Love after Death

Chapter 2

The sunlight burning into my eyes made me bury my head back in my pillow, the silk sheets gliding over my back as if they weighed nothing. I sighed and leaned back into the bed before I realized I didn't have silk sheets. And this wasn't my bed.

My heart started pounding in my ears while I scanned the unfamiliar surroundings. I remember dreaming about dying, but it didn't make sense as to why I was here. Wherever this was.

Did the crash really happen? I remember seeing the shiny black sports car right in front of me, too close to avoid the collision. Or did I make that up as well? I felt as if I was losing my mind when suddenly the door swung open and all my thoughts halted.

The man I'd dreamt about walked into the room but where he'd been wearing ominous black robes in my dream he now wore dark jeans with a simple black shirt. His burning golden eyes had dimmed down to a lovely hazel shade and I decided he wasn't hard to look at at all.

"Rise and shine," he said after stopping at the foot end of the bed. There was no emotion behind his words, no anger, and no kindness. His whole energy was... off, in a way. Like there was something terribly wrong about him. But I couldn't see what.

I blinked up at him once, twice. "Where am I?"

I was relieved to find my voice hadn't abandoned me. It came out strong and confident, at least I hoped it did. His eyes scanned my face impassively before moving down my body as if he was able to look through the sheets. I looked down only to realize my clothes had been replaced by a thin nightgown, and that he now had a very good view of my assets.

I gripped the sheets and covered myself up to my neck while glaring at him, earning myself only a mischievous smirk in return.

"You're in purgatory, baby."

Purgatory. So I was dead. My mind accepted this right away, like I had barely convinced myself I was alive when I woke up. If anyone ever told me to my face I was dead I would've laughed at them and told them to fuck off. But I knew his words were truth. This was purgatory.

And he didn't even seem to care.

"And who are you?"

His eyes held no humor as he said, "Death."

I nodded solemnly at that. Like there wasn't a problem. Like I wasn't staring Death right in the face.

"Alright, Death," I replied, "Get out."

I could see on his face he hadn't expected me to say that, his intense stare blanked out while his eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Get. Out," I clarified for him, even though I know he heard me the first time. "I'd like to get dressed?"

He looked me up and down again and opened his mouth, no doubt to argue with me but before he could I suddenly realized something. "Wait, who even undressed me?"

I'd barely finished that sentence and he was gone. In the blink of an eye this entire guy, Death as he'd called himself, had disappeared. I sighed in response, my long list of questions just got longer.

I looked around the room to find any clues as to where my clothes had gone but they didn't seem to be here. The next step would be to find any other clothes.

I carefully dragged myself out of the large king-sized bed before walking to the nearest closet. Upon opening it I only found men's clothes. His clothes.

I half expected it to be full of tattered black robes but then I remembered his casual attire from moments before. When I grabbed the nearest navy blue shirt I could already tell it would fit me like a dress, and I wasn't even short. Opening a drawer to my left I inspected the contents before my eyes landed on a pair of red shorts.