Disappear: Into Shadow

- CHAPTER EIGHTEEN -

The background cacophony, a whirring, buzzing, beeping maelstrom of noise, filled the offices of Fire and Brimstone. It was difficult to tune out, even for a Watcher. Ozah hated coming here and was always glad to leave it behind.

He had tracked all but one of the souls who disappeared after Rabdos' shooting spree. He found this last soul, an Indonesian woman, already working in a cubicle, buried under paperwork. A legal assistant in her former life, she was used to masses of paper crossing her desk at her old job. In Hell, she was clearly overwhelmed.

Ozah had followed her trail here from the foglands of Purgatory. For some reason, she decided on Hell. She told herself that she had not loved her husband like he deserved. She resented her children for the jobs she needed to work. She felt guilty for the many adulterous thoughts about a man in her old office. These supposed 'sins' amounted to a pittance in the eyes of Ozah. He had seen many a soul damn themselves to punishment for even less. He never understood why humanity held so much regret over trivial matters. His purpose was to help them when they needed it.

Ozah set about determining whether this was where she truly wanted to remain. In such a traumatized state souls had the tendency to become far more confused than normal. In sudden and violent circumstances, they often made poor choices after their life was snatched away. He stepped inside her cubicle and found her holding her head, moaning about the amount of work piled before her. Gently, he touched her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Are you sure you want to be here?"

She didn't turn around. "Yes I am." She said, staring at the heaped documents around her. "I don't deserve to be happy."

"Everyone deserves to be happy. You can choose happiness."

"How could I? I left my family alone. They loved me. I never returned their love. I never even told them how much I cared about them."

"That isn't a crime to punish yourself for."

"I need to atone for it."

"There are other ways to make amends. You don't need to be here."

She shook her head and began to cry, "I just arrived! How can I leave? I can't quit. My parents, my family will be ashamed of me."

"Your family wants you to be happy and at peace. They'd be far angrier at you for putting yourself through this hell than for leaving." Ozah said. His voice was soothing, peaceful.

"I don't know. I don't know!"

"You know. Why else would you be crying?"

"Because I'm a bad person."

"No, you aren't. You just made mistakes. We all make mistakes. What's important is what we do after our mistakes."

"Why are you telling me this?" She sniffled.

"To help you. If you want, I can take you away from here. There's a better place and an opportunity for you to learn from your past mistakes."

"Are you an angel?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"How would you know what it's like to make a mistake?"

"I've made my share. No one's perfect."

"What mistakes have you made?" She asked, facing him for the first time.