught on and started doing the same. My brother, who never backed down, dropped the doll and went back into the house. We were inseparable after that. So it only makes sense to call her and have her with me, at least by phone. She answers my video call on the first ring. It’s like she was waiting for my call, which she probably was.
“Hey,” she says. “I almost called you, but I thought you might still be driving.”
“I’m here. I wish you were.” I take in everything about her. She has raven-black hair, olive skin, and an infectious smile. I’ve always been jealous of her hair and skin. I have dirty-blond hair and pale skin that burns quickly in the sun.
“Thanks to technology, I am there.”
It’s not the same, I think, but I don’t want her to feel bad, so I keep that thought to myself. Instead I ask, “So have you met any cute guys there?”
She laughs. “Some, but I really haven’t gotten to know any of them yet. I’m still figuring things out. I haven’t lived anywhere but our small town for as long as I can remember. This place is a lot bigger.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Well, school isn’t as fun here, but the parties are epic. I’ve been to one every night.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” As soon as I say the words, I think, I sound like my mo ther.
“Probably not.” She laughs. “I just hate going home to an empty apartment. The free housing here sucks. As soon as I get a job, I will start saving up for a better apartment.”
We’re quiet for a moment. Then she says, “You could join me here if you want. Then we can be roommates.”
“I miss you, but I don’t know if I’m ready for a change like that.”
“Yeah,” she says. “That wasn’t fair of me to ask. You would be giving up a lot.”
“One day we’ll be roommates.”
“I look forward to it.”
I feel a tap on my shoulder, and I hear my mom say, “Evie, we should probably go in and find a seat.”
I get up and head for the doors. I hold my phone out so Zoe can see how the church is decorated for the funeral. She exclaims, “Ooh, show me the body! I want to see!”
I laugh and walk up to the casket. I put my face close to the corpse’s face and make a peace sign.
Zoe laughs and says, “Ew, the corpse looks gross!”
I hear some of the older people around me muttering about how disrespectful we’re being. I’m just as annoyed with them as they are with us.
Zoe’s mom, Mrs. Shaw, approaches and says, “You girls need to end the video chat so the funeral can start. Zoe, go ahead and switch to livestream so you can observe quietly until it’s your turn to speak.”
Zoe groans. “Do I have to speak? This whole thing is so pointless!”
Mrs. Shaw answers, “It’s your chance to say goodbye.”
Zoe says, “But why do I have to say goodbye? I’m still here.”
I think, But you’re really not, not like before. How can you be? You’re dead. I don’t say any of that, though, as I don’t want to make this harder on her. Instead, I say, “It’s OK. I’ll call you again after this is over.”
We sign off, and I go sit with my family. The music starts to play, and I think back on that horrible day just a week ago.
Me, Zoe, and a bunch of our friends had gone to the swimming hole at the back of her property. Even though we were back in school, it was still hot in our small Texas town. We were hot and bored. Plus, we were all aware that we wouldn’t be able to swim for much longer.
There was a rope we used to swing out into the water. We’d all done this about a hundred times in our lifetime. What were the chances that this time would end differently?
We didn’t really think anything about it when Zoe didn’t come up right away because Zoe could hold her breath longer than any of us. But as time ticked by, we all started to get anxious. Bobby, who spent the summer as a lifeguard at a local pool, was the first to dive into the water to look for her. He was also the one who carried her out and started CPR.
Seeing Bobby performing CPR snapped me out of my numbness, and I ran to the house to get Zoe’s mom. Both Zoe’s parents are certified interceptors, and in school, we’re all trained to go get an interceptor in an emergency. Even if it’s not necessary, it’s better to have one on hand, just in case.
When I got to the house, I yelled something incoherent. Somehow, Mrs. Shaw understood what I was saying and grabbed her interceptor kit. As we ran back to the location, I answered her questions about how long it had been.
Once we got the scene, Mrs. Shaw immediately began the interception. From time of death, there is only seven minutes to intercept the soul; after that it’s too late, and the soul is lost to us forever.
I honestly thought we were too late because it had felt like an eternity to me, but we made it. Looking back, I think it was probably a close call. Had Bobby not acted as quickly as he did, we would have lost Zoe forever.
Everyone is calling Bobby and me heroes, but I don’t think of myself that way. We all know that if CPR is being performed, the clock is ticking. Bobby is the one who kept his cool and knew what to do. And Zoe’s mom is a hero in my mind too. I can’t imagine having to perform interception on a loved one.
The funeral starts. Zoe’s mom and dad both speak. Bobby and some other friends each speak. I have chosen not to, mainly because I’m afraid I’ll cry and make it harder on Zoe. Even though the service is being held at my family’s church, the Shaw family has decided not to have the pastor speak. They’re atheists, so there is nothing he can say that will comfort them right now. The funeral is being held at our church only because it’s big enough to hold the anticipated size of the crowd.
Finally, it’s time for Zoe to speak. I pay close attention because I know she will ask me later for details on how she did.
“I want to tell all of y’all how much I’ll miss y’all and to thank y’all for coming to be with us during my time of transition. Thank you, Bobby, Evie, and Mom, for your quick action. As hard as this is right now, this really is a great place. I have a lot to explore here. It’s a new adventure for me. Even though this wasn’t the adventure I expected, I know I’ll come to love this place as much as I did our tiny town. I look forward to seeing all of y’all again one day. When each of y’all come over, I will have a welcome to the neighborhood party for y’all. No rush, though. I want y’all to enjoy a full life there.”
At this point, she starts to cry, and I kn