Life after Death: The Afterlife of Hezekiah Chamblee

Chapter Forty-One: Palace of Dreams

Hezekiah's POV

Somewhere in Heaven...

"Hezekiah?"

"Hezekiah?"

I inhaled sharply, slowly opening my eyes to find myself with my usual gang, the archangels, the arch-demons, God, Lucifer, Salgiel, and Chance as we were in an ethereal church that was completely made of gold and glass. All I could tell you was that this church could make St. Angus back in Boston, St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, the Natural Cathedral in DC, Westminister Abbey, and even the Notre Dame in Paris look like cheap churches. "What is this place?" I asked aloud, looking up at the ceiling to see a ceiling that was made of complete glass.

"This is the Palace of Dreams," God told me as he and his brother came to either side of me. "Right at the outskirts of heaven, to be precise."

"I bet this is as close as I'll ever get to heaven," Damon remarked.

"That it is," Lucifer replied. "And this is going to be a one-time event given the circumstances. My Brother and I both agreed that the Palace of Dreams will be the perfect place for the union between Chance and Hezekiah."

"This is something else," Eva breathed as a small group of cherubs arrived with garment bags ans shoe boxes on hand. "I can't believe this right now. If only I could take a snapshot of this place so I can have something to remember this moment by."

"We'll make sure that you and the others will remember this sacred wedding," Michael assured her before an olive-skinned archangel with silver wings approached us. "What's  going on, Uriel?"

"Sir, we have a new arrival who is the brother of the guests here," Uriel said, his Arabic accent sharp yet melodic.

"Who is it?" God asked.

"Cameron Nathaniel Chamblee."

My jaw dropped. "Wait, what?" I exclaimed. "How can this be?"

"Send the boy here at once," God commanded. "What was his status regarding his place in the afterlife?"

"He was eligible for heaven, but it also shows him given a second chance," Uriel replied. To me, "Seems like the gunshot he took wasn't as serious as expected."

"Gunshot?!" Chance and I exclaimed.

"Who shot him?" Lucifer asked, eyes lit in rage.

The silver-winged archangel looked at the god of the underworld straight in the eye. "Leigh-Anne Chamblee, by orders of their parents."

Talk about another genocide! Looks like I'll have that reunion with Cameron after all.

************

"Surprise," my little brother said as he and I stood in a private room away from everyone. "Bet you didn't see me coming after all, didn't you?"

"Not at all," I replied, looking at Cameron as he was dressed in an all-white tuxedo. "I guess you saw how the Afterlife Station works, huh?"

"You mean how there's three different afterlifes and all that? Yep. One of the cherubs told me about how things worked. If the screen showed golden gates, it's heaven. If it showed flames, it's hell. If it showed a green screen with 'Second Chance,' then I was eligible to head back to Earth to finish my lifetime. Thankfully, I saw the gates of heaven before I got the 'Second Chance.' But I never heard of the Nexus version of the afterlife until everyone was talking about you and how you got there."

"Well, now you know," I replied. "And I guess you know how I died after all."

Cameron nodded. "My gut told me that you didn't commit suicide like Mom and Dad said. Even Minnie Jean and the other workers who left their jobs knew the real truth. Our parents screwed you over and treated you like garbage. And since I defected from them, they saw me as expendable and a threat to their so-called diamond standard. I can only imagine the hot mess that's going down back on Earth right now."

I wrapped Cameron in a big hug. "Thank you for not giving into their wiles,' I replied. "I know it's not easy and all with everything, but at least I know that you stayed to what Minnie Jean taught us."

"I'm never going to forget about you, even after you and Chance seal your bonds as soulmates," he replied. "I'm just sad that I won't remember all of it since I gotta go back."

"I know. It just hurts to know that I won't see you thrive on Earth and become a great man- someone who can live a life outside our family's impossible ideals," I replied. "But at least I get to savor this moment for as long as I can."

"How touching," Eva's voice cooed as Cameron and I broke from the hug. "Y'all are so cute together. And Hezekiah, you never told me that your brother was such a sweetheart. He must've gotten a lot of girls coming after him."

"I dunno about that," my brother replied, looking sheepish. "In a way, I kind of have a crush on a guy back at St. Anslem's for Boys in London. We're taking things slow as friends to start with. We're kind of young to go anything beyond that."

"Good to know," I told him. "I want you to maintain your priorities no matter what happens, bro. Remember to live while your young but also focus on what's important. Some things are worth waiting for."

"That's what matters the most," God intoned as he and the archangels came with a garment bag and a shoebox. "Now, let's get you ready for a bonding ceremony. You waited too long to make things official with Chance, My son. Are you ready?"

Cameron gave me a nod while I faced my birth Father- my actual father- with a small smile. "Let's get the show on the road."

Yes! It's time for a wedding, folks. But...not quite yet as we're heading to Boston General Hospital where a vigil is held over Cameron with Minnie Jean, Captain Slater, and even the Colemans in play with other allies. It's coming up next, so don't miss a beat!

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