Whispers of The Dead

Whispers of the DeadM. Fury Copyright © 2023 M. FuryAll rights reservedThe characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.Editor: Catherine WinklerASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BVRTJ552Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 6, 2023 I dedicate this book to the love of my life.If life was a night sky, you would be my Northern star — always guiding me home. Thank you for showing me how to love. Contents Title PageCopyrightDedicationPrologue1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.EpilogueAuthor's Note PrologueEvery human thinks that in the end, it all comes down to good and evil.It would only make sense. Humans are all different, twisted in their own ways. Each deserving of their own fated end.Or at least they would if only the system was fair.But the system is never fair. It is flawed, in life and death alike.It doesn’t matter who the humans were, what they did, or what they believed in back in the living world. Their new home will always be the same.The Afterlife.And still, as much as they shouldn’t have a right to it, they are given hope.Each of them gets to make a choice. They can either stay in that plane of immortals and live forever or forsake it and jump into a new cycle of life.In the beginning, not many decided to live. They were too immersed in the idea of immortality, too hazed. They needed a taste of it.In the afterlife, there was no need for struggle. Survival was a given. The souls could simply be.But as comfortable as this existence was, it quickly turned out that the endless passage of time meant nothing if there was no threat of losing it. Time was meaningless without the thrill of the moment. And life was meaningless without death.Suddenly, the gullible souls wanted to be reborn again. Their curiosity was satiated, and their minds were changed.The Afterlife, full of citizens wanting to leave, aimed to serve.But the problem posed a question.‘Which soul should be reincarnated first?’ For as many as there were, each had a different story. Those who had lingered in the Afterlife felt entitled to priority over the fresh souls that had just arrived.The created system was simple yet infuriating.Each soul that wished to start a new life had to work an equivalent of thirty years of time.Job opportunities were created, and time became a currency.A replica of human market began.And what accelerated its growth was pure, unfiltered boredom. 1.Mary“I would like to tell you that it’s all fun and games after you die.” I eyed the three souls standing in front of me. They were new here, like everyone I ever worked with. “You were all made to believe different stories while on Earth. Some of you believe in heaven and hell, and others in reincarnation, underworld, purgatory...”A woman in her forties and an older man stared blankly into space. They weren’t listening. I could tell by the way they were standing, with their shoulders slumped and expressions hollow.Between them, a teenage boy with ruffled hair was staring into space. I wouldn’t say that he was paying much attention to my words, but there was a presence in his eyes that the others lacked.There is at least one who’s lucid then.For the lack of other options, he would be my target this time."Hey, boy!” I called. His eyebrows drew together while he glanced at me. He was responding. Good. “Do you know where you are?”There was a moment of silence, as if he was unsure of who I could possibly be talking to.“Me?” he asked, still unsure.He was the only boy here. I couldn’t possibly be calling to anyone else. But since he has barely died, confusion was a given.There was no panic in his voice and he spoke clearly. Maybe his death hadn’t registered yet. Or maybe he just wasn’t letting it get to him. Either way, I was grateful for his lack of screaming or asking a million questions. I had enough of that today.While still looking at him, I noticed the other two twitching in my peripheral. It wasn’t unusual. Until now, they had been standing completely still, but the more the time passed by, the more their bodies forced them to wake up.“I don’t know,” the boy said finally. “But if someone like you is here, then it must be heaven, I guess.” He smirked and winked slyly. The little fucker. I bit my tongue at his audacity. He was staring at me confidently, probably thinking he was the coolest new soul to ever cross the veil. A tingle of malevolent excitement ran through me.I hit the jackpot with my target. Game on.“Are you sure you want to say that to a demon, boy?” I chimed while smiling politely. “It is true we are beautiful. But I wouldn’t jump to conclusion that we belong in heaven.” I winked back, hoping I didn’t look like an idiot while doing it. Winking was an art. It was hard to do it well.“Wait.” I watched as the arrogant smirk left his face. “Are we in hell?” he whispered.If only he had listened before...I took a step forward, ignoring the two other fidgeting souls. They were too immersed in their own world right now to register any of this.The boy stood frozen, awaiting my reply. Trying to keep my composure, I came closer and touched his shoulder lightly. Then, I neared my face to his ear.A second passed.I let him imagine my response for a while. He probably already believed he knew the answer. All that was left for me to do was to give a single, short confirmation.This was the part I loved most. Reigning myself in so as not to laugh in his face, I took a deep