Rayen found himself unable to retort the words that the person named Plotter said. He ruminated upon the words, but it didn't make sense to him.
If he's dead, why was he clearly standing in this place?
He tried to look towards the words in the book again. Back when he was skimming over the contents, he wasn't able to fully read it but just gazed upon the words 'gunshot' and 'his last breath'. He wanted to make sure that what he read and heard was not a hallucination.
Yet, when his eyes darted upon the page, he heard Plotter's snapping fingers one more time. The page was ripped from the book and floated by itself. Invisible hands neatly folded the piece of paper in the air.
Am I dreaming or am I just schizophrenic?
Plotter's strange voice woke him up from his reverie. "You don't need to know more about this."
Rayen parted his lips, but he couldn't utter any words. There were many questions in his head: the strange powers, who really was this person talking to him, how this person knew about his past, and how is he standing here and awake if he is truly dead. It wasn't until only a few minutes had passed when a single word left his mouth in a daze.
"Why?"
"Hmm..." Plotter looked up as if contemplating how to answer. "Because I don't want to? So, from now on, you are hereby considered not dead!"
Plotter's tone had a sense of laughter and mischievousness. But unlike before when he just thought that this person was menacingly eerie because of his panic, he could also perceive a bit of anxiety hidden within it now that he had calmed down a bit.
Rayen was still unable to understand those complicated feelings inside Plotter's words and its implications. He wasn't even asking about what this strange fellow wanted or not, but perhaps just the word 'why' was really just too broad.
Why was he dead? Why did he wake up here? Why couldn't he remember how he died? Why? Too many whys.
"I know that you are too confused right now. But we can't allocate much time for you. Let's proceed with the interview."
Plotter clapped twice, and the toppled stool stood up on its own. It quietly placed itself under Rayen's behind just like how the paper from before was neatly folded in thin air as if there was an invisible person manipulating everything inside this room. This invisible person even pulled him lightly to sit back on the stool.
Rayen snapped out of his daze. He wanted to protest to Plotter to tell him everything. He couldn't let this person lead him by the nose.
He must really be kidnapped, and this person was just conning him to believe it. How could he even believe this weird person?
But what about his strange powers? It must be a trick...
"Can you tell me about yourself?" Plotter asked, still wearing a smile reminiscent to that of an excited fan who wanted to know everything about their idol.
Rayen had no intention to answer the question at all. Firstly, why did he even have to answer when this person already knew about it and had already written it on a so-called Life Book of his? Secondly, why is the question so blunt like a job interview question?
Plotter was able to sense Rayen's silent protest and sighed. "Please cooperate with me. This is a must process, and I have no control over it. You will learn everything once the time comes. For now, please just answer my interview questions."
Rayen pursed his lips, feeling a mix of apprehension and complexity to the incomprehensive situation that he was in.
"At least tell me what this interview is for," Rayen said.
Urged by Rayen's stubborn look, Plotter couldn't resist the request of his idol. "Fine... This interview is for a segment on a celebrity survival program that we are currently filming. And you are one of the participants."
Participants? Survival show?
The reason even brought more questions to Rayen's mind. If he was already dead, why was he participating in a celebrity survival show? No, the right question was supposed to be 'how?' Were dead people even able to move and film a show?
What the hell is really happening? Is this perhaps really just a prank after all?
"I told you. We don't have enough time for all of your questions."
Outraged by Plotter's words, Rayen couldn't help but snap out at him. "Are you playing with me?"
At first, Plotter projected a reaction that Rayen wasn't able to comprehend again. It was the same as when this person was trying to make his tone light despite hiding his anxiety. Rayen couldn't understand why this person was trying too hard to placate him as if innocent yet showing absurdity beyond the world's comprehension. It was too contradicting.
Plotter's eyes produced a slight glint while staring at Rayen's outburst, but he hurriedly withdrew that gaze and became resolute.
"No. I am not," Plotter replied.
"Then what the hell is really happening? Why are you saying that I am dead, but I have to go along with you and take on an interview?" Rayen screamed out of frustration.
"Because you have to," Plotter said calmly.
"But why?"
What was he supposed to believe? All of the things that this person said sounded ridiculous. He was eerily creepy like a stalker fan who knew everything about Rayen's life, but this person was also showing concern and anxiousness for him despite putting him in this strange place and situation without a clear explanation.
Silence prevailed from the both of them. With a scrunched face, Rayen tugged at his hair while trying to understand, but he really couldn't. He glanced at the quiet Plotter on the screen who was trying to avoid eye contact.
Realizing that he couldn't press Plotter for more answers, Rayen exhaled and tried to calm himself.
He asked one last time. "Am... Am I really dead? You're just kidding, right?"
"You are. I'm not kidding no matter how absurd this seem like."
They both stared at each other until Rayen gave up.
"I still don't get it. If we get over this, you have to explain to me what's really happening right now."
Plotter smiled again like a child who was finally given a permission by his parents and hurriedly nodded.
"Of course." Like an excited puppy, Plotter swiftly flipped through the question sheets he was holding. "So first question: Can you tell me about yourself?"
Rayen's lips twitched. Was he really going to ask this boring question in an entertainment show interview? Who will even watch this kind of thing? The participants were dead, the questions were bland, and the interviewer was a weird excited fan with superpowers.
"I interviewed my dead idol!" Are they gonna put a caption like this on their show?
Wait, was it perhaps I'm the only one dead participant?
Rayen still answered the question despite it being so tasteless.
"I am Rayen. I was a member of a famous band called Adrift..." Rayen stole a look at Plotter's face and continued his words. "... back when I was alive."
Rayen tried to probe for answers by adding those. Plotter nodded and asked another question as if not hearing the last words from his sentence.
"How did you become a member of this band?"
So, it seemed like he's not the only dead one.
"Back in high school, I had two friends who were so dedicated to music..."
Rayen answered in a daze every question that Plotter asked him. The entire interview was tedious and uninteresting that it seemed like this survival show will be a flop.
Anyway, who would even watch a show with dead participants on it? People in the afterlife? But Rayen wasn't interested with this at all. He just wanted to know the reason why he was here, participating on a celebrity survival show despite being dead.
How did he even die? He remembered he was on a concert. After that... After that, he couldn't remember. Plotter should know the answer. He said he was the one who wrote that Life Book of his.
After completing the interview, he was led out of the interview room to the retro-themed lounge once again. He sat on a couch and waited anxiously until he heard footsteps and the creaking of a door. He glanced up and saw someone opening the door he entered from the greenhouse.
A person who sported a wavy brown hair of chin length bob cut walked in. He had mellow brown eyes that glittered like golden pearls. His brows straight and added a scholarly temperament to the man, yet under his eyes were dark circles as if he hadn't slept for a very long time.
The man was speechless for a moment before raising his hand and waving it.
"Uh, hello?" he said.
Rayen nodded back and didn't bother with him again. I guess another participant.
He just wanted to talk to Plotter and ascertain his circumstances, not bother with other participants. He didn't want to talk to another dead person!
But the person clearly didn't think so. He approached Rayen and asked in a gentle voice.
"Um, do you know what this place is?"
Rayen shook his head. "I also don't know."
"Oh, okay..."
After that, the person sat beside him. Rayen froze for a moment before looking at the lethargic person.
"What are you doing?" Rayen asked.
"Trying to talk," the brown haired person replied.
Rayen eyed him a little bit before pulling himself away from him. He didn't bother with him again.
The room remained quiet until a click suddenly resounded in the room. The both of them looked towards the place it came from and saw the jukebox shining brightly with LED lights. Suddenly, Rayen remembered his experience and looked at the person beside him.
This might be interesting.