Black… or nothingness. One could call it a void or an abyss; the term wouldn't change its meaning. What is nothingness, and why it came to be? No one knew. But everyone had seen nothingness.
When one closes their eyes, they see nothingness. When they sleep, they dream of nothingness. One could say sleeping is no different than dying; just sleeping is a temporary visit to nothingness, while dying is permanent.
Rudy found himself in a place like that. He couldn't remember how he got there, but he was there. He couldn't see his body, nor could he feel it. He couldn't speak nor hear anything. Only his consciousness was present there.
"..."
"...y"
"...d.."
"Ru…"
"Rudy…"
"Rudy."
"Rudy!"
Rudy opened his eyes in shock and sat up straight on the bed. He took a few breaths and held his head in his hands.
"It's been so long since I had a headache. What's… was I dreaming of something?"
