The rest of the shift with him continued apace, and the pair saw several animals and a couple more people. Amanda’s was the only notable soul witnessed that day.
At a quarter to two, the lights turned violet, and Markus looked over at Dmitri, as this was new.
“The next Liaison is here to get you, that’s all. It’s been good, man. Come to my door tomorrow fifteen minutes early, and we’ll get started, okay?”
Markus nodded and shook the proffered hand, getting up to meet the next Liaison. The door opened with a click, and in walked a very short, stocky man with stringy hair.
“Hey Greg! Good to see you, bud. This is Markus. Markus, meet Greg. Greg’ll show you more interesting things than even I can. Have fun, guys!” Dmitri waved as Markus left.
Greg was quiet and slow-moving. Markus noted that everything was deliberate and precise with him. From the way he walked down the hall, as if his shoes were a half-size too small, to the pattern of his breathing, everything seemed to be as near-perfect as possible.
Opening the door for Markus, Greg gestured for him to enter, which Markus gratefully did, and stood to one side of the door, allowing Greg to enter behind him, and shut the door. Looking around, Markus studied the new office intently.
Greg’s desk seemed to be hewn out of black granite, and his chair was simply a rustic three-legged stool. There were no other chairs to be had, so Markus made a mental note to bring a folding chair for the next week.
The rest of the office seemed to be devoted to various plants and herbs lining the walls and on shelves, some of which he was certain had never been seen before. The pots for all the plants appeared to be hand-made, and were richly decorated with primitive hunting scenes and tribal artwork.
“I like your office, Greg. It feels… warm. Homey. You’ve done a fantastic job at decorating it, and making it indisputably yours.”
Greg nodded and smiled softly, arranging some paper on his desk just so, and looked over at Markus nervously from time to time.
“Are you okay? You seem a little wary of me.”
“Big. New,” came the deep-voiced reply.
Markus smiled and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I am kinda big. Not much I can do about it, I’m afraid. Is there anything you wanted to know about me or anything? I’m happy to help smooth over any concern you might have, Greg.”
Greg looked down and began picking at the hem of his simple, brown shirt with thick, callused fingers. Seeing his discomfort, Markus took a step towards the man, who shrank back in fear. Setting his jaw, Markus knelt so as to not appear to be looming over the much shorter man.
“Greg, I’m not going to hurt you or anything like that. I’d like to get to know you, as you’re going to be a coworker. I like being a friend to as many people as I can. It’s what drives me in this life. I’m not going to force you to talk. If you’re more comfortable just showing me what you do and how you handle things, that’s fine. I can learn just as well that way, okay?” Markus shifted so he could catch Greg’s eyes.
Greg flicked his eyes at Markus, then immediately looked away, clutching at his shirt. Markus stood and took two steps away from the stocky man, taking up a space near the wall. Greg visibly relaxed.
“I understand, Greg. If there’s something specific you want to show me, wave me over, okay?”
Greg nodded and looked up when the lights shifted. He rushed to take his seat, and pounded twice on his desk. From a slot in the side facing Greg, a small stone tablet slid out. Greg set up a folding easel, placing the tablet on it and turned it so it would face him.
Markus couldn’t make out anything on the tablet, as it seemed to simply be a shiny slate of black stone. As he watched, he saw markings appear on the tablet; markings which he couldn’t read. Not at this distance, anyway. A second stone tablet rose from the top of the desk, opposite Greg’s initial slate. This one had been polished to a mirror shine, and reflected not Greg, but the image of another person.
The lights shifted once more, and the door clicked open. In walked a woman who resembled the image in the second tablet.
“Name?” Greg’s gravely bass echoed in the office space.
“E-Emily Sharpe.”
Greg grunted an acknowledgement and scanned what had to be her file with a thick, stubby finger.
“You go out, left, immediate right, second right.”
“That’s it? I leave this office, take a left, then an immediate right, and it’s the second right?” Emily put her hands on her hips.
Greg nodded. “Question?”
“I’ll say! Where am I going? I get that I’m dead, but where am I going?”
Greg nodded and continued to scan the tablet. “Punishment. Third stage.”
“What? I’m going to Hell?! There has to be some kind of mistake!” Emily’s voice began to get higher and louder.
Greg checked again. “No mistake. Third stage.”
“What does that even mean? Third stage of what? Of how many? Why am I going there? Who even are you? What are you?”
“Greg.”
“Well, Greg, I’ll be sure to leave you a bad review! See if you get a raise after that!”
Greg laughed, causing Markus, who had heretofore gone unnoticed, to snicker. Emily simply directed her ire at him instead.
“And who do you think you are, laughing at me, like that, huh?”
“Markus.”
Greg snorted as Emily went red-faced and raised her fist, apparently intending to hit someone. When she threw a punch at Greg, her hand rebounded against the air, as if it struck something rubbery.
“Ow! Why does it hurt if I’m dead?” She rubbed her wrist.
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Greg sighed, and took a breath. Markus stood and held up a finger. “May I try to explain it, Greg?” Greg nodded gratefully and Markus clasped his hands behind his back as he paced slowly.
“Emily, you’re going to a Punishment hall. I don’t need to look at your file to guess why you’re going there. Since it’s only a third stage, I’m assuming you at least didn’t kill anybody, right?”
Emily nodded as she cradled her wrist. “No, I never killed anyone. Wanted to a few times.”
“As have we all. Part of being a person. Now, if you follow Greg’s directions, you’ll get to where you’re going, and can begin the potential process of getting out of the third stage Punishment and into a Paradise or a Reincarnation. Or Oblivion, if you’d prefer.”
Markus stopped his pacing at the side of the desk and glared into her eyes. “So what’ll it be? Continue to waste our time, or just accept your fate and move on?”
“And what if I choose to stand here and complain for the rest of eternity?” Emily asked smugly and crossed her arms.
Markus checked his phone. “Well, you’ll only be able to do that for the next hour and a half, actually. Our shift is up at that point.”
“I ought to, you know. You’ve been so mean to me and haven’t given me any respect. I’m a customer! You have to do what I say! You’re just customer service, so you better get your asses in line.” She smiled cruelly at the pair.
“Yeah, no.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. No. N.O. Spells ‘No’. I refuse to acquiesce to your suggestion. Means I won’t be doing shit.”
“How dare you!?”
“Pretty easily, actually. You’re dead, and you’ve not bought anything. We’re still alive and work here directing souls to their assigned afterlives. We owe you nothing. Not even courtesy. My friend here could have just given you directions and shooed you away, but he was gracious enough to entertain your audacity. I, however, am not.”
Emily sputtered in her indignation.
“Once you leave this office, and you will leave, you’ll take a left, then an immediate right, and then the second right you come to. Am I clear?”
The door clicked open and Emily grumbled as she turned. Once she was out, the door closed and the lights dimmed to yellow.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Greg! You seem to be a little uneasy talking to folks, and I’m here to learn. I’m also here to help as I can. Just let me know.” Markus flashed him a broad smile.
Greg’s face turned bright red for a moment, and then the lights shifted as the door clicked open, emitting a deer.
The doe looked around nervously as the door closed behind her. Greg cleared his throat softly.
“Cara?”
The deer looked up sharply. “Yes? How are you speaking to me?”
“Do not worry, Cara. It was your time. Do you want to return, or rest?”
The deer approached the desk timidly, her flanks quaking in fear. “It was my time? I’ve passed?”
Greg nodded sadly. “Return? Rest?”
“I… I lived for so long. I’m tired. How long can I rest for? What might chase me?”
“Nothing. Rest as long as you wish. Return or vanish if you want.”
“You mean I can rest for as long as I want with no worries?” Greg nodded at the doe. “Then I will rest.”
“Leave. Take a right. Third left. Keep going. See rest there.”
“Thank you, two-leg. Thank you!” Cara turned and ambled out the door, and the lights dimmed to yellow once more.
“Animals are easier, huh?”
Greg nodded. “They accept. People argue. Hard to deal with.”
“I understand, my friend. I’m beginning to see how hard this job can be.”
“You mean that?”
“Mean what?”
“Friend.”
“Sure! You seem nice, and interesting. I’d love to know more about these plants here, too. I’ll be your friend if you’d like. Hel, even if you don’t return it, I’ll still be a friend.” Markus smiled at the small man.
For the first time, Greg’s craggy face split in a wide grin. “Yes. Friend. Will talk after. Now is work.”
The lights shifted once more and the door opened. “Work it is, Greg!”
The pair continued with the job ahead of them. They saw a handful of people, and a plethora of creatures over the next hour, until the lights shifted to violet once more.
The door opened, and in walked an extremely tall, dark-skinned woman with an intricately woven pattern of hair atop her head.
“Jenny.”
“Greg.” Her voice was soft and had a distinctive drawl to it. Almost like she was from much further south.
Greg held his hand out towards Markus. “Markus. New man. Good man. Go with, Markus. She will teach.”
Markus walked up and smiled at the taller woman. “I’m ready whenever you are, Ma’am.”
Jenny nodded and headed toward the door.
“Bye Greg! I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!”
“Be happy, Markus.”
Markus closed the door behind him, seeing a smirking Jenny waiting across the hallway. “You don’t have to act nice, Markus. He’s used to people ignoring him.”
“I’m sorry? Acting? I’m not… I wasn’t acting, Jenny. I like the little guy, and I genuinely look forward to working with him.”
Jenny started walking toward her office. “Really? You sure about that? Once he thinks you like him, he won’t stop pestering you.”
“That’s fine. I’ve a friend whose son is a lot like him. It’s not a problem for me.”
“Huh. I understand that you’re not going to be working with me for another week. They just wanted to make sure you got a full eight hours of work today, so I was called.” Markus nodded his understanding. “Well, here we are, my office.” Jenny opened the door, revealing a room with more plants and several paintings adorning the walls.
Her desk appeared to be a simple wooden affair with a computer monitor atop it. There was a keyboard beside it, and the rest of the office looked cozy. Lived-in.
“Nice. I take it you've spent a few nights here?”
“And? What of it?”
“Nothing! Nothing at all. I can just tell that it’s been used as a home. That’s all. No judgment. Hell, I’ve already used my office as a hideout a couple of times.”
“You what?”
Markus nodded. “I’ve apparently got the whole traveling thing down already. I can go anywhere I want to, it seems.”
“We have a few. Show me your office, then.”
Markus shrugged and opened the door, revealing his austere office. “Not much to it. I have yet to decorate.”
He turned to see a slack-jawed Jenny. “How… how did you do that?”
“Uh… the same way you did when you came to work?” Markus shrugged.
“No! You opened a door inside this Space! That’s not possible!”
Markus shrunk inward slightly. “I dunno… I just did?”
Jenny shook her head. “First the Ancient One calls him a good man, and now this? Just who are you, Markus?”
“I’m just a guy, Jenny. Just a guy wanting to learn all he can.”
“Shut the door and get over here.” Markus shut the door and followed her to her desk, where there was a pair of waiting chairs. “I expected to see your home, first. And then be shown your office. That was…disturbing.”
“Sorry. I didn’t think it was such a big thing. Hel, I’ve gone to Death’s office the same way.”
Jenny’s face whipped around to his so fast she stumbled. “What the fuck are you?”
“I’m beginning to think I should keep that tidbit to myself, and at least look like I’m having difficulty.” Markus shook his head as he took his seat.