"Hey man, wake up," Jay said as he shook the young man's shoulder.
The young man slowly opened his eyes and squinted to see another young man in front of him.
"What's your name?" Jay asked.
"Uh...Zylen," He answered.
"How old are you?" Jay asked as he extended his arm and pulled Zylen from the slushy snow and as the others backed away.
"Um...a few days old...I think," Zylen responded while he surveyed his surroundings.
"I'm Jay and I've been dead for five years now...and that's Kaleb who has been dead for two years, and Loren who has been dead for six months now," Jay said while pointing to Kaleb, a scrawny young man with brown eyes and hazel- colored hair, and to Loren, a young woman with black long curly hair and dark green eyes.
"Nice to meet you guys," Zylen replied.
They began to walk on the streets covered with snow. The night was cold and calm, and the skies were undisturbed from any meandering clouds. Loren and Kaleb stared at Jay, the young man with the light brown hair and blue eyes and rather pale complexion, as he continued to speak to Zylen.
"So, why were you laying on the ground?" Jay asked.
"Honestly, I have no idea," Zylen responded.
"Do you remember how you died?" Jay asked.
"No, not really, I don't exactly remember what I was doing before I died either..." He replied.
"Don't you worry, eventually you'll remember. I didn't recall my death until a few weeks in," Jay said.
They continued to walk on the streets and besides the parked cars while the conversation went on. The window-sills of the tall brick buildings were layered with snow and the windows were covered with a thin coating of ice. As Zylen listened to Jay's words, he started to scrutinize the fact that none of them created any footprints as they stepped firmly into the snow. He also took notice that the drivers weren't at all bothered that they were walking on the road rather than the sidewalk. They had finally approached a decrepit building in which they entered. The ample room, Zylen, Jay, Kaleb, and Loren were in, had three chairs placed close to each other.
"Let me grab you a chair," Jay said to Zylen.
As Jay was pulling the chair towards the group, Zylen thought: "We cannot make physical footprints, but we can still grab and move a chair?"
"Go ahead, sit down," Jay pointed at the chair.
"So, how did you guys die?" Zylen asked the group.
"Come on Kaleb and Loren it's your time to talk for a bit...you don't expect me to keep talking do ya?" Jay said with a chuckle.
"Tell'em how you guys got here," Jay added.
"I'll go first then," Kaleb said.
"Well, two years ago when I had turned eighteen, I decided to come out to my parents. I was planning it for quite awhile. I had waited till my parents came home from work. Once they entered through the front-door, I was waiting for them on the couch. They looked at me a bit suspicious and asked me what was wrong. I simply answered that nothing was wrong and that I just needed to tell them something. So, they sat down and I just blurted it out. They didn't take it well---at all---especially my dad. He..." Kaleb paused and slightly turned his head to the side while ignoring eye contact. He took a breath and proceeded.
"My dad started to beat me...and my mom just stood there watching as she as well was angry and threatened by my dad not to do anything. I tried to stay as strong as I could...he thought he could just beat it out of me. As I started to bleed profusely, my mom tried to stop my dad, but, at that moment, I stopped breathing...and that's how I got here," Kaleb finished.
Zylen stood silent.
"Well, your turn Loren," Jay said as he gulped.
"My death was not like these two. Mine was, in a way intentional and accidental at the same time. I was twenty-years-old and in college. You see, I'd liked to hurt myself for pleasure. I had not only cut myself for pleasure, but whenever I felt a bit down and I needed to get happy again as well. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't stop. It wasn't all the time though...it went through cycles. At the end of the cycle, I was dormant, but once it started again...it was a cutting frenzy. Well, one night I used a new sharper blade I had bought and started cutting the top of my hands and on my arm, but not to kill myself, just to get high. Unfortunately, I bled more than I usually did...and...here I am," Loren said.
"Well that turned out a bit more depressing than I thought," Jay interrupted.
"I mean, damn it, let's take a break from this charade and move on to something else...being dead is already a downer. So Zylen, is there anything you've been wondering about?" Jay added.
"What you mean?" Zylen asked.
"About this...the afterlife," Jay replied.
"Oh...well...where do we go from here?" Zylen asked with a curious facial expression.
"Honestly man, you got me...I don't know. One time I heard about this guy who apparently was beaten to death and no...not Kaleb, Jay smirked, and then his spirit wandered around town until he got into a train to the supposed afterlife, but I think that is just pure bullshit," Jay said.
"So, are there more like us?" Zylen asked.
"Of course. Some like us form small groups and disperse to different parts of the city. But enough of the questions, we would like to show you around to see if you recall how you died and maybe I'll let you know how I died," Jay stated.
Jay, Kaleb, Loren, and Zylen exited the building into the city streets. Dawn was quickly approaching, and clouds were rapidly clustering together. Zylen had a swift overwhelming chill that made him look up at the skies. The snowflakes began to fall from the cluster of clouds and through Zylen, until they met with the ground. Zylen realized that his senses are at their most potent now that he is dead; an "ironic irony," he would have expressed during his time as a living person.
"You know, just because you're dead, doesn't mean you are free from worries..." Jay said.
"What you mean?" Zylen asked.
"Well, I'm quite sure you have never heard of the Soul Stealer. Right?" Jay asked.
"Ah, I don't recall---so no," Zylen responded.
"Well the Soul Stealer, as the name suggests, steals souls. You see, she every once in a while visits the other realm---you know where the living exists---and takes the challenge of stealing the souls of the living. I call it a challenge because it's not that easy stealing the soul of someone who is living as the soul is quite attached to the physical body. And if she succeeds, the physical body is left with no soul and so it's pronounced dead. But, she is found often in this realm, as stealing a soul from no physical body is as easy as it can get," Jay explained.
"Come on Jay don't scare him; you very well know we have only seen her once and from far away," Kaleb added.
"I know...but still...it's something to be concerned about..." Jay was interrupted.
"What the fuck are you looking at?!" A strange young man yelled while passing by the group.
"Don't mind him Zylen, he's just pissed because he died masturbating," Jay said.
Loren rolled her eyes.
"So, where was I? Oh, the Soul Stealer. Yeah, don't screw with her...or she'll fuck you up if she doesn't steal...you, literally," Jay stated.
"Oh okay, so who told you about her?" Zylen asked.
"Some guy who basically helped me out for a bit until I adjusted into the afterlife--but he's gone now--don't know what became of him. Oh, and one more thing, one way you'll know that she is near is that you'll suddenly feel very weak---you know how you felt when you got the flu when you were living---just like that," Jay added.
The following morning in the abandoned building,
"So...how did you sleep?" Jay said to Zylen while giving off a smirk.
Zylen smiled back assuring he got the joke.
"Did you recall anything from your death?" Jay asked.
"Uh, no..." Zylen replied.
"Ah, I was really excited to hear a new story for once...but what can you do."
"But even though I don't need any sleep, I do feel a bit tired," Zylen stated.
"Tired?" Jay asked baffled.
"Yeah, a bit weak...I guess," Zylen replied.
They both stared at each other and Jay's eyelids widened.
"Oh no, this can't be..." Jay said while he started to walk around in circles and shaking his head.
"This can't be what?" Zylen asked while he grabbed Jay by the shoulder.
"It's her...it's the Soul Stealer, she's near," Jay said.
"Are you..." Zylen was interrupted.
A tall woman with dark-colored hair with a pale complexion walked in. She approached Zylen and Jay as both of them became weaker with every step she made. Loren and Kaleb walked into the building and then into the room. After realizing who was in the room with Jay and Zylen, they hid themselves behind two large planks of wood that use to be mirrors.
"Hello there, I can see there is a fresh arrival from the Physical Realm. The name is Mishelle," the Soul Stealer said to Zylen.
Zylen and Jay remained silent.
"As I can see, neither of you are going to greet me properly, well that's fine. I appreciate the intimidation. But you Zylen, I need you to remember as soon as possible," she said.
Zylen looked at Mishelle confused.
"Don't you look at me like that...well...I shouldn't blame you...as dying can sorta boggle the mind a bit. I am going to give you a bit more time for you to remember...as I am getting impatient," she said.
"I have no idea what you are talking about and I have no intention to ever see you again," Zylen responded while raising his voice.
"Oh really? Well aren't you a tough boy? I guess this is as far as I am going to get with you today. We'll leave it at this, but as soon as you remember, I'll know. And soon as I'll know...I'll come back for you," Mishelle said as she began to walk out of the room.
Kaleb and Loren walked out from behind the planks of wood and joined Zylen and Jay.
"What was she talking about, Zylen?" Jay asked.
"Yeah, would you mind explaining yourself?" Loren added.
"Guys, I have no idea. I know it may be hard to believe...but I don't know what she is referring to," Zylen responded.
"Well...I guess you're telling the truth," Kaleb said.
"How can we be so sure?" Loren asked.
"We cannot be sure, but we do know that once you die you tend to forget not only your death but most things you did before it...so as if now we must treat Zylen as if he is telling the truth," Jay said while firmly looking into everyone's eyes.
Zylen briefly glanced into Jay's eyes and nodded a 'thank you.'
"Zylen, sit down. I know that you have been wondering how I died...so here I go," Jay stated.
Kaleb and Loren sat down as well.
"I was twenty-six-years-old when I died in prison. I don't exactly remember why I was there in the first place; the only thing I recall is dying of some sort of disease and spending a lot of time in the infirmary. I also vividly remember that I had a girlfriend and a beautiful little boy we had together... and as clichéd as this may sound, I would do anything to see them again," Jay said.
Zylen began to stare blankly at the floor.
"Zylen, is something wrong?" Jay asked.
"Um...no, just give me a second," Zylen replied.
Zylen got up from the chair and walked into a small room and closed the door as the others attentively watched. Moments later, Zylen gasped as if he's in need of air and grabbed his chest creating a knot on his shirt. He shut his eyelids tightly and fell to the floor.
Memories flooded his mind---of him on his knees in a puddle of blood. His hands trembling as he yelled: "I can't do it! I can't do it!" He places both hands on the floor only to slip and have his face meet with the bloody puddle. A voice in the background says: "Do it...or I won't reward you with the afterlife I promised, you did ask for this..." With some blood in his mouth and on his lips, he replies: "This is for you Mishelle...this is for you!" As Mishelle grinned in content that her deal with Zylen is being accomplished, Zylen stands up and a deep gash is revealed on his chest. He bends down and picks up a knife and points it right into the gash. With a few jerks of the knife on his skin and as tears flow down his face, he at long last makes a swift plunge into the heart and falls to the floor. Mishelle standing nearby, smiles and says: "See you soon."
The next day,
"Zylen...Zylen...can you hear me?" A muffled voice was heard.
"Zylen...it's Jay. You have been in there since yesterday, can you hear me?" Jay asked.
"Uh...Jay?" Zylen responded.
"Yes...we've tried to get you out of there for hours. But the door is locked, and you didn't reply; are you doing fine?" Jay asked.
"Door locked? But that doesn't matter...aren't we supposed to simply walk through them?" Zylen thought.
"Yeah... but my chest hurts a bit," Zylen replied quickly after.
"Oh okay, I guess you finally remembered how you died then," Jay said.
"Bring her in," Jay whispered to Kaleb and Loren.
Mishelle walked in holding a dark-colored scepter in her left hand.
"He's in here," Jay said while the others watched.
She reached through the door and tightly grabbed Zylen by the shirt and pulled him out. When Zylen met with her presence, he became weak at the knees and began panting until he fell on the floor. Still panting profusely, he asked: "What's going on?" He gulped and then asked: "And why aren't you guys weak?"
"Well, this scepter I have here is quite powerful. And if I want to actually have a humane conversation with a meaningless soul...I simply point and he or she doesn't feel as weak as before. It can also be done vice versa," Mishelle answered.
At that instant, Mishelle pointed the scepter to Zylen and his teeming weakness dissipated as swiftly as it appeared. Zylen got up from the floor and demanded an answer, "what's going on, Jay?"
"As you have clearly seen Zylen...being dead kinda sucks. You can't eat, you can't drink, you can't sleep, and most importantly you can't have sex...I mean for God sakes, I can't even jerk off. I died when I was only twenty-six, Loren when she was only twenty, and Kaleb when he was merely eighteen. As you already know I left my girlfriend and a beautiful little boy in the other realm and..." Jay was interrupted.
"Enough of this bullshit...what Jay is trying to say is that he and the other two bastards standing over there looking all scared, ran into me a few weeks ago and made a deal. The deal was that if they brought you to me, I would grant them a second chance in the Physical Realm or at life. I knew you wouldn't trust me immediately after you entered this realm, so to my disgrace I had to hire these fools to befriend you and lure you to me...as you had sold your soul to me in the other realm," Mishelle said.
Zylen looked down at the floor and avoided eye contact for a moment. He then raised his eyes and firmly planted them into Mishelle's eyes.
"I never sold my soul to you," Zylen stated.
"There is one inconspicuous detail I forgot to mention. As you may recall, you were undoubtedly going through a difficult time in your life and when I came to steal your soul, you were going to take your own life anyways, and so I decided it would be fun to trick you into sacrificing yourself to me with a vague promise of a better afterlife. But what you all don't know is...never make a deal with the Soul Stealer because your souls are instantly sold to me," Mishelle said as she pointed her scepter to Jay.
"Let's start with oldest one of the bunch, shall we?" Mishelle exclaimed.
The top of the scepter lighted with an ominous violet glow and Jay fell on his knees. Jay's soul began to change as he and the others scrutinized helplessly; the color of his body was fading while the form altered. His legs and feet dissipated into a puddle of liquid followed by the rest of his body. Moments later, Jay's soul had turned into a liquefied state where he was conspicuously unrecognizable. Loren and Kaleb quickly approached him and Mishelle stopped them with her scepter.
"You stay back now...you don't want to step on Jay," Mishelle said.
With the scepter still in place, Jay's soul was drawn into it.
"Another one for my collection," Mishelle stated.
Zylen remained at a distance as Kaleb and Loren faced Mishelle.
"Let's see...who wants to go next?" Mishelle asked sarcastically.
Instantaneously, Zylen sprinted toward Mishelle. As he hustled to tackle her to the floor to snatch her scepter, he missed and fell a distance away from them. Mishelle smiled while giving off a chuckle and said: "Oh, you poor bastard," Kaleb and Loren came up to speed, and Zylen signaled Kaleb to go for the scepter. Without hesitation, Kaleb went to push Mishelle only to have her dodge the impact. Zylen got up from the floor and had Mishelle's attention.
"What are you going to do? You're mine, don't you remember?" Mishelle said.
Loren proceeded to shove Mishelle to the floor and grab her scepter.
"No, he's ours," Loren said.
"What are you doing?!" Mishelle yelled.
Zylen, Kaleb, and Loren surrounded Mishelle while Loren pointed the scepter to her. The top of the scepter gave off an orange glow and Mishelle immediately lost her strength. She fell to her knees while yelling to the group and while her color began to fade. Her form changed with haste into a mist-like state until she was completely inside the scepter. The top of the scepter then glowed brighter and the souls in entrapment instantly morphed from their liquid state into their original form and released while leaving Mishelle inside. The souls went in all different directions while Zylen, Kaleb, and Loren watched. They smiled and looked at each other. Loren placed the scepter down at the floor and asked Zylen: "How did you know that was going to work against Mishelle?"
"I really didn't, I just thought I'd give it a shot," Zylen chuckled.
They all laughed with Zylen.
"I hope Jay is okay," Loren said.
"What is that?" Zylen pointed at a distance.
"Is that the?" Kaleb asked.
"Yes...that's the Physical Realm," she said while smiling uncontrollably.
"I think I know where Jay is..." Zylen said.
Zylen, Kaleb, and Loren, approached the portal to the Physical Realm and entered.