A Date With Death

Death, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll

Thanatos sat on the bridges wall, his feet tapping either side as he straddled it, watching the water flow as well as speculating on the people walking by, oblivious to him. He was bored, but he didn't have a clue what to do with himself. His routine was the same, day in, day out. Collect souls and send them on their way to wherever they were destined to go. Occasionally he met someone who intrigued him, sparked his interest, but usually they weren't up for chatting much once they realised they were dead.

Miserable sods the lot of them. Its not like they just stopped existing, they went to whatever type of heaven or hell they believed in. Though Lucifer did seem to be getting more and more popular these days, bloody politicians.

He needed some fun. To change up the tempo a bit, preferably before he went completely fucking mental. Running his hand through his hair, he jumped off the wall, his New Rock boots pounding heavily onto the pavement as he landed. Stomping off to his next appointment, his head continued to whir, looking for ideas to mix up things up a little.

Mary Peters. Aged 34, drugs overdose. Thanatos read the file on his phone, checking the address before flashing into her room. There she was, laid out on her purple bed, needle in her arm. The drug already had knocked her out already. He waited. She would pass in a minute, but in the meantime he could amuse himself by playing snake on his phone.

Nate had seen this thousands of times over the centuries. But then, there wasn't many new ways to die. He had seen them all. Part of the whole being 'Death' gig. He had help, he needed it the way the world's populace had grown over the years. He had recruits everywhere, his own business. They were from all walks of life. Pixies, demons, elves, fae, a couple of vampires, and even a werewolf. All bored with their jobs and wanting to travel more. Well they got their wish, because working for him definitely built up their frequent flyer miles.

He slipped his phone away, quitting his game, and watched her take the last breath. Then he walked over and waited for that right moment, the exact time her heart stopped, and lightly touched her shoulder. In a few seconds there would be... yep that. The spirit suddenly popped out above the body, looking a little dazed and confused. As Nate wiped the bored expression from of his face, he thought about the way it all worked, knowing how it affected the freshly deceased.

Now, he whole dying thing was a process of sorts. As your heart stopped, after the last breath, your soul left, before the brain had actually finished its final thought. That was why souls retained memories and the ability to have feelings. Even when decapitated, although your body would be in bits, your soul wouldn't be, though you may be haunted by the feeling for a while after. That was why, as Thanatos stared into Mary's drugged, confused eyes, he could tell he would need to take this slow.

"Hey Mary" Thanatos said softly, as he smiled at her. Mary's eyes flicked to his, looking at him as her gaze focussed on his face.

"Wait, what? Who are you?" Mary spoke, looking around. She spotted her body and then looked back, her eyes widening in shock.

Thanatos kept the smile, holding out his hand so Mary could step out of her body. "I'm Thanatos, though most people call me Nate. My official title is Death. I'm here to escort you to your afterlife, dear. Any questions?"

Mary looked at him, shock numbing her tongue. She appeared to be frightened as she tried to grab her tongue, making Nate smile. Her eyes eventually flicked to his as she worked out the jumbled thoughts in her head. Eyeing Thanatos up, she asked, "Where exactly am I going? I didn't really have an afterlife plan." She was clearly in shock from it all.

Thanatos chuckled, explaining, "You were Christian as a child. So, as you haven't really changed from that, you will be off to Purgatory, as the bosses cant decide where to put you just yet."