AfterLife

by S. P. Cloward

  After introductions were made, Anne Marie grabbed Wes’s hand, guiding him to sit near her. The rest of the group quickly found seats also. “Wes,” Anne Marie said after the group had settled in, “I have decided that you should join us even though you’re new to AfterLife and have not completed your training. Emily tells me you have character, and if anyone can read new recruits accurately it would be Emily. So tell me honestly, Wes, what would you give to be alive again?”

  Wes thought of his conversation with Emily during their first soul-sync and the Truly Dead’s attempts to possess living bodies. He’d thought about it once or twice since, but hadn’t come to any conclusion. Living again might be a great thing, but was the cost a price he was willing to pay? Wes didn’t want a second chance at life if it meant someone else would have to lose his first chance.

  “To be honest,” Wes said, “I wouldn’t want to live if it meant I had to use someone else’s body.”

  “Even if it meant you could taste again and have no restrictions on your senses?” She leaned forward slightly to emphasize her next words. “Even if it meant that after taking just one life you would never have to feed off another antemort?”

  The last statement was something Wes had not considered. Would it be better to take the life of one person to spare hundreds of others from losing days at the end of their lives? Wes wasn’t sure. Life was life, death was death, and he was dead, at least by the world’s definition of life. No matter how he got it, the energy he needed to exist came from others. But to take an entire life – to rob another of the chance to live at all…? “I still don’t think I could do it.”

  Anne Marie studied him for a moment, then smiled and looked at the other Ancestors. “I told you Emily knew her stuff.”

  “You are right as always, Anne Marie,” William said. He smiled at Wes.

  There was a short silence as Anne Marie glanced around at the seated party. She appeared to be thinking about how her next words would be received. “The Ancestors have reason to believe the Atumra, or Truly Dead as some of us call them, have succeeded in their attempts to place a Mortui soul in the body of a living antemort. We also have reason to believe they intend to use this as an incentive to encourage Mortuis from our ranks as well as the ranks of other Mortui groups to join them.”

  Anne Marie paused and Caleb continued. “We also believe they are targeting antemorts with Mortui markers and turning them into Mortui recruits for their organization as well. We’ve been conferring on this all morning, and it’s our belief that their leaders have concealed motives. We recognize the recruiting strategies as an attempt to quickly draw strength to their organization, but we do not believe this is their ultimate goal. Unfortunately, at this time we have no clear understanding of what that goal might be, or what other plans they might be forming. One thing is certain – it does not bode well for either Mortui or antemort societies.”

  Wes looked at Emily, who appeared pained at the news. Her forehead was wrinkled in the center and her lips formed a thin straight line. Wes could tell she was saddened to hear they had finally succeeded with their attempts at possession.

  Caleb continued, “Although we don’t approve of Atumra practices or their views concerning antemorts as simply a food source, we have never really considered ourselves at opposition with them. The reverse cannot be said. They see our focus of living harmoniously with the antemorts as a weakness. However, with this new information we have decided it would be best to take an increased interest in their activities. Simply attempting to coexist harmoniously with them may no longer be enough if their movements develop into hostilities toward living society.

  “Daemon and Aimee, you are going to be given a new assignment in St. Louis. Your aliases won’t change, but you will have a new focus. Get with Oscar in Ops before you leave.”

  “Whoa, so we’re going to war?” Daemon leaned forward, supporting his elbows on his knees.

  “Not exactly,” Anne Marie answered. “We’re simply assessing the situation so we’re prepared to step in if we need to be the opposition.”

  “How do we expect to compete with them?” Aimee asked. There was no quick response to her question. “Atumra is an ancient organization that’s been around almost as long as people have been dying. Am I right to be worried about this?”

  Caleb nodded. “Absolutely you are. We should all be a little worried.”

  “We aren’t doing anything at this point except collecting information,” Anne Marie added.

  Aimee nodded even though it was evident she wasn’t comfortable with the new focus.

  “That’s all for now,” Caleb said, looking at Daemon and Aimee. Aimee nodded and she and Daemon got up and left the room. Caleb turned to face Wes. “Wesley, it is regrettable that your admittance to our organization should align with this turn of events, but it is no accident that you ended up with AfterLife.”

  “What do you mean?” Wes remembered what Anne Marie said about Jez making him a Mortui because she knew he wouldn’t be happy with the Atumra.

  “Anne Marie filled us in on the events of the night you died. We have reason to believe the person that made you a Mortui cares for you.”

  “Jez? How could she have feelings for me? She watched me die and left. She could have called 911 and saved my life! I don’t really see that as an act of caring. Anyway, our relationship was a sham. Everything I knew about her was…” Wes shook his head but didn’t finish the sentence.

  Anne Marie took Wes’s hand and held it. “I still think she left you because she cared about you. You can’t see it now, but she must have known you better than you think she did.”

  “If the need came to see her again, Wes, do you think you’d be able to do it?” Caleb’s voice was soft. “She could provide us with information, and if Anne Marie is right about her feelings for you, she might be able to tell us what’s going on.”

  Whatever he might feel for her, Jez’s betrayal still stung. “She was using me; I don’t see anything wrong with using her.” Yet hearing the words out loud made them sound wrong. If he was asked to do it, would he be able to follow through?

  “We don’t need an immediate decision.” Anne Marie had watched the play of emotions across Wes’s face, and her calm expression comforted him. “Right now, I want you to worry about getting adjusted to life after death. How are you getting along with Emily?”

  Wes looked over at Emily who had been quiet since they’d entered the room. “She’s like a sister,” Wes said.

  “Good.” Anne Marie smiled. “I knew you two would work well together. Now Emily said there was something else we needed to discuss.”

  Wes looked at Emily for a clue as to what Anne Marie was talking about. He wasn’t sure, but he had a feeling it had something to do with what had happened the night before. Emily didn’t look at him as she turned toward the Ancestors.

  “Yes,” she said. “Last night we discovered that Wes seems to be able to sync with people without having to connect with them through their eyes.”

  Wes watched as the Ancestors glanced at one another. None of them looked as surprised or confused as Emily had when he’d stumbled upon her on her beach. Instead, they seemed to be more shocked by the information.

  “I was just wondering,” Emily continued, “if you have ever heard of this sort of thing happening before?”

  After a moment Caleb took the lead. “Yes. It isn’t at all common, but there have been instances where it’s happened before. Tell me, how did you come to discover this?”

  “Last night Wes synced with me.” Emily’s eyes finally met Wes’s. “I was in my room and he was in his. I don’t think he realized or understood what he was doing though, did you Wes?”

  “No. I just thought I’d visit the beach where she took me while I was going through the rebirth process, and I ended up in her mind. I did deliberately sync with Vanessa, though.”

  “Who is Vanessa?” Anne Marie looked puzzled.

  “She was one of the girls I fe
d off last night when Emily was teaching me how to feed. I thought I’d…”

  “Wes isn’t really sure he synced with her at all,” Emily interjected.

  Wes could tell by the tone in Emily’s voice that she hadn’t planned on telling the Ancestors about Vanessa, but when he discovered he’d actually synced with Emily he knew his sync with Vanessa had also been real. Apparently, Emily didn’t want to share this information yet. Maybe she wanted to verify it first.

  The Ancestors were watching their interaction. “Like I said,” Caleb started again, “it has happened before. I’ve known Mortuis who claim it happened to them once or twice, but it was never anything they were able to repeat or control in any way. Have any of you known any Mortuis that have been able to do this?” He directed his last statement toward the other Ancestors.

  “Yes,” William said. “I knew one man a number of years ago who did it once but was unable to do it again after that.”

  “Usually a fluke thing,” Caleb said.

  Zach nodded his head. After the first quick look of shock, his face had remained expressionless during the conversation.

  “Well, I wouldn’t try to do it again, Wes. At least not until you’re better equipped to handle the experience.” Anne Marie lowered her head while still maintaining eye contact. The look caused her eyebrow to lift, reminding him of his third grade teacher when she’d confronted him about doing something bad in the classroom.

  Wes nodded. “That’s what Emily said.”

  “She’s a smart girl,” Anne Marie said and leveled her head allowing her brow to return to normal.

  “I should think that it’s nothing to spend time worrying about.” Caleb stood up. “It’s quite unlikely you will be able to repeat the act. Anne Marie and Emily are correct, however, and you shouldn’t try to sync in such a way for the time being. You still have much to learn.”

  Caleb thanked Emily and Wes for coming and wished them well as they began Wes’s training. Wes felt as if he and Emily were being ushered out of the room.

  “That Caleb is an interesting guy,” Wes said as he and Emily left the Ancestors.

  “Oh, you get used to him. He is definitely the most strategic of them. He was a soldier for the British during the American Revolution.”

  “Excuse me?” Wes almost tripped on his own feet. “That means he’s…”

  “Been dead for almost 250 years? Yeah, he’s the second oldest of the Ancestors at this Hub. Zach is oldest. Of course, there are other Hubs and AfterLife Ancestors elsewhere.”

  Wes tried to comprehend being around that long. What would he do with himself? The idea of existing for hundreds of years was kind of frightening. Still, partial immortality was the least of his concerns; how on earth would he handle seeing Jezebel again?

  Chapter 12

  “Have you really heard of that sort of thing happening?” Anne Marie asked Caleb after Wes and Emily had left the room. Her face was one of shock and it was evident she was alarmed by what had been revealed during the meeting with Emily and Wes.

  “I have,” Caleb answered, “but it isn’t common, and I’ve never heard of it happening with an antemort.” Caleb joined the three other Ancestors at the sitting area in the center of the room.

  “Emily said they’re not sure of that.” Anne Marie said. “It hasn’t been confirmed.”

  “That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen though, does it? The boy seemed sure.” William interlocked his fingers and rested his hands on top of his head as he sat deep in thought. “I did hear of it happening once between two Mortuis, but never between a Mortui and an antemort.”

  “It’s called astral synchronization.” The other Ancestors looked at Zach as he spoke. “There are spontaneous occurrences of it from time to time between Mortuis, but if Wes is able to astral-sync with antemorts, then it isn’t a spontaneous occurrence. He has an ability I’ve only ever heard rumors of others possessing. And that was more than 600 years ago. The rumor was of a man who was whispered to have the ability, but he was used as an assassin by the Body and eventually severed by some of the other Mortuis out of fear.”

  “So Wes could have an amazing gift, but also be in very real danger?” Anne Marie’s expression was one of concern.

  William lowered his hands from his head and folded his arms across his chest. “It is possible. If we can keep him safe through his training I’m sure he’ll be strong enough to survive, even if others might view him as a threat.”

  “We need to retain this one,” Caleb said. His eyes made their way from William to Zach, and then to Anne Marie. “He could be a very powerful part of our counter movements against the Atumra.”

  “I think we should just help him make it through his first few months before we decide how we want to use him.” Anne Marie gave Caleb a cold stare. “I do agree, however, that we need to retain him. I can only imagine what the Atumra would do if they knew there was someone who could sync with antemorts without looking into their eyes. The Atumra are doing everything they can to recruit the strongest soldiers. The last thing we want is for them to get hold of one that is not only able-bodied but can also astral-sync.”

  “You’re right,” Caleb said, conceding to Anne Marie’s argument. “Let’s help the boy through the training process and hope he’s as good as Emily believes he is. If he is incorruptible, we won’t have to worry about him leaving us for Atumra.”

  “I recommend we set up a conference with the Ancestors at the other Hubs to inform them of this as soon as possible.” Zach’s expression was as unreadable as it had been during Wes and Emily’s meeting with the group. “I’m sure they’ll be interested in knowing, and they should be involved in any decisions that are made.”

  “That’s probably a good idea,” Anne Marie said. She stood up and started walking toward her desk. “I’ll set one up for this evening. We will conference with as many as are available.”

  “I know you don’t want me to think of him as a secret weapon, Anne Marie,” Caleb said, “but you have to admit these are trying times. You know as well as I do that trying times always bring forth a champion. I have a feeling Wes may be ours when all is said and done.”

  Chapter 13

  “He’s awake.”

  Seth opened his eyes to see Doc standing quietly in front of him. He had been meditating only a few hours, but the room was full of light. The sun was now high enough to reflect back into the room from the windows of a nearby building, giving the light in the room a bluish tint.

  “Thank you Doc,” Seth said, getting up from his chair. “I’ll be there shortly.” Doc turned to walk out of the room but Seth stopped him. “Have you had a chance to compile your report yet?”

  Doc stopped and turned just inside the door. “Yes sir. It’s downstairs. I’ve forwarded the files to your computer and have a hard copy for you as well. The process is fully outlined as is the chemical composition of the serum. Nothing has been left out. Any Atumra group can easily replicate the process.”

  “Good. I’ll be down shortly,” Seth said, acknowledging Doc’s statement and excusing him.

  The successful transfer of Rahul’s soul to the antemort body was something to be celebrated as it was part of the larger plan to increase the Body’s hold on the living. Seth took a moment to look through his emails at reports sent back from soldiers – pairings of carefully selected Mortuis sent out to discover new recruits. Recruitment was still in the early stages, but had so far been successful. Soldiers were given names of prescreened candidates with the genetic predisposition to become a Mortui. That was the easy part, due to the Atumra infiltration of many of the labs and hospitals that processed blood work. The more difficult part was indoctrinating the candidate about the Mortui world and Atumra’s upcoming role in the new world order. Of course, this indoctrination took place after the soldier had taken the candidate’s life. Either they complied or they didn’t – if they didn’t, they weren’t left around for another group to snap up. So far, most complied, given the alternat
ive.

  Reading through the weekly reports, Seth came across one concerning a Wesley Lohmann, a potential recruit who had died prior to being taken by the Atumra and was instead collected by AfterLife. The information angered him. True, it was only one recruit, but he had little tolerance for failure. The pool for eligible Mortui was not extremely large – there were many who exhibited the recessive gene, but fewer with the dominant marker, and even fewer who were viable, strong, and healthy candidates. Each identified recruit was essential to the success of Atumra’s plans, and each loss extended the length of time it would take to reach their goal. In the meantime, the lost recruit was adding strength to AfterLife. AfterLife was always a concern even though he knew the Atumra had a member in their higher ranks who was keeping an eye on the operation. If the new recruit was one the Atumra wanted, he would ensure that he would be coaxed away from AfterLife in the near future.

  Seth made his way down the impressive wood and marble staircase that rose through the center of the building to the floor where Rahul was waiting in a sitting room off the main landing. A group of seven or eight Mortuis had gathered around Rahul, who was eating a sandwich from the bakery. Seth stood a little out of view and listened to the conversation.

  “It tastes even better than I remember!” Rahul said, “And I love the way it feels going down when I swallow. Every sensation, every touch is like new!”

  “Oh Rahul, you know what that means,” Seth heard Blake say, “now that you have your sense of touch back.”

  “I get to feel the rain on my face?”

  “Sex, man. When are you gonna get some?”

  The group of Mortuis began to laugh.

  “One thing at a time,” Rahul responded to the teasing. “I’m telling you, Blake, I can hardly stand the pleasure this sandwich is giving me. There’s no way I’ll be able to handle the love of a woman. I’d better wait a bit before I tread back into that territory. Let’s see, it’s only a little past 11 now so I don’t think I’ll be ready to really perform till, oh, 7 o’clock tonight.”