Matthew was driving on the country road in heavy rain. He was coming back from a bad day of work, where half of his colleagues were absent leaving him working on the software, when his phone rang. The picture and the name of his big sister appeared on the display of the dashboard of his car.

“Crap. What does she want ?” Matthew questioned himself. He was not exactly on good terms with his family since last Awakening a few months prior and a phone call from her probably did not bring good news. He pressed the answer button on his wheel.

“Hello Joan. What do you want ?” Matthew asked.

“Hello dear brother. I’m fine, thanks for asking.” Joan answered cheerfully. 

“Yeah, yeah, Last time we saw each other, you explained to me how I was a horrible person because I did not follow the family at the Awekening service so I really wonder why you are calling me.”

“But for inviting you for the Great Prayer in two weeks, Matthew. Mom thinks you are a lost cause and Dad… Well, we both know he will not call you. I still think there is some faith in you and that you should come. I deeply regret what I said at Awakening and I hope you can forgive me” Joan said more seriously.

Matthew did not believe it. He thought he had been quite clear last time about his opinion with religions and holy days. He was there at Awakening because it was more a family reunion and an end of the year festivity those days than an Absolute day. To think his sister would invite him for Absolution, it was almost laughing if it was not to integrate him back in their religious bullshit. So he had to be more direct this time.

“So, are you coming, Math ?” Joan inquired.

“Is this some kind of joke to you ?” Matthew almost shouted. “Do you really want me to come and do more damage than last time ? I’m done with religion. You hear me, done ! I came at Awakening to try to see my family and we both know how it ended. So, let me be crystal clear because clear is not enough for you. Get out of my life ! I did not move six hundred kilometers away from our parent’s home to stay close to you. I tried to save some family links last time but it failed. Miserably.”

“Please, brother” Joan sobbed. “This time, it will be different. I will have talked to our parents, they will be more comprehensive. Do a step in their directions and they will one in your. Can you at least try ? Please. For our little brother”

“Nice try, sis. But we both know that it can not work. Mom almost disowned me and the only reason Dad did nothing is because, now, he can’t just punch me until I agree with him. Bye.” Matthew objected. And he pressed the hang up button.

What was she thinking ? Matthew made it clear he was quitting faith and religion. Which was for his pompous and bigoted parents a heresy. It was not his fault if the Great Tome was just a fantasy book written by believers at best and manipulators at worst. With a bunch of YouTube videos and a pair of philosophic books from the library, he knew that, even if the Absolute existed, He never ever did anything on this planet. Thomas was just a lucky prophet and the Absolute religion was a natural evolution of the Great One cult. Nothing really fancy if you compare to what mankind did here and there.

At least, when he was back home, he would not have to think about all that. After a good plate of pasta, he would be on his computer, farming and grinding his levels on his favourite hack n slash game that just got a new expansion. The perfect end to recover from this not so good work day and bad home route. Tomorrow was Wednesday role play night and he was waiting with impatience to discover what the game master prepared for them.

“Oh come on, don’t use fog lamps ! It does not rain that much.” Matthew moaned against the truck travelling in the opposite direction.

Matthew steered the wheel to the right because, of course, that truck was also overstepping on the lane. The car suddenly went too right due to the rain and despite his best efforts, Matthew could not prevent it going off road to meet a tree.

“Ow fuck !” He yelled, just before the impact.

******

Matthew regained consciousness, his head on the airbag, some shard of the windshield in his hair and pain all over his body. He shook his head a little, felt some liquid on his face, touched it with his hand and looked at it. It was blood. Not a lot of what he could feel but still. He was bleeding. Matthew watched around. The front of the car was destroyed and there was now a tree where the motor was supposed to be. Some smoke was coming from it and this was clearly not a good sign. He also could not find his phone that was put in a holder in front of the middle dashboard.

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“Shit, shit.” Matthew groaned. “Definitely not my best day.”

He moved his arm to remove the security belt and to open his door, trying to ignore the pain. His left arm was probably broken due to the lack of movement and the pain so he had to use the other one. With a great effort, he finally found the handle and pushed away the door. Matthew painfully extracted himself from his now destroyed sedan. He was a little sad, the car was quite recent and modern.

He looked at himself trying to assert his status. Legs and feet were okay-ish, at least he could walk. Torso was painful as hell, the security belt did its job but that was definitely leaving a scar. Arms were not so good, the left one was not moving and the color was not good, the right one was at least responding. For his face, well, he could see with both eyes, hear the rain with both ears and since he could speak and smell, probably not too much damage. He probably had some cut due to the windshield but nothing too important.

He watched both sides of the road. No one, not really a surprise. He did choose that small village to buy his flat because it was quite far from Toulouse where he worked. The route was long but the tranquility was well worth the price, until now.

Then, he saw her. A small pale woman, apparently young, except for the perfectly white hair but it was probably a color, dressed in a black hoodie with a black jeans and some black sneakers was calmly walking towards him.

Matthew was wondering why such a person was walking here in the middle of nowhere between two towns distant from at least ten kilometers but she probably had a phone to call for help.

“Hello young miss. I crashed my car and I can’t find my phone. Could you help me please ?” Matthew asked, pointing to his car.

“Hello. Can you confirm you are Matthew Thomas De Brigny ?” The small woman inquired with a little voice not answering his question.

Peter froze. How did this girl know his full name ? Who was her ? What happened ? He took one step back before taking a new look at this woman, almost a girl he would say now that she was close.

“Please. Do not run and confirm your identity. I do not want a Hunt under this rain. Are you Matthew Thomas De Brigny ?” The girl asked again.

“Who, who, who are you ? What is happening to me ? Am I hallucinating ?” Matthew said, panicking and walking back.

He hit a small rock on the ground and fell on his butt on the grass. He tried to use both his arms to recover but only received pain from his left one. The girl walked to him and reached out her arm to him.

“Name’s Morgane.“ The girl explained. ”I am a reaper and you are dead. Look inside your car if you do not believe me. I’m here to send Matthew Thomas De Brigny to the other world and I need to confirm your identity before the Reaping.”

”I prefer to tell you.” Morgane continued. ”If you do not confirm who you are, some other thing will come for you. Less friendly than me.”

“Yes, I am the person you are looking for. Even I would have preferred if you did not use my full name” Matthew answered.

Matthew took Morgane’s hand and she quickly lifted him up. He looked into the car and saw himself, with a big red wound in the back of his neck. 

“Fuck ! My neck snapped !” Matthew yelled. “I really am dead. How, how, now what ?”

He sat on what was left of the front of his car and thought of all the people he knew. A bunch of role player friends, his colleagues, his neighbors. All of them would learn of his death. He was devastated.

He looked at the girl. Morgane was waiting, straight, drinking a can of soda.

“Well. I have very limited foresight but I can tell you your body will be found in half an hour and you will be missed by a lot of people. For what is happening to you right now, it mostly depends on you.“ Morgane said, tossing the empty can which disappeared when it hit the ground.

“What do you mean ?” Matthew asked.

Morgan let some sort of black mist appear around her and her voice changed, becoming more deep and mystical. 

“Matthew Thomas De Brigny. You are dead. You have lived an acceptable life that permits you to ascend to Heaven after a purgatory time. Do you accept the Absolute and all His absolute love ?” Morgane announced loudly.

“What ?” Matthew answered furiously “The Absolute is real and I have to approve what He has done to go to Heaven ?”

This was quite a shock. So, what was the logic of the Absolute, why make people suffer on Earth if He was as described in the Great Book ? This was way too absurd for Matthew. Even if the Absolute was real, He was not someone he would trust.

“No. To Hell with that. The Absolute may be absolute but he is not my god. I reject Him.” Matthew affirmed proudly. “I don’t know what will happen to me but I prefer going solo than with that thing.”

The look on Morgane’s face did not change as she continued with the same voice.

“Are you sure you are rejecting the Absolute ? The only place that you will be sent is Hell. Do you confirm ?”

“Yeah, definitely.” Matthew said.”At least, I’m sure my family will not follow me there. So send me to Hell.”

The black mist around Morgane started to condense to finally form a huge scythe with a vibrant red-purple color on the handle. Morgane took the scythe with both her hand and in a simple move, she reaped him.

“The choice is made.” Morgane announced with her deep voice.

Matthew was in pain. Like nothing before. His whole body was burning and it was like his inside wanted to get out of him. He felt the ground under him disappear. He fell, enduring the pain, almost not hearing the last words of the reaper.

“Good luck. You will need it there.” Morgane said almost cheerfully with her normal voice.