Too Broke For Afterlife

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"And you're sure it's safe to stay here?" Parker asks.

Judy blinks confused. "Uh, no? Of course I'm not sure! If someone finds us, we'll probably go to jail. So you guys have to stay on the low."

"They better not find us soon. Do you know how much work it took to teleport an entire machine?"

Walter pushes a few buttons of his Materializer, probably to check if it's still working. 

I sink down onto the cold ground and pull the knees up to my chest.

Who would have thought that our journey would lead us back to where it all started? 

Now we are inside an unused basement of the tropical beach hotel where I had met all of my friends present.

Parker in his room. Judy at the snack machine. And Walter during the conference.

We are back at point 0. Or at least it feels like it.

"How long has it been? 10 months?" I wonder out loud as I play with my hair to calm my nerves.

"Almost a year," Parker adds and throws his backpack onto the ground. "Anyway, where do we go when we have to...you know...go?"

"Just use an empty bottle or something."

He stares at Judy in disbelief. "Sorry missy but I will not pee into a bottle. We need to book a room or something."

"No!" Judy throws her jacket at him. "We can't leave the basement or someone might find out we are hiding down here! Plus, people could recognize us! They know me and probably Isabella as well. That is absolutely not an option."

I sigh. Sadly, Judy is right. We can't risk anything. There's too much at stake.

"Actually, I have an idea."

Walter turns to his computer. 

"I happen to have access to part of the Afterlife body library. While I'm working on your guys' replica, I could download something for the ladies so they can walk around freely."

I understand what he means and immediately pull my legs even closer.

"No! No, no, no, no. Forget it. I've already told you, I'll never step into that monster machine again!"

"Isa…"

Parker kneels down next to me and puts a hand onto my shoulder.

"You can't enter Heaven as a human. It's not possible."

"Then I simply will stay here. And guard your bodies."

Parker sighs and looks at Walter and Judy for help.

The raven haired man turns to me.

"You're needed to fight the Mayor. Satan made that clear. You and Parker have to be there. Judy and I will join for support."

"But-"

"Give her a break," Judy defends me.

I smile at her thankfully. But the panic in my head stays strong.

I don't have a choice. I really don't. I'll have to risk my life to save humanity.

God, that must sound so conceited. But this is not the fate I have chosen.

I'd rather be a completely meaningless puzzle piece and have someone else handle all this.

What is it about me that is so vital for this mission? I'm just a normal human. I'm like everyone else. Right?

"Okay, I'll look for some usable bodies just in case." Walter turns back to his computer and I close my eyes.

Breathe, Isa. Just breathe.

<<<

After a few hours, Walter has finished downloading the robots but despite the time I had for thinking, I still don't feel comfortable with the thought of leaving my body.

"Who wants to go first?" He claps his hands and looks at us excitedly.

These nerves. To Walter this is merely an experiment to test whether his machine is working. But if it doesn't, this could be fatal for us.

"I'll do it." Judy gets up from the ground but I quickly grab her arm.

"No, definitely not! You will not get killed by this thing. I'm going first."

She looks at me surprised. "But I thought you're scared?"

"Of course I am but somebody has to test if this is safe and that someone is not going to be you."

I walk over to Walter. "What do I need to do?"

"Just get into the tube and sit down."

He opens the glass door for me and after a last look at Parker and Judy, I enter.

Just like in Afterlife, there is a metal chair in the middle and I sink down onto it. Walter follows.

"I'll hook you up."

One by one he takes the wires and positions them all over my body with the help of lube and suction cups.

"This is going to hurt quite a bit as your soul is attached to your body and not it's own entity like it was inside the robot."

"I know, I've done this before."

"I'll sedate you, okay?"

I nod and close my eyes when I see the syringe.

"You don't like needles, huh?" 

"Only when they are filled with botox."

Luckily, the syringe itself doesn't hurt too much and before I know it, I'm ready to be tortured.

"Okay, Isabella."

Walter takes a step back.

"You'll stay awake during the whole process but not feel too much. Please stay seated, okay? I'll first materialize your soul, then suck it out of your body. I'll explain the rest later."

"That sounds lovely."

Walter leaves the tube and closes the door behind him.

Through the glass I watch as he walks over to the control panel. Both Parker and Judy have turned their backs to me, sitting on the other side of the room.

I can't blame them, I would do the same. This is really not something that is fun to watch.

"Should I count down?" Walter sounds muffled through the walls.

I shake my head. There is no possible way to prepare for this. Even if he counted down from 100. Maybe that would actually make it worse.

"Okay, here goes nothing."

Seriously? Those are his last words?

I consider getting up and running to safety but I know that I don't have a choice. I can't put my own life over the entire human kind. 

As soon as I see Walter push the big black button, I close my eyes and take one more deep breath. One more breath before I have to say goodbye to the shell I know.

It takes a while but then, slowly and steadily, I can feel my body heating up. My insides start rumbling, almost like I've just had 20 plates of beans. 

Without warning, the feeling suddenly intensifies and shoots like lightning through my intestines, ripping them apart.

A painful scream leaves my throat and my entire body is wincing under the torture. 

My vision blacks out as I lose control over my eyes. I feel how my soul gets ripped off my insides inch by inch until parts of it are flattering around freely, like a rag in the wind. But the more it loosens, the less pain I have to suffer.

After what feels like an eternity, my soul is completely free and immediately starts gaining weight. What feels like a leaf in the beginning turns into a wet sponge that slowly sinks down further and further.

Finally, I hear the vacuum like noise and before I know it, I splatter against the glass wall, falling to the ground.

I turn to look at my body and god, from down here it's really not a good angle. Did I gain weight?

"I will now preserve your body real quick."

Walter opens the door and walks over to the chair to remove the wires from my flesh cage. He tries to lift it up but seems to struggle with the weight.

"Uhm…"

But before he can ask for help, Parker is already there to grab my legs.

Together they lift my body out of the tube and over to where the preservation boxes are standing.

I hope this work. If I return to a decomposed body, I will be so mad. 

"Isa…"

I turn to look at Judy who is kneeling next to the tube.

She seems upset. Is she crying?

"You look like a cloud. Like cotton candy."

All I can do is stare at her as she tries to smile the fear away.

"Thank you."

I have no idea what she just thanked me for and Walter is already back to shoo her away.

"Now I'll get your robot."

He lifts up the shell of a woman to place it onto the chair and hooks her up again.

I examine the lady.

Shoulder-length dark brown hair, a slim, short figure dressed in a pantsuit and red lips.

She is cute. And considering Walter could have picked any of the bodies, I'm glad he chose someone a bit more elegant. Probably so that I'd have an easier time getting comfortable.

"This is Evelyn. 33, works for a trading company. I hope you like her."

I mean, I'd still prefer my own body but considering I don't have any other choice, I think we'll get along.

After hooking her up, Walter leaves again to return to his control panel.

"I'll now let your soul enter the body and dematerialize it again."

Okay Evelyn, let's see what you got.