Cody decided to take the public transit home to clean himself up before his next class. Since his math class was held online due to the pandemic, he could easily get away with attending the class at home. He arrived to his home shortly after, and went into the bathroom. He stripped off his bloodied clothing and started the shower. Before hopping into the shower, Cody examined the scars he bared underneath his clothes.
Several scars of bullet wounds littered his chest and stomach and he sighed.
"You know they won't go away, right?" Death interjected.
Cody jumped out of his skin and turned to Death.
"WHAT THE HELL DEATH? PRIVACY PLEASE?!" Cody shouted.
"Sorry, sorry," Death murmured as he phased through the door once more.
Cody sighed and entered the shower. He turned the temperature of the shower to be hotter and lathered his hands in soap. I know they won't go away, Cody thought to himself, but I thought... I thought the memories of that day would.
...
It was any other ordinary summer day. Cody had went to the mall to buy supplies for school. He had gone alone, as his friends were busy tending to their own lives, getting prepared for whatever future lied beyond their secondary school lives. Cody went inside a dollar mart and grabbed a couple packs of pencils, pens, erasers, paper and anything else he could think of that he may need for his time at Eimwood University. It was when he approached the cashier that things changed for the worse.
"Will that be everything sir?" the cashier asked politely.
"Yes, thank you," Cody answered.
"Would you like a bag?"
"Yes please."
"Alright... And that would be 35-"
Suddenly loud bangs could be heard outside the dollar mart, followed by shrieks of terrified civilians. Many people began running by the windows, and a few more fell from their upright position. It was a shooting. The gun-wielding man opened fire on a bunch of civilians and turned his gaze to the dollar mart. He began firing rounds into the dollar mart. Cody had ducked under the counter in fear, but not without a few shots that grazed his neck. The cashier on the other side of the counter fell to the ground. Dead. Her dead glare eyeing Cody.
This can't be happening, Cody thought to himself, this is just a nightmare. This isn't actually happening. Wake up Cody, wake up!
More gunshots echoed through the store, and then the man entered the doorway. He spotted Cody instantly and without hesitation, pointed his gun at him. Cody leapt up and tried to run, but that was no use. The man began firing rounds into Cody's back, and the bullets exited through his chest. The man was making cheese out of Cody's center mass.
Cody opened his eyes, only to find the sight of his lifeless body on the floor. He yelped and looked around and saw many of the dead people around him, only glowing a faint blue over their bodies, crying. It was a bloodbath, and Cody couldn't believe it.
When he finally averted his gaze, he caught a glimpse of a robed figure walking by. It was a strange experience because he could see this guy, but it was like none of the fleeing people could see him. The robed figure entered the dollar mart and sighed.
"What a mess. All of this, for what?" The man said.
The robed man began approaching the blue people and spoke to them in a calm, gentle voice. How can he be so calm? Who even is he? As the man spoke to these individuals, Cody noticed something further. Something dreadful. As the man finished speaking with them, the blue people faded away. One by one, the room became emptier and emptier. Finally, this robed man approached Cody.
"NO, DON'T TOUCH ME," Cody exclaimed.
The man opened his mouth and began to speak softly.
"Hello Cody."
"HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?"
"Calm down kiddo. Listen. My name is Death. I'm here to help you pass over to the next chapter of your life."
"Next... chapter?" Cody asked, then spiraled, "Wait, no. I'm not dead. See? I'm not dead, I'm talking to you right now, so I can't be dead!"
Cody looked at his hands, which glowed blue, much like the other people he saw and shuddered. His eyes welled up and he continued, "I... I can't be."
Death reached out in an attempt to touch his shoulder, but restrained, and just spoke.
"Look kiddo, I don't know what to say. This man just came out of nowhere. I'm sorry, but you're dead."
"I'm not ready to die," Cody sulked, "Not like this."
"No one ever is," Death replied, "But I will give you as much time as you need."
Sirens began blaring, and police officers stopped the gun-wielder, but not without a few casualties. Cody's soul actively watched the transition from life to death in each police officer and citizen the shooter shot. He watched as Death approached each of these people, sometimes with other spirits such as family members or animals and helped them move on. Paramedics began rushing in, and assessing the status of the injured and declaring the dead.
They had finally reached Cody's body and Cody watched as they examined him. They counted seven bullet holes in his back, which shocked Cody.
"There's no way he could make it," one paramedic said, "There's no pulse, and these bullet wounds tore up his insides for sure. Every one of them exited his body."
"He couldn't be more than just a student. Such a tragedy," The other paramedic added.
"No... NO, please!" Cody began to yell, "I'm right here! Do you see me!? Please!"
The paramedics began to lift Cody's body into the body bag and reached for the zipper. Cody began to growl with rage, as Death approached behind him.
"Cody, there's nothing you can do. You've died." Death said, "I assure you, dying isn't as bad as people make it out to be."
The paramedics began to zip up the body bag, and Cody ran up to his body and screamed, "I'M NOT DEAD!" What happened after, no one expected. Not even Death himself.
After Cody had shouted, his corpse jolted upwards within the body bag and the paramedics yelped in fear.
"Huh, how did you do that?" Death asked, "That's not possible."
Cody's corpse laid back down gently and the paramedics reacted quickly. "I don't know how, but there's a pulse! It's faint, but it's there! This guy's still alive!"
"Yeah, but for how long? He's a goner," The paramedic replied.
Cody grabbed ahold of his corpse's arm and to his surprise, made contact with it. He lifted the arm of his body and slapped the paramedic across the face.
"Don't... give up on me," Cody's body mumbled weakly.
"Alright, we need to bring him to the hospital stat! Load him up, you hear me!? He's not dead yet! There's still a chance!"
The paramedics rushed Cody to the hospital, and Cody's soul was left at the scene of the crime with Death, who was in complete shock.
"This. I- I don't believe it," Death said.
After a long eternity of a wait, Cody suddenly opened his eyes within a hospital room. He lifted his arms weakly and was relieved to see them not blue. A doctor walked by his room, and noticed his awakening, so he entered the room.
"Hello Cody, can you hear me?" said the doctor, "Are you able to tell me anything? Wiggle your toes if you can understand."
Cody wiggled his toes gently, and the doctor continued.
"Can you grasp my hand now?"
Cody responded with a light, but noticeable grasp and the doctor seemed surprised. "Very well. Now, are you able to tell me the colour of this room?"
Cody gazed at the room around him and squeaked out, "Be-ig-e."
The doctor turned white and was completely shocked to see the coherence of Cody, despite the wounds he had endured. Cody gazed beyond the doctor and jolted at the sight of the robed figure.
"Ah... So you can still see me," Death said, "Cody. You are an interesting individual indeed. The first person I've encountered that exists in limbo precisely. We're going to have a long talk when we can."
...
Cody turned his shower off and dried himself off. He pulled on his clothes as the final words that Death told him that day echoed through his mind. Cody. Cody began to open his PC up for his math class. You may have become something far greater than just a soul... Cody logged into his school account and joined his math class meeting.
Cody, you may be the first human to become... A reaper.
