Beep.

Where am I?

Beep.

What is that beeping?

Beep.

It’s so bright in here, I can barely open my eyes. As the room comes into focus I try to figure out what is happening. I’m in some kind of bed. A hospital maybe? I see a woman next to me. She is in scrubs; probably a hospital. She is typing on something.

“Hello?” I whisper. My mouth is dry and my voice is coarse. “Can you help me?”

She doesn’t acknowledge me. She keeps typing. I try asking more questions, she still does not notice me.

“Am I dead?” I scream at her.

“You are close,” a gravelly voice answers.

I turn toward the voice and see something of nightmares. A skeletal figure in a robe stares back at me. I turn back to the woman and start screaming.

“She can’t help you,” it says and reaches out to grab me. I jump and fall to the ground. I try to grab the woman’s leg, but my hand goes right through them. I don’t believe it. I try again, with the same results.

“You can’t touch them,” the figure says. “We need to hurry this up.”

“Leave me alone!” I yell at it. “You’re not real and this isn’t happening!”

“Denial. It’s the hardest.” I see the figure walk through the woman and over to me. It puts its hand down to me. “Come on.”

I just stare at it. Its empty eye sockets stare back. I hesitate but eventually reach my hand to it. It helps me get to my feet.

“Who are you?” I ask.

“I am a reaper.”

A loud beep goes off. The woman runs over to my body that is still on the bed. She shouts, “Code blue!”

A bunch of people run into the room with a cart. They pull out one of the machines off the cart.

“Clear!” Someone screams.

I feel a jolt inside me. Like a current burning through my whole body. I fall to my knees. The ringing in my ears makes it hard to think. I feel the jolt again. This time it’s not as harsh.

“Call it,” I barely hear over the ringing.

Something touches my shoulder. I open my eyes to see the reaper. “Now you’re dead. I’m here to help you cross over.”

The reality sinks into my head and I ask, “What if I’m not ready? Where will I go?”

The reaper is silent for a moment and then says, “This is always the hardest part. I don’t have the answers to your questions. All I know is that I must get you to the other side before something happens.”

“What could happen? I’m dead. I’ve got eternity right?”

“Yes, but so does everything else.” It looks behind him. “Like him.”

I turn and look. There is something huge with devilish horns walking towards us. It stands on two legs but they look broken. Its six eyes are deep black and its mouth is full of sharp teeth.

“What is that?” I scream.

“It’s a demon. You have about two minutes before it jumps into your body and wreaks havoc in the human world,” it says calmly.

“How do we stop it?”

“Come with me. Crossing over will close the window into your mortal body.”

It puts his hand out for mine. I feel trapped. I look back at the demon as it begins running towards my body. I only have seconds before my decision is made for me. I turn towards the reaper and grab its lifeless hand.