"What?" Embers brows knit together, her confusion obvious. "There's shadows, but they don't usually hang out in the city's." She glanced around them looking for any signs of anyone else.
She decided that someone had just been playing a joke on him. A rogue Soul, or a Reaper just looking to have some fun.
"Come on, we have to get to a motel." She waved him along. Using her scythe kind of like a walking stick, and trying to discreetly hold her hand to her side.
"Shadows?" He brushed it off, sighing softly. "Alright. I met another soul then. They were strange." He admitted, following her slowly. His eyes scanned the city, a soft sigh leaving his lips. "Do some souls never go to the afterlife? Is that why there are cities here?"
He offered his arm to help her walk, noticing how much she was leaning on her scythe. It was hard to hide that.
Ember reluctantly excepted Jamie's help. Just because she would heal, didn't mean it didn't hurt like Heck. "Sometimes. Most of the time its a sentence. Some souls aren't wicked enough for Hell, so they stay in places like this untill they prove themselves."
It didn't take long to get to a motel. The worker there didn't even seem to notice their arrival, untill she handed them a key card.
“I didn’t know there was an in between.” He murmured softly. “There’s so much I don’t know and understand about this place.”
The soul fell silent as they entered the motel, nodding his thanks to the worker before he helped his Reaper to their room. “How many souls do you reap per day?”
"A few. As a Reapers time slowly comes to an end, their reaping territory gets smaller." She slid the key card into the door. "Newer Reapers are in charge of hospitals, and places where death is common."
Ember practically collapsed on one of the beds, discarding her scythe on the floor. Her side had already started to heal. "Where a older Reaper like me has a few allies to reap from."
Jamie nodded, sitting down on the other bed and sighing. “You’re almost done then? With reaping?” He flopped onto his back and groaned.
He suspected by now someone had probably found his body. He only hoped his mother wouldn’t grieve for too long.
"Hopefully." Ember had always dreamed of the day she'd be done with reaping. Getting to enjoy the after life was starting to seem like a far off dream. "Some Reapers choose to continue."
She turned her head, eyeing him curiously. "You okay?" She wasn't just talking about the crawler attack, or his run in with a strange soul. She was wondering if he was okay being dead.
In her eyes most deaths weren't fair. The day she'd carried a baby to the after life coming to mind. Of course along with reaping, she also had to watch them die. Interfering wasn't aloud, but that was the day she almost broke that rule.
“I don’t know how you could continue to do it willingly… watching people die…” Jamie pushed his palms into his eyes, gritting his teeth. “You’d have to be broken to do that willingly.”
The silence that followed her question was heavy. It pressed dow on Jamie’s chest, drawing every breath he had out.
“Not really.” He admitted, his voice broken. “I just need to suck it up. I’m already dead… my life is over regardless of the things I didn’t get to do or the things I didn’t get to see. There’s no use mourning over it… I just wish I would have called my parents one last time, told them I loved them.” There was another silence, this one shorter and broken by a strangled sob that escaped Jamie’s teeth.
“I have a little brother… he’s young, just barely in middleschool. I-“ Jamie rolled over, his back facing the reaper so she couldn’t see the tears. He wasn’t going to be ‘weak’ in front of her. “I worry about him the most. He’s going into highschool without help. He’s an only child now. I only wish I could have guided him through his freshman year at least… I wish I could lived for even just two more years.”
Being a reaper wasn't by choice, she'd sternly have never picked it if it had.
"I'm sorry." They where the only words Ember could get out. She could have helped in some way, could have interfered. She had the stopwatch, had watched it run out of time. But instead she had smiled.
Smiled because she was one more soul closer to freedom. Was almost done serving the dead.
She let the silence fall again, listening to Jamie cry. She'd seen so many cry for their lost life before, so why did this one bother her so much? Had she finally snapped?
After a while Ember spoke again, "you can always visit your loved ones dreams." She propped her head up on one hand, still watching Jamie. "Once you make it to the gates tomorrow its the first thing you can do."
Jamie rubbed at his wet eyes, cursing under his breath. He wasn’t supposed to cry anymore. He promised himself he wouldn’t. At least, not in front of anyone.
“I’ll do that. It’ll be the first thing I do.” He pulled the sheets over his body, not bothering to even take off his shoes. “I’m going to visit him once a week if I can. Help him through things.”
He slowly turned back to face the Reaper, looking awfully tired for someone who was dead already. “I really hope I’ve done enough good to make it. Maybe then I’ll find a way to be happy about all this.”
(I know this is meant to be a serious moment, but the glitch is killing me. 😂)
"I'm sure you have." Ember offered a soft smile. Granted mist never remembered their dreams, she hoped for Jamie and his brothers sake that the younger would.
She pushed herself up from the bed, checking her side to see how healed it was. "Well I should take a shower. Most of this blood isn't even mine, and I'd like to get rid of it. But you should sleep. Tomorrow will be the last stretch."
(Me to! I think it’s Andrews doing. The mastermind has created a late April fools for us 😂)
“Alright… I’ll be here…” he murmured, already starting to drift off. The soul had gone through a lot already but besides the tired eyes and sad expression, he was still himself. He still had his personality, his physical traits, his memories.
He vowed he wouldn’t let himself forget who he was. Jamie was going to get through this just like he had with any other challenge in his lifespan. He was still here, as a soul. He still had a little life left.
(Ngl, been pretty depressed lately and this is just making my night. 😂
also heads up this ones gonna be long.)
For the longest time Ember let the hot water pound on her back. Not bothering to try and scrub the blood away. The days events had worn her out.
She thought of ways to help the soul cheer up. Perhaps she could drag him to some pancake place. Even though they where dead and didn't need to eat, didn't mean they couldn't. Just like how sleep wasn't necessary, but it was still refreshing.
Ember couldn't really remember the last time she'd allowed herself to sleep, most of the time she dreamt of her death. And even if she couldn't remember it when she woke, it still left her afraid to close her eyes. But perhaps that would change tonight.
Once done with her shower Ember quickly towel dried herself and dressed back in her clothes. She'd have to get a new shirt in the morning.
Ember claimed the bed across from Jamie, and soon feel asleep. But tonight was no different than any other, and her nightmares somehow seemed worse then ever.
Ember spun in her wedding dress, admiring the layers and layers of ruffles that fanned out around her. She complemented the seemstrist, and gidily turned to her husband-to-be. Except when she turned to him she was no longer wearing the wonderful dress, and he was no longer there.
she desperately called out his name, but her words only echoed back at her from the waste land. Trees twisted groutasishly, and holes seemed to for the land scape. She desperately tried not to fall in them as she ran. But what was she running from?
the snarl of a crawler followed her trail, and she could hear them close behind. If only she could just reach the river ahead, then maybe she could escape.
Ember plunged into the river, desperately struggling to cross it. But something- no someone was holding her. Pushing her under the waters surface as she trashed, trying to escape.
She awoke in a cold sweat, her breathing heavy. The memory of the dream seeming to float away with her breaths. But she could remember one thing, the face of the man.
(It’s so funny seeing the serious rp’s get interrupted by the friends 😂 😂 I’m dying over here too)
Jamie heard the Reaper startle awake from his place at the bathroom mirror. He had slept for as long he could, but found he didn’t quite like the sound of gunshots in his dreams.
Guess he did get some trauma from his death. He thought it was too quick to have anything really stick.
Jamie wandered back into the main room, looking at her in concern. “Are you alright?” He asked softly, sitting down on his bed and crossing his legs.
Ember rubbed at her face, trying to dismiss the nightmare. "Yeah," she muttered. But she was really anything but okay. The fact that she couldn't remember her dreams or her death bothered her. But the slight blue color to her lips gave her a few ideas.
"Did I wake you?" She sat up and pulled a blanket around herself, feeling guilty. It felt strange being apologetic towards a Soul. But in its own little way it was nice.
Jamie shook his head gently. “I had a nightmare. Turns out I really hate guns now.” He rubbed the spot just between his eyes, where he had been shot, and chuckled.
“Can’t believe I let my guard down like that. Guess life really doesn’t give you second chances, huh? I learned that the hard way.” He turned his soft eyes to the wall across from him, zoning out for a moment.
His mind returned a few moments later, but he still didn’t seem to be all there. “Are there guns in the afterlife? Is that a weapon you can use?”
(wheeezzzeee rooty tooty pointy-n-shooties)
Ember took a moment to think, she'd really only ever seen scythe's and butter knifes in the realm. "I don't think so. In Hell maybe. But not here." She pushed her wild red hair from her face, thinking harder on the question. "No, there aren't."
She let the silence fall once again. Enjoying the peace night time had to offer. But it wasn't long before she broke it, "did you have a nightmare?"
(I BURST OUT LAUGHING AT THAT PART. WHAT THE HECCCCCKKK THATS SO FREAKING GOOD)
“Ah. That’s a relief.” Jamie was was almost 100% sure that if he saw a gun he’d go into a panic. He could still hear the echo of the gunshot in his head and just that was making him weirdly anxious.
He took in a few deep breaths, closing his eyes and letting the silence take over his senses for a moment.
“Yeah, I did..”
(I can't take this seriously bdbcbdnsnnd whyyyyyy. 😂😂😂😂)
Ember pulled her knees up the her chin, tucking her arms around herself. "Wanna talk about it?" She wasn't sure it would help, but it was better than sitting in silence till the sun rose.
(THANK YOU andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer) FOR THIS WONDERFUL GLITCH)
Jamie stared at the ground. Did he want to talk about it? Not really. But maybe it would help a little bit.
“It wasn’t anything, really. Just a nightmare about my death. Might have been a memory if I’m being honest. I was shot right here, right?” He tapped the scar, biting his lip. “In my dream that’s where I was shot. And not from far away, he had the gun pressed against my skin… I swear I can still feel the cold metal.”
(I think rooty-tooty point-n-shooty might one of my favorite swaps, and seeing it used out of context is hilarious. Keep on keepin' on. :) )
(I think rooty-tooty point-n-shooty might one of my favorite swaps, and seeing it used out of context is hilarious. Keep on keepin' on. :) )
(Haha! Thanks andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer)! It’s cracking me up! I love it!)
(Yes thank you very much andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer), this is the best. 😂)
Ember hadn't watched him die, nor had she seen when the gunmen showed up. She had stopped watching them die years back. "Might have just been the nightmare. Sometimes your mind can twist it, into something worse."
“I hope so…” he murmured, running his fingers across his scar once again. “I really don’t like it. Please tell me the nightmares go away in the afterlife. I hate nightmares.” He grumbled, pulling the blankets around him.
“Do you get them too?”
"I can't say for sure if they do or not." After delivering a Soul, Ember didn't talk to them anymore. There was no point. "They might. After all, you will forget how you died and the scar will fade."
Ember chewed on her lip. She didn't want to answer the question. "Sometimes." She admitted quietly. "Only when I sleep."