It was an ordinary day, with birds chirping and a neighbour's dog barking, when Nikan Sanama opened his eyes in shock. His heart raced as he sat up in his bed, still feeling pain all over his body.
"Ahhh…. Don't bite me…."
He yelled, jolting sideways and hitting the ground with a thump.
Rubbing his painful shoulder, he glanced at his surroundings in confusion.
"Am I in heaven?"
But this place was awfully familiar. The realisation dawned on him all of a sudden.
"So it was real that heaven has many floors?"
He exclaimed in shock.
"With my luck, of course, I would be on the bottom floor. Look at this! God probably thought it was a waste of time to make me an afterlife lounge! just tossed me back into my old room! No upgrade or anything!"
Nikan groaned and raised his hands in protest.
"Why?!!! God? You want to tell me after putting me through hell, I do not even deserve to be in a luxury room?!"
As if on cue, the door opened with a bang, and a figure appeared in the doorway, silhouetted by the light.
"No way! Please, God! I was wrong! Tell your angel not to kick me out!!!"
Nikan closed his eyes and prayed in desperation.
"What the heck?? Why are you talking to yourself?!"
The figure stepped into the room, away from the source of light. Nikan squeezed his eyes and looked again at the door.
The sight made his body stiffen while his eyes widened in disbelief.
A young man stood there with his arms folded across his chest, looking at Nikan as if he were some loony.
"Big brother…." Nikan called in a choked voice.
His eyes began to sting, and a lump formed in his throat. But Before he could get fully emotional at the sight of his long-lost big brother, the young man, Navid, marched into the room and kicked his little brother's butt.
"Get your ass off the ground and get moving! Today we are going to help Aunt Shila to move into her new house."
Nikan swallowed all his sentimental words, tilted his head and asked.
"Do we have to work even in heaven?"
"Did you hit your damn head on something? What the hell are you talking about?"
Nikan slumped on the ground and wailed.
"I don't want to!!! This is not heaven, this is hell…"
Their Aunt Shila was the troublemaker of the family and before the Apocalypse, she had tormented them constantly by changing homes to get away from her exes.
All the good feelings he had from seeing his big brother went up in smoke when he knew his Aunt was also here with them.
"I tell Mom you are malingering to get away from the work."
"Don't use your fancy medical words on me!"
Nikan shot back, irritated.
"Why not? I am just making a diagnosis based on your signs and symptoms."
"Wait, what did you say?"
Nikan sprinted to his feet and stood across from his older brother.
"Mom? Mom is also here? Why? Shouldn't she be in the upper floors? What was the saying? 'Paradise lies under the feet of mothers…"
Navid smacked his little brother's head in annoyance.
"Don't even think about getting away from this! It doesn't matter how much you sweet-talk Mom; she would never let you get your way this time!"
"Awe... It hurts! Why are you still vigilant even in heaven?!!"
Nikan howled in a whiny voice.
"Cut the crap! Come on, Mom cooked your favourite food."
Hearing the word food, Nikan's stomach growled loudly.
Food…
Nikan pushed away his older brother and rushed toward the kitchen.
There, it was his mother. His gentle beautiful mother…
He cried out and hugged his mother tightly.
"Mom!!! I've missed you…"
Mama Betty froze from the sudden hug and glanced at her older son puzzledly.
Navid shook his head.
"Oh! Stop it. Is this another of your antics to get away from helping move furniture?"
Mama Betty said while tapping on her son's head with a spatula.
Nikan shook his head in denial, his eyes reddened while his throat felt tight from all the pain and suffering.
His mother...
"Hey! The food is getting cold! I made sour cherry rice with chicken, your favourite!"
Mama Betty gently pushed her son away.
Nikan sniffed, thinking who wanted food in heaven? Do they have their sense of taste?
But suddenly he smelled the heavenly aura of food and his mouth started to drool.
Noticing the table full of food, Nikan sat down in a swift motion and eagerly looked at the spread.
"Come on, dig in."
Mama Betty urged them while sitting in a chair.
Nikan grabbed the spoon with a trembling hand and put the fragrant rice into his mouth. Then, as if the dam was opened, tears fell from his eyes…
'Ahhh… this is the best. It's the same exact taste as he remembered!!'
Mama Betty and Navid looked at each other and sighed at the same time.
'Drama Queen…'
While eating their meals, the TV was on, broadcasting the news.
Nikan was savouring every bite of his delicious food when he heard a piece of news.
Shooting to his feet, he yelled with a mouthful of food, "No freaking way!"
Mama Betty smacked him and said.
"Don't talk while eating! Sit down!"
But Nikan did not hear any of it and dashed towards the TV, hovering over it while mumbling.
"No…no… this can't be happening! Why? How? I thought I had gone to heaven…"
Mama Betty whispered to her older son.
"What's wrong With him?"
Navid shrugged his shoulder and replied.
"New tactic to get away from working…"
Mama Betty nodded in understanding. Her youngest child was full of mischievous ideas to the point they were used to it.
On the other hand, Nikan knelt on the ground, praying.
"Please, God! Don't joke with me! If you brought me back to before the apocalypse began, at least give me something this time!"
On the TV, the reporter was talking animality about a strange phenomenon appearing in a hospital.
"It was reported that some cases with rabid disease had made a commotion in a local hospital. The casualty was fortunately minimised by the quick response of the police force."
Nikan knew that it was not rabies but a zombie virus…