I always figured death would be peaceful—a quiet, empty void where you'd simply stop existing. Or maybe you'd feel at peace with your life choices, like deciding to avoid your parents, or realizing you didn't need school to prove anything to anyone. Hell, maybe you'd even feel your sister's unconditional love one last time.

But when I opened my eyes, I knew something was seriously wrong.

The car was still around me, but the world had gone sideways. Everything was unnaturally still, the night too quiet, the darkness so thick it seemed to swallow the stars whole. There was no pain, just a bone-deep cold that made it hard to move, hard to breathe. I felt weightless, as if I'd slipped out of the only world I'd ever known and into... something else.

That's when I saw him—a shadowy figure, cloaked in darkness, holding a shimmering blade that could only be a scythe. He stood just outside the car, and even though his face was hidden, I didn't need to see it to know he was watching me with predatory focus.

This man was different from the skeletons that haunted my dreams. This man was flesh and blood.

A word echoed in my head, something straight out of a fantasy novel: Reaper.

Well, shit.

I guess I really did it this time.

Panic surged through me as I thought of Kat. I'd left her alone, with nobody. What the hell had I done? I had to get back to her. I couldn't leave her like this.

I forced myself to move, pushing open the car door despite the searing pain in my arm. The reaper watched, silent and still, as I stumbled onto the pavement. Blood, dark against my pale skin, dripped onto the asphalt. My limbs felt like overcooked spaghetti, but I pushed forward, driven by desperation.

The reaper followed, silent as the grave. How fitting.

"You can't take me," I gasped, my voice trembling. "I have to get to Kat's apartment. She's waiting for me."

My arms and legs gave out, and I collapsed on the ground, staring up at the starless sky. The reaper loomed over me, and the air grew colder, heavier, as if the night itself was pressing down on me.

A bright glow emanated from my chest, and with a sickening lurch, I realized it was my soul. The reaper raised his scythe, and with a swift motion, he gathered the glow, wrapping my soul around his blade and yanking it away.

I saw it then—the white tunnel, pulling me in as my essence floated towards it. But in a flash, it was gone, replaced by darkness.

Another reaper appeared, more skeleton than man, waiting to take my soul from reaper number one. Like hell Kal Edwards would go down without a fight. After my encounter with Phillip tonight, I had decided I'd always stand up for myself.

I urged my body off the first reaper's scythe, and it flowed and pooled on the ground in front of the skeleton. I didn't waste any time. Even before I became flesh, I grabbed the skeleton's scythe, my glowing fingers closing around the cold metal.

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As soon as my hand touched it, the skeleton man fleshed out, and I saw the man he truly was... or used to be. He seemed surprised, if only for a moment, before he pulled back, his grip tightening. But I held on, refusing to let go. I couldn't let him take me. I couldn't leave Kat alone.

With a fierce cry that would have made a banshee proud, I yanked the scythe from his grasp and swung it wildly. The blade cut through the air, meeting resistance before it connected. The reaper faltered, and my entire body's glow began to fade, becoming more... normal, although I still glowed a light gray.

The scythe felt real in my hand, cold and heavy with the weight of countless souls. I took the chance to flee, running back the way I had come, towards a pinpoint of light. I clutched the weapon tightly and dove towards the fading connection to my world.

As the light faded behind me, I was plunged back into darkness. My heart pounded as I ran, unable to see anything, only feel the cold metal of the scythe digging into my palm. I didn't know where I was going, only that I had to get away. I had to get back to Kat.

And I needed this scythe. It was mine now. Finders keepers, losers... well, stay dead, I guess.

Suddenly, the world shifted again, and I found myself back in the car. The seatbelt was digging into my shoulder, the airbag deflated against the dashboard. My body was twisted, my skin cut and bleeding, with glass glittering over me like the world's most painful disco ball. I blinked, trying to process what had just happened.

Hadn't I crawled out of the car? Shouldn't I be dead?

But I wasn't. Somehow, I had fought back, escaped death's grasp. Go me.

I glanced at my hand, still gripping the weapon, but it shimmered and disappeared like it was never there. Great. My one souvenir from the afterlife, gone.

Slowly, I unclipped the seatbelt and tried to move. Pain shot through my chest and down my left arm, and I winced. That was a good sign, right? Pain meant I was still alive. But how? The car was a wreck—the hood crumpled; the windshield shattered. There was no way I should have survived this.

But I had. Apparently, the universe wasn't done with Kal Edwards just yet.

I forced myself to move, pushing open the door with a shaky hand. It creaked loudly as it swung open, and I stumbled out onto the road. My legs wobbled, and I grabbed the side of the car to keep from collapsing. I was not going to fall on my hands and knees again. The night air was cool against my skin, and I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

That's when I noticed it. A strange tingling sensation spreading through my body, starting from my fingers and toes and moving inward. It felt like my body was healing itself. The pain in my chest dulled, and the ache in my arm faded. I looked down at my hands, expecting to see the deep cuts from earlier, but instead, I watched in awe as my flesh knitted itself back together.

I ran my fingers over my skin, searching for the injuries I had seen with my own eyes, but all I felt was smooth, unbroken flesh. My heart pounded, confusion and fear swirling in my mind. What the hell was happening to me?

I took a few shaky steps away from the car, trying to make sense of everything. The road was deserted, the night silent except for the occasional rustle of leaves. I looked around, half-expecting someone to be watching me, waiting to explain what was going on, but there was no one. Just me and the wrecked car.

I started to walk, my feet moving on autopilot. I didn't know where I was going, but I had to get away from the crash. The further I walked, the stronger the tingling sensation became, until it was almost unbearable. I could feel it in my chest, my head, even my eyes. It was like my entire body was being rewired, every cell, every nerve. My breath came in shallow gasps.

How was I still alive? How had I walked away from a crash that should have killed me?

I should have been relieved, but instead, a deep sense of dread settled in my stomach. Something was wrong—terribly wrong. I could feel it in the way the night seemed darker, heavier, like the shadows were closing in on me from all sides.

I had tried to escape my life, but it felt like my escape wasn't onto something better. No, it was onto something much, much worse.

Welcome to the afterlife, Kal. Hope you survive the experience.