by Cege Smith
Carefully Ellie crept to Mikel’s side. She couldn’t see his face because he was facing away from her. She couldn’t even tell if he wore clothing or not. Every surface of his body was either charred black or a dark angry red. For a moment, she thought he might be dead and then she heard a harsh, wheezing breath wrack his body. She mentally chided herself. Real death was hard to come by in the Afterlife as she knew that all too well.
Kneeling down, Ellie winced, feeling sooty sliminess as she grasped the area that should be his shoulder and pulled on it gently. His body flopped over on its back, and she scuttled backward, not wanting to touch him anymore.
His head lolled over and Ellie found herself staring into a pair of deep blue eyes.
“What fresh hell is this?” Mikel’s voice was harsh, and it sounded as if it was being rubbed against sandpaper.
“It’s me, Ellie. I need your help, Mikel,” Ellie said.
Mikel began to laugh. It came out in spurts, and the movement wracked his whole body. He laughed even as he winced with pain. Then he looked back at her. “If you are real then get me the hell out of here. The pun is absolutely intended.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
David listened carefully to the man walking next to him, even as he took in the scenery all around him. After a short walk down a long white hall that held no other doors, they emerged into what David could only assume was a lobby area. There was a desk facing another large door, but no one sat at it. Every surface that he could see was an earth tone; a sea of tans, browns and greens surrounded him.
“Purgatory is the largest of the three sectors of the Afterlife,” Braz was saying. David detected a note of pride in his voice. “We can house three times more souls than Heaven or Hell. Not only do we take care of souls who are in transition, until it is decided whether they will go on or if they will go back to the Other Side, but we have almost that many again who serve here in Purgatory on a full-time basis.”
“Those people never go to Heaven or Hell?” David said with a questioning glance. He had only a rudimentary understanding of the inner workings of Purgatory.
“Never is a long time,” Braz said. “Let’s just say there are those who, because of the way that they left the Other Side, guaranteed themselves a bit of time spent here paying for the abruptness of their departure. They weren’t meant to be here at all, but because they are, we need to make sure that their mistake would not be made again if and when they go back.”
“Suicides,” David said. It wasn’t a question.
“There are those,” Braz nodded. “But there are others who have done things on the Other Side that toe the line between light and dark. One small move in either direction would send them one way or the other, but you find that the two H’s have a tendency to be a bit possessive, so it’s our job to make sure that categorization is correct. That can take some time.”
“The two H’s, huh?” David said wryly.
“I find that it’s difficult to speak of one without at least some small reference to the other,” Braz said with a shrug. His hand rested on the door in front of them, but he seemed to hesitate before pushing it open. “This place where we are, it strikes the perfect balance between those two extremes. While many would think that one of the two H’s would have more importance here, I can assure you that Purgatory is the critical piece that keeps life in the Afterlife running smoothly.”
“Why are you telling me this?” There were things that Braz was holding back; David was sure of it.
“You need to understand the larger picture, David. Ultimately, where you chose to align yourself could disrupt that very delicate balance that has been established here for a millennia. You are very special, but you already knew that.”
“So what, is this a big speech trying to sway me to your side? You want me to pick you and Purgatory?” David snorted.
“I suppose it all depends on the alternatives,” Braz said quietly. “You have free will, David. You can choose to go wherever you want when this is over.”
David realized that the older man, usually jovial and warm, had turned serious. His head was full of Linda’s words and the little that he knew about himself. He didn’t understand any of it. “How do I exist if I am not supposed to exist? Isn’t that a sign of something dark? Something evil?”
Braz sighed heavily. “I’m sure that’s what one side would want you to conclude. Just because you weren’t supposed to exist, doesn’t mean that the fact that you do isn’t a sign of anything other than what it is.”
“Which is what?” David’s voice rose. He was tired of the word games and double meanings. He wanted the truth.
“There is a reason you are here. It’s up to you to figure out what that reason is. Nothing exists in a vacuum. You have a greater purpose.” Then Braz pushed the door open and the bright light beyond stung David’s eyes. “Sit with me for an hour. Hear me out, and then I’m going to give you a choice, which is an offer I don’t think you’d get anywhere else.”
David wasn’t listening any longer. He stepped out into the light and let the warmth of the sun’s rays warm his skin. It seemed like years since the sun existed in his world. How long had it been? It was before Ellie accepted the deal that thrust them both into the Afterlife. David tried hard to remember.
That last day on the Other Side had been a cold, overcast late fall day. The days before that blurred together as his work at the hospital had kept him busy. He was sure that the sun appeared on one of those days, but he had been too distracted to notice. That bothered him now. It was something so small, but something that made him feel normal and human nonetheless. He wouldn’t take the sun for granted again.
He realized that Braz had stopped talking and was glad. The information was coming to fast. After leaving him in the dark, grasping at straws for so long, the people around him now seemed to be in a great hurry to tell him everything he wanted to know. But Braz’s words felt like a soothing balm on an old wound. If Braz was right, then David’s future wasn’t as hopeless as he had been led to believe. If that was the case, then there was a possibility that Ellie could be a part of it.
A slice of guilt swept over him remembering their last exchange. It blotted away the peacefulness he felt being in the sun. A future with Ellie in it was what he wanted. It had been what he always wanted. David’s eyes opened to an expansive green field. He turned his head to find Braz watching him.
“Not what you expected?” Braz asked.
“I don’t know what I expected,” David said.
“Purgatory exists in a different shape and form for everyone who comes here. Our job is to keep our guests safe, happy, and secure.”
“So is this a dream?” David turned in a complete circle and saw that the building they had just exited if it even had been a building at all, was now gone. They were standing in the middle of the field.
“It is a place of quiet and reflection. But the longer a soul stays here, the more discontented it becomes with its state. That is the crux of this place. It’s not the end, and no matter how pleasant we try to make it, the soul always knows that on the subconscious level. Until the soul reaches the place it is supposed to be, it will be at unrest.”
“That doesn’t sound very pleasant,” David said.
“What do you expect?” Braz smiled with arms outstretched. “This is Purgatory.”
“An hour. You said that you wanted an hour.”
Braz nodded.
“Fine, an hour.” He was energized. David felt a glimmer of something that he thought he had lost. Hope.
Braz touched David’s arm and then the scene in front of them melted away. David gaped as he found himself standing on the stoop of a low, flat building that looked just like the sea of low, flat buildings that sprawled out before him. The sky above was grey and sunless. The air was chilly. Everything was plain and nondescript. David was certain that if he were dropped two blocks away, he still wouldn’t be able to find his way back to the spot where he now stood.
“Have a seat,” Braz gestured to the stoop and then dropped down to settle himself on the top step. A windbreaker had appeared in his hand. He handed it to David.
“So this is what Purgatory really looks like?” David said as he gingerly slid the jacket on and then took a seat on the step two down from Braz. It was hard beneath him, but he didn’t mind. Every sensation that he felt was real and kept him grounded.
“Nothing glamorous,” Braz said, leaning back against the wall of the staircase. “We have a job, and we do it. Purgatory is an effective machine.”
“A machine? That’s an interesting way to look at things,” David said sarcastically.
“Purgatory is many things for sure. But the one most relevant to you right now is that it is part of the machine that keeps a balance to our universe. I told you before, and my offer still stands: come work for me and help us keep the balance in check. Your work would have meaning and purpose.”
“That remains the strangest job offer I’ve ever had,” David said.
“Your work on the Other Side prepared you to be here. You are a healer. You had deep empathy for those patients you served. But you were able to make difficult decisions when needed, decisions that meant life and death. Those same skills will serve you well here.”
“You said that I had a purpose.”
“I did.”
“What purpose?”
“That’s not for me to answer, David. Why do you think you exist?”
David sat in silence. The answer that came to him resonated deep within his core. He had never been so certain of the answer. “Ellie. I think I exist because of Ellie.”
Braz’s face lit up in a smile. “That’s good, David. I was hoping that you would say something like that.”
“If you knew, why didn’t you say anything? Why were you trying to convince me to work for you?”
“I could only speculate. To me, the coincidence of your joint appearances here in the Afterlife couldn’t have been accidental. You are bound together. So it’s only natural that when you settled on your true purpose, it would have to do with Elizabeth. If it didn’t, then of course I wanted you to remain here with me in Purgatory.”
David cocked his head. “You know something about her, don’t you?”
Now it was Braz’s turn to avoid David’s eyes. “There is much more to Elizabeth than meets the eye.”
“She’s in danger.” Again David wasn’t asking a question, but simply seeking confirmation to his existing suspicions.
“Yes,” Braz said. “But she’s been in danger since the moment she was born. Quite frankly, the fact that she still lives today is nothing short of a miracle.”
“But why? What is it about her that makes everyone so interested in her?”
“Just like you, David, Elizabeth straddles the line between darkness and light. It actually shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that the two of you were drawn to each other. Your neutrality would be like a magnet. But just as there are those who would like to align you with the darkness, so there are those that would like to do the same with Ellie. Imagine the imbalance that such a thing would bring.”
“Yes, based on what you’ve told me so far, it would be horrible. Bad. Catastrophically bad. But you aren’t answering my question, Braz. I understand my situation, although you’ve still been very elusive on the details of how. Tell me, why Ellie?” David demanded.
“If I tell you, then you are sworn to complete secrecy. There are too many who already know the truth of Ellie’s background.”
“That she’s a Ripher,” David said.
“As you’ve so recently pointed out, David, that’s the end result. To use your expression, the how is the real kicker.” Braz leaned forward.
David waited. He was impatient to know the answer, but he sensed that Braz had a flair for the dramatic and was enjoying stringing David along.
“Many years ago, shortly after I came to Purgatory, I became a transport. I spent many years traveling the waypoints and guiding the souls we found there to their final destination.”
Although David’s curiosity about Braz’s background was piqued, he didn’t want to know about it at that moment. He wanted to know about Ellie. As he opened his mouth to protest, Braz held up a hand. “You may not think this is relevant, but it is. Patience, please.”
David sat back and let the hard rock dig into his skin. He held his tongue and forced himself to listen.
“It takes a little while, but eventually a synergy develops between the three transports. It’s an uneasy camaraderie at first, but eventually it grows into something that approaches friendship. You spend so much time together that it is inevitable. I see it now even with my Lila,” Braz said. His eyes grew distant as if he was seeing something else. “Even though she says she despises Dane and adores Peter, the three of them are linked. They move together as one now that the bond between them has been forged. It is one that is not easily broken.”
David found himself drawn into the story despite himself. He was fascinated by the inner workings of this place, and if he was ever to find a home there, the more he knew about it the better. He had never seen the transports in person. Lillian always hid him away when they came to take the few souls who did journey to the Bradford waypoint in the beginning before the waypoint weakened and closed because Lillian and Joseph couldn’t muster enough energy between them to keep it open. With the waypoint closed, the souls stopped coming, and the transports didn’t return.
“The reason that I’m telling you this is because, during my time as a transport, I became very close with my counterparts from the two H’s. They, in turn, became very close with each other, so close that a romance blossomed. A romance that is strictly forbidden.”
Before Braz even said it, the shocking realization had already struck David. The irony. The awful irony.
Braz paused with a sigh and then continued, “Their names were Garrett and Milla, and they were Elizabeth’s parents.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
As Ellie watched in amazement, Mikel's blackened, scalded skin began to knit together. Although she was sure that the pain must be exquisite, his eyes never left hers for a moment. Long minutes later, the charred pieces began to fall away, and Ellie saw new, fresh pink skin underneath.
"What are they doing to you?" Before she could stop them, the words were out of her mouth. She didn't want him to suspect that she even cared. She told herself the question came from the same kind of morbid curiosity that doesn’t allow someone to look away from a train wreck.
"Whatever they want to," Mikel said, rolling onto his side. "Whatever gleefully wicked thing occurs to them. I'm sure there is a list somewhere, and if I had to guess, it's a lengthy one." He looked back at Ellie with suspicion. "Are you sure you’re real? Or are you just some new form of torture that they've devised?"
Ellie's forehead wrinkled. "I told you that I’m here because I need your help. I need you to tell me where I can find Max Turner."
Mikel chuckled again. "Definitely real, no question."
"What do you mean?" Ellie said.
Mikel cocked an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? I guarantee that if you were a figment of some bastard's imagination that they cooked up to get to me, they wouldn't be using it to ask the location of some obscure theorist who has an obsession with the waypoints."
Deciding that she really didn't want to explore that line of Mikel's reasoning any further, Ellie crawled closer to Mikel. "Are we alone?"
Mikel's eyes closed. "Alone is a relative term here. If you aren't going to help me escape, then you can just scoot along. I need to gather my strength before the cat comes back."
Ellie decided the man lived to speak in riddles. It was maddening. "Cat?"
Mikel's hand shot up in the air, and his thumb jabbed at his chest. "Mouse." He pointed up and swirled his finger around and made a jabbing motion at the darkness around them. "Cat."
The man's glibness rubbed Ellie the wrong way. She wondered how a man being tort
ured in hell could still manage to be so aloof and arrogant. "I didn't come here to rescue you. You manipulated me, used me for your own twisted power play, and lest you forget everything else, you were responsible for my ex-husband's death." Ellie made a mental note to ask Jake about that the next time she saw him.
Mikel shook his head. "You can blame me for many things, but I didn't have anything to do with the death of the late Mr. Coulter."
"You expect me to believe that?" Ellie scowled. She didn’t have time for his lies.
"In the end you'll believe what you want, but the fact remains that I wasn't a part of that."
"I've made this accusation to you before, and you've never denied it."
"Why would I have denied it? It helped serve the purpose of keeping you afraid of me. If I couldn't get you trust me, then I needed you to fear me. As you said, I had my own twisted power play to be concerned with, and you were an integral part of that plan.
A deep-seated doubt twisted in Ellie's stomach. "Jake had told me before he died that his dreams were haunted by images of both his death and mine. Then he died almost exactly the way he saw it in his dreams."
The corner of Mikel's mouth curled up. "You know as well as I do, Ellie, that the last thing I wanted was for you to be dead."
"You haunted him," Ellie spat.
"I did not," Mikel said calmly. He rolled over and pushed himself up onto his elbows. The movement caused a flurry of small black flakes to fall off his body. Ellie refused to be impressed by his chiseled forearms. She was glad to observe that at least some semblance of pants remained on his body. "Jake Coulter opened a portal to the Afterlife, and through it I found you. I had no further use for him. I ordered Lillian to retrieve you, who in turn sent David. Whatever happened to your ex after the point where I found you just tells me that something else found him afterwards. That imbecile exposed you to that thing as well. Now that is news that does concern me."
