Clocking in on Highway 118

Chapter 2: Specter Resource Manager

Chapter 2: Specter Resource Manager

The miraculous event, they hope, will lead to him waking up and being the same Dean they know and love. But this is only the beginning of our otherworldly tale. Dean is heading into a whole new world. A world where he will learn all the foundations for a good future. He will learn to be a responsible person. As he participates in a world full of authority figures. Dean will have no choice, but to listen to what they will teach him.

In this new world, the young man must clock-in with the rest of the working stiffs. Dean crashes into this new world, just as he left the last. The biker enters with nothing but the clothes on his back. The clothes he was wearing during last night's eventful ride manage, in some way, to stay intact. Dean blinks a few times before a man begins to speak to him. "Hello Dean, I regret to inform you that you have passed." Dean is not the type of person to pass anything. In fact, he is a high school dropout. A proud high school dropout. One who left the tenth grade with his middle finger high in the air.

The biker makes no grand entrance into this new world. In fact, goes unheard as he comes into consciousness. Dean glances around quickly, taking in as much of his new surroundings as possible. He appears to be in the middle of an office. Telephones are ringing off the hook outside the office door. The office window gives Dean a view of an office building of workers working their fingers to the bone.

The floor beyond the window is an unending sea of cubicles all in neat little rows. "Where the hell am I?" Dean demands of the man sitting behind the desk with the glowing computer monitor alight in front of his face. Dean looks over the man behind the computer. The man is wearing a dress shirt and tie with tan khakis. He is out of shape and slightly overweight. The man looks to be in his mid-forties, with thinning hair styled in an obvious combover.

The man takes a sip from his coffee mug before he continues. The coffee is tepid, but this doesn't seem to phase the man. The man simply offers this explanation for the young man's sudden change in surroundings. "Hello Dean, I regret to inform you that you have passed. My name is Mr. Stephens, I'll be your Spector Resource Manager, or S-R-M, for short. I'll work with you for the remainder of your time here in the afterlife. It is my job to assign you to a Location of Particular Importance, or L-P-I, for short."

"Hey bro," the biker waves his hands in front of Mr. Stephens face. In a desperate attempt to take control of the conversation. The Spector Resource Manager takes offense to this confrontational new arrival. With an exasperated sigh, he decides to say nothing. "Listen up, I said," Dean pauses to add emphasis. The man in black repeats the words, "Where the hell am I?" Mr. Stephens takes another sip from his coffee mug, smacking his lips with satisfaction. "Yes my name is Mr. Stephens and this is the afterlife."

"This is the afterlife. I'll be your Spector Resource Manager or S-R-M for short. Now, let's find you a L-P-I." Mr Stephens makes a few quick taps on his keyboard and a couple clicks of the mouse. This is the section of the document he was looking for. He turns the monitor ever so slightly; in an effort to allow Dean to see what the monitor displays.

The Spector Resource Manager clears his throat with emphasis. "It says here you died in a motorcycle accident. At the time, you were going at very high speeds on Highway 1-18. That's so sad, it sounds like a tragic accident." Mr. Stephens makes an attempt at sounding sympathetic, but it is paper-thin. The SRM takes another long sip from his coffee mug. Upon closer inspection Dean can see it features the words #1 Dad on the side.

Dean slams his hands down on Mr. Stephens' desk. "One of us is gonna be dead, if you don't tell me what I wanna know. And what I wanna know is, where the hell am I? And what the hell did you do to my bike?" Mr. Stephens loses his patience. Usually it doesn't take people this long to understand their circumstances. In particular, the fact that they have died usually sinks in at this point.

The SRM realizes he shouldn't discuss the afterlife with a complete idiot. This might cut into Mr. Stephens' lunch break, and he knows he only gets an hour to eat. "I'm Mr. Stephens. I am your Spector Resource Manager. It is my job to put you to work."

"And I have decided, according to your paperwork, that you will haunt Highway 1-18 as a ghost! Your hours are from 7 P.M. to 3:45 A.M. You will work 5 nights a week as part of your regular schedule. Overtime pays time and a half, but it is rarely awarded in your line of work. Goodbye and good luck!"

"If you will please escort yourself out the door here." Mr Stephens stands up from his desk and gestures toward the now open door. "I have another appointment waiting." He realizes that this guy is not going to give up any useful information as the biker walks through the doorway into the busy office. There are exit signs aglow with bright red letters. Dean follows the exit signs out of the office.