The Devil, Inside and Out

A Brief Explanation About Death

Laura felt calmed as she walked through the light. It was like swimming but without having to stay afloat. Laura kept walking forward, waiting to reach some kind of destination. She began to close her eyes, as the light became brighter the farther she walked. Eventually her eyes were completely closed, only the light was so bright that it shone through her eyelids. She felt like she was being pulled back, like a mysterious force had grabbed her torso and was trying to stop her.

Only Laura was determined. She wanted to know what would happen. The force began to pull harder. Laura's skin warmed up to the point that it was burning. Her insides were melting. Her back was being ripped off. Her eyes were blinded, and refused to work. She had felt worse. She had felt her insides being ripped off, while dealing with heartbreak. She felt like she could get through any pain.

Eventually, the pain stopped. Laura slowly opened her eyes. The light was very dim now. She was almost cold. The things holding her back had given up. The only thing she could see was a wooden door, right in front of her. She stood in front of it, contemplating weather she should open it or not. She knew that she was dead. Perhaps this door would lead to paradise. Perhaps she would see Wayne. She grabbed the handle, turned it, and opened the door.

She stepped into a dark room. She could barely see her own nose. A light flicked on. The room was revealed to be a drab, grey, factory like room. In the middle of the empty room were two chairs facing each other. Death sat in one of them. Laura walked up to the empty, wooden chair. She sat down.

"I'm dead, aren't I?" Laura asked. Death laughed. It sounded like a pleasant death. How ironic that Death had a nice laugh. "You're not dead, Laura. I just want you for something." She immediately began thinking of various scenarios involving a job from death. "Will I have  to kill people?" She didn't want to kill anyone. Not after she had seen how horrible murder really was. She always thought of it as a distant, nonexistent concept. Now it was too real.

"You won't have to kill people. You will be a reaper." What is a reaper. Is it like the Grim Reaper? Would she become a skeleton in a dark cloak? "A reapers job is to hunt down corrupted spirits and exorcise them." This didn't really make sense to her, but she had one question burning in her mind. "Why me?"

Death laughed again. "I'm not entirely sure why I picked you. I just knew that you would be a good reaper when I saw you." Laura looked down at her feet. Death spoke again. "I'm going to die soon. You will be a reaper for the next Death. That is, only if you want to be." How could this girl die soon? Laura thought to herself. She didn't want to do any of this. "I'm sorry but I don't want to be a part of this." Death sighed. "Alright then. Just know that you will be hunted down. I can't guarantee your safety if you turn me down. Then again, I can't guarantee your safety if you accept my offer. I suppose I'll be seeing you. But I doubt you will see me as me next time we meet." At that moment she woke up.

She was in a hospital bed when she woke. Her mom and dad were standing next to her. They let out a sigh of relief when they saw she was awake. "We're so glad you're okay. But... Wayne was..." Laura remembered what happened. She began to cry. Her parents hugged her. "It'll be okay." That's what they said at least. They didn't know that they were being hunted.