Hello there! I've been writing this story non-stop recently. I guess I'm excited to get to the end, even though it's kind of sad to think about. I just want to thank anyone who's kept with this story. A writer is nothing without readers, so thanks. Now to the story!
We had to pick Henry up to get him back inside, and even when we did, he didn’t stop kicking. The tears were falling down all our cheeks like waterfalls now.
Cory and Lena talked at the table about what our plan was and what we would do. I couldn’t hear them. It was easier to just tune everything out. The crying, the yelling, the overall pain we were all feeling.
That’s when things got worse.
You might be thinking, Alex, how could things possibly get worse? Well, let me tell you something important. Things can always get worse. It started when I went to the balcony, aka the last place I had seen Jordan. It was a nice view, beautiful even.
I hated it.
How could something be beautiful when everything’s going wrong? How could things like death be beautiful?
"There you are," a voice said. I turned around sharply to see a man in a black cloak. A Reaper, obviously. I reached for something I could fight with, but there was nothing. All he did was smirk. I had never met him, but I could tell he was proud of himself for catching "the amazing rule breaking Alex Quek."
I gripped hold of the balcony with both my hands, still facing the Reaper. He held his scythe to my neck. "Alex Quek, you are being brought in for disobeying multiple rules of the Afterlife. Do not resist." I resisted the urge to say that I had already resisted before. I didn't resist the urge to spit on his shoe though.
He looked down in disgust and I saw Lena and the others watching. Lena looked me straight in the eyes as if to say "What do you want us to do?"
I turned back to the Reaper. I couldn't outrun him this time, there was nowhere to go. And I wasn't going to get Lena and Zack caught because I made the stupid decision to go on the infamous kidnap balcony. "Don't do anything," I mouthed. Lena stepped forward, ready to completely ignore what I just said, but Zack stopped her. They had a mini staring contest before Lena backed down and Zack had a smug look on his face.
The Reaper grabbed me by the collar of my shirt which I had borrowed from Jordan (yes, it was a girl's shirt, but what did you want me to do? When I was buried I was wearing a suit, so no, I wasn't wearing that around town). The Reaper lifted his scythe. For a second I thought he was going to kill me and winced, but he didn't. He swung at the air, which seemed to cut open when he did, creating a long black scar. It opened and on the other side instead of streets I saw a fiery place. All I could hear was the agony of the people there.
"Is that a portal," I asked, trying to calm myself down. The Reaper looked at me, again with disgust. "It's not a portal, it's a gateway," he said.
"Isn't a gateway just a synonym for portal," I asked. The Reaper thought about it for a second. Then he shook his head and hit me in the back of mine. "You're trying to trick me. You are failing," the Reaper said. Then he pushed me through the gateway/portal/whatever you want to call it.
The place was even worse once I got there.
The land was black as ebony, with rocky mountains that looked like shadows, exceptionally tall so no one could escape. There were pits with fire on the floor, making it hot and humid. And the only way I can describe the sky was dark, with no stars and no lights except the ashes of the fire, which got into my lungs. I coughed, but I knew I wouldn't die, just suffer for eternity. That was the fate of anyone who ended up where I was now, the Place of the Broken.
The Reaper grabbed my arm and dragged me to some man I had never seen. "Death, here's a new one you can punish," the Reaper said, pushing me to the ground. I looked up at the man called Death and again questioned why death was beautiful. The man was handsome, even I had to admit. He gave me a smile. "Welcome new prisoner! And what would your name be," he asked, helping me stand.
"A-Alex," I said, barely mustering the courage to speak to this man, or as he was called, Death. I wasn't prone to fear, but he terrified me in ways I couldn't understand. Just his presence made me feel paralyzed.
Death shook my hand. "So, what did you do? Kill someone? Torture someone? Steal from someone?" I just shook my head. Death tapped his chin, thinking. The Reaper, who I had forgotten was here, opened his mouth to speak several times to answer Death's question, but Death shushed him every time.
"I got it! Your the kid who went to the living world after dying," he exclaimed. I nodded slowly, and he grinned. "Well, that is something you don't see everyday! I always get people who mess up in the living world, not ones who do so in the Afterlife. It surely is interesting. As for your punishment, I think watching will do."
"Watching," I asked. The Reaper smirked. "What a great punishment, Death. You never fail to amaze me. I would love to see this, but I got to go. Enjoy your own personal Hell, Alex Quek!" He disappeared into thin air, laughing at my bad luck.
"What's watching," I asked. Death looked grim. "I'll show you." He gently grabbed my arm and took me to a room. Inside was a big screen that looked like the TV I used to have when I was little, but this one was way bigger, flat, and not black and white. I looked at a bunch of men who sat watching the screen with terror and intrigue on their faces. I glanced at the screen and saw two girls my age arguing and crying.
"Lena and Cory," I exclaimed. Death nodded. "Everyone's been very interested in you and your friend's little story. It's the saddest and darkest thing we could find on the Death TV," he said, motioning to the screen. My hands clenched into fists. "So you people just watch us suffer?"
Death shrugged. "It's their punishment, watching people suffer. I pop in from time to time. I don't know if you would consider this a compliment, but I am rooting for your friends." I turned toward the screen. "Why are they arguing?" Death grabbed a remote. "Let's see." He turned the volume up.
"Cory we don't have time for this! We need to save Alex," Lena shouted. Cory shook her head. "Jordan is in mortal danger! Alex can't die, she can! I want to save Alex, same as you, but we need to think what Alex would want! We can't let our emotions get the better of us!"
Lena chuckled. "Oh, I'm letting my emotions get the better of me? Jordan is your best friend," Lena exclaimed.
I looked in the background to see Henry covering Will's ears. Zack scowled at the girls. "Could you all shut up," He yelled. They looked at the boys in shock.
"We need a plan," Henry said, still covering Will's ears just in case. Will couldn't hear, at least I don't think he could, but he nodded. I smiled. Maybe those 3 weren't complete idiots like they led me to believe.
"Our weapon is ready," Will said. "We can defeat the killer. We just need to get close to him." Get close to him, I thought. Spoke too soon.
I turned to Death. "I need to help them." Death looked down. "I know you're right Alex, and I want to help. But I can't." I crossed my arms. "Why not? He sighed. "Because I'll die."
I laughed. If he was here, he was already dead. He couldn't die again. "That's impossible," I said.
Death shook his head. "There is one thing that makes it possible. The Destroyer of Souls. If your hit with it, your soul is lost forever. You cease to exist at all." The smile melted right off my face. "Who would make such a thing?"
Death shrugged. "A God, A Demon, doesn't matter. He has it now."
"Who's he," I asked. Death looked...terrified. Who could scare Death itself (or himself I guess)?
"His name now is Jackson, but you may know him by the name Lee Parker," Death said. My legs failed. Lee Parker, the man who cheated death. The man who I now knew Death feared.
"The Blackout Killer's name is Jackson," I asked. Death looked at me as if I was a bear with a grocery store cart (that...was the weirdest simile I've ever made). "The Blackout Killer? Yes, he's cheated me, but he only was able to do so thank to Lee Parker, the original."
My eyes widened. The Blackout Killer wasn't Lee Parker. It was a man named Jackson. I thought and thought until I realized what that meant.
I only had met one Jackson in my entire life. You may not remember him because I didn't call him by his name much, but it would be wrong not to tell you.
It was Jordan's director. The man who wanted her dead was the man she worked for. Everything came back to me. That weird look he gave me when he saw me for the first time. How he was in those papers I found at the prison that said he arranged for someone to be killed (yes, I forgot about those papers. I've had a lot on my mind, okay?). It all made sense, terrible, horrible sense.
"I need you to take me somewhere," I said to Death, a new confidence bubbling up inside me. "Where," Death asked. I smirked. "The Grim Reapers base," I said.
"I need to have a chat with an old friend."
We're getting closer and closer to the end of this story! It's crazy to think the story of Alex and his friends is coming to a close after a few more chapters. But don't worry! I promise to make it memorable! Hopefully...
Question Time!
Did you expect the Director to be the killer, aka Lee Parker? If so, when did you figure it out and did you question yourself?