My name is Silas. I’m a normal guy, I swear. I’m not super hot, or ugly. I’m not wildly popular, or a loner. I’m not a genius or stupid. Everything about me is normal. Well, except for my luck. Oh, and I’m rich. Like, crazy rich. But enough about that. The most important thing you should know about me is that I’m a Reaper.

No, not a Grim Reaper. Turns out there’s no such thing as that. There is a Grand Reaper, but he’s an old fart who talks too much, especially when you’re in a rush. He likes to lecture. No, I’m what’s called a Reaper. I died, but was brought back to life and recruited to a shadow life. I was taught how to fight and kill, then I was given a job. It pays REALLY well. I mean, just one paycheck covers all my extended family for a year. Filthy rich.

Are there sucky parts of my job? Sure. Is it exhausting? Definitely. But the rewards generally tend to equal the effort. It’s not a bad life, and I’ve grown to accept it, even if I don’t like it. I don’t really have a choice. I can’t quit. Reapers only stop being Reapers when they die. And I’m too young to die.

Anyway, enough of the explanation. I hate that shit anyway. Here’s my story.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Math had to be my least favorite subject. Not because it was particularly difficult or anything. Sure, trigonometry was hard, but I was smart enough to understand it with a little study. And since it was near the end of the year, it was only expected that I know it by now.

No, the teacher was what I liked the least. Mr. Jensen was an old man who thought he was the smartest in the world. He had a doctorate in applied physics but somehow was stuck teaching high-schoolers in the city. He was easy to spot in his beige pants and a blue plaid shirt. Mr. Jensen looked like he should have been an accountant. But instead, he was a math teacher.

I paid a little attention as he droned on about variables and integers, but I wasn’t really present. The classroom was, as Mr. Jensen liked it, stifling hot. Early in the lesson, when his attention was distracted with attendance, I’d cracked the window next to my seat open, and enjoyed the slight breeze of fresh air that blew into my face. It made me very relaxed, almost sleepy.

Between finals week, meetings with the wrestling team, and my wannabe rock-star neighbor, I hadn’t gotten much sleep lately. My body was sore, my mind was slow, and I was having trouble staying awake.

“Silas,” Mr. Jensen said, with a hint of annoyance. “Silas!”

I jerked to attention, realized I’d been dozing slightly. “Sorry, Mr. Jensen.”

He scowled at me as if I’d shouted a disgusting swear word. “What is the answer to number 14?”

Great, I thought. He’d fired a surprise revision question at me. We’d already finished our final examinations, hadn’t we? So why was this boomer making us study more? This should be a time for celebration, not more studying. I glanced down at the paper in front of me, our returned exams. Luckily, I’d gotten the answer right the first time, and I remembered it now.

“Three hundred and fifty-seven,” I said, then after a long pause, “Right?”

“Correct.” He almost seemed irritated that I’d answered right. “Please stay awake. If I’m boring you, you can leave.”

My classmates chuckled at that, but I ignored them. Instead, I noticed the way Marisha looked at me over her shoulder and smiled. I grinned lazily back. Marisha was easily the prettiest girl in class, in my opinion. Her long brown hair was light enough to gleam in the sunlight. Marisha didn’t need a pound of makeup to look good, which I appreciated. Her small straight nose, freckles, and mischievous eyes did that just fine.

I must have spaced out for the rest of the lesson, because the next thing I knew, the bell was ringing. The entire class shoved their books into their bags and left, in a hurry to go home. Mr. Jensen glared at me as I left his kingdom, and I flashed a peace sign at him as the door closed behind me. For me, that was as good as having the last word. He didn’t like me, and I didn’t care.

Since math was the last subject for the day, I dumped my backpack into my locker. The wrestling club was meeting again today, but that was in an hour or so, so I decided to go for a walk. My favorite coffee shop was just down the block, and I suddenly wanted coffee.

Yep, that’s how my life would change, I would think later. Not because I pissed a killer off. Not because someone wanted my wallet. Nope, because I was addicted to coffee.

I slipped my headphones on over my ears as I exited the school building, and turned on my tunes. Jamming to some Gorillaz woke me up much faster, and I settled into a stroll, my hands jammed into my pockets. A few people tried to wave at me as I passed them, but I kept to myself, my head bobbing in time to some Feel Good Inc. I was so absorbed in my music that I couldn’t hear the guy beside me shouting. I also couldn’t hear the horn of the shiny red sports car that tried, unsuccessfully, to swerve around me.

The next thing I knew, I was laying on the ground, staring up into a gloomy sky. That was weird. Wasn’t it sunny today? Also, I couldn’t hear any shouts or screams around me. I’d just been hit by a car, so why weren’t people screaming in panic?

I sat up, groaning at the sore pain that radiated through my body. The impact seemed to have thrown me back onto the sidewalk, but there was no sign of the car that had hit me. In fact, I couldn’t find any cars at all. The road was quiet, without even the sound of distant cars.

“You finally woke up.”

I whirled around. The voice, being the first sound I’d heard since waking up, seemed loud as a shout. There was someone sitting on the pavement beside me, staring at me with an unmistakable air of amusement on her face. She had long brown hair that was tied back into a ponytail, and she wore black leather armor that looked distinctly out of place in this time.

It was a few seconds before I recognized her. It was the smirk-grin that finally hammered it into place for me. Then I noticed her hazel eyes, bright enough to shine faintly with a light of her own.

“Marisha?” I stammered, hopelessly lost. “What the hell are you wearing?”

Marisha snickered. “Figures that would be your first question. Not ‘what happened to me?’ or ‘where the hell are we?’. That’s very on character for you.”

Bewildered, I looked around. Only then did I realize that we weren’t on a road. Well, there was a path of some kind, but it was packed dirt, not paved. And I was sitting, not on a sidewalk, but on grass, at the base of a small hill.

“Wait,” I said, feeling my confusion grow. “Where the hell are we?”

She laughed again as I mimicked her question. “I’ll explain that soon enough. For now, we have to move.”

Almost at once, my stubborn side showed itself. “Why? Where are we going? Tell me what’s going on!”

She frowned at me slightly, and at once her whole demeanor changed. Gone was the mischievous pretty girl who liked to share silent jokes with me. In her place stood a fierce woman clad in armor who looked like she wanted to kick my ass.

“Alright, alright,” I said meekly, clambering to my feet. “Where are we going?”

She started walking at once, throwing over her shoulder, “To meet the Grand Reaper. Or whoever’s available.”

“Grand Reaper?” I asked, hurrying to follow her.

She didn’t answer me as we continued down the dirt track, weaving between the tall trees that grew along the side. They were a pale gray in color, with dark green leaves. I’d never seen trees like them.

“We call it the Gray Plane,” Marisha said as we walked. “It’s the place where everything goes when it dies.”

“So,” I began hesitantly, not sure what she meant. “This is hell, then?”

“No,” Marisha said with a laugh. “Hell isn’t real. Neither is heaven. This is the only place outside of our world that exists.”

“Huh.” It was all I could think to say.

Finally, I saw my first building in this strange place. The track took a turn and opened onto wide plains. At the dead center was a giant castle, with high walls and a massive gate. Four towers dominated the corners of the castle, with a fifth reaching towards the sky. Birds circled the central tower in flocks, but there was no sign of other animals.

“Welcome to Death’s Castle.”