Chapter 6
Valerie Desmarais
A Nice Stroll With Dead People
“So,” I said running to catch up with Jake, “why are you so sad? You did win some stuff I mean you’re lucks been better than mine.”
“I dunno, just sad I guess. I mean we won’t get to see my old friends anymore unless they die and our family too.” He replied not really concentrated on the conversation.
“We’ll isn’t freedom what teenagers want?”
“Yeah but too much freedom is really as great as I thought.”
Jake turns away clearly no longer wishing to discuss the topic. He must be suffering from depression, but I guess I am too. Who wouldn’t be sad after dying so young, besides Jake probably misses the good comforts of home. Plus he was nice enough to invite me on the tour, so that's commendable.
We are currently making our way to the basic dormitory where Jeffrey says we’ll be staying for the night before we leave on the trip. We’ll also stay there for the rest of our lives unless we can afford something nicer or we decide to move on.
I almost had a heart attack when Jeffrey told me that clothes here don’t get dirty because I thought I would have to be stuck in the same clothes for the rest of my time here, but Jeffrey even gave me 10 shiny white coins to spend, about enough to buy a few snacks or a shirt, nothing fancy. Jeff explained that they were called ACE coins or ACES. ACES apparently stand for Advanced Currency Export System, which is basically slang for a currency that’s fit for anyone. There are white, grey, silver, and gold coins. There are no dollar bills since, apparently, because there are no trees that make regular paper. All the trees make are feather paper, a reusable, almost invisible piece of parchment that can be torn apart and then put back together.
It’s really not fair since Jake got 500 ACES just for the trip. Even when they gave him a sack of literal gold coins he just muttered something again and took the bag. I hope I can cheer him up, it’s the least I can do since he so generously invited me on this trip.
As we walked down the street a small scuffle caught my attention, two men were fighting in a dark alley. The first man swung at the other but missed. The second man having dodged his attack jumped up onto a nearby dumpster and grabbed his opponent's head slamming it violently against the wall. It was like watching WWE, except it wasn’t fake, and everybody was dead, and that WWE doesn’t even exist in the Afturlife.
“Wow is this a common occurrence in the Afturlife?” I asked nervously, wondering what would happen if we got caught out in alley like that.
“Yeah things like this are becoming more and more common, many people are scared because of recent events like the disappearances of respected officials,” Jeffrey replied grimly.
The winner of the alley fight staggered out of the alley bleeding heavily from several cuts and looking dazed his shirt in tatters. The man who had won the fight spoke slowly and heavily, but still managed to project his voice across the street.
“The beginning of dawn is upon us friends. Many more will slink into the shadows,” the man seemed to look straight into my eyes. “The end is near”
People started to walk faster or look away, because it’s never a good idea to casually stare at homeless, apocalyptic-thinking, junkies that just won a street fight. I mean the guy was a walking, talking New York City billboard. I wouldn’t be surprised if he said, ‘the end is near, so buy the new Cinnamon Frappuccino at Starbucks’.
“What was that about?” Jake asked turning to Jeffrey.
“Recently there has been a resurgence of a band of rebels, they call themselves The Coming.”
“Spooky,” shivered Jake, “So. How would one um, get in contact with these so called Comings?” I kicked him in the shin. “Just um out of curiosity.” He said wincing.
Jeff stared at us in bewilderment, “ Welll… you see these rebels believe that the underworld should give in to chaos, like a world of crime and punishment.”
“Kind of like the methodical Greek land of Hades or the Greek underworld.” I replied.
“Why would anyone want their world to be worse?” asked Jake, obviously confused, the dim-witted dolt.
“They were part of a religion or cult, no one really knows. This group was apparently called the Trump relations project and it was a fairly large religion that was based off the fact that if you didn't support or appease their deity than you would be sent to the underworld. The leaders were the original founders of this group and when they were in charge of The Coming nobody was that scared because they didn't have any real power, they threatened to kill people but you can’t actually die in the Afturlife so no one really took them seriously.”
“Then why are they such a big deal?” I asked.
“Recently there have been several disappearances of important figures.”
“Like the Maximus office guy?” Jake cut in.
“Yeah, The Coming claims to have a new cause and are saying they killed the people who have disappeared.”
“Why refer to them as disappeared then?”
“Well it's mostly because there is no proven way of killing someone in the Afturlife. You can only voluntarily move on to the next stage of life, only one person has attempted to murder someone. It’s common folklore among the people, the man who almost killed someone, but mutilated his soul in the process. His name was [insert scary name here]
and he’s like the boogeyman here in the Afturlife.
So yeah rumors and other similar things have been stirring up a lot of unrest, also The Coming always leave this symbol at the sites of disappearances it looks like a bloody cross with a split bottom and with wings lining the top. Honestly in my opinion is just downright creepy, these guys kidnapping people and then leaving bloody marks behind.”
“Yeah that sounds like nonsense to me.” Jake said voicing his opinions. “Donald Karloff? Wasn't that guy like kicked out of presidency so he took over Russia and made a cult or something.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Yeah its that guy, he doesn't really have much to do with the whole situation, though.”
“Oh my god! Is that what I think it is?” Jake practically yelled in excitement, “Is that a mech!”
“Huh?” Was Jeff’s reply “Oh that I guess it could be called a mech, we call them Wyw Robots or W’s for short, they help with manual labor and such.”
“How does it work? It looks like something straight out of a fantasy book!” He said looking excited for the first time in a while. It was about time, who would have guessed that Jake even read books?
“W’s run on aero which is a of type mineral we mine here. Aero’s is only found in the Afturlife as far I know, it helps us in many ways such as an energy source as well as just making life easier in general. People who use aero to create things are called Artificers.”
“What kind of things can they make out of areo?” Asked Jake his eyes practically bulging out of their respectful places.
“Well they make all sorts of gadgets and tools as well as toys and weapons.”
“Weapons?” I asked nervously “Why do you need weapons if no one can die? Oh and definitely do not let Jake get a weapon.”
“Jeffrey can I get a weapon?” Idiot begged.
“Yeah sure there's a store coming up soon it’s on the way to the tram. To answer your question Valerie, aero weapons act like stunners, or tasers, they won't hurt anyone but are still useful for enforcing the rules” said Jeffrey chuckling.
“Hey I said don’t let him get one! Don't take his side.”
“So what should I get?” Asked Annoying completely ignoring me.
“I’ll let you decide.” Jeffrey said still smiling.”The store is right here,” Jake didn't answer, he was already staring at the countless weapons on display.
“Hi my name is Joshua welcome to my aero weapons shop, how can I help you?” asked a young man. He had the appearance of a young eccentric, he wore a large trench coat and had large leather boots. He had a fair face and a wide smile. He seemed like a cute guy, but then again, I’ve learned that everybody in the Afturlife is crazy.
“Can I have a sword?” Asked Jake.
“Wow, right to the point! We have several styles but I recommend this one, it’s more of a dagger, but it has a retractable 1-3 foot blade with a unassuming rectangular handle. It's perfect for just about any citizen because it will fit in your pocket and you don't need a permit.”
“Huh why is that, why don't you need a permit?”
“Oh! That's because it a Grade C weapon, meaning that it’s only for self-defense. However we do need a quick background check, just to make sure you’re not a criminal.”
I guess Jake won’t get the sword because he’s definitely a criminal.
“Huh, okay maybe I'll get it. Valerie what weapon do you want?” Jake asked me expectantly.
“Well I don't really want a weapon.”
“Okay your loss.” He said turning away to keep browsing. Ugh… he is SO annoying!
In the end Jake decided to buy the sword that Joshua recommended except with a small attachment that allowed it to do “something special” (He wouldn't tell me what it did). It only cost him 10 ACES and now he thinks he is a jedi apparently and won’t stop swinging it around. He even almost gave a heart attack to this elderly looking person, at least I think she was old because she was using a walker. I mean who uses a walker unless their old, it even had tennis balls on the bottom of the legs. Anyways he almost hit her and instead hit her walker causing her to feel a shock in her hands and she would have fallen over if Jeffrey hadn't caught her. After that he should have stopped the swinging but he just kept right on swinging, all the way to the tram.
The tram was like a mix between a Japanese bullet train (not that I’ve ridden on one), the Des Moines shuttle system (I’ve, unfortunately, ridden on it), and the New York Subway (a blind guy in a wheelchair stole my Dad’s wallet, spoiler alert: He wasn’t blind). When we first got to the station, I wasn’t exactly impressed. The station was on a platform that rose into the air, there were a lot of people getting into various trams and stepping out, it was a madhouse.
“Alright kids,” Jeff said while we waited for a tram, “remember that I have to go back to the Relations office and settle out your files. There should be a member from Yates, the young scholar program, awaiting your arrival off the tram. Than, you meet up with the other members of the tour. The tour will take you across all the realms, and will stop at the Maximus Office for the night and then come back here.Here comes the tram, get your tickets out”
The tram silently approached, it was sleek and smooth, but it seemed worn-out. It braked right in front of us, and silver doors started opening. Jeff, Jake and I got onto the tram and handed the operator our tickets. He examined it carefully and then handed it back.
He glanced at us, “Sorry for the wait, there has been high activity among known criminals. We’re just ensuring your safety.”
Following the grim warning, we found an empty row of seats and tried to relax. One great thing about the tram is that it has like movie theater seats, soft and sooo comfy. Jake collapsed on his seat and mumbled, “G’night,” before falling asleep. It had been a long day, and the Afturlife’s moon was bright and shining. I wondered if the Afturlife and the same moon and sun as Earth.
“Hey Jeff, is the moon here the same? Like as the real-world’s?” I asked out of sheer curiosity.
“It’s artificial, a simple reminder of the life before us. It was made by the founders of this place. Thus, we still have the same night-day cycle. Does that answer your question?”
“Yeah. G’night Jeff.”
“Have a good night’s rest Valerie.”
I reclined the seat (because it does that) and started to fall asleep. Before I did that, I realized I still needed to do one more thing.
“Hey Jeff, thanks for taking care of us. I just want you to know that we, me and Jake… we appreciate your effort.”
Jake let out a big snuffle.
Jeff looked at me in the eye and simply replied, “I know.”
Leave it to the one adult to weird things out. However I was asleep before I knew it.