A Gift or A Curse

EPILOGUE

Jimmy's POV

What are the odds of a reaper and a cupid can become friends in the afterlife? I never would have thought that I could someday land on a job like this. Don't get me wrong, it's fucking awesome too. But I get jealous over Jude because of his crisp dark suit that really brings out his blue eyes. I only get to wear this white suit with pink tie - kind of similar to the suit I wore to Matt's wedding.

But enough of apparel talks, I'm here to guide you through my world now, the Afterlife.

It wasn't what I always thought it would be. There wasn't any cloudy pathway, harp playing angels everywhere with halos on their heads - actually angels are way cooler than that but we'll get to that later.

My first day after I've been brought here by Jude, I was being checked from head to toe in front of a gigantic gate - carved in gold and black but they were moving, like snakes, only they gave off the feeling of you're about to enter a luxurious garden.

The gate was being guarded by a white-hooded man. He's not too big and not too small either. He was just about my size...and weirdly, Jude's size too. I soon realized that he will match the height and width of whomever he was dealing with. Like a shapeshifter, only he equalized the physical shape between two persons. Yeah, like a mirror.

He checked me all over and looked satisfied when he saw that all my tattoos were gone. I asked him, what did my tattoos have to do with anything? He replied in a low, mumbled and throaty voice;

"Like a plain canvas, you were born that way and you will enter the Afterlife that way."

It seemed that tattoos and scars were forbidden in the Afterlife. Jude explained; his battle wounds were perfectly healed the moment he stepped here, in front of this gate. I passed the first stage, and went through the gate which didn't opened in two pieces like all the usual gates. The carvings moved and slithered itself opened until the gate was completely gone from our sight and cleared a crystal blue pathway leading nowhere.

"Here, is the challenging part." Jude said, putting a halt to my steps. I noticed that under the pathway, there was a burning red and boiling fire underneath. Screamings of people suffering were vague but it shot through my ears like a war cry. So the pathway is really a bridge!?

"Woah, what's under there?" I peeked and I saw nothing but red flames that sparked off fireworks sometimes.

"That's Hell."

I bulged my eyes to Jude's explanation. I was standing so close..to Hell?

"Dude, am I going there?"

Jude laughed. "No. Don't worry. You've done your deeds. But.."

"But what?"

"The bridge. You have to cross it, and when you do, you gotta answer the questions honestly and not lying to yourself or to anyone."

"Questions? Who's asking?"

"Your own heart and mind."

I frowned at him. What the hell is he talking about now?

"Something you really wanted to confess but you're too afraid to speak."

What, like an unholy confession? Come on, I'm an open book! "Or else?"

"The more you lie to yourself, the thinner the bridge will get. Until it falls apart and you'll go straight down..."

"..to Hell.."

"Yep."

I swallowed hard and tried not to think of a lie. What should I confess? I have nothing to confess!