On some date in June 19XX....

The morning had come, the sunlight crept through the window of the Godfather's bedroom, casting a gleaming light on the stained brown bed frame that he lay in.. Luis yawned before throwing his cover off of himself and dangling his legs from his bed. His body ached, and his mind weigh heavy.. but this morning felt a bit different to him.. the birds outside they chirped.. differently, his room even looked.. different.. but yet.. this was his room, he was in his bed at his Manor.. he shrugged it off and blamed it on the alcohol from the night before as he got up and headed to the bathroom to drain the main vein...

He stood hovering over the toilet for a few moments, feeling the urge to go, but nothing came out of him.. he glanced down and felt like he was relieving himself, but there wasn't a drop hitting the toilet.. scared he quickly jumped back and checked himself, but everything seemed fine.. what in the fuck was going on this morning...

Knock, knock, knock.....

"Boss, are you awake in there? It's Joe... there's urgent business you need to attend to.."

Luis quickly gathered himself and exited the bathroom, still in a bit of shock as to what happened, and what was going on.. He opened his bedroom door and smirked at Joe Delorenzi, his childhood friend and bodyguard.

"Sorry just not feeling myself this morning.. what is the business we need attending to?"

Luis was so beside himself at this point, he tried hard to recollect his thoughts but nothing was coming to him.. it's as if he woke up today for the first time, but not in reality.. Joe quickly debriefed him on the war that happened the night before, and that Luis was due to make a speech today on the shootings of Chicago and New York.. Godfather Tiny Tim and Godfather Angelo Lagusa were murdered he said, by his hitsquad.. but Luis had no idea what he was talking about, he was so lost this morning that he just nodded his head to Joe and shooed him away before closing his doors to his bedroom and walking over to the window and staring out...

Was this all a dream? Why couldn't he remember things and why did his body feel.. weird... feeling anxious he lit up a cigarette and quickly inhaled the nicotine expecting that light headed rush, but when it didn't come, he began to get worried... what the hell was wrong with him...

The time had come for Luis to make his speech, Joe had drug him down to this tall high rise building, Patangeli Inc., It was absolutely breathtaking when you came upon it by car, the sheer size of the thing, it was one of the tallest buildings in Philadelphia and the center hub of La Cosa Nostra these days after Luis took head of the council. The podium awaited him and all the cameras were flashing on the limo as it pulled up with large crowds of people flocking to the door as the Godfather's security attempted to push them all back as he exited the car..

They buried him in questions and Luis had no idea how to answer them, some were about his crime syndicate, others were about if the mafia was even real.. all these journalists here for him.. He knew he was quite important but.. why? Anything past this morning he couldn't remember.. Joe quickly escorted him up to the podium where Luis stood and looked out to the crowd.. it was pure silence for a few moments besides for the noise of the snapping of camera's as he tried to gather what to say... that's when it all came to him.. The words began to flow from his mouth and before you know it, his speech was finished and the crowd was in a uproar.. 

That was when someone gripped him by the shoulder and spun him around, it was Lust one of his captains, she smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek before heading inside the building, followed by a few other people he recognized.. Cecelia Briggs, Wayne, Petah, and last but not least his daughter Valencia.. He stood there for a few moments as he watched them all walk into the building, still unsure of himself.. and why he what was going on today.

"Alright boss, let's head inside for your meeting with the other boss' .. I think you have said enough here today" Joe mumbled as he began to escort Luis into the building

Luis shrugged it off and was just still chalking it up to the alcohol he had the night before.. that was until he got into the elevator and Joe pushed that button.. the whole thing went dark and when he finally came back to, everything was gray and black.. he lost all sight of color as the elevator began to rise floors and the dinging got louder and louder until finally the doors opened and Luis gasped as he looked out into the room and saw everyone sitting at the table.. he slowly exited off the elevator and approached the head of the table and sat down slowly as everyone in the room had eyes on him..

He glanced down as he did so and noticed his hands... there was no flesh left on his hand.. it was... bone... Terrified he jumped up from his seat and the rest of the room chuckled as their skin melted from their face as they all spoke in unison.

"Welcome to the Gray Zone Luis......"

The skin quickly fell from their faces as Luis stood there in horror, he had to be dreaming right now.. "The gray zone" what the fuck was that, it continued to echo in his mind as the group sat there still staring at him until one of them pushed a piece of paper across the table towards him and tapped on the top of the paper to direct his attention to those words written across the top.. It confused him, first off grey was not spelled correctly, but the rest of the page was blank.. His eyes shifted around the room before trying to speak...

"I -" 

Luis felt his voice leave him, the back of his throat felt extremely dry and his eyes shifted to the glass of water on the table before reaching for it and noticing his hands were completely bone.. He felt like his heart should be racing, but these.. emotions and feelings had somehow left him in the last few minutes.. it was almost as if he was...dead... He shook that thought from his head and replaced it with it was a dream.. yea just a dream.. you will wake up soon... The glass rose to his lips and he tried to drink the water, but instead of feeling.. well, full of watetr inside, he felt nothing... he set it down and glanced down to his body and noticed it soaked the tuxedo he was wearing.. The group began to laugh again as he looked up at them and began trying to wake himself up.. that was until someone spoke again...

"Luis, you are not going to wake up.. you are here now. This is not a dream.. this is the place between the living and the dead, that in which we call "The Gray Zone" ... "

He froze at those words.. he was not living.. nor dead.. so what was he then? Inbetween... he had so many questions but he still couldn't speak.

"In due time.. your questions will be answered. For now, you are here with us for the day so sit.. we have much to catch up on old friend."

This time the group spoke in unison again, Luis could see the bullet holes that filled their skeletons.. was that his doing? Did all of his friends end up dying because of him.. perhaps this was his punishment for the many people he had killed.. No.. theres no way... its was just a dream!! He closed his eyes and blinked open again but he was still in the same room... maybe he was really dead....

Luis took his seat again slowly, keeping his eyes on his dead friends, or atleast they looked dead to him, but so was he.. this fucking place was a huge weigh on the mind and he still was unsure of it all, but those questions still needed to be answered.. He let out a deep sigh and tried to speak again, still unable to find his words he reached his hand up to his mouth and began to feel around.. his tongue! Where in the hell was his tongue.. no wonder he couldn't speak.. 

His fingers ran along his mouth, it felt dry again and hallow, a clear sign that his face was too without skin just as the rest of his body.. he lowered it down onto the paper still sitting in front of him and tapped on the emptiness of the page as he glanced around at all their faces, he was still unsure why they could speak and not him but for now he was gonna roll with it...

"Ah yes, the page is blank.. no need for you to speak. We are in your mind Luis.." the group chuckled again in unison before continuing

"The blank space represents time.. the time you have left to spend here, and the time you still have yet to spend out.. there"

Luis looked at where they pointed, back towards the elevator he got off before returning their gaze back to him..

"You are here because it wasn't deemed your time to die yet.. and so, back from whence you came you shall go..."

The group stood up, which caused Luis himself to jump up from his seat as they slowly began to make there way too him, he frantically began to exit the room as they hobbled towards him with their arms extended like zombies ready to eat him, even his bodyguard Joe turned into one of these walking dead and was now chasing him towards the elevator.. He tapped the button three or four times before hearing a distinct voice call out to him from down the hall.. 

"Luis, where do you think your going.. your gonna miss your dance!"

He knew that voice well but he didn't raise his head down the hall, knowing she wasn't going to look the same in her skeleton form, that's when the loud ding came and the doors opened and he quickly shuffled onto it and pressed the lobby floor button over and over again until he looked up and saw her and the bullet holes riddled through her body, for the first time in whatever reality this was, he felt.. sad and cold, the tear formed at his eye as he saw her dead.. His sweet-

DING....

The doors shut and the lights went out on the elevator again as a loud whirring noise took over as Luis lost all vision again, back into the darkness he went, that was until another loud ding came and he opened his eyes and found, his vision was back, he could see in color once again.. his smell, his hearing.. he felt so.. normal... he slowly stepped off the elevator and into a abandoned old building, the insides were gutted out but still etched into the wall he read "Patangeli Inc" .. was his dream over?

He glanced down to his hands and began to run his hand over the other, feeling his flesh covering his hand and his heart beating a mile a minute, wait a second.. heartbeat.. he hadn't had that this entire time either? What was happening he thought to himself as he slowly made his way out of the front doors and was hit by the rays of sun directly into his eyes, stinging them immensely..

"Agggggh" he groaned as he sheltered his eyes from the sun

It took a few moments but his eyes quickly adjusted to the light and he lowered his hand and began to take in his surroundings as he took a deep breath and exhaled.. he smiled and slowly walked down the steps as he took in the fresh air and sunlight before stopping at the edge of the curb and pulling his pack of lucky strike cigarettes from his pocket and sticking one into his mouth and flicking open his golden zippo engraved 'LP' before taking a long drag off the cigarette and exhaling, feeling that light headed rush.. but somehow that was the only feeling he felt.. 

It was almost as if he was... reborn...

The invigoration in his bones was much of a welcome to Luis as he stood on the corner smoking his cigarette, but he turned back to the building and noticed.. It was completely in disarray, he recognized it well as his office but.. there wasn't a single soul in sight around it, and for good reason.. the thing was a crumbling mess. How in the hell did he emerge from there he thought to himself, he checked himself for any scrapes or cuts of the kind but found none, but did notice.. the youthful look in his skin today, remarkable what a long night of drinking does he said to himself with a slight chuckle as he took another drag and exhaled his cigarette...

A taxi turned down the street corner and he quickly flagged it down and hopped into the back, instructing him to take him back to his manor in the South Philly hills as he rolled down the window and continued smoking on his cigarette.. his mind still couldn't get that.. vision.. or whatever the hell happened to him as he took that elevator to go away, it was at the forefront of his mind and it stuck there the entire ride as he replayed that vision of getting onto the elevator over and over again, the look in her face, the bullet holes she was dead in his vision, Lust never deserved that kind of fate.. but no way, she was not dead.. he refused to believe it as he let off a deep sigh and shook his head before wiping the tear from his eye, it was all just some weird dream it had to be...

"Not to much further now, Mr. ?"

Patangeli, I quickly replied to the cab driver.. it was odd for me to even have to say this.. didn't he know who I was? Those journalist sure as hell were chasing him this morning, how is it that this common cab driver had no idea the head of the mafia was in his backseat, Luis' picture was practically plastered everywhere these days..The cab came to a halt and Luis reached into his pocket where his wad of cash was, but it was empty.. he began to pat around himself and much to his surprise, found his wallet in his back pocket.. he never carried this what in the hell...

He slowly opened it and began to look through it before the cab driver barked again asking for his twenty dollars, Luis pulled the bill from his wallet and handed it to him before quickly stepping out of the cab and standing there in disarray again, this wallet was.. so.. old... why was he using this thing? He hadn't used it since he was a... young man...

"What the hell is wrong with me today... and where the fuck is all my security.. this place is a ghost town..."

He mumbled out loud before climbing his steps to his front door, it was in this moment he realized, where was Joe? Joe Delorenzi was at Luis' side since they were childhood friends, they went everywhere together.. He took and entire cab ride without even pondering this? He scowered his surroundings for a moment before hearing the door behind him creak open as a face stared out of it back at him.. Luis took a long drag off his cigarette and exhaled before they spoke...

"Who are you... and why do you look so much like..." the person froze and stopped talking as they realized exactly who it was

"What? who are you and what are you doing in my house? I've never seen you before..." Luis barked back at the woman

The woman screeched and ran in the opposite direction.. Luis stood there and chuckled before shaking his head, what on earth has gotten into her? He took a final drag off his cigarette and exhaled as he tossed it onto the floor infront of him and stomped it out before heading inside The Patangeli Manor...

The door loudly shut behind him as he stepped into his house, his loafers clacking against the hardwood floor as he took a few steps and paused.. something was different about this place, his coat rack was not where it usually sat next to the door.. and his table where he always had a bottle of Crown and Cork whiskey and glass... where was this? A door creaked again from down the hall and that same woman peered out from behind it and when she found Luis' gaze she quickly shuffled back inside of the door and shut it.. 

"I'm not going to ask you again.. what the hell are you doing in my home? And where the fuck is everyone.. JOE??"

Luis yelled out into the empty house, his voice echoing through it with the word 'Joe' before that same door creaked open again and the woman stepped out from behind it and gave him and very odd look as she tilted her head, Luis glared at her and pulled his gun from inside his suit and raised it at the woman who screeched again and put her hands up as she began to plead for him not to shoot.. he commanded her to explain what she was doing in his house before she slowly trembled the words from her mouth..

"Mr. Patangeli your brother Ron had hired me to take care of your estate following your..." she paused for a moment and glanced up to him slowly and began to tremble even more as the worth 'death' escaped her mouth

He slowly lowered the gun that was aimed at the woman as the began to take in her statement.. after his death? That was impossible.. he was standing here, now today.. alive.. he took his empty hand and began to feel around on his face and body, he still had flesh on his bones, his heart was still beating.. he was not dead.. he was alive! The woman still stood there trembling at the end of the hall as Luis still held that gun in his hand, wanting more answers.. he slowly put it back into his suit pocket and showed her his hands..

"What do you mean.. after my death? I'm standing here right now.. I went down and gave my speech this morning in front of Patangeli Inc.. I don't understand, why would my brother be hiring a groundskeeper for me?"

The woman's face became even more confused but she did note he put the gun away, she slowly took a few steps forward and pointed up onto the wall in the main room where now both her and Luis stood, he glanced up and noticed the newspaper article plastered in a frame..

"Luis...you died.. many years ago.. your brother just passed away last year at the old age of ninety five.. but your... here and you look so.. youthful.. I don't understand, you both were twins..." she mumbled to him as Luis looked up at the paper on the wall

"I don't understand..."

Luis mind began to race as he looked over the newspaper article, the front page news was "Godfather Luis Patangeli has been murdered in cold blood" .. murdered in cold blood? so his vision.. that.. "Gray Zone" .. was that not a dream? Was this not all a dream.. it had to be.. he turned and quickly walked over to the fresh newspaper he spotted on a small end table nearby the front door and quickly picked it up and shuffled it open to look at the date.. when he read it.. his stomach dropped.. according to this.. he was due to turn ninety six years old this year.. he threw the newspaper down and began to look over his hands and skin again and how youthful it looked before frantically running upstairs to his bedroom and into the bathroom where he looked into the mirror and this time, his heart dropped as he stared into the mirror...

"Holy fucking shit... I look...."

He touched his face and was absolutely astonished.. he was young again.. was he truly reborn? And what has happened all this time while he was.. 'dead' so many questions to be answered.. he flicked off the light switch as he slowly trudged out of the bathroom and walked over to his large window that overlooked the South Philly hills as he pulled another cigarette from his lucky strike pack and stuck one in his mouth as he sat down in the chair nearby as he flicked open his zippo and raised the flame to the end and inhaled...

"So, what happened to everyone else then.. has anyone else been reborn? Started fresh perhaps in a new body.. and if it was all true.. then.."

The large cloud of smoke exhaled his mouth as he continued thinking to himself, all those people in that room then he saw.. were dead.. were they still stuck there? They must have taken the elevator back out too just as he did.. it was in that moment he thought of her and how she chased him to the elevator, god he hoped she had made it out.. his eye formed another tear before taking another long drag and exhaling... she had to of made it out, and he was gonna find her...