There was a day and night cycle in the cramped room they were in. This was something Shen figured out, when the lights in the room dimmed for an approximate eight hours. The rest of them thought that its was a power failure of some kind, but counting the time it took for the light to come back on, in the third day they spent there, he was convinced that the dimming of the lights was to signify a downtime for sleep. In other words, a night time. 

And that wasn't the only observation he made. He noticed the absence of a clock, but a circular ambient light that ringed around the room numbering 12 at its most brightest spots, the one bed, the six blankets even though there was seven of them, the ten hygiene capsules, the eight buckets and the eight chairs that circled around the only table and also piece of furniture in the room. 

When the lights dimmed, which was to his observation, a way the room alluded to a kind of night time and something all of them in the room keenly followed by sleeping in assorted places, he tried out his theory and luck at the terminal. 

12, 1, 6, 10, 8 and 8. 

///Error: INCORRECT CODE!/// with a loud beep that woke everyone up. "why don't you wait till we're all awake before you screw our chances genius" Dana chimed in with a yawn.

"How many more chances we got left" Riley asked him.

"Four more" he said. His voice was as quiet as a whisper, as if he was afraid they would reprimand him for his failed attempt but in reality they did not really care. As far as they were concerned he was the only one who seemed like he knew what he was doing. Who took notes and made observations- which was much better that how they'd been handling things. 

Shen took a blanket that was draped over a leaning chair and he searched for a place to sleep. Angela took the bed as always, Hayazaki and Dana slept, while sitting on their chairs. Kayode slept by the door, Surya and Riley slept on the floor. 

Although it was a decision that was made in an instant with no thought, Shen picked a spot on the floor that was very close Riley. He made a space for himself only a few inches away from her and being close enough to hear her breathe made him instantly regret the decision. He was too close, he thought, she would definitely be uncomfortable. 

He was about giving some distance when Riley turned over and pressed her head on his shoulder. At that moment everything stopped for Shen. 

He was frozen solid. He could feel her heartbeat pulsate through his arm from her chest, which pressed lightly against his arm. He could feel her breath pull in and out and then down the nape of his neck. 

He tried to push her away but she only tightened her grip on tell and then she muttered that since there was no pillow and his arms were extraordinarily soft, they would have to suffice. 

Shen felt the heat rise on his face. He couldn't pull her off his body but the fact that she was so close made his head swirl. He had made calculations on the possible relationships that could evolve in the closed space that they were trapped in- in the possible event that he could use it to his advantage, but a closeness with Riley is something that he had not accounted for. Openly.

Nevertheless, he steeled his nerves and pulled his blanket closer and spread them wide enough to provide him some comfort and Riley some extra warmth and with that he slept.

Because he was the last among them all to sleep and he had slept so late and so forcefully, by the time Shen had woken up, nearly all of them, even Gloria, was awake. 

The first thing he saw was Kay crouching in front of him, with a subtle but sheepish smile across of his face. Kay narrowed his eyes and shook his head in a mockingly disapproving manner. Shen was only half awake so he was not sure why Kay was looking at him that way until he saw Kay's eyes drift to his left, where he also looked and there Riley slept on his shoulders. 

A little bit of drool had escaped from her mouth and created a soft puddle on his shirt, and suddenly his face turned bright red. 

Kay shook his head again, this time, the smile on his face was larger, he pointed two fingers towards his eyes and then he pointed them at Shen as if to say, 'I'm watching you'.

Shen was about to say, 'it isn't like that, she just rolled over and slept on my shoulders' but before he could begin explaining himself, Hayazaki who had been standing behind Kay and giggling for the last minute made a shush sound and said, "don't get loud or else you will wake her" .His eyebrows wriggled. 

'haha lover boy' Dana called from behind them and they all laughed. 

Kay nodded in agreement. "guys, guys, Hayazaki is right lets all lower our voices. We don't want to wake her now, she seems awfully comfortable it'd be a shame really" and this brought on more snickering among them. 

Shen tried to rustle his way out of Riley's grip but every attempt he made only seemed to make her hold him tighter and then as a response, the teasing intensified. He was barely awake yet he was already so exhausted mentally he wanted to go back to sleep.

That was when Angela popped up next to both of them like a ghost from a horror movie. Her lipss were chaffed and her bloodshot eyes were staring at both of them. 

"She looks very comfortable, yes, she looks comfortable" Angela remarked in a shrill and manic voice. "Do you think its the shoulder. It's probably the shoulder". 

Angela used her palm to hit Riley on her forehead, which caused the other girl to jerk up. Eyes open and awake. They drifted to Angela and knew immediately that whatever happened, she caused it. So they both started fighting for the rights to sleep on Shen's shoulder. 

Shen looked worn out between the both of them. 

Kay made a suggestion that Angela sleep on the left shoulder and Riley remain on the right and Angela agreed. 

Now each arm was hugged tightly by both women as they slept peacefully by his side. Suryat said he wished he had a camera so he could take a picture of Shen's face. 

///////////////// later that day//////////////

They were all doing their thing when an red holographic hue, shot up in the middle of the room. The alert caught them all by suprise and they rushed to see what it was, even Angela, was was always sleeping, left the bed to check on what it was.

The alert said that they would be getting a new member in 10 minutes. A man from England named Alexander Wright. 

"So we're getting a new guy huh" Hayazaki said. "Poor guy".

....."Lets prank him" Suryat said. 

"How", said Dana. 

"I'm in" Riley said. And Shen followed suit.

"what are we talking about here, something physical" Kay asked. 

"Come on guys" Hayazaki pleaded but they were all already deep in their conspiracy on their soon to be bunkmate. 

When the ten minute timer went off, a flash exploded in the room, and suddenly a body had appeared amongst them, in a frightful state. The man, young in face and appearance, fell on the floor of the room like he'd jumped from an indescribable height.  He closed tight his eyes and held out his hand like he sensory organs were being assaulted.

He looked like a frightened child and Riley wondered if that was how she looked like when she first got to the spacehship,(they had decided calling the room they were in the spaceship).

All six of them sat on a half circular formation on the table like prospectors overseeing an operation. There was in an intense silence all around them. Their hands were held tightly in front of them, and their faces were devoid of emotion.

Finally, Suryat stood and cleared his throat. "Good day, young man" he said to their new member, "I suppose you have questions as to your how and why you are here".

"what happened-where am..." said the man, still disorientated. But his eyes were beginning to open and seeing the room about him and the six of them sitting in front of him like judged did not make him feel any ease. 

"You are were you think you are", Suryat said, "you are in the afterlife".

"that's bollocks" said the man who was still in an erratic state, "this is some kind of joke. It must be".

"You died correct" Suryat asked, but in a manner that denoted he already knew the answer.

The man's gaze lowered. He did die. 

"How did you die" Shen interjected and they all gave him a brief stare that implied he was ruining their flow.

"I jumped" the man responded. "Too many bad investments". 

"Oh" Suryat said, then he cleared his throat, "I mean we knew that already. Alexander Wright". 

"How do you know my name" the man asked, the fear settling in again. Suryat smiled and responded, along with the rest of them in unison,

"We are the judges of the dead. and the guides to the afterlife". They all said. 

"Really"? said the man as he looked around the whole place, "this dump is where the dead are judged? That's rough".

Kayode, Dana, Suryat and Hayazaki all stifled a laugh. 

"Of course" Dana said in a serious voice. "beyond that sealed door is two paths, if we judge you to be good, we will guide you towards the heavenly path, If we judge you bad, we guide you towards hell. You only pass our one test".

The man swallowed. "what kind of test is it" he asked in a low voice. 

They all stood up in a choreographed synchrony and in that frame pointed to the room where Angela slept.  Alexander walked to the room and they trailed behind him.

"What do i have to do here" he asked them. 

"Lay in the bed next to the woman" Shen said to him. "That is the only test you need must past".

"Anything else? Is that it?" Alexander asked them, his eyes was still wide with fear but there was a little relief in it that he did not want escaping just yet. 

"That's all. Lay in the bed and do nothing. And bear no impure thoughts" Dana said. 

"Oh okay, that makes more sense" said Alexander. "but that's nothing. You sure that's all I have to do".

"Hmph. Don't be so confident human" said Dana, "many men have tried at this and have sullied their sheets with impure thoughts, some even, with impure actions".

"Well I can assure you I am not one of those men" Alexander exclaimed. At that Kayode smiled and gestured towards the bed. 

Alexander's mood had lightened. He was eager to show all of them that the test was a no brainer, he circled to the side of the bed and noticed that Angela was sprawled out over it. He wondered if this was supposed to be part of the test, if they wanted to know if he was some kind of creep that would take advantage of a sleeping woman, he chuckled to himself, "scooch over woman" he said as he pushed Angela to the edge of the bed and made himself comfortable on it. No impure thoughts or actions involved. 

He looked at them with a triumphant smile and was about to ask them what heaven was like when he noticed that they were giggling. Holding their laughs in their arms, wheezing like hyenas, like demons. His mouth was slightly ajar, he could feel an aura of Sulphur and heat coming from his right. 

He looked to his right and found a woman with bloodshot eyes staring at him. The edges of her eyes had crusted into crystals  and there was so much of it that it peppered over her eyebags. Her lips were thick and chaffed hard. And she was angry. 

That's when Alexander knew a truth that the rest of them had known somewhat. That he was in hell.