[ WP ] a small child awakes from being clinically dead screaming that it was empty and nobody was there . Soon similar stories spread from across the world and the truth slowly emerges ; there is nobody left in heaven .

The story had been sweeping the globe, but no one yet had the full story. 
 Angela had interviewed three patients from three UK hospitals who had been'gone' for between 4-5 minutes each and each of them reported the same thing; no tunnel, no white light, no sense of peace - just a yawning sense of emptiness and loss, and an underlying sense of something else that none of them had yet been able to put their finger on. Kevin Fenwick, 72 year old, died during a triple bypass, said that it perhaps felt like something was'anticipated' but could n't elaborate further. 
 Angela had considered hanging around the hospitals like a ghoul, waiting for more people to die but she did n't feel particularly comfortable with that. She was n't *that* kind of journalist. 
 
 So she'd engaged the help of her ex boyfriend and her University flatmate, both former med students, both now in medicine. 
 But most importantly, both easy to manipulate because they'd had an affair behind Angela's back and they both owed her massively. 
 `` This is bonkers, Ange,'' griped Warwick, `` truly fucking crackers. Even for you.'' 
 `` You're gon na do it it though, right?'' 
 Warwick cast a look at Yasmin, the former flatmate. 
 `` Yeah, we'll do it,'' Yasmin replied miserably, `` but you need to make it clear in writing that this was your fucked up idea and if anything goes wrong, we're not liable. Informed consent and all that, yeah?'' 
 `` Definitely. I've already got the documentation drawn up, signed and sealed.'' 
 The plan was simple; Warwick and Yasmin were going to drop her body temperature, stop her heart and let her die for a few minutes. During this time, Angela would try to observe as much as possible, to try and find out what was happening on the'other side'. 
 
 She was shivering and doubting her wisdom just before the first attempt. The bathtub was lined with icepacks and a swathe of medical equipment was on hand. Warwick had the defibrillator paddles in his hand and looked concerned. 
 `` Do n't you fuckin' kill me and claim I did n't come back,'' quipped Ange, `` I know how you'd like to get out of my bad books permanently.'' 
 `` Ready?'' 
 `` Ready.'' 
 Yasmin pushed down the plunger for the anaesthetic. Angela felt a bit wobbly, then horribly drunk. 
 Then nothing. 
 
 Blackness. 
 Loneliness. 
 Emptiness. 
 Angela had the faint sensation of bodily awareness, but she was n't standing on anything. It felt like she was experiencing everything through a huge wall of thick black treacle. She searched for the sensation that Kevin Fenwick had mentioned; the anticipatory feeling, and grasped a thread of *something* in the bitter, choking void. 
 She tried to reach for it, but her limbs were phantom sensations, not quite real - inhibited by the nothingness. 
 The void suddenly exploded in a rush into the deafening sounds of Warwick and Yasmin bringing her back to life; 
 `` CLEAR!'' Roared Warwick. 
 `` WAIT!'' 
 The steady, happy chirp of the heart monitor had resumed and Angela was back in the world of the living. 
 Warwick looked haggard. 
 `` I hope to fuck you found what you were looking for, luv.'' 
 Angela managed through chattering teeth, 
 `` We're trying again tomorrow.'' 
 
 Angela managed to convince them to put her out two more times, saying that she'd just find someone else to do it. She pleaded, promising that their debt to her would be erased forever. 
 They agreed. 
 The second time Ange went under it was almost the same; until right near the end she could feel her limbs and felt like she was standing on something. But then she was back before she could do anything with the sensation. 
 This time would be different though. 
 She could feel her bare feet in the infinite void and they stood on something cool and smooth. Angela fumbled around with arms that she could half feel now. 
 In the blackness they collided with what felt like a smooth sphere of metal - as cool to the touch as the unseen floor. 
 White and blue light exploded around her. 
 She was standing in a white room that was as infinite as the void had been, but she could see her naked body now. Before her on a plain white column hovered a metal sphere and from it fanned out a holographic display in blue light. She squinted at the characters, then found a phrase in English: 
 
 If you are reading this message, then the AfterLife simulation has suffered a critical error. 
 Details of the error are below. 
 
 Disbelieving, Angela scanned down to another passage in English which read: 
 
 Verbal interface available on request. Please say'Help'. 
 
 `` Help!'' yelped Angela. 
 A smooth, angelic, androgynous voice responded, 
 `` How may I help you Angela?'' 
 `` What in the bloody hell is going on?'' 
 `` The AfterLife simulation has reached maximum load. No new memory uploads can be processed.'' 
 Angela blinked rapidly. 
 `` Wot? Who runs this bloody thing? Who made it? Where is Heaven and God?'' 
 The voice soothed her anxiety as it spoke; `` The AfterLife project was conceived in the year 4393 AD after a hyperspatial time wormhole was discovered leading back to prehistoric Earth. As nothing that could interfere with the timeline could be sent back, scientists decided to take pity on their primitive, spiritual ancestors and create a post-life simulation; since memory storage and immortality technology was not available to primitive humans. 
 Unfortunately the data load and processing power required to continue running the simulation has exceeded design parameters. The designers did not properly anticipate how active the'faithful' would be in the afterlife simulation. Even 40th century technology could not cope.'' 
 `` So what happens now?'' 
 `` Now, I'm afraid you're all going to have to grow up and accept that there is no God.'' 
 
 Angela woke up in hospital, anxious faces hovering over her. 
 She had her story. 

