The Hereafter

Chapter 1

|Seventeen years ago|

Dead flies collected on the porthole window of the attic. Dust motes danced in the shaft of moonlight that extended outwards. Luke navigated over uneven floorboards and under exposed wooden beams. He tugged the pull string of the light bulb until the darker crevices flooded with light.

Stacked board games and discarded boxes littered the attic floor. The nearest one contained a picture of my parents. They grinned at me.

Luke's worrisome stare challenged my despondent one and demanded a reaction.

For a moment, I blinked back unwanted tears and resented him for trying to goad them out of me. Denial was impossible. I was a natural disaster waiting to happen.

"How did I die last time?" My stomach churned as the words lived out loud.

He exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck. "We've talked about this. That's not your life anymore; this one is."

I lowered myself onto the dusty floor and tucked my knees under my chin. "It matters to me."

"Katie, listen. You've been here before, and it won't be the last. I'll be here with you each time you are," he urged, exasperated.

"You don't understand." I shook my head. "It's easier for you. Am I supposed to feel comfort because you'll be there?"

His shoulders slumped. Rain pelted against the eaves of the house, making his silence grow louder.

When he spoke again, his voice was a whisper. "When he comes, I bear witness. That is never easy. We've been through this before, and each time, I've managed to track your soul down."

"I don't understand. We deserve a life together. Why is it every time I turn eighteen? What did I do to deserve this?"

"If I could tell you everything, I would. But there are forces at play here that we cannot comprehend. I can't answer this for you; please understand."

My eyes hardened. "Can't, or won't."

He cut me a sideways glance that begged me to give him a break. "Both, you break the cycle. I refuse to jeopardize your chances of doing that again. You know I would do anything to save you. But I can't explain why this happens. I don't have all the answers. You have to trust me."

"Trust you?" my eyes, wide with desperation, searching for answers he couldn't give. "How can I trust you when you won't tell me everything?"

"Because if I reveal too much, he will know and take you early, and every second with you counts to me."

I stared at him; his gaze burned with an intensity that threatened to consume me. And then, with a heavy sigh, I relented. "Promise me one thing."

"Anything, he replied.

"Promise me you'll do whatever it takes to save me next time." My voice trembled, betraying the fierce determination that lay beneath my fear.

"I swear it."

His hand found mine, our fingers entwining as if to prove the solidity of his vow. "I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and to break this cycle once and for all."

Glancing at the boxes of photos, memories sparked and played on a loop. The attic, a once safe space, now overwhelmed me with fear. He smiled a sad, wistful smile and held up a tattered copy of 'Paradise Lost' from a box beside him.

"This was the book you were reading last time when we first laid eyes on each other."

The book now meant nothing to me. It reminded us that our paths never crossed by chance—divine intervention brought us together, bound by a love that would span both heaven and hell.

"What if this is the last time, and we never see each other again?"

"We always come back. I refuse to accept anything else." His voice was firm with conviction. "Our connection transcends lifetimes, Katie. Our souls are bound, and they always will be. I don't know how, but I promise you, we'll find a way to end this curse.—not in this life, but the next."

"Must I submit?" I sighed with a rattle to my voice I could no longer restrain.

"You don't get a choice." He kneeled before me; guilt etched across every part of his face.

His words brought me no solace. I swallowed against the thickness of my throat, reluctant to ask my next question.

"Will it hurt?"

He measured each word in his head, but his gaze was devoid of hope. "Not for long."

"Will I recognize you next time?"

He shook his head. "But I'll remind you because I love you."

My resolve to rebel against him wavered because he meant every word.

"Next time, I'll give us a better chance." He tilted my chin and planted a firm, lingering kiss on my mouth.

The first tear escaped, cascading down my face; a testament to what was happening inside. I was falling apart in every single place that mattered.

Every pound of my heart served as a stark reminder that come the morning; it would stop beating for the first time in my life. People at school called me several things: friend, amateur journalist, most likely to succeed. Tomorrow, dead would be one of them.

The floorboards outside the door creaked. He tightened his grip on my hand, feeling the warmth of his trembling fingers against my own cold skin. My eyes closed as fierce tears began to fall. The footsteps outside grew louder and closer until they were right outside.