Jacob was a shy and timid kid who was always bullied in school. The bully would do all kinds of nasty things to him but he ignored them. One day, he climbed over the fence from the back of the school in order to avoid the bullies but they were there waiting for him. They push him around, back and forth like a toy. Jacob had enough and fought back, overpowering them with few martial moves he learnt from the TV. One day, he was on his way for an errand but he bumped into the bullies on the street. They were unsatisfied and unhappy that Jacob retaliated. One of the bullies pulled out a pocket knife and stabbed him in the guts. The bullies fled, leaving Jacob on the ground, bleeding in a pool of blood.
Jacob woke up in an unnerving place. Soon he found out that it’s the afterlife and he’s dead for real. Somehow he manages to find his way back to the living but he doesn’t know how. The wounds in his gut have healed by itself, leaving blood stains on his clothes. Jacob couldn’t understand what was going on and why this was happening to him. He was supposed to be dead but somehow he came back alive. Pretending that it’s just a nightmare, Jacob feint ignorance.
It was summer when Jacob’s father promised to bring him on a holiday trip. However, they met with an accident on the windy road by the mountain pass. The car turned upside down and Jacob flew out from the car. Once again, Jacob finds himself in the same place as he has been before. This time, he wasn’t alone as he saw his parents trudging their way to the back of an unseeingly long line. He tries to call their name and pulls them away but they are rooted to the hot scorching ground. Their eyes were cloudy as though they had lost their soul. Jacob realizes that he is in Hell. A reckoning force pulls Jacob out of that place which he woke up by the divider, just to find that his parents are both dead.
Professor Walker, who was their parent’s good friend who took him in and treated him like his own son. However, he had never once forgotten the incident that took his parents away from him. He could have saved them but something stopped him from doing so. He never spoke of this to anyone, not even Professor Walker.
Following Professor’s footprint, Jacob became an archaeologist, teaching in the same university as his parents and also Professor Walker. Soon after, the Professor got old and died. Jacob was depressed and lost. He went through the old files in his office and found something about a pendant which grants its rightful wearer with the power to travel between life and death.
Jacob left his job and everything else while moving away from anything that ties him to his happy memory. He got famous when he wrote a book which was then published and sold millions. He came back to the same city for one of his book signing events. There, he met Marielle who became the love of his life. Through fateful encounters and conversations, they fell in love with each other. Little did he know, Marielle has a limited lifespan and a disease which would collapse out of the blue. Since then, Marielle starts avoiding Jacob but he convinces himself that he still loves her.
It took him a while before Jacob managed to convince Marielle to open up to him. He proposed to Marielle while they’re on a trip in Greece which was one of the things she wanted to do in her bucket list. She agrees and they married in a church in the beautiful town of Greece. They continue to travel around the world but Marielle collapses and is admitted to a hospital.
The doctor said that the technology isn’t advanced enough to treat her and that she might not live long. The doctor advises Jacob to stay with her until the very end. One night, Marielle had her final breath. Jacob was angry and couldn’t understand why the god had to take away everything that’s precious to him.
Determining to save Marielle, Jacob wore the pendant for the first time and stabbed himself to death by the bed. To his surprise, he saw Marielle in hell and somehow she recognized him. Just when he thought he could get her out of there alive, Jacob senses something is wrong with Marielle as she starts losing herself. Jacob doesn’t belong there and if stay for far too long, he would start to lose his soul too and eventually trap in hell.
In order to save her, Jacob sacrifices himself by transferring his soul to Marielle. It barely kept her alive before she got out of the place. To fulfil her promise to live a good life, even without Jacob by his side, Marielle turns to his unfinished book, she posted it on the blog and gives his fans a chance to finish it for him. It became the talk of the world and with that, Marielle was able to live her life to its fullest. They were reunited in hell when she grew old.
As time goes by, they were reincarnated but without the memory of their past life. Fate works in a mysterious way as they bump into each other again as though everything was planned and meant to be. Yet, they felt a presence of an otherworldly being watching them from above, making sure that they do not make the same mistake twice.
Targeted Age Group:: 12 onwards
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I'm writing to share the stories with what it has to offer to the world. I'm hoping that it will engrave deeply into the reader's heart, floods with waves of emotions and heartfelt moments. The reader could incorporate the stories into their life, helping them to get through any obstacles in life.
How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
It came from my online research, movies and books that i have read so far. And also the characteristic that I wants the characters in my story to portray.
Book Sample
CHAPTER ONE
Jacob Remembers
The sky was crimson red. There’s hardly any clouds to be seen. It wasn’t the usual blue sky that Jacob could see from the window back in his room. The air was humid, which made it hard to breathe. Unfamiliar, blatant sounds echoed across the plain. This wasn’t a pleasant place to stay but it’s good enough if it’s just for a while, Jacob thought.
Jacob stumbled upon a concrete that came out of nowhere and before he knew it, he was lying on a hot, steamy surface which seemed to be searing through his skin. He could feel a body of weight slipping off his arm as he trips over the uneven surface.
Jacob looked down at his jeans and saw that it’s torn. Fortunately, he did not seem to be suffering from any fractures. Jacob turned his head towards the body that fell off from his arm and was a few feet away from him.
The body was dressed in a thin layer of blue cloth which looked like those worn by patients in a hospital. Jacob reached out his hand to the body but it was out of reach.
“Heeey…” Jacob wheezed, while looking helplessly at the body.
Whenever he tried to stand up, he ended up falling back to the hot ground. But this time Jacob could feel the heat coursing throughout his whole body, as if he was being barbequed alive.
“Help!” Jacob shouted. He hoped for any kind of help, even though he knew that there wouldn’t be any help.
Jacob was right. No one could possibly be passing through such a horrid place and still live until today. It’s been an hour. Jacob could barely felt his feet or anywhere below his waist anymore. He crawled towards the body which was a few feet away from him, with every ounce of strength that he had left in him.
He was shocked when he turned the body over. It was a woman with the face he recognized. This woman was Marielle. He began to come to his senses and remembered the reason of how she ended up in his arms. Marielle’s face was as pale as death. Her body was shuddering in cold.
“Marielle, wake up! Please wake up,” he said, with his hoarse voice.
He carried her and put her down beside a huge boulder which should be enough to keep them hidden and safe from anything that lived down here.
“So cold, your face is so cold,” Jacob nestled her on his lap and juddered her body. Yet, there’s still no response from Marielle.
“Marielle, you have to wake up, you can’t sleep here,” Jacob cried. Eventually, the heat caught up to Jacob and he fell asleep while holding Marielle close onto his lap.
CHAPTER TWO
His Past
A small and old looking apartment in the outskirt of Stockholm. A place which Jacob deeply resented. He had no choice but to live there for as long as he could remember. His family migrated to the town since he was small. Well, at least he has a place to shelter him from the rain and storm. That was what his parents thought.
Jacob was never really fond of the place, as everything seemed to alienate him for being alone and a bit peculiar from the others.
When Jacob reached the right age, his parents sent him to a school nearby thinking that Jacob could make friends and someday, maybe he could be someone. However, his parents did not know that he was bullied every day, even on the first day of his school.
It was the worst place to be for Jacob. Nevertheless, he did not skip school, as his parents had paid almost all of their hard-earned money just for his education.
“Why do I have to go to school anyway?” Jacob mumbled, while straightening out the wrinkles on his uniform. “Everyone will just treat me like an alien from outer space,”
“Hurry up Jacob, you’re going to be late for the school bus,” Jacob’s mum shouted. She had prepared breakfast, which was enough for her son to get by until school ended.
“Coming, Mum.” He forced a smile, while gobbling up his breakfast.
He had been using the entrance from the back of the school, as he knew that they would be waiting for his arrival at the main entrance.
The world sure was small, when he noticed the familiar faces who used to bully him during his preschool. They came to his desk and picked on him whenever a lesson ended or the teacher left.
No one in his class helped him. Instead, they laughed at him and encouraged the bullies to do the things that they were doing.
“I hate all of you,” Jacob mumbled and he could imagine shouting out these words at them. But he never did it.
Imagine a child who had to go through such a bad experience every single day, and there was no one willing to lend out a hand. He couldn’t help but to deal with it as he did not want to make a scene that could lead to more trouble.
He always went home with bruises on his hand, as they tend to vent their anger by hitting him whenever they had a chance. They would bring him to a place where no one could see and started to hit him relentlessly.
Jacob’s parents questioned him on how he got all the bruises. Tons of stress weighted on him as he couldn’t tell his parents the truth. Telling mum and dad wouldn’t do any good. They were already too busy with their work and this was just one less issue that they had to worry about.
“I fell off the stairs on the way home, mum,” Jacob said, without making any eye contact. They seemed to be convinced of the lies that he told.
Eventually, it took a toll on Jacob. He began to isolate himself from other people. I do not need them in my life. And therefore, I do not need to talk to them. He ignored every joke his classmates made while laughing at him. To his surprise, they stopped pestering him for a while.
He did not want to talk about his school during dinner time with his family. He would always divert the topic when they started to ask about his school.
“You are a great cook, Mum.” Jacob feigned a smile.
“The chicken tastes great with the gravies,” Jacob said with his mouth full of food.
“I can sense how great it taste with your mouth full of it,” his mum said. Everyone laughed at Jacob’s silly act.
Since he had no friends, he was always on the net. He came across an article about fending yourself from the bullying. Bullies like to bully because they are craving for attention. They will stop if the attention was not given. Jacob smiled as if he has found the answer to his problems.
Unfortunately, it did not turn out to be what he had expected. The bullies did not stop. Instead, it got worst as they could sense that he was ignoring them.
“Hey, talk to us!” they shouted. Jacob ignored them.
“We hang out with a loser like you every day and now you do not want to talk to us.” The bullies were getting a bit irritated.
“Let’s make him talk to us.” The other bully suggested.
They began to slap him and kick him. He tried to cover his head with both his hands. However, the kicking was getting harder each time. The pain was too much and Jacob let out a yell of pain.
The yell eventually alerted the teacher who was patrolling nearby.
“Hey, what’s going on there?” the teacher shouted. The bullies quickly fled the scene, leaving Jacob who was still in pain.
“Are you all right?” the teacher asked.
“I am okay. Just fell off the tree,” the boy gasped. The teacher brought him to the infirmary for medical treatment.
Jacob was relieved from the school so that he could rest to recover from the injury. He was able to reach home before his parents did.
He looked at himself in the mirror, looking worn out. The feelings of anger and, stress surged through his body. Why was I born for this? What have I done to deserve such a life? He looked for a rope and a chair. He stood on the chair, stacked up until it’s high enough for him to make a knot tied to the ceiling in his room. There’s a huge hallow between the knots which was enough to fit a head in it.
He held onto the rope and slowly put his head in. The minute he tried that, he quickly pulled his head away from the rope.
“What would happen to them if I leave?” Jacob said. “Are they going to be okay?” Tears filled up and blurred his vision.
“Will they cry?” Jacob wept heavily.
Jacob cancelled the thought of committing suicide. He couldn’t bear to imagine how his parents would be if he were to do that.
However, this doesn’t change the fact that the bullies were still out there. They hit harder day by day, until he could barely stand.
Once again, he tried to hang himself but he couldn’t do it, no matter how many times he tried. Every time he tried to put his head in the ring, the thought of his parents would come to his mind.
“Why am I such a coward?!” he shouts as he unties the knot and throws the rope to the furthest corner of his room.
He knew that it wouldn’t work. This could not be the right way.
Yet, he still needed to handle these bullying situations by himself. He needed to think of a way. There had to be a way. Jacob thought, while staring at the taekwondo belt that he had on his wall.
CHAPTER THREE
The Taekwondo Belts
Now we have our first runner up, Jacob. Jacob walked up to the stage to receive the medal of being the first runner up in the national tournament. He remembered how close it was for him to take down his opponent. I was this close to becoming the champion. He banged his fist softly on the table. The point was, with his quick feet, he could outrun the bullies when they pursues him.
“Yes, that’s it,” Jacob nodded his head with a little grin on his face.
At the end of the tournament, Jacob knew that they would be waiting for him at the gate entrance. He did not take the detour. Instead, he walked up to them as if they were his friends. He followed them to the backyard.
Didn’t I said run? Jacob mumbles, peeping at his silver plated medal.
“So suddenly you decide to befriend us and talk to us,” they said, while resting their arms heavily against his shoulder.
The weight of their arm felt so heavy on Jacob’s shoulder that he pushed them away to put some distance between himself and them. He hastily threw his bag beneath the tree and put up a fighting stance. He held up his clenched fist at the front of his nose so he could see them well. He thought about how he could fight them off if all of them were to come at him at once. And his instinct was right.
“You think you can fight against the three of us? There are the three of us and only one of you. You are outnumbered,” they laughed. But Jacob remained in his fighting stance, while staring at them intensely.
“Guys, lock him down!” The three bullies rushed towards him.
He knew what was coming. He reflexively shoved away two of them and landed a push kick on one of them. Then he moved left and right and dodged the incoming punches, just like how he did in the tournament.
Instinctively, Jacob lunged towards them and threw them to the ground one by one so they wouldn’t have a chance to fight back.
“We’re not done yet,” the bully said while groaning in pain after they found out that they got their ass kicked.
“Hurry up, let’s go,” The bullies fled the scene while crippling.
Once again, Jacob was left alone in the backyard. However, it was different this time as he was able to fight back. He was astonished by the strength that he had. Did I just do all of this? He never knew that he could overwhelm all three of them at the same time. It was the first time that Jacob came home without any bruises and he felt really good about it.
On every weekend, Jacob would dwells in his video games and books as if they’re his only friends. “Jacob, can you go and get some eggs and flour for me?” his mum asked. She was preparing dinner on a Saturday while waiting for his dad to come back from his work.
“There’s some cash on the table. Come back as soon as you get them,” Jacob took the money on the table and head towards the store which was two streets away from him.
He was on his way back while holding two bags, full of eggs and flour in both hands. He saw a few familiar figures walking from across the street. It was the bullies from the other day who got their asses kicked. This time, they have added more members to their group. He never knew that he would run into them so soon. They seemed to notice him and started to walk slowly towards his direction.
“Hey!” they shouted. Jacob tried to ignore them and walked away.
“Hey, we are talking to you!”
“Don’t you dare walk away from us!” They were getting annoyed.
Jacob was forcefully dragged to an alley. He tried to fight back like how he did the last time. However, this time, the bully pushed him to the wall before he could react, as if they knew what Jacob was about to do. The groceries that he held fell to the ground. He could hear the cracking sound of the eggs when it hit the ground.
“You still think that you could fight us this time,” the oldest in the group said with a grin on his face. He couldn’t move an inch with his body being pushed against the wall.
“We have yet to get payback for what you did to us.” The older bully took out a pocket knife and pointed it at Jacob’s face.
Fear took over and adrenalin rushed throughout Jacob’s body. He tried to resist and free himself with every ounce of strength he had left in him.
Seeing Jacob try to fight back, the bully got agitated and stabbed the knife right into his stomach. For a moment, he never knew what hit him as he looked down at his stomach.
“Arrrghh,” Jacob groaned, while lying down on the ground in the alley. His hand was filled with blood from the knife in his stomach.
He pressed one of his hands against the gushing rush of blood from the bleeding wound. He tried to stop the bleeding but it did not work.
“Help…” Jacob was begging for help. He was losing his voice.
“Oh My God! Dude! What have you done?” the bullies said, while looking at the puddle of blood on the floor.
“I don’t know. I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry,” the bully said with his hand filled with blood.
They were terrified, as they knew they had killed someone. They quickly fled the scene before someone saw them, leaving Jacob still lying on the ground, begging for help.
I think I am going to die in this place. Jacob went into the state of coma due to excessive bleeding. He was hoping to hear the siren of the ambulance.
CHAPTER FOUR
Visitor of The Abyss
Jacob was woken up by the sickening stench of carcasses. It smelled as if he’s surrounded by thousands of them. He thought that the smell was coming from him, but it wasn’t. The rotten smells wafted in every time he took a breath of air. Seems like the smell mingled with the air itself. He started to recall the fact that he was stabbed with a pocketknife and died of uncontrollable blood loss. Jacob touched his stomach at the spot where he was stabbed by the bully. Wait a minute. I can’t feel the pain anymore.
“Am I really dead?” Jacob felt confused. He clearly remembers that he was unconscious.
“Where am I?” Jacob muttered.
“What is this place?” He began to look around him, and felt uneasy. He was in awe.
He wasn’t sure whether it’s day or night. There wasn’t any sight of the sun. The sky was crimson red and the wind smelled like blood. I had never seen this kind of place on the TV.
“I’m sure this kind of place doesn’t exist,” Jacob said with a sense of pride, as he tried to brag about the knowledge that he had.
I had to find a way out of here. He wasn’t sure on how long he has been here. However, he knows for sure that his parents will be worry about him. There’s a time when he got lost in a mall and in the next minute he could hears his parents shouting their lungs out while looking for him.
Jacob wandered around with his soaking wet, grey shirt and blue navy jeans. There had to be an exit somewhere. He tried to use every knowledge that he had to find the possible exit. However, the further he walked, the more impossible it was to find the exit. Everywhere looked the same.
“My mind must be playing with me,” Jacob said. He sweated so much that his vision was blurred.
The air was so humid, it felt like it had reached a hundred degrees. This was the first time that he felt as if he had been in the most scorching place, Africa, even though he had only seen it on the TV. Every step he took burnt his feet. This is hell, Jacob thought.
“I can’t walk anymore.” He was exhausted and breathing heavily.
“Please someone… get me out of here…” Jacob was raving. There was no reply, with hardly any sign of life. He couldn’t envisage that anyone could have lived in such a place. He was crestfallen.
On the brink of giving up, a tall and huge door appeared before Jacob. If his mind wasn’t playing a trick on him, the door would just be a few feet away from where he stood.
“That must have been the way out.” Jacob had never been so happy about finding a door.
Jacob gathered all his strength and plodded towards the door as fast as he could. He could no longer sense the pain on his feet. All he could think about was getting out of here and back to his family so that he could have dinner.
“Finally, I am here. And now I can go home,” Jacob was smiling with a sense of relief. However, there was this long queue right before the door. There were figures of people who seemed to be lining up as if they were to buy a ticket to get through the door. He rubbed away the sweat on his forehead before it reached his eyes. Is my mind trying to play a trick with me again? Is there some kind of canteen?
He never thought that there were people who lived in a place like this. Or was it really people. He couldn’t care anymore.
Judging from the front, they looked as if they had done twelve hours of work, looking inane and lifeless. Jacob walked up to one of them who was about to go into the line.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Jacob asked while putting his hand against his shoulder. However, he did not answer but instead walked back and forth, while trying to get himself into the line.
Jacob felt that there was definitely something wrong with all of these people. No matter how you looked at them, they looked the same as ordinary people. They just didn’t responding to anything you said and did to them.
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