Okay, guys, this is gonna be a short story - only a few chapters long - about a girl working on the other side of the astral plane. It's not twilight-esque, as some people have said to me, its something that came up in a conversation months ago with a friend and I thought I should share it with the world. Vote, comment and fan me if you enjoy! All the best hopes, wishes, hugs and love, Azzella Xxx <3
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Don’t fear the Reaper… I’m not that bad!
The night was bright as I walked down the main road. The moon above us lit every corner it could reach, covering us it its eerie glow as the tree’s protested at the slight wing, singing along with each gush of air and dancing in the sky. I walked beneath them and paused, waiting for the right moment. This is where Emilio was going to die.
I didn’t have to wait long; not thirty seconds later, he walked around the corner, coming off the road and into the collection of trees, two girls in tow. One girl was brunette, the other blonde, both in skimpy outfits and wearing too much makeup – prostitutes.
“Why aren’t we going to your house?” the blonde complained, snuggling closer to him as he snaked his arms around both their shoulders. “Where are we going?”
“To heaven and back, baby,” he laughed, his voice slurred with alcohol abuse and sleep deprivation. “Come on, it’s not far…”
He walked towards me but not close enough to notice me, even though I was too well hidden to see anyway. They fell to the floor in a heap and the girls set to work, undoing his belt but getting no further.
“What’s the matter, baby?” the brunette asked, pausing with a hand on his fly. “Why did you-” She followed his gaze and yelped, moving quickly back, pulling the blonde with her. Above Emilio, the wind was rocking a hive loose, of wasps or bees I wasn’t sure, but it was nearly-
The air gave a final blow and the hive fell onto his head, exploding with a roar as its occupants awoke. They swarmed with a hearty vengeance and set to attacking his face and body, their stingers embedding deep into his skin. He did not even have the chance to scream before his allergies kicked in; setting off a reaction in him that could not be reversed or helped.
The whores watched on in shock, holding onto each other as they saw the man’s movements slowed then stopped, the creatures leaving his body and taking off into the air.
“H-h-hello? J-John?” the blonde asked, taking a tentative step forwards, seeing his red, swollen face and holding back a scream. “C’mon, Ariel, before the Pigs come!” they grabbed each others hand and ran, stumbling each step with their seven inch heels.
I waited a moment to make sure they were gone before stepping towards the corpse. Yupp. He was definitely dead. “Get up, lard arse, I haven’t got all day.”
A second or two passed before a transparent hand lifted itself, followed by an arm and, eventually, he stood, gaping at himself and me before turning to his lifeless body on the floor. “I-I… I’m dead?”
“Yeah, sorry-”
“Why? It wasn’t my time – I wasn’t ready!”
“No one is,” I countered, extending my arm to offer him my hand. “Now, are you going to cross over?”
“But I have so many things-”
And this is why I hated my job. They always wanted more time – time I could not give. They wanted answers and had questions and always argued back. Even the holy ones did. “Listen, you can either cross over now, or you can stay here for eternity. I shall not return for you. You will stay here, in the astral plane and exist – not live, or breathe or even talk to anyone ‘cuz they will not be able to see you or hear you... You cannot communicate. Over the years, you will lose hope, watch your loved ones die and eventually go mad. You will watch the decades pass by and see everything change. You will be dead – a ghost! Now, are you crossing over, Emilio Iglesias, or am I leaving your soul here?”
I was Emilio with impatient eyes as he toyed with his answer. He wore faded blue jeans and an old Sex Pistols t-shirt, with shiny white trainers, although they were translucent, they were becoming clearer. He looked so lost…
“I’ll come.”
I held out my hand again and he took it. Like a light had been switched, his head twitched to the side, like a deer under headlights. A portal of such opened, emitting such brightness it hurt to look at it. “That… That light can’t be for me.”
“It is. It’s time for you to move on.”
He released my hand walking in the direction, only to pause as two silhouettes appeared in front of it, outlining against the light. “My kids… but they’re…”
“They have passed on into the light.”
“They… want me to go to them,” he whispered, raising a hand to the darkness and rushing towards it. “I’m coming, babies!” As he reached the light, the portal darkened, twirling before disappearing into itself.
I sighed and let my powers assemble, forming a black fog around me and transporting myself to my next assignment, halfway across the country. As I stepped out of the mist, I stretched and gave a loud yawn no one would hear. Ten minutes wasn’t so bad for a reaping but it was ten minutes I didn’t have anymore. Not since the reapers were going missing.
I got into position and watched my surroundings, holding in a laugh as I saw it. A juggler was using swords instead of balls and held a kitchen cleaver between his teeth. In my line of work, there was no way this could end well…
But it didn’t; just as that thought crossed my mind, a man in the audience fell to the ground, clutching feebly at his chest as his heart gave in after years of torture. He was only forty, but nowadays age didn’t really seem to matter.
I walked to him, sidestepping onlookers and bending beside him, taking his hand. Yupp. He was definitely dead. I tried to lift it but it didn’t move. What the-
I looked up at the person opposite me who was holding onto the mans other hand. He had white hair and teal eyes, which pulsed with each squeeze of his hand. One of his hands held the man on the floors, the other held over his heart. As if on queue, a blue shimmer appeared over his hands, pulsing with his eyes and hand squeezes. “Come back to us,” he whispered, low under his breath so no one could hear it.
“What the hell are you doing?!” I squawked, leaning away from him as his head shot up to look in my direction, eyes searching for a voice he shouldn't have been able to hear. That wasn’t-
The man on the floors hand twitched in mine as he took a raspy breath, coughing as he tried to sit up, but fell back down. “My-” he began but was cut off by another cough.
“You are okay,” the man opposite said, looking back to the should-be-dead-guy. “What’s your name?”
“Chris.”
“Chris, I’m Luc. An ambulance is on its way so hold on there, okay?”
I couldn’t move. He was dead. As in, ready for reaper collection dead, not okay to bring back dead. What the hell had happened? Who the hell was that man?!
The man – Luc, I think he said - stood and stumbled on his first step, clutching at his chest. He took a few more steps and fell against a wall which held him up, barely. He rubbed at his chest again as his teal eyes turned amber, cursing silently to the air.
“Okay,” I muttered to myself, “this is well above my pay grade…”
