The Borrowed Souls, A Novel

Chapter 1

I was enveloped in total blackness. A shade so dark that only moments before I didn’t even know existed. It was calming and disturbing at the same time. In the far distance, I heard a faint hum. It was almost imperceptible. But, as the hum got louder, so did my senses sharpen. Before I knew it, the hum had developed into a full blown shriek. The blaring of a car horn woke me from my deep unconscious sleep, causing my heart rate to increase rapidly. I sprang to my feet and rubbed the blurriness from my eyes.

As I stood, dizziness instantly overwhelmed me and I nearly fell backward. I grabbed at the back of the bench to steady myself. I looked around. I focused on the park bench for which gave me stability and expected to find the surroundings of my old park bench in New York. But, I recognized nothing. I stood in the middle of a large cobblestone pavilion, pedestrians milling about all around me. The two drive lanes to my left and right were vacant, save for a white bus that was driving away from me in the far distance. Taking in the building façade surrounding the plaza, I tried to remember if I’d seen any of it before. Unfortunately, nothing looked remotely familiar.

“Where the hell am I?” I mumbled to myself.

I looked at my watch but the second hand had stopped. I shook my wrist a few times to activate the automatic winder, and the seconds once more began to tick away. As I watched the rhythmic mechanical movement, I remembered that automatic watches such as mine would stop ticking after twenty-four to thirty-six hours of inactivity. Had I actually been unconscious for more than a day, on a bench in an unknown city?

I tried to recall my last clear memory. Hauser and I had been about to leave my cabin. Enoch had just killed the last two souls I’d been assigned to collect. I remember Hauser telling me that it was time to… to do something. I just couldn’t remember what.

A sudden pressure assaulted my inner ears. It felt as if my head would explode. I shut my eyes tightly and rubbed the sides of my temples to help soothe the pain. When was the last time that I had actually had a headache? I couldn’t remember having one since I’d entered the afterlife.

As the throbbing pain slowly ebbed, I opened my eyes, but the wooziness remained. I scratched at the back of my head absently as another sharp pain shot through my body. I pulled my hand away, and the tips of my fingers were covered with some kind of red residue.

“Holy shit,” I gasped. Gingerly, I touched the spot on my head and found an enormous knot—my hair crusted over with blood.

I decided to do a quick check of my own mental facilities.

Who am I? I’m Jack Duffy.

What do I do? I’m a soul collector in the afterlife.

How did I become a soul collector? I tried to kill myself and only moderately succeeded.

Do I have any family or friends? My parents had passed away years ago. My wife died shortly after I left the living. As for friends, I had only one true friend. Hauser. Hauser… what? Did Hauser have a last name?

Where are you? I’m not sure.

Why are you here? I don’t know that either.

An old Camus quote came to mind. It went something like this: To know oneself, one should assert oneself.

So, action it was. I began to walk through the unknown place. Is this just another part of my hometown? Possibly, but the architecture was different, and the smell was unique. I could smell fresh air like I’d not experienced in quite some time. No, I was not in New York. I was someplace… different.

I thought about jumping to my cabin, to a place that was familiar to me, but decided against it. What if I was supposed to be here? What if Hauser was nearby and I left without saying a word? Wherever I was, there must have been a reason for me being here. I decided to continue walking through the pavilion with hopes that I might figure out where I was.

As I neared the end of the block, I found myself standing at the corner of Sixteenth Street and Champa Street. Champa doesn’t sound remotely familiar.

I stopped at the corner, looking up and down the cross street, and saw mountains near the horizon. My God, where the hell am I?

Ding, ding. Ding, ding.

The sound echoed between the buildings. Startled, I looked over my shoulder and saw another white bus with the words The Ride, Denver’s Free Shuttle plastered along the side.

“Huh, so I’m in Denver,” I said.

“That’s very astute, Jack,” came a voice from behind me. A voice that I instantly recognized and one that I would never forget. I spun around and found Wilson Oliver smiling at me.

Chapter 2

It took me nearly a full minute of staring into Wilson’s seasoned eyes to realize that he was in fact standing in front of me. “My God, Wilson. Is it really you?” I asked.

He bobbed his head slowly, maintaining eye contact. “It is I, but honestly, Jack, it hasn’t been that long since we last spoke.”

“Sure it has. It’s been what? Almost six months?” I asked.

“Funny thing, time. For some it passes at a snail’s pace, while for others… well, let’s just say that I remember seeing you as if it were just days ago,” Wilson said.

Hearing the old man speak was music to my ears. After so many months of limited company—listening to Hauser’s satirical comments and bravado or the occasional deathbed conversation with the souls that I was there to collect-—actually being in Wilson’s presence was just what I needed.

“But how is this possible? How is it that you’re alive? You are alive, right?”

“Ah, yes very much so.”

“But how? I took your soul. I… I visited your dead body on that park bench for many days after your… death.”

“Well, Jack, turns out that having been a successful soul collector for as many years as I was has its privileges,” Wilson said proudly. “You see, after my soul was delivered to the Sentinel, I was given the option to either be reincarnated into a new being or to reclaim my old body and take a seat on the high council, with the Sentinel.”

“Wow, and I thought that you would’ve taken reincarnation. Have the chance at a new body?”

“Trust me, Jack, the thought did cross my mind. But I’ve become quite accustomed to this old bag of bones, and the opportunity to be on the council was really something I’d never imagined possible for myself. But that’s enough about me. How about you? It appears that you’re in a bit of a pickle once again.”

I nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you could say that. I seem to have lost time… again. I think it has something to do with this bump on the back of my head.” I bowed my head down to give Wilson a look.

“Ouch, that certainly looks like it smarts. What is the last thing you remember?” he asked.

A sudden recollection flooded my mind. “Well, as irony has it, Hauser and I were about to come visit the Sentinel, I think. There was a… complication with my last collection, and Hauser thought it was imperative that we seek advice from the Sentinel. My last clear memory was grabbing a hold of Hauser’s arm and darkness came over me. Beyond that, I can’t remember a thing. I can see visions of scenes—almost as if a film projector is out of focus—but I just can’t make anything out. Does that make sense?”

“I understand. As a matter of fact, the event you speak of occurred almost three days ago. I imagine there’s a logical explanation for the memory loss.”

“Three days? Are you shitting me? How can I have lost three days?”

Wilson contemplated the situation for several moments. “I think you might be right, Jack—perhaps the bump on the back of your head is your problem. Thankfully, you and I have the ability to re-experience your past. You do still have the coin, don’t you? Are you a willing to take another trip down memory lane?”

I began to turn out my pockets, emptying everything that I had on my person. First out was the rosary, which I handed to Wilson. Next I pulled out two soul boxes. One had my name on it—the very box that Wilson gave me when I took his soul all those months ago. The other box had a name that I also recognized. The name of Calvin’s mother—Penelope Rose. Lastly, I pulled out the coin.

“That’s strange. The last two boxes I remember having were for Luke and Meghan. I don’t remember getting Penelope’s box,” I said.

“Is there anything else?” asked Wilson.

“Nope. That’s everything I have.” I handed him the coin and took back the rosary and the two soul boxes.

“All right, then. I suggest we find a place to sit and get started.”

Wilson turned and headed down the pavilion toward a grouping of vacant patio chairs beneath a large oak tree. As we neared the seating area, more flashes were coming back to me from my lost time. I had a sudden sense of recognition as I eased myself down into the chair.

“It’s strange, Wilson, but there’s something about this area—I don’t know, it just feels familiar.”

“That’s good, isn’t it? What is it that makes you feel that way?”

“I don’t know, I can’t quite put my finger on it, but… there’s something about the buildings, maybe, that is remarkable. Almost as if I’d been here before.”

Wilson smiled and sat in the chair across from me. “Well then, Jack, how about we see what happened with your past seventy-two hours.”

Taking the coin from Wilson and turning it over in my hand launched me into the past, just as it had done numerous times before. A sense of contentment overwhelmed me, and despite the peculiar situation I was in, I felt like things would be okay.

Chapter 2.5

Darkness turned to light as the soles of my feet slammed to the ground, the momentum forcing me to my knees. Dizziness and nausea overwhelmed me and I uncontrollably hurled. Thankfully I hadn’t eaten or consumed any liquids in quite a few weeks, and I only dry heaved.

“And after all this time, I thought you would’ve mastered the ability to move around in the afterworld,” Hauser said, standing above me.

I wiped the spittle from my mouth and leaned back on my haunches. “Yeah, me too. I haven’t had a bout like that since, I don’t know, maybe the second or third jump?”

Hauser held his hand out and helped me up. “To be fair, transporting is quite a bit different when there’s multiple people involved. Until now you’ve only traveled by yourself.”

“But that’s not so,” I protested. “You and I have both traveled at the same time.”

“Yes, but we did so on our own volition. We always had the same destination in mind and just transported simultaneously. This time you had no idea where we were going, as I was in the driver’s seat. You were just along for the ride, so the effects of the jump are much more intense.”

“I’d say,” I said as I looked around at my surroundings. We stood on a relatively nondescript city sidewalk, surrounded by a few pedestrians. The cloudless sky above was the deepest blue I’d ever seen, and the air was thin and fresh. “So where is this place? Is this the Sentinel? Heaven or hell?”

Hauser chuckled. “None of the above, compadre. This is Denver, Colorado. Some people have said this is the closest to heaven that they’ve come, but I tend to disagree. Denver’s nice and all, but it’s a little too uppity for my taste.”

“Then I’m confused. I thought you said we were off to meet the Sentinel. Why take me to Denver first?”

“Because to get to the Sentinel, we have to go through Denver. You see, there’s only one way in and out of the Sentinel, and that’s through the Daniels and Fisher tower.” Hauser directed my view to the slender high-rise a block ahead of us.

The building was not very large—maybe thirty feet square—but shot up around twenty floors. Near the top, a large clock face was situated on each of the four building sides. The roof was steeply inclined to a cupola at the very peak. The entire building façade was constructed from blonde-colored brick. It very much reminded me of the St. Marks bell tower in Venice.

As we walked the final block toward the building, Hauser explained its history.

“This building, this clock tower, was the tallest building this side of the Mississippi in… 1910, I think, but only held on to that designation for a short period before the Smith Tower in Seattle claimed the moniker.”

“That’s great, Hauser, but what does that have to do with the Sentinel?”

“Patience, Jack. I’m getting there. You see, when this building was completed, the Sentinel needed a new headquarters. Things were really on the move back then, and at the time, the Sentinel had their base of operation in a location that was too close to the public eye. They chose Daniels and Fisher tower for two reasons: because of its modest style and because it was quite removed from the hustle and bustle of the rapidly growing coasts of the country.”

Hauser and I had stopped at the base of the building. I looked up at the façade in awe. “Who knew? Those that control the fate of every living soul in the world are located in a Renaissance-style building in Denver, Colorado,” I said.

“Well, that’s not exactly true. The Sentinel is not really inside the building. We can only access their location through here.”

I shook my head in utter confusion. “You know, Hauser… just lead the way. I shouldn’t be surprised about anything that you tell me on how things work in the afterlife.”

“That’s the spirit, my boy.”

Hauser and I walked up to the glass entry doors and stepped through. Once inside the lobby, my initial sense of the building’s demure size was compounded. Straight ahead of the doors we’d just walked through were another pair of glass doors exiting the opposite side of the lobby. To the left was the bank of elevators—correction, the elevator. The building was small enough that only one lift was provided. There were two doors on either side of the elevator, most likely stairwell access points. To the right was yet another pair of glass doors exiting back outside. On each side of the doors were two small offices.

Considering that this was the entry point to the headquarters of the afterlife, I truly expected to see gold-encrusted chandeliers and imported Italian marble floors. Instead, the floor had some kind of 60s-era linoleum finish, and the walls had a wainscoting of faded cream-colored beadboard with a hideous lavender wallpaper above. The light fixtures were simple, clear glass luminaires.

“I like it,” I said. “Not at all pretentious.”

Hauser chuckled as he pressed the call button for the elevator. A moment later a mechanical bell rang as the tarnished brass door opened.

“After you, sport,” Hauser said, motioning me into the lift.

I stepped past him into the elevator and was confronted with the splendor that I had expected in the lobby. The walls were lined with pearl-essence panels, and every exposed screw or fastener appeared to be gold-plated. On the ceiling of the elevator was an extravagant chandelier, with hundreds of crystal prisms reflecting the light magnificently in the compact space. I laughed out loud.

Hauser joined in my laughter. “I tell you, boy, you should see the look on your face.”

As our laughter subsided, the elevator door closed. Hauser and I stood next to each other quietly. On the elevator panel were buttons for every floor from the lobby up to the twentieth floor. There were also two additional buttons: basement one and basement two.

After an uncomfortably long pause, I looked over at Hauser. He stood silently, as if waiting for something to happen.

“So are we going to actually push a button?” I asked.

Hauser held a solitary finger up as he continued to contemplate something. After a few more moments he nodded his head, then reached out and simultaneously pushed the seven and thirteen buttons. As he did so, a scattering of other buttons lit up, but not the seven or the thirteen.

“Is that some kind of a surreptitious access code?” I asked sarcastically.

“The Sentinel is nothing without its obscure security protocols. They change the sequence every so often, and it’s linked to the moon phase and the current month. I was trying to figure out the exact combination. Thankfully, today was an easy one. I’ve had to enter the elevator before when the combination was ten buttons. And you have to press them all at the exact same moment.”

“And what if you get it wrong?” I asked.

Hauser whistled and arched his eyebrow. “Well, I’ve only heard stories…”

Before he could continue, the lighted buttons began to blink out one by one. Twenty-three. Nineteen. Seventeen. Eleven. Five. Three. Two. One.

“Is there any coincidence that including the two buttons you pressed, all of the lighted buttons were prime numbers?” I asked.

“I tell you, Jack. You are one sharp wit. They actually had to draw me a diagram about it all when I first came in here.”

A moment later the elevator door opened, and I suddenly realized that the elevator had not moved an inch the whole time. Surprisingly, though, the lobby was not the same lobby that we had just been in. The decor of this lobby mimicked that of the elevator car.

Hauser stepped out first and I followed. As soon as we were both off the lift, the door closed then vanished. I nearly jumped out of my skin. In its place stood a man with his back toward us. He wore a tan suit and a white fedora.

Hauser cleared his throat.

The man before us turned sharply and the sudden recognition sent chills throughout every point of my body. It was Wilson Oliver.

Chapter 3

I released the coin, and was back on the pavilions in Denver. Wilson sat across from me, smiling.

“Why didn’t you tell me that we’ve already been reintroduced?” I asked.

“Well, I wasn’t sure how much memory loss you’d actually suffered. I didn’t want to startle you too much with the state of the situation,” Wilson said, avoiding eye contact.

What is he hiding? I wondered.

Wilson brought his eyes up and met mine. “I see Hauser hasn’t taught you how to control your mind quite yet,” he said.

Shit. “I mean, yeah, not so much. I’ve only just recently been able to hear the occasional thought from someone else, and Hauser is the proverbial blank slate when it comes to his thoughts.”

“Hauser is one of the best at controlling what can be heard from deep within his mind. It’s almost as if he has the ability to… tick off a list of what he’ll allow out and what he keeps private. Personally, I hold everything in and don’t allow a single thought to leak away. It’s easier that way.”

“Then I’m confused. I thought that my training was complete. Is that not so?” I asked.

“I think it best that we reenter your past,” Wilson said, avoiding answering the question. “I think you would do much better learning about the status of things all on your own. What do you say we give the coin another flip?”

I exhaled deeply, feeling my frustration build. My earlier restful senses were quickly being replaced with feelings of disdain. Regardless of my reservations, I picked up the coin and flipped it over.

Chapter 3.5

I was speechless. I stole a quick look at Hauser, who just grinned smugly. I returned my unbelieving gaze toward Wilson.

“Ah, Mr. Duffy,” Wilson said. “It’s great to see you again. Aside from the recent… complications, how has the afterlife been treating you?”

I tried to hide the shock—seeing my first collected soul standing right in front of me, in person, just as he’d looked all those months ago—but I failed miserably. “I, um…”

Wilson and Hauser both laughed at my sudden inability to speak coherently. I knew they weren’t laughing at me, but most likely at the odd situation that we were all in. “Odd indeed,” Wilson said. “And I’d imagine that you are full of questions right about now. As much as I would like to sit down with you and explain everything, we have more pressing matters to attend to.”

I nodded. “Yeah, maybe later?”

“I’m not sure if we have time on this trip, compadre,” said Hauser. “Perhaps if the meeting with the council doesn’t go too long, Wilson here can fill you in briefly.”

“Yes, yes. If this session is as expeditious as I’m hoping, we should have a few moments.” Wilson turned and began to walk down the corridor. “If you would follow me, council is already in session, and they’re waiting for us.”

Oh great. We come up here, wherever this is, and we get thrown right to the wolves.

“Please, Jack. Try your best to silence your thoughts. Once we’re inside the council, it would be best to speak only when you’re spoken to, and really try to focus on the conversation at hand. We don’t necessarily want to let on anything that is… questionable?” Hauser said.

I caught his drift instantly. I forced my recent deviances from my mind, and nodded.

Hauser and I fell into stride with Wilson. We walked down the polished marble corridor. It didn’t take long for me to realize that we really weren’t in the same building. The compact floor plan of the building we’d entered moments before couldn’t have been more than three or four office-sized rooms wide and deep. But the corridor we walked down had to have been at least a full city block long in each direction.

After some twenty feet down the hallway, a room opened up on the left, encompassed by windows. I tried to take in a glimpse of the view, but Wilson and Hauser continued on in the opposite direction, turning away from the glass. As we entered the new corridor, it carried on dozens of yards as well.

“Is this place real?” I asked.

“Yes, and no,” Hauser said. “Everything that you can see and feel is as real as if it were in your own home. As for the location, I’m not sure if I’m qualified to answer that. It exists, but not in the sense of space that you and I are used to. It just is.”

“Well thanks for clearing that up for me,” I remarked, showing only a hint of the sarcasm that I truly wanted to convey.

A moment later we came to the end of the corridor, and a pair of hand-carved wooden doors. Wilson paused momentarily before gripping the polished-brass door handles and pushing in.

Wilson and I followed, walking into a large gathering room. The sudden change in décor made it feel like we’d just stepped into the past. The walls were lined with faux-wood paneling, and the floor was covered with green shaggy carpet. The low ceiling was textured with acoustical popcorn. Along the far wall a series of glass windows looked outside. At the center of the room, a number of Naugahyde-covered chairs were arranged in a full circle. Most of them were already occupied.

Stepping forward, Wilson sat in the last armed chair in the circle, while Hauser led us to the remaining two armless chairs. As I sat, I glanced around at the members of the council and was dumbfounded. I recognized Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs, and, if I remembered my history lessons correctly, I thought I saw Winston Churchill in the group. A woman sitting directly across from Hauser and I had an appealing appearance, albeit masculine. Her mysterious yet highly publicized disappearance in the late thirties made her practically immortal, if in name only. It was Amelia Earhart.

To her right sat an elderly gentleman with a beard down nearly to his lap. He had bushy grey eyebrows and if he’d been wearing a white tunic, I’d imagine this would be the Gandalf character that Hauser had mentioned back when he was explaining the origination of the mystical gadgets that he possessed. Just as those thoughts coursed through my mind, the older man looked up at me, winked one of his silvery-grey eyes, and smirked.

Oh shit, I thought. Control. Control. Control.

I quickly shifted my focus to the other members of the council and was continually surprised at the recognizable faces. I continued to look around the room until I arrived back at Earhart staring right at me. A moment later, I released the coin.

Chapter 4

“Did I really just see Amelia Earhart?” I asked.

Wilson chuckled. “Yeah, Amelia was a direct recruit. She came onto the council reluctantly.”

“You mean the Sentinel targeted her directly? How is it that the council is made up?”

“The high council is mostly formed by past soul collectors. Hence, my appointment. There are, however, a number of non-soul collector folk in place. In addition to Earhart, I gather that you noticed other familiar faces, correct?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I did, but I couldn’t put names to a few of the people.”

“Yes, the high council of the Sentinel is diverse to a fault. It consists of twelve men and women from virtually all times and locations from earth’s history. Each council member is given the opportunity to serve as long as they wish, but as far as I’m aware, most of the past members have limited their stay. As a matter of fact, Florence Nightingale was the member that I recently replaced.”

“Are you serious? Did you get to meet her before she… what? Moved on to the other side?”

“I did meet her briefly, but we only exchanged short pleasantries.”

“Wow. What was she like?” I asked, completely enamored.

“She was actually a very attractive woman. But she seemed… I don’t know, worn down, maybe?”

“Wilson, you sly dog. She had to have been, what, a hundred and something? I don’t even know.”

“You see, when you become a member of the Sentinel, you get to choose the physical representation to carry on in the afterlife. She chose herself when she was in her mid- to late-thirties. And I have to say, it was a fine choice,” Wilson said with a wink.

“So if she was in her thirties when she joined the Sentinel, did she continue to age?”

“No, it’s quite a bit different from being a soul collector. Once you join the Sentinel, you cease to age, and rarely do environmental changes affect you.”

Trying to wrap my mind around this new information made my head spin. I was having trouble thinking straight. As much as I’d wanted to get back all of my lost memories, I was feeling severely inadequate. Here I was, the most recent recruit to the soul collecting ranks of the afterlife, being thrust into the presence of some truly great people. Despite their historically benevolent natures, I was unsure just how compassionate they’d be if they fully realized my most recent past. Just being in the presence of all those that ruled in the afterlife made me terribly edgy.

“It’s all right to be nervous, Jack. Regardless of their current status, those people were just as normal as you and I were at one point in time.”

I shrugged. “I suppose, but you’re not as normal as I am, and I’m not as normal as I once was.”

“It’s all relative, Jack. They’re good people, now and before. Besides, your hesitation now is unwarranted. You’ve already been through all of this. You’re now just reliving what has already occurred.”

As Wilson explained this, I rubbed the back of my neck until there was an audible crack. I tilted my head back to the right and it popped again. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Then are you ready to continue?” Wilson asked.

“Yeah, I suppose,” I said reluctantly. I picked up the coin and flipped it over in my hand.

Chapter 4.5

As Earhart continued to stare at me, I felt as if she was staring into my soul. I shifted my eyes to the Gandalf character, who I decided to coin Mr. Wizard. He was staring off into the distance and appeared deep in thought. As I continued to look around the circle of council members, each of the faces looked wise beyond their years. Each one held a certain level of confidence that was comforting, yet at the same time moderately intimidating.

“Thank you, all, for agreeing to grant us audience,” Hauser began. “We realize that your time is valuable, and we’re honored—”

“Let’s forgo all the formalities, Mr. Hauser,” said Earhart. “Tell us what you know.”

Mr. Hauser? Is that his last name? If that’s true, then what’s his first name? I wondered. I made a mental note to ask him about it later.

Hauser cleared his throat. “It appears that Enoch Gant has taken an interest in my latest protégé, Jack Duffy. He’s been visiting Mr. Duffy’s dreams on and off over the past few months. Then, in an unprecedented event, he arrived at the scene of Mr. Duffy’s latest collection assignment and siezed the souls before Jack had an opportunity to do so. From what Jack tells me, Enoch possesses a soul magnet.”

There were gasps from a number of the council members, while others in the gathering remained completely emotionless.

“Silence, silence,” said Earhart. “Mr. Hauser, is this just hearsay, or is this a witnessed event?”

Am I chopped liver? I thought. I’m sitting right here. Can’t you just ask me?

Careful, Jack. If I can hear you, they most likely can hear you as well, Hauser’s words echoed inside my mind.

“Yes, Amelia. Jack witnessed the soul acquisition from Enoch just hours ago. He described the collection chamber precisely: a small copper tube, three inches long. It’s unmistakable.”

“Granted, this is disturbing news about Mr. Gant, but I am not sure it warrants a knee-jerk reaction from the Sentinel,” King said.

“It’s not just Jack’s eyewitness that prompted this gathering,” Hauser said. “I’ve heard from a half a dozen other collectors in the past few months, relaying similar situations where Enoch has attempted to interfere. Fortunately, none of those have developed to the extent of Jack’s latest encounter.”

As a number of the council members broke off into smaller, individual conversations, Hauser and I sat in silence.

“There’s one more thing,” Hauser said, bringing the attention back to us. “Enoch has not only taken these two souls, but he’s also threatened our lives.”

“How so?” Earhart asked.

“Moments before he vanished, he threatened to kill Jack and me with a gun. This all took place just minutes after he shot and killed Jack’s two marks.”

A new round of shocked outbursts filled the room.

“Silence. Silence,” Earhart demanded. Turning back to Hauser, she asked, “Do you expect us to believe that Enoch Gant is capable of murder? To take the word of an inexperienced soul collector trainee?”

“I do,” Hauser said firmly. “If Jack tells me that’s what happened, I believe him completely. Regardless of Jack’s experience level, why would he lie about this? He has nothing to gain from it. Besides, it’s common knowledge that Enoch Gant has been actively pursued by me and by others in the council.”

As isolated conversations ensued, I watched Earhart and Mr. Wizard lean in toward one another, whispering discreetly into each other’s ear. After several moments, Earhart returned order to the gathering.

“Attention please. We’ve all known that Enoch Gant had the potential to be a loose cannon, and this recent incident is further proof of that. However, we feel that this may very well be an isolated incident, and maintaining the status quo is the prudent thing to do.”

What does she mean, status quo? I thought.

Not now, Jack, Hauser thought back.

“Amelia, I don’t think these are isolated incidents,” Hauser said. “Yes, this is the first physical interaction with him, but he’s been tampering with many soul collectors’ minds over the past several months.”

“Then enforcing the current sleep ordinance should alleviate that, Mr. Hauser. None of the soul collectors should be sleeping anyway. That was a directive handed down more than two years ago, but it continues to happen.”

“Sleep aversion is not the answer here,” Hauser said. “It’s just a stopgap. It’s clear that Enoch is getting more brazen by the day and who knows how far he’ll go—”

Earhart nodded her head. “I happen to agree, Mr. Hauser, but we can only react to what we know. And right now all we know for certain is that he’s invaded the dreams—”

“And so much more,” Hauser snapped. “He’s killed two living souls and threatened our lives.”

“He’s allegedly threatened your lives,” Earhart shot back. “I’ve just spoken with Mr. Whitman, who will begin working on a personal protection device. He believes that he should be able to create something that will protect the lives of all our soul collectors.”

“Well, that’s a start. But how long before this device can be ready?” Hauser asked, looking at Whitman.

Whitman did not reply, but just stared at Hauser.

After a long moment of silence, Earhart spoke. “I believe that will conclude our meeting today. Mr. Hauser, I trust that you will relay the council directive, expressing the urgent nature of foregoing sleep to all active soul collectors?”

“Yes, Ms. Earhart—”

“What? That’s it?” I blurted. “I think you’re missing an incredible opportunity here!”

“What exactly do you mean, Mr. Duffy?” Steve Jobs asked impatiently.

“It’s my understanding that none of you know where Enoch is. From what Hauser tells me, he cannot be traced because he no longer possesses a soul box, am I correct?” I said.

A number of council members around the room nodded their heads, a look of irritation on each of their faces.

“He’s obviously honed in on me,” I said. “Isn’t there some way that we can possibly trap him?”

“I don’t think one chance meeting with you would necessarily qualify for him honing in on you,” Jobs snapped.

“That may be, but he has invaded my dreams on virtually every collection that I’ve been assigned. I’m not sure if that’s a regular occurrence or not, but I think that you all should be taking advantage of that somehow. Can’t Mr. Wizard there create some kind of a device that can capture him next time he comes at me, or interferes with my next collection?” I asked.

“What makes you think that Enoch will attempt to interfere with your next collection?” Earhart asked, cutting off Jobs in the meantime.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve tried to save the last several souls that I’ve been sent to collect. Quite successfully I might add,” I said, ignoring the gasping outbursts from the council. “And I believe that my doing so has somehow triggered something in Enoch’s mind, driving him to come and physically interact with me.”

The council once again dispersed into individual discussions of shock and surprise at hearing my recent soul collection activities.

“And what gives you the right to save souls?” Churchill demanded. “Explain yourself!”

Be careful, Jack, Hauser thought to me. The high council here does not know everything that has occurred down there.

Terror filled my mind as visions of poking an angry bear filled my mind. A moment later I released my coin.

Chapter 5

I leaned back in my chair and looked at Wilson, who had a disapproving look on his face. I momentarily shifted my gaze elsewhere.

“So, obviously, none of this is new to you,” I said.

“No, Jack. If I was present in your memories, I have already experienced this. However, we’re not reliving these memories for my benefit but for yours. You need to figure out where you’ve been to discover where you’re going.”

“Where exactly am I going?” I asked.

“In due time. There is much to be reviewed prior to you learning about your ultimate destination,” Wilson said, continuing to hold my deviating gaze.

I nodded. “I suppose you’re right.” I said. “Tell me, Wilson, why isn’t the Sentinel taking the situation with Enoch Gant more seriously?”

“Trust me, Jack, they are. What you’ve experienced in open council may not show that, but you can take my word for it. Mr. Gant is a high priority.”

“All right. You’ve not steered me wrong so far. It’s just so…”

“Political? There is far more going on behind the curtains of the Sentinel. Between Walt Whitman and Amelia Earhart—”

“That’s who that is? That’s Walt Whitman?”

Wilson smiled. “Not at all what you expected, right?”

“Not in the least. And what is up between him and Hauser? The tension between them seemed pretty severe.”

“Walt and Hauser have a strained history, which dates back to Walt’s father’s death back in 1855. Hauser was there to collect the soul, and somehow, Walt was able to witness the collection.”

I leaned forward, my interest brimming about the famous poet. “How was that possible?”

“It’s never been positively determined, but it was assumed that Walt was possibly depressed at that point in his life and was considering suicide. He was an emotional mess, having just published Leaves of Grass a few days before his father’s death.”

“I get that Walt was probably upset at the time, witnessing a strange man taking his father’s soul, but hasn’t he forgiven Hauser for it by now?”

“Oh, he has. It’s actually Hauser that has held the grudge after all this time. That’s how Walt tells it, at least. If you ask me, I think the both of them are being quite childish about the whole ordeal,” Wilson said, wiping his brow with his sleeve.

I nodded as the latest information about Hauser sunk in. His psyche was deeper than I had ever imagined.

“I couldn’t ask while in the council, so I’ll ask you now: What exactly were you thinking when you tried to save those souls?” Wilson asked.

Here it comes. Go ahead and give me the same verbal reprimand that Hauser did.

“Don’t get me wrong, Jack. What you did is neither here nor there. I’m just curious what inspired you to try and change the life direction of those souls. I want to know… for myself.”

“Are you telling me that you’ve never altered fate, not even once? You’ve collected every single soul that was assigned to you?” I asked. “How’d you do it so… so absentmindedly, when there were so many good people—great people—dying for no good reason?”

It was Wilson’s turn to avert his eyes. “Jack, I’ve never been a rule breaker. Yes, I’ve thought about making a change a time or two but I just couldn’t follow through with it. I didn’t find it appropriate in the least.”

“Well, I think that’s what makes you and me different. I understand your stance on the rules. In my past life, I was the proverbial brownnoser at work. In corporate America, it’s a form of survival. If you don’t follow along and do as you’re told, you are promptly eliminated and replaced with a yes-man,” I said. “Since taking over for you, a bit of clarity has come over me and I’ve realized that changes can and, right or not, should be made. I respect your decision to have followed the rules for so long, but it’s not my approach.”

Wilson nodded but continued to avoid eye contact. “Wait a minute, come to think of it, I haven’t collected every soul that was sent for. I didn’t collect your soul,” Wilson said excitedly.

“But weren’t you allowed to let me keep mine?” I asked.

Wilson smiled. “Yes, that’s right. You were destined to enter the afterlife with your soul intact.”

“Hmm. That brings up another question: Was I recruited or was this your idea to let me continue on in the afterlife?”

“Well, it was a little bit of both. After sixty years, I really was tiring of my duties. But as for you, yes, you were a targeted interest.”

“Was it because of my work history?” I asked.

“No, not entirely. Although that did have a part to play in your recruitment. They were more interested in the fact that you had no living family members to speak of. Both of your parents had passed on years ago and you were an only child. Aunts and uncles?” Wilson asked.

I shook my head. “No. I think there might have been some distant relatives that I’d never met, but none within the state.”

“You see, the Sentinel targets people that have no reason to make life-altering changes for their loved ones. Fate already had it that Cyndi was going to die within days of your own death. She would have been a deal breaker if she would have lived on. But because her accident and injuries were so severe, there was really no way for her to continue on. You were an easy pick as my replacement.”

Thinking back to Cyndi’s terrible fall down the stairwell made me shudder. Until Wilson brought up that horrific accident, I had been doing a decent job forgetting it. But now sorrow began to set in all over again.

“That’s all water under the bridge, Jack. You can’t go back and save her now. I think you’ve been procrastinating long enough. Let’s flip the coin and catch up to where you are now.”

I nodded my head in agreement and turned the coin over.

Chapter 5.5

Suddenly Hauser stood and moved to the center of the circle. He slowly walked around, looking each of the council members in the face.

“Before we jump to any disciplinary conclusions, I think what Jack says has a lot of merit.”

“Proceed,” Earhart said.

“Perhaps trying to capture Enoch the next time he shows up is aiming a bit too high. Perhaps approaching this from a different angle might be more appropriate. If Walt can create something, some kind of marker that we can tag Enoch with the next time he comes around, perhaps we might then be able to track him back to where he hides out.”

As Hauser continued his slow, concentric path at the center of the gathering, I noticed a number of the council members begin to nod their heads. When I glanced at Whitman, he was looking right back at me. He smiled briefly. Nervously, I returned his smile and refocused my attention on Hauser.

“Despite Jack’s indiscretions with his duties, I think we should encourage him to save yet another soul. I think we should give him a new soul box and allow him to once again try and change fate,” Hauser said, holding a hand up to the oncoming challenges from the various council members. “We allow Jack to continue the farce long enough to coax Enoch to him. I’ll be there throughout the entire process. Either he or I should be able to attach whatever Walt can come up with to Enoch’s body. Once he’s been tagged, our battle is half over.”

Hauser retook his seat and we both looked around the gathering. The temperament had certainly changed and I was very thankful for Hauser’s interference.

You’re welcome, buddy. You owe me one.

The gathering room filled with murmurs of the possibilities of potentially apprehending Enoch. Hauser and I sat silently as the council discussed all aspects of the proposal. After nearly an hour of planning and negotiating, Earhart spoke.

“It is the ruling of the council that Jack Duffy will maintain his soul collection abilities for the time being. There will, however, be a full review of his work history upon the completion of his next soul collection. In addition, Jack will be given an additional ability to aid him with this task. Do you accept these conditions, Mr. Duffy?”

“I do,” I said without hesitation. “But what additional abilities could you possibly give me that I don’t already possess?”

“You will be given the ability to converse with the living. For all intents and purposes, you will be a living, breathing person. You will be able to be seen and heard by everyone around you. We feel that this enhancement, albeit temporary, will give you the edge you may need to help achieve your goal.”

“And you feel this way because…” I urged for more information.

“Because, Mr. Duffy, the next soul that will be assigned to you will be for Miss Penelope Rose,” Earhart said. “Because of your previous interactions with her, we feel that having the ability to be seen and heard by everyone should improve the likelihood of achieving your objective without raising too much suspicion.”

My God, not Penelope. Hasn’t that woman suffered enough, losing her own son?

Careful, Jack, Hauser thought to me.

“Yes, Miss Rose will attempt suicide. And it seems to be an unavoidable fate. But with your own personal history on the matter,” Earhart said, “you might be able to convince her otherwise.”

My head began to spin as comprehension set in. I tried not to think about the ramifications of the plan until we were away from the Sentinel, but I failed miserably. Having the chance to right the wrongs that I’d done to myself was more than I could ever ask for. I was beyond excited to get started immediately.

“Mr. Duffy,” Earhart said, “do keep in mind that this is only a luring tactic. If you and Mr. Hauser are successful, Miss Rose’s soul will still be collected, as originally foretold. You have to think that saving her soul is the ultimate goal, in the off chance that Enoch is invading your thoughts. But do realize that in the end her collection shall be made.”

“I understand,” I said, forcing a mental block on my thoughts.

“One more thing, Mr. Duffy. It is blaringly clear that you have absolutely no control of your inner thoughts. It is imperative that you not think about the plan without some self-control. Enoch seems to have mastered the technique, and a great deal of practice on your part is in order if we want this plan to succeed.”

“Yes, ma’am. I will do my best,” I said, embarrassed.

“Well then, if you two would like to stop by Mr. Whitman’s lab before picking up your new soul box, I pronounce this gathering concluded.”

I released the coin and was brought back to Wilson in the park.

Chapter 6

“Tell me, Wilson. What’s going to happen to me after I complete this ruse?”

“I don’t know, Jack. Up until the point that you left the council chamber, I was aware of your entire past. From that point forward, I’m in the dark just as much as you are.”

“Haven’t you been able to use the rosary and see ahead?” I asked.

“Unfortunately, no. You have my rosary in your possession. I’ve had no need for it. And until just recently, the Sentinel has had no idea if the plan has been proceeding accordingly. Besides, not all devices work on both the living and those in the afterlife. Using the coin was a calculated attempt, and I’m thankful that it has played out for us. I have severe doubts that the rosary would work in the same fashion.”

I pulled the rosary from my pocket and handed it to Wilson. “Well, care to give it a try?” I asked.

Wilson slipped the rosary around his neck and held the crucifix between his fingers. He closed his eyes and placed his free hand on my arm. Having not experienced this from this side of the rosary, I was unsure if Wilson ventured ahead in my future or if he was simply concentrating silently. After several moments, Wilson let go and withdrew the rosary before handing it back to me.

“Just as I expected. The rosary would not take me forward. Nice thought though, Jack.”

I slipped the rosary back into my pocket and looked back at Wilson. “So we’re back at square one.”

“More importantly, Jack, neither of us knows what happened to you from the moment you left the Sentinel until now. I think that is more important to discover. And until you flip the coin over again, neither of us will know what to do next. I suggest that you turn the coin and proceed.”

I nodded in agreement and twisted the coin between my fingers.

Chapter 6.5

After many hours of tedious mental training to help me control my thoughts, we were finally able to leave the Sentinel. With my new soul box in pocket, we stepped back into the thin air of the streets of Denver.

“Well, Jack, do you feel any different?” Hauser asked.

I breathed in deeply and exhaled a moment later. I looked around at the various pedestrians on the sidewalk. Nobody paid me any attention. It was as if I was invisible.

“No, not really. Should I?”

“Don’t know. I’ve never been given the opportunity that you have,” Hauser said.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think Hauser was envious by the tone he used in his question. He looked at me sideways, waiting for my response. Maybe I was reading too much into his actions.

“Well, unless you want to have people stare at you for talking to yourself in the middle of the street, I suggest we go someplace a little more private to prepare our plan,” Hauser said.

“Lead the way,” I said. “Just tell me where we’re going and I’ll meet you there.”

“Actually, I have something else in mind. If you don’t mind, how about you let me drive once more. It’ll be a new location for you,” Hauser said, holding his arm out to my side.

I placed my hand on his arm and a moment later we vanished.

As my vision cleared, I felt much better than the last time I’d let Hauser transport us without my control. Despite the faint dizziness, I began to walk around our destination. We were in a large, cavernous room, approximately the size of two basketball courts side by side. The floor was distressed concrete, and the four outside walls were made of glass, albeit covered with grime. The ceiling, which rose up nearly twenty feet, had been painted white at one time, but was now water stained from years of neglect. At the center of the large room was a freestanding wood structure, no more than eight or nine feet tall and quite ominous. Hauser was already walking toward the single door on the structure.

“This way, champ. Welcome to my humble abode,” Hauser said as he walked through the door.

I caught up and entered behind him, unsure of what to expect. Once inside, the interior of the space more resembled a studio apartment than an abandoned warehouse.

“You live here?” I asked.

“Yep. We’re in the outskirts of Detroit, and as most of the town’s been abandoned, nobody even knows I’m here.”

“The fact that nobody can see you probably helps a little bit too,” I said sarcastically.

“True, they can’t see me, but they certainly could see any of my possessions that I’ve collected over the years. Hence, the apartment built inside an open warehouse.”

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” I asked, seizing the opportunity to razz my mentor. “What’s this about possessions? Didn’t you tell me all those months ago that I had to, how did you put it, forget about everything I’d ever owned?”

Hauser winced, then turned his frown into a smile. “Come now, Jack. You do realize that you were in training, right? There are certain things that you needed to learn so you wouldn’t continue to dwell upon your past. I had to get you and your mind away from Cyndi. Look around. None of these possessions were from my previous life. They’re all things that I’ve collected through the years, and they’re not even mementos or keepsakes whatsoever. They’re just… things that spoke to me. They called out to me. Does that make sense?”

I shook my head. “Not in the slightest,” I said as I moved around Hauser’s hideout.

The space was fairly modern in its decor, and included a kitchen and bath, along with a sleeping area as part of the living room. Besides the bath and a wardrobe closet, everything was in a large room. There were no windows, but there were pieces of art hung around the perimeter.

“Why did we come here and not Penelope’s apartment?” I asked.

“Considering your new ability, we couldn’t very well just pop into her apartment, now could we? She would be able to see you instantly, regardless of her impending death. Seeing as she is still in flux,” Hauser said, patting his pocket watch, “I felt it best that we go someplace more private to work out the details of the plan. And besides, I’ve got a head start on all things Enoch.” Hauser nodded his head in the direction of the dining area.

I walked up to the large wall behind the dining table, which was plastered with news clippings and photographs.

“I’ve been tracking Enoch Gant for years now,” Hauser explained. “Everything you see on the wall is mysterious reports that I’ve linked to Enoch himself.”

I scanned the headlines, which sounded somewhat familiar. A number of them spoke about eyewitnesses of a man in a blue suit with matching hat, in relation to various mysterious deaths. But many of the clippings were from foreign newspapers. “I can only read half of these, Hauser. What do they all say?”

“They’re all pretty much the same. Just different locations. Our man Enoch has been a busy boy. Until recently I wasn’t completely sold on the idea that he was in fact murdering innocent people. But after your last soul collection, all bets are off.”

“If I am the first soul collector to have the ability to be seen and heard by those still living, how are the reports of Enoch being seen even possible?” I asked.

“That’s the question of the century, Jack. I’ve been told that Whitman’s lab had been working on the enhanced abilities that you have now for quite some time. It was my understanding that they were still a good deal away from completing their objective. The only thing that we can surmise is that Enoch himself has been working on the same technology, or he has someone on the inside helping him out.”

“A mole?” I gasped. “I’d never imagined there would be so much cloak and dagger going on in the afterlife.”

“Yeah, well, the Sentinel completely missed the character markers with Enoch. They usually do a much better job at recruiting.”

“So what have you learned from all of this?” I gestured at the news printings.

“With each new sighting, I would jump to the location and do my own research. Obviously, by the time each of these made print, I was far too late to attempt a capture of Enoch. But I still went to each one. There were a few times though that Enoch stuck around to watch the reactions of the public. And on more than one occasion, I was able to chase after him. I was close enough to catch his scent, but he was far too clever. He would lead me into hazardous locations, catching me off guard. If I wasn’t quick enough to transport away in time, I would’ve died a long time ago. After one too many close calls, it was decided that a direct pursuit of Enoch was forbidden until we had a better plan worked out.”

“And now we do,” I said, taking a seat on Hauser’s sofa.

Hauser sat across from me and looked at me thoughtfully. “So how are we going to save Penelope’s soul?

“Well, I suppose we should first start by getting close to her, finding out what it is that makes her who she is. Find out what is triggering her suicidal tendencies.”

“That might be easier said than done,” Hauser said. “Despite what the Sentinel thinks, your new abilities may prove to be more of a hindrance than anything else. I think we’re going to have to do a tag-team reconnaissance on this one, and limit you to personal interaction only.”

I sat up. “We’re going to split up? Is that wise with Enoch on the prowl?”

“I don’t expect Enoch to be knocking on Penelope’s door anytime soon. For all we know, he has no idea that you have a new soul to collect. Also, at this point there are only the two of us, and the Sentinel, that know we will even attempt to save her soul. It might be a number of weeks before he comes out of the woodwork, but—”

“But he also might have that mole in the Sentinel that you mentioned. He might be at her place right now.”

Hauser nodded thoughtfully. “Precisely why we need to split up. But first, I think we need to talk about the injectors that Whitman gave us,” Hauser said as he pulled two cylindrical devices from his inside pocket. “I’m actually surprised he was able to create something so quickly.”

Hauser handed me one of the pen-shaped devices. “It looks like one of those epinephrine pens that are used for asthma attacks or allergic reactions.”

“That’s precisely what it is. While you were visiting the mind control specialist, Walt told me that in the rush we were in, he had to use an actual EpiPen and modify it for our purposes.” Hauser removed the cap to demonstrate its use. “All we have to do is stab the black end of the pen somewhere on his body. It will inject some microscopic tracking dots into his body. It’ll be impossible for him to hide after that.”

“And Walt was able to devise these… nanites that quickly?” I asked, skeptical.

“He has a number of science geeks working with him, and they can sometimes pull off miracles,” Hauser said as he recapped his pen. “Now, let’s go over everything once again, and then I’ll go track down Penny.”

Chapter 7.5

When we arrived back in New York, Hauser dropped us in a dingy alleyway just off of Forty-Third Street.

“With your new ability of being visible, I think it best that we only travel to and from vacant areas,” Hauser said as he began to move toward the end of the alley.

I fell into stride next to him, ignoring the putrid smell emanating from the nearby dumpsters. “That makes sense. Where is it that we’re going, though?”

“It’s a community center about a block away. After I tracked down where Penelope lives—incidentally, she goes by Penny—I was able to utilize Wilson’s, er, I mean your rosary, to see ahead to this point.”

“Does she work at the community center, maybe as a volunteer?” I asked.

“Not exactly,” Hauser said, shaking his head. Penny is… confused. She’s here at a support group for depression.”

“That makes sense. I would probably be a little depressed as well if I had recently lost a newborn.”

“So this doesn’t bother you?” Hauser asked.

“No, should it?”

“Well, considering how you left your life, I would assume that…”

“Are you sure that she’s going to try to kill herself?” I asked.

“All of the signs say yes. No, I haven’t seen her death, yet. But in addition to her depression, her soul has been in flux from the moment I found her in her apartment. Much like it was at the hospital, when she lost her child.”

“Calvin. Don’t remind me,” I said.

“Well? Are you going to be okay?”

I sighed. “Don’t you think it’s a little late for that?” I said. “Besides, I’m here to convince her not to die. I’m here to help her continue living. That is something I can be on board with.”

“Just remember, sport, Penny here is purely bait. Your intentions, no matter how sincere, are only present to lure Enoch out into the open. You’re not actually going to be able to save her,” Hauser said, stopping at the end of the alley to look me in the eye.

“Yeah, okay. I got it. I’m not gonna save her soul,” I said in a monotone.

“All right. I think we’re ready to go in, then.”

We stepped from the alley and onto the open sidewalk. Hauser was walking a little faster than normal, and I increased my speed in an attempt to match his pace. Before I knew it, I walked right into the back of another pedestrian. The collision nearly knocked me to the ground.

“Hey, buddy, why don’t you watch where you’re going,” said the stranger before stomping off down the street.

After regaining my composure, I looked up and found Hauser staring back at me, smiling ear to ear. “Wow, having to relearn how to interact with society has to be a real bitch,” he said.

I chuckled, trying to hide my embarrassment. I was actually surprised how quickly I’d lost the ability to interact with other people. Since entering the afterlife all those months ago, I rarely gave it a second thought when walking around or through the living.

“I guess I need to regain some manners,” I said.

“At the very least,” Hauser said. “This way, compadre.”

Hauser looked both ways before crossing into the street. I followed in his footsteps, verifying that he wasn’t foolishly luring me into a dangerous situation. He glanced back at me just as I looked up and down the street, and then chuckled. “What? You think I would actually put you in harm’s way?” he asked.

I shrugged as I passed him and stepped onto the sidewalk.

“So what’s our play? Do I just to go up to her and start chatting with her?” I asked.

“Well, maybe something not so direct, but yeah.”

“And you’re sure she’s in there?” I asked.

Hauser pulled out his pocket watch and flipped it open for us both to see. As we stood right outside the community center, the only dot on the face of the dial flashed slowly.

“Yep. She’s here. And from the speed of the flashing, it looks like whatever they’re talking about in there is doing her good.”

I leaned around the edge of the building and peered inside the glass storefront. From where I stood, I could see close to a dozen people sitting in plastic chairs arranged in a circle. I held my position for a few moments, studying the group.

“I don’t know, Hauser. I think your pocket watch might be broke. I don’t see her in there.”

“Trust me, she’s in there. She may look a little different from the last time you saw her, but she’s there.”

I peeked around the corner again, scanning the group. As I did, individuals in the group began to stand up and mingle around, a few of them refilling their drinks from a buffet table at the side of the room.

“And you’re sure that Enoch will pick up on our activities?” I asked nervously.

“What’s going on, Jack? You obviously want to save all of the souls, so what’s causing the blockage right now?”

Hauser was right. There was something blocking my confidence, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

“I don’t know. It’s just that… I guess I’ve just gotten use to not interacting with people, formally. I’ve never really been socially awkward or anything, but I’m having some strange feelings of inadequacy right now.”

“Nobody said this was going to be a walk in the park, Jack. Just do your best and I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

I took a deep breath, then walked around the corner and opened the front door.

Chapter 8.5

When I stepped into the Forty-Second Street community center, several small independent groups murmured quietly around the room. As I walked farther into the gathering, I casually looked around at all of the female guests trying to find Penny.

“Welcome,” a woman said from the center of the room.

I smiled and walked up to her. “Hello,” I said nervously. “Uh, a friend of mine said there was some kind of group that I could, um…” I held the pause to exaggerate the awkwardness of the situation. “A place that I could come to if I was depressed.”

“Your friend is correct. I am Alisha. I’m a support counselor here, and our door is always open. If you ever want to talk, there will always be somebody here to listen.” She smiled. “We have weekly gatherings where you can come and participate in group sessions. There’s one going on right now, but we’re just on a little bit of a break.”

“Oh, thank you. I’m not sure if I’m quite ready to jump right into a group environment…”

“That’s quite all right, Mr… ?”

“Uh,” I stammered.

“I’m sorry, you don’t have to tell me your last name. First names are fine.”

“I, um, I’m Jack.”

“Welcome, Jack. You’re more than welcome to participate today if you’d like, but you could also just observe today if that makes you feel more comfortable.”

“Thank you. I’d like that. I’ll just hang out if that’s okay?”

“Absolutely. Help yourself to refreshments, too. There’s snacks and punch at the back.”

I smiled and nodded, then shuffled through the crowd, trying to be aware of my surroundings as to not run into anyone. When I reached the back table, I filled a cup with punch and picked up a chocolate chip cookie. As I turned back to face the room, I saw her. Penny was sitting alone and looked far worse for the wear than I’d anticipated. Her eyes were ringed in pink and swollen, and her hair looked as if it hadn’t been combed in quite some time. Her shirt appeared inside out, and her jeans were stained with grime.

There she is, I thought to Hauser.

“See? I told you so,” Hauser said from beside me. “Now, it’s all up to you.”

“Oh great. Way to put the pressure on me,” I said as I fidgeted nervously.

“Relax, Jack. It’s not like you’re going up to ask her out on a date or anything. You’re just here to… talk to her, get to know her, and find out how close she is to killing herself.”

Hearing Hauser talk about committing suicide as if it were just another daily occurrence bothered me. Having mostly come to terms with my own fatal decision helped soften the impact, but the entire situation disturbed me just the same. Then a thought crossed my mind.

“Wait a minute. Won’t she recognize me from the hospital?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to bring it up, buddy, but she might very well remember you. Before she went in for the C-section, she was on no medication or drugs whatsoever. We just have to hope that enough time has passed that you’re just another stranger to her. Now go. You’re not getting any younger,” Hauser smirked. “And be cautious when speaking to me in public. You do realize other people can hear you talking, right? It looks like you are having a deep conversation with yourself.”

Got it. I forgot there for a minute, I thought.

As I walked toward Penny, I brought the cup of punch to my lips to take a drink. Just as the sugary sweetness reached my tongue, my elbow struck someone’s back, causing me to spill red liquid down my chin and all over my chest.

“Son of a—” I exclaimed as I stepped around the perturbed man frowning awkwardly at me. “I mean, sorry about that,” I said.

Brushing the liquid from my shirt, I walked over to Penny’s chair. “Hi. Is anybody sitting here?” I asked.

Penny barely acknowledged me and shook her head.

I lowered myself into the chair next to her and continued to dab awkwardly at the fruit punch soaking through my shirt. “I don’t suppose you have an extra napkin on you?” I said.

“No, sorry,” she said, standing up to leave.

“I’m sorry, miss. I didn’t mean to intrude. It’s just that… I’m new here and I’m a little nervous.”

She looked at me and tilted her head slightly. “You’re new?” she asked. “I think I’ve seen you in here before.”

Oh crap. She does remember me, I thought to Hauser.

“Keep going, buddy,” Hauser said from behind me. “If she’d remembered you from the hospital, do you think she’d still be standing here, waiting for your response?”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” I said aloud.

“So you’re not new?” Penny asked.

“Um, what I meant to say… was that you’re right. I have been in here before, but I haven’t participated in any of the sessions. I’ve been sort of a shadow really, just staying on the fringes of the room.”

“Nice recovery, ace,” Hauser said.

“If I make you uncomfortable, I can leave,” I said.

“No, it’s all right,” Penny said as she retook her seat. “We’re supposed to talk about our feelings anyway. Isn’t that why we’re all here?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I suppose so. I’ve just never been that big of a sharer, if you know what I mean.”

“Totally,” Penny said as she continued to stare at me awkwardly.

“So have you been coming here long?” I asked, fidgeting with my sleeve again.

“Seriously, Jack. You’re not trying to pick her up. You’re acting as nervous and awkward as a high school boy at cheerleader tryouts.”

“I mean, have you been attending these sessions long? Have they helped you at all?” I said, wondering why this was so difficult.

Penny shrugged and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Have any pointers for a newbie?”

“I don’t know. I guess just try not to dwell on the past. At least that’s what the counselors keeps telling me.”

“You don’t sound too convinced,” I said.

Penny stared straight ahead. “I don’t know. It just seems that all of this is bullshit anyway. First they tell you to forget about the past, then in the next breath they tell you to look deeper at what’s causing the depression. Most of the time that is the past. So I guess I don’t have anything worth saying,” Penny said.

“Careful, Jack. Penny’s soul is beginning to flash faster. Try to calm her down,” Hauser said.

“I feel the same way. I’m Jack, by the way.”

“Penny.”

“A friend of mine has told me to let bygones be bygones and all that, but, I don’t know, I do sometimes feel better when I talk about what happened.”

Penny tilted her head in my direction. “And what’s that?”

“It’s still a little difficult to talk about, but… my wife committed suicide about six months ago,” I said, the words out of my mouth before I could take them back.

“Jesus, Jack. Are you trying to convince her to kill herself?” Hauser asked.

Penny’s eyes widened and she turned her body toward me, her interest piqued. “How did she… I mean I’m sorry for your loss. How did she do it?”

“Whatever you do, Jack, do not tell her how to kill herself,” Hauser snapped.

“I’d rather not talk about the details if that’s all right,” I said. “It’s still pretty painful.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Penny said, her voice cracking slightly.

“It’s okay, you didn’t know. Maybe in time it’ll be easier to talk about,” I said, hanging my head low, enjoying the false sympathy. “What about you? What’s your story?”

“I’m lonely, I guess. I don’t have any family, and I had a pretty traumatic event a few months ago.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked, pivoting toward her.

Penny breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. “I lost a child at birth,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Oh, how tragic,” I said, placing my hand on her shoulder.

Back off, you creep, Penny thought. I’m not a piece of meat, old man.

Old man? I thought.

“Jack, she does have a point. You are coming off a little desperate. Now would be a good time to extricate your hand from her shoulder,” Hauser said.

I casually dropped my hand to the side. “I… know what you’re feeling.”

“How could you? Have you recently popped a child out of your vagina?” she asked angrily.

I turned away quickly, hoping to come across less threatening. “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, I understand what it’s like losing something or someone. After my wife died, I constantly asked myself, why me. She left me on this earth alone, and all I can think about is why me.” I lowered my eyes and hoped that I didn’t look too pathetic.

Penny sighed heavily. “Exactly. I’ve lost the only thing important to me, and I don’t know why I feel so… abandoned. Sometimes I just don’t want to continue,” she said as tears streaked down her face.

“Hey, hey. Don’t think like that. Your life means so much more than you could ever imagine. Life has two rules: One, never quit. And two, always remember rule number one. You’ll get through this, I promise.”

How the hell can you promise something like that, Penny thought. I just met you, and…

“I can because I’m living proof,” I said.

“Watch it, Jack. You’re answering her thoughts with your own words,” Hauser said.

“How did you—” Penny began.

“I guess I just knew what you were thinking because I’ve been there. Granted, it’s taken me six months to get past everything, and I’m now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know that’s so cliché, but suicide is not your answer.”

“To hell with you, buddy. You just met me and you’re telling me what’s right for me?” Penny yelled and stood up so fast her chair slid halfway across the room.

“Penelope, please,” I begged. “I didn’t mean to—”

“I never told you my full name. Who are you? Wait a minute, never mind. Fuck you,” Penny said as she stormed out.

Shit, I thought.

“That’s an understatement, buddy. I’d point out just how horrible that went, but I assume you realize that all on your own,” Hauser said.

“Well, now what? Did I completely screw the pooch on this one?”

“I don’t know, Jack. Time will tell. I suggest you make a discreet exit and then we can regroup back at your place.”

I nodded and made for the exit, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room. As soon as I was out of sight, I vanished.

Chapter 9.5

As I stood on the rooftop of Cornwell Tower on Forty-Eighth Street, I hoped I was in the right place. Having just walked through Penny’s future using the rosary, I could only recognize certain aspects of the environment before coming here in person. I was nearly certain that this was the very rooftop from which she would take her life.

I moved to the edge and looked down. Even though I’d never really experienced a fear of heights, standing more than fifty floors above the earth made my knees weak. Nervously, I inched away from the edge and turned toward the stairway door. I waited.

Thankfully, my wait was brief as Penny blasted through the door right on time. She wasted no time and marched directly toward me and the edge of the roof. I’d hoped that she might take her time, convincing herself that this was her only way out as opposed to taking the bull by the horns and advancing toward her death so quickly.

“Penny, wait,” I said. “You don’t want to do this.”

Penny continued her march, walking past me and right up to the edge. She paused and looked down just as I had done moments before.

Nervously, I moved to her side. “Penny, why do you want to kill yourself? I’m here to tell you that whatever the reason is, it’s no good reason at all. Trust me when I tell you this. I’m speaking from personal experience.”

Penny raised her head up and looked toward the sky. She took in several deep breaths before hanging her head low once again. As she stood there, silently, her toes inching forward and over the edge of the roof, she swayed back and forth, tempting gravity to take over.

“I don’t understand, Penny. Why are you ignoring me?” I said, hoping to distract her for even just a moment.

Penny continued her silence as she inched even closer toward her death. Finally, when I felt she had reached the point of no return, I reached out to pull her back from the edge.

“You can’t keep ignoring me,” I yelled, just as my fingers touched her warm skin. Or so I thought. I had expected my hand to wrap around her arm, but my hand passed right through her body. What the hell?

Just then, I heard a loud voice across the vast rooftop.

“What the hell are you doing? Do not interfere! Haven’t you meddled in the lives of other people enough?”

A man in a blue suit with a matching bowler hat was running at full sprint in our direction. It was Enoch Gant.

“Penny! Quick, get away from the edge,” I pleaded.

Penny continued to ignore me, but she turned to the sound of Enoch’s voice.

As he neared our position, his speed increased exponentially. He was going to plow into the both of us, carrying us all over the edge.

“Stop, you lunatic! What the hell are you doing?” I demanded.

He was getting closer by the second, his face intense and manic. If I hadn’t known any better, I would certainly classify it as suicidal. He was going to kill himself, along with Penny and me.

I tried once more to grab Penny, but again my hand passed through her as if I didn’t exist. It became obvious to me that she could not see or hear me.

Suddenly, Enoch was upon us. He spread his arms wide and wrapped them around Penny and me as he launched over the edge of the building. Strangely, I was not transparent to him but only to Penny, as the sharp pain in my ribs forced me to gasp out loud. Enoch drove us over and toward our death.

“Why are you doing this, you son of a bitch?” I screamed as I sat up.

“Easy there, partner. I’m only here to help you. You know that, right?” Hauser said, sitting next to me on my couch.

I opened my eyes and rubbed the sleep away. As my surroundings became clear, I realized that it was all a dream. “Jesus, Hauser. How long was I out?” I asked.

“Not sure, champ. I’ve only just arrived a few moments ago,” Hauser said, lifting himself up from the lumpy couch. “I see that you’ve taken the warnings to not sleep to heart.” He winked.

“It’s not like that. I had a plan.”

“I’m sure you did, but you know what the Sentinel said.”

“I do, but I figured that if I could dream about saving Penny, that would help our efforts in luring Enoch out.”

“And? Did it work?”

“Well, sort of. He was in the dream, and I was trying to save Penny, but he ended up killing all three of us by pushing us over the edge.”

Hauser looked at me thoughtfully. “Hmm. I suppose that makes sense. So you actually died in your dream?”

“Well, no. Not exactly. Enoch did push us all over the edge, but I woke up, here, before we reached the ground.”

“Well that’s a relief. You know what they say, if you die in your dream you die in real life.”

“I’ve never heard that before. Yanking my chain?” I asked.

“I don’t know, sport. It must be something that I read on the Internet somewhere.”

“Wait, what? The Internet wasn’t even around when you became a soul collector.”

Hauser winked. “Let’s get back on topic shall we?”

I nodded. “All right. What did you find out?”

“I spent the greater part of the last day with Penny at her apartment. She is pretty messed up. She is as alone as she said, and I’m not sure if she can actually be saved, Jack.”

“Shit. So I did mess up, didn’t I?”

“Well, not so fast. Yes, you spooked the crap out of her at the community center, but at the same time she has been continuing to think about what you said to her.”

“Really?” I said eagerly.

“Besides the fact that she still thinks that you’re an old pervert, she’s been contemplating the value of life. I think that might be your saving grace.”

Relief spread through my veins. I suddenly felt euphoric, like a load had been lifted from my shoulders. “That’s fantastic, Hauser.”

“Not so fast, champ. You still have a lot of work ahead of you,” Hauser said as he reached out and twisted my arm so he could read my watch. “And there’s not a moment to waste. You need to be at the bookstore in thirty minutes.”

“What happens in thirty minutes?” I asked.

“Penny will be there, and it will be an excellent opportunity for you to make amends.”

“What exactly do I have to do? You used the rosary, obviously.”

“What I saw is not important, Jack. What is important is you arriving at the bookstore early, and then you need to knock your coffee over.”

“That’s it? That’s your big plan to make everything right?”

Hauser shook his head. “Just trust me, won’t you?”

I sensed something more, something he was withholding. “What aren’t you telling me, Hauser?”

He sighed. “There is… an incident. And if you just follow along with my instruction, we can minimize the ramifications. I don’t have time to go into it further, you just have to trust me. Can you do that?”

“So I just have to spill my coffee? Will I know when and where to pull off such an ingenious plan?”

“Don’t worry, buddy. I’ll be there with you and will walk you through everything step by step.”

“All right, let’s get a move on, then. Where is this bookstore that you speak of?”

“Great! It’s just a few blocks from Penny’s apartment. I think you’ll like it. You collect books, right?”

Chapter 10.5

When I walked into the Dreamcatcher Book Emporium, I was momentarily breathless. In all my years of living in the city, I found it odd that I’d never been to this particular bookstore. I thought I’d known where every one was throughout the city.

The store occupied the first two floors of an old brick warehouse. The interior walls were exposed brick, giving it a loft-style environment. The bookshelves stood away from the walls, creating a sort of racetrack feel all around the store. At the second level, open rails overlooked the central coffee bar.

As we moved into the coffee shop, I could see more aisles and rows of bookshelves retreating back from the second floor balconies. It was all very chic in a shabby kind of way.

“Okay, now what?” I asked. “Do I just stand here and wait, or should I go grab a book to read until she comes in?”

“First off, you should probably go get yourself a cup of coffee with the money I gave you. Then you need to take a seat there,” Hauser said, pointing to a table at the perimeter of the small café, “and sit with your back toward the door.”

“You’re so very precise, Hauser. How long did it take you to calculate every action and setting? I feel so very much like a marionette,” I said sarcastically.

“Just get the coffee, bub. I’ll wait here.”

Feeling more comfortable with public interactions by the minute, I bought my coffee and sat at the table with my back to the door. “Okay. Am I sitting properly? Should I cross my leg? Or should I sit here with my head on the table?”

“That’s enough, smart-ass. Just sit and wait. You should also take the lid off of your coffee,” Hauser said.

I removed the lid and took a small sip of the steaming liquid. It had been quite some time since I’d had any caffeine whatsoever, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I could practically feel the liquid adrenaline pulsing into my veins.

As the minutes passed, I continued to take small sips of the coffee. Hauser stood next to me, scanning the bookstore, looking for Penny’s arrival.

“Okay, you’re on champ.”

I instinctively straightened my posture and adjusted the collar of my shirt.

“Now, when I tell you, I want you to spill your coffee.”

“Just pour it out, or do I—”

“Just knock the damn thing over,” Hauser snapped. “Now.”

I swung my arm to the side, tipping the nearly full coffee cup over. The liquid quickly spread across the table and dripped into my lap.

“Holy shit,” I exclaimed. “That’s fucking hot.”

“Well if you weren’t such a klutz, you’d stop spilling liquid all over yourself,” Penny said, standing next to me.

I sprang from my chair and reflexively swiped the steaming liquid off my pants. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what just came over me. I went to look at my watch and just knocked my coffee cup right on over.”

“Are you going to be all right, or do you need me to call somebody to take care of those burns?” Penny asked.

“I think I’ll be okay. It doesn’t hurt too bad… but if you have a couple of napkins, that might help with this mess.”

Penny walked up to the counter and returned with a handful of small cocktail napkins to dab up the remaining coffee from the table.

“Thanks,” I said. “I’m actually kind of surprised that you’d even talk to me again.”

“Yeah, about that. I’m sorry I stormed off. You probably understand. I’m an emotional mess most of the time, and that day was not particularly good for me,” Penny said.

As I finished cleaning up the spilled coffee, I retook my seat and motioned for Penny to join me. “That’s understandable, Penny. I remember experiencing days just like that after my wife… you know.”

Penny accepted the offer to join me and smiled discreetly. “So, do you live around here or are you stalking me?” she asked.

“Neither. I collect books. It’s a crazy, expensive addiction. A friend of mine told me about this place, and I figured I couldn’t pass it up.”

Penny smiled again and looked at me with a strange, sideways glance. “You know, it’s funny. I know you said that you’ve been to the community center before, but I just… I don’t know. I think we’ve seen each other someplace else. I just can’t put my finger on it.”

Panicked, I said, “That doesn’t surprise me. I’m told that I have a very recognizable face. You would not believe how often people tell me that they remember seeing me from someplace else.”

“Nice cover, Jack,” Hauser said. “Now, change the subject before she thinks about it more. Buy her a cup of coffee.”

“I’m sorry, where are my manners? Can I get you something? Maybe a cup of coffee… that’s not spilled all over my lap?” I asked.

Penny giggled. “That would be great, thanks. House coffee with cream, please.”

I excused myself and bought two more coffees quickly. I sat down again, and we both sipped awkwardly at our hot drinks.

“So, Penny, seeing as I was here first, I think it’s you that is stalking me,” I said teasingly.

“Don’t you wish, perv,” Penny said dryly. “Actually, I live nearby and coming here takes my mind off of… things.”

“This place certainly is wonderful,” I said. “What with the vast book selection in all genres.”

Penny nodded. “Yeah, there’s that. But then when I get to the family and parenting section, I usually lose it.”

“Yikes, I’m sorry. Change of subject?” I asked.

“No, it’s all right. Like we said the other day, it’s sometimes good to talk about things.”

“Okay then, tell me about yourself.”

“What do you want to know? Am I single? Do I enjoy long walks on the beach? Do I like the sound of rain?” she said sarcastically.

“No, nothing like that. Tell me about your family, about your parents. Do you have sisters or brothers?”

“I had a brother, but he died a few years ago,” Penny said, her voice dropping. “I don’t know my real parents. I’ve been in foster homes for as long as I can remember,” she said, her mood dropping even further.

Well, crap, I thought.

“Have you tried to track down your real parents?” I asked.

“I tried several months ago, right after I got pregnant. But it was a lost cause. Nobody had any paperwork on how I even entered the foster care system.”

“I really don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but I’m sorry, Penny.”

“It’s all right. It’s not your fault. I just seem to have been dealt an unlucky hand in life, or so it seems sometimes.”

“Can I ask about the father of your child? Is he around?”

“Ha, funny story,” Penny said sardonically. “The father of my child was my very last foster father.”

“Holy hell, Jack. Change the subject quick,” Hauser said.

Ignoring Hauser momentarily, I pushed further. “I’m curious. Did you still live with your foster parents when that happened?”

“No, I thought they were actually good people all along. I’d been living on my own for a few years by then, but I still stayed in contact with them. Having dinner with them occasionally, holidays and weekends and such. Then something changed. Theodore, my foster father, just snapped one day and forced himself on me, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.”

“Oh, Penny. Did you report him to the police?”

“No. He told me if I said anything he would hunt me down and kill me.”

My blood began to boil with each additional detail Penny told me, thinking about the injustices of collecting the good souls while assholes like Theodore continued to live.

“You know, the police could have protected you,” I said, walking gingerly through the conversation, remembering how volatile her personality was from our last meeting.

“Yeah, I know that now, but back then I was pretty scared. Now I don’t really care what happens to my life.”

“Penny, all life is precious. You’re a very special young woman, and you have a lot to offer this world.”

“Is that your expert opinion? After what? Having a few brief conversations with me?” she asked angrily.

Drastically wanting to lighten the mood, I felt a joke here would help. “I don’t know, Penny. If you weren’t here, who would help me every time I spilled something on myself?”

Penny gave me a ghost of a smile. “I don’t know; I think you’d manage okay.”

I leaned back and looked around the coffee shop as I tried to think of another humorous anecdote, when Hauser spoke up.

“Look up now, Jack. Enoch is standing at the second-floor balcony!”

“I see him,” I said, raising my sight, focusing on Enoch’s face just as Hauser spoke.

“I’m sorry, what?” Penny said. “You see who?”

Crap, I thought. “I, um, was just visualizing myself spilling my next hot beverage,” I said.

“Excuse yourself, Jack. We need to move on this, and I mean now,” Hauser said as he disappeared from my side.

Suddenly, my vision blurred. The entire room faded in and out of darkness. An uncontrollable whirling sensation overcame me, and I felt as if the room was about to turn on its side. Just as panic was about to take over, all of my senses returned just as quickly as they’d begun to skew.

“I’m sorry, Penny, but I need to go the men’s room and check my… legs. I may have actually burned myself with that coffee spill,” I said, standing and walking toward the back of the bookstore until I was out of sight. The moment I was clear I vanished from the main floor and reappeared on the second floor right next to Enoch Gant.

Chapter 11

I dropped my coin into my lap and was brought back to the present. Wilson was staring at me expectantly.

“Why did you stop?” he asked. “Is there something wrong?”

“No, I just… wanted to see if that dizziness was part of the flash back or if it might somehow be connected with my injury,” I said as I caressed the tender mass on the back of my head.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Jack. I didn’t experience any unsteadiness from my point of view. Can you explain it?” Wilson said, worry lines spreading across his face. He leaned forward.

“I don’t know. It felt kind of like when we travel and everything blacks out. But it was different somehow. It almost felt as if I’d had too much to drink and was about to pass out.”

Wilson leaned back in his chair and seemed to contemplate something as I explained the account. “I suppose it might be a carryover from the effects of caffeine on your system.”

“But you said you didn’t notice it from your point of view. Aren’t you seeing things as I am? I’ve only used the coin a few times since getting it from you.”

“You’re partly correct, Jack. I am seeing what you see, but not to the full extent. Because these are your memories and feelings, not everything translates the same way to me,” Wilson said. “It’s either that or your head trauma is causing interference somehow. Do you feel dizzy right now?”

I took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I stood and walked around for a few moments. “No, I feel surprisingly well. My headache is even gone,” I said, delighted.

“Just to be safe, I think we should give your mind a short break before going back in. Just try and remember where you were when you left.”

I nodded and retook my seat. “I was standing next to Enoch on the balcony.”

“Precisely.”

I continued to breathe in the fresh mile-high air as a number of thoughts crossed my mind. “Tell me, Wilson. Do you have any regrets?”

“Such as?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Like do you wish you had just died back then? Do you wish that you would have just passed on becoming a soul collector altogether?”

“I think there was an immediate sense of regret early on. But the longer I did the job, the easier everything became,” Wilson said, looking at me suspiciously. “No lasting regrets.”

“I see,” I said, as I formulated my next question. I didn’t want to let out anything that might jeopardize my own personal agenda on Penny’s collection. “Wilson, can you… hear my thoughts while you’re experiencing my memories with me?”

“I don’t follow what you mean,” Wilson said, a quizzical look crossing his face.

“I mean, can you hear my internal thinking? When I think words to Hauser, I assume that those are in my own head.”

“No, no. Those are not just your own. I can hear all of your conversations just as clear as if you were speaking them out loud.”

“What about my personal thoughts? Can you hear those as well?” I asked, hoping to maintain at least a sliver of my deeper plan.

“You mean inconsequential thinking? Can you give me an example?” Wilson asked.

“For instance, when I had a sip of the coffee, I thought about the nutty, burnt flavor, and how much I missed drinking it every morning,” I said, hoping to steer the conversation in a safe direction.

“No, I’m sorry Jack, but I did not get any of that from your shared memories. Needless to say, it appears you are still privy to your own thoughts. Either that or you’ve learned to control your thoughts more efficiently since your training with the Sentinel.”

I nodded, thankful that not everything was being shared with Wilson. I wasn’t entirely ready to disclose my personal feelings regarding the afterlife, so I was relieved that I didn’t have to explain anything further.

“All right, then. Let’s get back to this,” I said, picking up the coin and flipping it in my hand.

Chapter 11.5

I stood to the right and slightly behind Enoch. I waited a few moments, trying to figure out the best way to administer the injection before he could jump. As I replayed our plan in my mind, Enoch suddenly turned to face me.

“So you think you can track me?”

Crap, I thought.

“And you think that the Sentinel would actually just sit back and do nothing?” I asked.

“No. Quite the opposite. I fully expected the Sentinel to react, but what surprises me is that they sent you, all on your own. You are alone, aren’t you?” Enoch asked as he looked around our immediate vicinity.

“Yes, it’s just me, and you’d be a fool to underestimate my capabilities,” I said, thankful that I hadn’t betrayed any more of our plan.

“Well? Give me everything you’ve got,” Enoch said, holding his hands in the air, tempting me to try and apprehend him.

I gripped the injector in the palm of my hand, but hesitated. “No, not quite yet,” I said. “I’d like to know why first. Why are you doing all of this?”

Enoch dropped his hands into his pockets and swayed, casually shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Why am I taking your souls? Or why am I focusing on you?”

“Both.”

“They sort of go hand in hand, wouldn’t you say? You are the newest soul collector that the Sentinel has, and you are weak, man. You’re an easy target for me, and it gives me the ability to take the souls that you’re sent to collect without resistance. How does that make you feel? Does that upset you?”

Don’t let him get in your head, Jack, Hauser thought to me. Keep him talking and I’ll try and sneak up behind him.

“No, it doesn’t. Honestly, I have far thicker skin than you might imagine. As well as a stronger passion for life salvation than you will ever have.”

“Ah, so there it is. You are in the Sentinel on false pretenses. Do they know that you’re reluctant to take all the souls that you’ve been tasked with?”

“They do. That is a benefit—”

“Cut the crap, Jack. I’d imagine that the Sentinel is quite disappointed in you. Tell me, was it Wilson that picked you out, or was it somebody else higher up the chain?”

I could feel my anger building, and it boggled my mind that Enoch knew more about me than I did. “That doesn’t really matter here, now does it? I’m here, and there’s nothing you can do to change that.” I caught a slight movement over Enoch’s shoulder as Hauser, popping in and out of reality, got closer and closer to Enoch.

I smiled, ignoring the verbal jabs. “All I know is, you should just move on and forget about interfering with my current collection.”

“Where’s the fun in that, Jack? I’ve been following along with you and Penny, and she seems just about prime for the picking.”

“I said back the hell off! Seriously, can’t you just go fetch your own souls? Why just prey on the ones I’m supposed to collect?”

“If you must know, I’ve been able to take a random person’s soul many times, but somehow I’ve lost the ability to do so. Something happened to me some time ago that only permits me to take the soul from someone that the Sentinel has already deemed close to the end of their fate. I can’t actually kill anyone anymore, and I have to say, it’s quite disheartening.”

Relieved at hearing this, I took a step closer.

“Back off, Jack. I said that I could no longer kill, but that only applies to those that are fated to continue living. You, on the other hand, are fair game. I could kill you right now and take your soul without breaking a sweat.”

I froze. Was he telling the truth? I contemplated asking Hauser through my thoughts, but did not want to give Enoch any more knowledge of our plan. I held my hands up in the air and took two steps back. “All right, all right. If you have the ability to kill me and take my soul, why haven’t you done it already?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Enoch asked. “It’s because you are my pipeline. Your weak mind is all I need to continue my personal agenda. And neither you,” Enoch paused, “or Hauser, who is making his way up behind me now, can do a thing to stop me.”

Before I could ask more about his personal agenda, Hauser materialized right behind Enoch. But as he raised his hand with the auto injector, Enoch vanished then reappeared on the balcony just across the way.

“You two think you’re so sly. Did you think I’d actually let you mark me somehow with whatever that device is? And truly, Hauser, I would’ve expected more from you.”

Hauser vanished and reappeared on the far balcony, right next to Enoch. A moment later I followed. Unfortunately, as I reappeared, Enoch vanished again, followed by Hauser. I stood and looked around the second floor of the bookstore before I noticed Enoch standing right behind Penny.

“Penny!” I shouted.

She looked up at me quizzically, but did not say anything. Hauser appeared next to Enoch and reached out with the injector pen, but he narrowly missed his mark as Enoch vanished once again, reappearing right next to me.

“Well, Jack, it appears that you’ve been holding out on me. It looks like you have a new ability, and I want it. Whatever it is that the Sentinel has given you, I suggest you hand it over,” Enoch said, pulling out a gun and pointing it at my chest.

“Sorry, Enoch, but whatever they’ve done to give me this temporary life interaction, it’s nothing that I have and can hold. It’s something that they control from above, and there’s no way for you to get it,” I said smugly.

“I think you’re lying.” Enoch pulled back the hammer on his gun. I glanced at Penny, who was staring right at me. I was in quite the predicament. If I stood there any longer, there was a good chance that Enoch would actually pull the trigger. If I vanished, Penny would see, and I wasn’t sure how she would react.

On the count of three, Jack, I need you to jump right here to Penny, Hauser thought to me. At that same moment, I will jump up and tag Enoch. Nod if you understand.

I nodded then looked into Enoch’s eyes. “Okay, you got me. I do have a device and it’s in my pocket. Let me grab it.”

“Not so fast. I’ll get it myself,” Enoch said, reaching into my inside pocket. As he began to feel around, I heard Hauser’s thoughts.

Jump now!

A split second later I shoved Enoch backward and vanished. I appeared next to Penny at the same time Hauser appeared on the balcony, his injector at the ready. Unfortunately, Enoch was prepared. He fired his pistol right at Hauser, and they both vanished.

Chapter 12.5

When I appeared next to Penny in the café, she was still staring up at where I’d stood just seconds before. Her eyes were wide with shock at seeing me disappear. When she finally sensed my presence and turned to look at me, the shock turned to fear.

“What the hell are you?” she asked, recoiling from my presence.

“It’s going to be okay, Penny. I’m not here to hurt you,” I said, hoping to calm her reaction.

Suddenly Penny’s expressions changed again, fear being replaced with recognition. “Wait a minute. I know where I’ve seen you before. You were at the hospital,” she said.

I exhaled slowly as I sat across from her. “Yes, that’s right. I was there the day that you gave birth to your son,” I said.

“So are you magic or are you a ghost? I don’t even know what to think.”

“I can imagine the confusion that you’re experiencing right now, but if you’d give me a chance to explain—”

“How can you even begin to comprehend what I’m experiencing?” she snapped.

“Because, Penny, I’ve been in your exact same situation, and it wasn’t all that long ago.”

“Who are you?” Penny began to cry.

“My name really is Jack, but I am not who you think I am. I have been sent here to… to collect your soul. Just as I was sent to collect Calvin’s soul a few months ago.”

“What? Like a grim reaper?”

“No, what I do is more civilized than that. Once a person dies, whether through their own volition or by some natural or accidental occurrence, their soul is released. I capture that soul and cleanse it before it goes to another person,” I said. “The grim reaper mythology is such that they take your soul by force occasionally, and with malice regularly.”

“So I am going to die, then,” Penny said, more of statement than a question.

Before I could reply, Hauser reappeared. I looked him over and saw no signs of blood. Great, you weren’t shot. With a huge sigh of relief, I looked at him expectantly. Well?

He shook his head. “No dice. He was able to get away from me. But I think our mission is almost complete, and I’d expect Enoch to return sooner than later. How’s it going here?” he asked.

Well, the cat’s out of the bag, so to speak, I thought to Hauser. Penny saw me disappear from the balcony.

“Well that complicates things. What have you told her? And can she see me?”

“Penny, do you see anyone else with us right now?” I asked.

She glanced around our immediate vicinity, looking through Hauser. “What is it you want with me? Are you fucking with me?”

“No, not at all. I was just curious if you were aware of anything else out of the ordinary.”

“Beside you disappearing from the balcony up there and reappearing a split second later? No, everything is just peachy,” she said, her voice beginning to crack.

I sensed Penny’s frustration building and wanted to stop any overreaction before it occurred. “How much should I tell her?” I asked Hauser.

“In for a penny, in for a pound,” Hauser said with a chuckle.

“Penny, ever since you lost your son at childbirth, you’ve been depressed, isn’t that right?”

Penny nodded.

“And I gather from these depressed feelings that you’ve considered suicide?”

Again Penny nodded, her eyes widening with surprise.

“First, let me tell you that you should reconsider.”

“What are you doing, Jack?” Hauser asked. “The plan is nearly a success. Enoch is on task. We both know what the end game is going to be here. You’re just going to make it more difficult.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Am I sure, what?” asked Penny.

“Come on, Jack. Use your head. It’s obvious that she can’t see or hear our conversation. You’re now just mentally torturing her.”

I shook my head out of frustration. “I’m sorry, Penny, but there is another person here who you cannot see or hear, and he’s not happy with me right now.”

“That’s an understatement,” Hauser said.

“How can I believe anything that you’re saying? As far as I know, you’re just an old guy playing a mean trick on me, and none of this is real.”

“Be careful, Jack. You’re just going to make this that much more difficult when it comes time to—”

Relax, I have a plan, I thought to Hauser. If we’re going to end up taking her soul anyway, what does it matter what we tell her? And besides, if Enoch is going to continue to pursue her, wouldn’t it be better if she was prepared? And I think it’s also better that we remove her from the public eye.

I looked up at Hauser as he contemplated what I was saying. After a few moments, he nodded. “Okay, Jack. Proceed. Maybe you should take her to your cabin. At least that way we can control the outcome of the situation.”

“I’m sorry, Penny, but I was just having a brief conversation with my partner. If proof is what you’re looking for, I think I have a way to provide that.”

Penny stared at me skeptically. “All right. If you are who you say you are, why can’t you show me your imaginary friend here?”

“Well, you’ll see him sooner or later, that I can guarantee. But how about for starters, I take you on a little trip?”

“What, like in a car or on a bus? A plane or a train?” she asked, sounding like a Dr. Seuss book.

“Not at all. I have the ability to travel from place to place instantly. You obviously saw me disappear from upstairs and reappear down here. What if I were able to take you to a different place in the same fashion? Would you be willing to give it a try?”

Surprising both Hauser and me, Penny nodded her head vehemently.

“I hope to hell that you know what you’re doing, Jack,” Hauser said.

Chapter 13.5

We landed in the middle of my cabin. First Penny and me, then a few moments later, Hauser popped in next to the fireplace.

“Holy shit! What a mind fuck,” Penny stated emphatically. Then she slowly began to walk around the rustic cabin.

“Penny, how do you feel? Are you dizzy? Do you feel like you might be ill?” I asked.

“No, not at all. I actually feel pretty good, considering.”

“That’s good. My first experience was…” I looked at Hauser, my eyebrow twisting up questioningly. Why is it that she is able to transport on her first try without feeling the side effects?

“I don’t know, champ. Some people just react differently to the experience. Some of the collectors in the past have been affected much the same way that you have, while others have only experienced only light cases of dizziness. Looks like Penny here is a natural when it comes to travel in the afterlife.”

“Was what?” Penny asked, settling down on the lumpy couch.

I grinned at Hauser’s last comment before answering Penny. “Much to the chagrin of my partner here, I threw up a little on my first trip.”

“Get out!” Penny said, more vibrant than I’d ever seen her before.

“So, anyway, this is my… home? Right now we’re deep in the woods of upstate New York. Is that enough proof for you?” I asked.

“It’s a start. Assuming that this really is where you say it is and not some kind of a mind trick that you’re playing on me,” Penny said, far less skeptical than she had been at the bookstore. “Let’s say I believe you. How does this all work? You’re here to take my soul?”

“That’s pretty much it,” I said. “That is, assuming that you follow through with your suicidal thoughts.”

“Watch it, Jack,” Hauser said. “Her soul is still in play. As long as Enoch is on our trail, I think it best that we don’t detract her too much.”

“Well, I’m not gonna lie. After losing Calvin, I’ve pretty much given up on everything.”

“I’m no shrink, but I am probably the perfect person to talk to about this.”

“Why, because your wife killed herself?”

Hearing Penny talk so casually about suicide made my heart ache. “No, that was… kind of a fib. I needed to talk to you, get to know you. You see, I took my own life about six months ago.”

“What? You lied to me?” Penny said, her anger causing her complexion to turn amber.

“Stop right now, Jack. Do not tell her anything about Enoch. She doesn’t need to know about our plan,” Hauser said.

“I, um, wanted to talk to you about it to make sure that is really what you wanted to do. Personally, I’ve regretted it every day since.”

“Then if you’re dead, how are you even talking to me?” she asked.

“Wait, slow down a minute. We can talk more about me later. I would like to talk about you and your own personal reasons.”

“Whatever, man. You’re the one that brought yourself up,” Penny said, rolling her eyes just like a teenager. “Like I said, it was real rough after Calvin died. I’ve already told you about my foster parents and all of that. I’m just so alone and I feel worthless to the world. That’s it. There’s nothing more to say.”

“Okay, good, Jack,” Hauser said. “Her influx dot is flashing a little faster than before. Try and keep her mind in that phase.”

Penny sprang from the couch and spun around toward the fireplace. “Who the hell are you?” she asked, staring right at Hauser.

“Never mind him, Penny. He’s just my—”

“Hi, there. My name is Hauser. I’m Jack’s trainer in the afterlife. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Hauser said, cutting me off.

“You two are really fucking with my mind right now,” Penny said, lowering herself back down onto the edge of the couch.

“I know what you’re going through, Penny. I really do. But regardless of what Hauser says, just because you’re lonely and you’ve had a loss in your life is no reason at all to kill yourself. You are a vibrant young woman, and trust me when I tell you this, you will make friends. You will mean something,” I said with as much passion as I could muster.

Wow, that was quite poetic, Jack, Hauser thought to me. One thing I’ve learned in all the years of being a soul collector: It’s always the broken souls that are trying fix others. But in this case, I suggest you tread lightly.

Before I had a chance to respond, I suddenly heard a slow, deliberate clap echo from the kitchen. I whipped my head around to see Enoch leaning against the countertop.

“How the hell did you find us?” I asked, standing up between him and Penny. A moment later, Hauser stepped in beside me.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know this was a private party. Besides, do you think Hauser is the only guy in the afterlife that gets a bag of tricks all for himself?” Enoch held open his blue blazer, displaying a number of gadgets hooked to the inside of his jacket. I instantly recognized the soul magnet, along with his own pocket watch and rosary.

Shit, Hauser, I thought. What do we do now?

“Don’t worry, Jack,” Enoch said. “This will all be over momentarily. Then you can go on with your own miserable afterlife. I just need you two to step aside.”

“Sorry, old friend, but that’s not going to happen,” Hauser said.

Suddenly Penny squeezed herself between Hauser and me and stepped forward. “You three guys are really freaking me out. Who are you?” she asked Enoch.

Enoch smiled but didn’t say anything. He slipped his right hand into the left inside jacket pocket and withdrew a sawed-off shotgun—the same shotgun that he’d used in my dream with Noah Clayton. He raised the barrel up and pointed it directly at her head. “I’m here to do what neither of these two clowns have the balls to do.”

Faster than I’ve ever seen a person move before, Hauser charged Enoch, dislodging the gun from his hand, causing it to fly across the room and clatter beneath the couch.

“Jack. Go, now. Take Penny to your last safe place,” Hauser said as he whipped out his injector pen and thrust it toward Enoch.

I turned toward Penny, but before I could grasp her arm, she bolted out the door. Shocked at her sudden self-preservation response, I stumbled after her. As I reached the cabin door, I glanced back just as Enoch kicked Hauser in the shin, forcing him to drop the Epipen to the floor. It clambered across the floor and disappeared beneath the couch, right next to Enoch’s shotgun.

Chapter 14.5

As I burst through the door and headed toward the wooded surroundings, I caught a glimpse of Penny charging onto the trail that led toward the lake. Knowing the exact path, I disappeared from the porch and reappeared several yards into the woods, just on the edge of the trail, and waited. Within moments, Penny came into view, panting heavily. I stepped on the trail, startling her to a halt.

“Penny, stop. Let me get you out of here. Let me take you someplace safe.”

“Who is that lunatic? And why was he trying to kill me?”

“In a minute. Let’s just get out of here.” I reached out and gripped her arm firmly before vanishing.

Seconds later, we appeared at my old park bench in the city.

“I know you’re not gonna want to hear this, but I need to leave you here,” I said.

“Wait. You gotta tell me something. Anything. I mean, I just don’t know what to think about any of this,” Penny said as tears welled up in her eyes.

“Hey, hey,” I said, easing her down onto the bench. “That man, the man in the strange blue suit, is your mythical grim reaper. His name is not important, but let’s just say that he’s not exactly right in the mind.”

Penny brought her hands to her face and massaged her cheeks. “I, uh, I’m scared, Jack. First you tell me that you’re here to collect my soul. Strangely, I was okay with that. Then you really prove to me that you are who you say you are by magically taking me someplace that I’ve never been. All the while, you’re telling me that killing myself is not an option. I just don’t know what to believe. Tell me, Jack, what does all this mean? I just need something. I need the truth.”

“I have to say, none of this has gone as I’d anticipated. For that I am sorry,” I said. “The truth. I became a soul collector shortly after I tried to kill myself. Since that time I’ve found a way to help certain people continue living instead of collecting their souls. Enoch, the man in the blue suit, somehow—and for some unknown demented reason—has taken it upon himself to start killing the souls that I’m trying to save. I wanted to save your soul in order to capture Enoch.”

“You son of a bitch. You… you used me as bait?”

I nodded slowly, feeling Penny’s piercing eyes upon me. “I am sorry, Penny. I really did want to save your soul. But my superiors agreed that capturing Enoch was a priority, and when I suggested this plan—”

“This was all your harebrained idea?”

I nodded again. “With any luck, Hauser has Enoch tagged as we speak.”

“Then what? Are you still going to take my soul? What if I don’t want to kill myself after all?”

“Penny, that’s wonderful to hear. I’ll do everything in my power to save you, but right now I have to go.”

“So, what? Do I just sit here and wait?” Penny asked.

“Yes. I don’t think Enoch knows about this place, and this park doesn’t get a lot of visitors. You should be safe here until I return.”

I stood to leave, but Penny launched herself from the bench and hugged me tightly. “Please. Don’t go. I’m so scared,” she said, trembling in my arms.

“I promise, Penny. I’ll be right back. I just need to go help Hauser for a bit,” I said, patting her back. “The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll be back. Then we’ll figure out how you can be saved.”

Penny released her hug and slunk back to the bench. “Please hurry.”

Strangely, I landed back in the forest, right where Penny and I had left just moments before, and not at all where I’d thought—at the cabin. Frustrated at the confusion, I ran toward my cabin. Just as I broke through the canopy, I heard the first of several gunshots, firing in quick succession.

I ran faster. As I leaped onto the porch of the cabin, I saw the silhouettes of two men struggling just inside the window. Then a blinding flash of light shot out through the windows, followed by a blast so strong my body flew backward through the air a dozen yards.

My cabin exploded into flames, burning timbers flying in all directions. My body and soul stopped suddenly as my head cracked on a boulder protruding from the ground. I tried to stand, to save Hauser, but my vision blurred and darkness fell upon me.

Chapter 15

I removed the coin from my hand and slipped it into my pocket. When I looked up at Wilson’s troubled eyes, fear and confusion danced freely in the blue-grey of his irises.

“I… I just don’t know what to say,” Wilson said. “I had no idea Enoch was so dangerous.”

“So you knew of none of that?” I asked.

“No, not entirely. We were only aware of some of the incidents that have occurred. Our only way to truly find out what had happened was to find you, and re-experience your last forty-eight hours.”

“If you knew some of what happened, why be so coy? Why didn’t you tell me about any of this?”

“Well, Jack, we wanted to have you experience everything as fresh as possible. This really isn’t an exact science, and we were unsure whether or not your mind could influence your own past experiences.”

“Regardless of what we just witnessed, I’m still filled with questions.”

“As are we, Jack,” Wilson said. “You are not alone.”

“What about Hauser? Enoch? Did either of them make it out of my cabin before it… exploded?” I asked, replaying that horrific catastrophe over in my mind.

“Nobody at the Sentinel has heard from either of them, although we have reason to believe that Hauser may have survived.”

“What makes you think that?” I asked. “Is there a way to track him?”

“Unfortunately, no, not at this moment. When the two of you came to the Sentinel to report Enoch’s situation, we removed his current soul collection chamber from his possession so that he could devote 100 percent of his time to aid in capturing Enoch. And I’m not sure if you know how it all works yet, but we can only track the collection chamber and not the collector. Right now, he’s lost in the wind.”

“Then why do you think he’s alive?”

“Because, Jack, you are here, and you are alive.”

“Of course I am. We just witnessed me not being blown to bits along with my cabin.”

“Yes, but when you blacked out, you were in the clearing in front of your cabin. Did you wake yourself up and bring yourself to that bench in Denver? No, that wasn’t present in your memories. We assume that Hauser brought you here.”

“Okay, I’ll go along with that. Then if Hauser is alive, what’s our next step?” I asked.

“Slow down, Jack. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For all we know they both might have succumbed to the fire in the cabin, and you got here some other way entirely. It is only an assumption that Hauser made it out. At this point, that’s just a theory.”

“That’s easy. Let’s go take a look at the cabin site right now. Maybe we can find a body or two, or none at all.”

“Several members of the high council have already been to the site—”

“So you did know about this?” I demanded.

“Relax, Jack. As soon as Hauser failed to make his scheduled check-in, we sent several collectors to New York to track the two of you down. We found Penny wandering through the city alone. We were able to determine that neither of you were in her vicinity. Then we began to track down your soul box. That’s when we found you here in Denver. Before that point, the Sentinel members visited your cabin and investigated the debris. The site was so severely burned they couldn’t determine whether human remains were inside.”

“But, like you said, how else could I have gotten here? It had to have been Hauser. I’m willing to stake my life on it.”

“That’s neither here nor there, Jack. Right now the Sentinel has ruled that the crisis is over and you will return to your soul collection abilities, with your last assignment still a priority. You need to collect Penelope’s soul.”

Chapter 16

“I’m sorry, but I think I just heard you say that I still need to collect Penny’s soul?” I said.

“That’s right, Jack. Penny’s fate is sealed. You must follow through with your initial order. We know that you still have her soul box, and your last known location of her was on the very same park bench where I gave you this incredible opportunity. I believe, however, that she has moved on from that location.”

“You can’t be serious,” I said angrily. “They want me to forget everything that we’ve been through? Forget about Hauser? They just want me to take Penny’s soul after everything that she’s just gone through? Don’t you think they could cut her a little slack, give her a second chance or something? Consider it reparation for being our bait?”

“The decision is not up to me, Jack. Believe it or not, I’m on your side on this. I lobbied for operational forgiveness on your behalf, but a number of the council members did not see the hardship as I did.”

“But that’s not fair,” I protested. “You all agreed that I should persuade her not to kill herself, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. Talk about bait and switch.”

“There’s no arguing that fact, Jack. That was the plan, and you seem to have executed it wonderfully. And this wouldn’t be such a difficult situation if you hadn’t divulged so much information about the Sentinel and the afterlife.”

As we sat staring silently at one another, I tried to think of a scenario where everyone could win. Obviously the Sentinel was unwavering in their demands to collect her soul. I, on the other hand, wanted to save her, but at what cost? If Hauser were only here, maybe he would have some words of advice.

Then it hit me—my God, I can’t believe Hauser is gone. I started to wonder if this was the Sentinel’s plan all along, to distract me from Hauser’s death with the unrealistic demand that I take Penny’s soul anyway. After everything that I’d been through in this godforsaken afterlife, I truly did not know what to do.

“Jack, please remember that when I sacrificed my soul for the sake of you living on, you accepted that responsibility to the Sentinel. And they will hold you to it. I’m sure Hauser has expressed that before.”

I nodded but bit my tongue to keep from saying something I might regret.

“All I’m asking is for you to complete this assignment and move on to the next. I promise you this, your next assignment will not be as difficult.”

“How can you promise that?” I asked, doing my best to corral my venomous tone.

“Because, Jack, I am going to be your new trainer. And as such—”

“Wait, what? My trainer? Hauser isn’t even gone for a single day and they appoint you to be my new trainer? And I thought my training was over. At least that’s what Hauser said.”

Wilson nodded in agreement. “Yes, that’s correct. Hauser did submit that your training had been completed in an acceptable fashion. But with the recent events, namely you divulging that you’ve avoided a number of assignments, the Sentinel feels it best that your training be extended indefinitely.”

“I can’t believe this, Wilson. Don’t they know what it’s like? Have any of those yahoos up there—which I don’t entirely understand where up there is, ever had to collect the soul from an infant child? From an innocent man on a walk through the park with his daughter? From a girl that’s so depressed that she feels that she needs to take her own life? I’m really starting to believe that nobody on this high council has a soul of their own.”

“I understand that you’re upset, Jack, but we feel that this is the best solution at the moment. I will continue to urge them to suspend your training, but you have to meet me halfway. Let’s get through this next collection first, and then we’ll see. Can you do that for me? Can you just get through this next step?”

By this point in the conversation, I was listening to Wilson talk but couldn’t hear a word he said. I’d made my decision, and my soul be damned for my efforts.

“Okay, Wilson. I’ll do it. Can I at least get a few days to track her and try to unexplain some of the things that I’ve already told her?”

“I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the ease of this particular collection, Jack. First of all, she is most likely back at her apartment by now, and as for timing, please do take as much time as you need. I will personally cover for you with the Sentinel. You may think that they’re a bunch of soulless overlords, but they do have compassion deep down.”

“So, that’s it? Just get back to work? Will you be accompanying me on this collection?”

“No, I am not going to be in the field as often as Hauser was. For the most part, you’ll be on your own, but I will be in to check up on you from time to time.”

Hearing that news was the brightest part of the conversation, and I thanked God for small miracles.

“One more thing, Jack. Your ability to interact with the living has been revoked as well. It was temporary, so that should come as no surprise,” Wilson said.

“Oh well, it was nice while it lasted,” I said.

“Yes. I suppose it was.” Wilson stood to leave. “Anyway, Jack, I wish you luck with Penelope. And try not to dwell on the loss of Hauser. It will lead you nowhere.”

Chapter 17

From my seat in the pavilion, I watched Wilson casually amble down the sidewalk and enter the main floor lobby of Daniels and Fisher tower. Sounds of the afternoon traffic echoed between the various mile-high city buildings. As I sat alone, I contemplated everything that had happened since my first fateful conversation with Wilson all those months ago. It felt as if I’d lived a lifetime in those six months. And now, the distinct possibility that Hauser, the one person that I’d come to trust and care for deeply, was dead or missing did not settle well with my thoughts of the future.

“Hauser, my friend, I hope that you are in a better place now,” I mumbled aloud. “I can only imagine living as long as you have, suffering through the internal torment that you’ve had to deal with, must have been tough. I hope now you are in a place that you can now breathe freely.”

Not wanting to get too wrapped up in sentimental bullshit, I sighed and thought about Penny and her impending soul collection. As much as I was not looking forward to what needed to be done, I stood defiantly. I took in one final view of the Denver skyline, backdropped by the Rocky Mountains. Then I vanished.

Recalling Penny’s personal information from an earlier conversation with Hauser, I was able to land at her apartment door. The central hallway that fed a half dozen flats was dingy and unremarkable. A stark white piece of paper was taped to her door, covering her apartment number. “NOTICE OF EVICTION” was printed in bold black letters.

“Oh shit,” I mumbled. If Penny wasn’t depressed already, she certainly would be after seeing that.

I knocked on the door and waited a few moments. Even though she knew who I was and what I was there for, it didn’t feel right just jumping into the middle of her apartment. But when several minutes passed with no answer, I vanished from the hallway, landing on the opposite side of her door.

Her apartment was a small studio unit, with a pullout sofa to the left and a compact, utilitarian kitchen to the right. Protruding from the end of the kitchen was a small dining alcove with a café style dining table at the center. As I walked through the small space, it was clear that Penny wasn’t home.

What was equally clear was the sense of surrender flowing freely in the apartment. Dishes were piled high in the sink, and a mound of overdue bills were stacked on the countertop. In the living room, outdated magazines and newspapers were piled nearly two feet high. The only thing that seemed out of place in the chaos was the kitchen table. It was clean and clear of everything, save for a pad of paper and a pen. Lowering myself down into a chair, I read what was written:

You cops will want to know why I did it. Well, let’s just say that I know what I’m doing and it’ll be better this way for everyone.

So, yeah. I killed myself. I could no longer cope with the betrayal that life has given me. I have always felt that the grim reaper was just around the corner, waiting. And it turns out that he was. He arrived here today and I knew it was the right thing to do. So yeah.

Please tell my brother that I love him, and that he means the world to me. I think he’s in some cabin upstate somewhere. He’ll understand, I hope.

Good-bye world, it’s been real.

My first thought was that I’d failed. After everything she’d been through, I’d failed to save her soul. But on my second read through, I realized that, while the suicide note was written by Penny, these were not her words. Why would she want to apologize to her brother, whom she told me specifically had died years ago? And that reference about the grim reaper…

Suddenly, I heard the sound of splashing water coming from behind a door that I’d overlooked before. It must be the bathroom, and maybe she was taking a bath or a shower. Then I realized that she could be in there right now trying to kill herself.

I rushed to the bathroom door and twisted the handle. It wouldn’t budge. The door was locked from the other side. I pounded on the door. “Penny, it’s Jack. I’m here to…” What was I really there for? I wondered. Was I going to follow through with the Sentinel’s plan? Or was I to make yet another fateful decision, a godlike decision, to save her soul?

“I’m here to help you get through this. Penny? Can you hear me?”

She didn’t respond, but more vigorous splashing could be heard from the other side of the door.

“Penny, I’m coming in. I don’t want you to do something that you’ll regret,” I said before jumping to the other side of the bathroom door.

I was instantly filled with rage by who stood before me. It was Enoch Gant, holding Penny’s head beneath the water in a nearly full tub.

“Penny!” I said as I rushed forward. Her lifeless eyes looked up at me through the water, unaware.

“You bastard!” I screamed, launching myself into Enoch’s torso. The force driving him backward, causing him to lose his balance. As we dropped to the floor, the momentum drove our bodies toward the commode. I saw the impending collision and rolled to the side. Enoch, however, slid right into the base of the toilet, his head firmly connecting with the porcelain.

Slowly, I pulled myself up to my knees and rested on my haunches. Enoch was out cold. Blood began to trickle from his temple.

“Take that, you fuck,” I said, then rushed to Penny and pulled her out of the water. I laid her dead body on the floor and tilted her head back. I tried to recall the company-sponsored CPR training that I’d reluctantly gone through several years before.

I pinched her nose and blew deeply into her mouth, watching her chest rise. Next I placed my hand over my fist and began to rhythmically pump her chest at a pace I hoped was correct. I alternated the procedures for several minutes, praying to God that I could save her fragile life. I was about to concede defeat when I heard a voice from behind me.

“Jack! Look out!” Hauser yelled from just outside the now open bathroom door. I whipped my head around in Enoch’s direction just as he pointed his shotgun right at my head. Instinctively I dropped to the ground, landing directly on Penny’s chest, just as Enoch fired. The buckshot flew over my head, and the report of the gun caused my ears to ring loudly. I knew I only had seconds before Enoch would reload to shoot again.

I pushed myself off of Penny and noticed that she had begun to convulse, spewing water from her mouth and nose. I rolled her over on her side before I attempted to disarm Enoch.

A guardian angel must have been looking over me, because Enoch’s gun jammed. He continued to point it at me, constantly trying to squeeze the trigger to get it to fire. I knew I only had one shot at disarming him as I dove for the gun. I knocked it from his hands as he attempted to clear the chamber.

As Enoch and I thrashed about on the floor next to Penny in the compact bathroom, I called out to Hauser. “Quick! Throw me the injector.”

Hauser slid the device across the bathroom floor. As Enoch rolled to his side in chase of his gun, I scooped up the pen and jabbed it in the side of his neck, injecting its contents into his system.

Hauser squeezed into the small bathroom, straddling Enoch and I on the floor. By then, Penny had sat up and was coughing uncontrollably. Hauser placed his foot on Enoch’s hand, before leaning over to grab his gun.

Suddenly Enoch launched his body up with great force, driving both Hauser and me back into the tub. In all the commotion, Hauser dropped Enoch’s gun in the water.

“I’m not sure what you just shot me up with, but let me tell you, this isn’t over. You’ve not seen the last of me,” Enoch stated, then vanished.

Chapter 18

As soon as Enoch was gone, Hauser and I stepped out of the tub and tended to Penny. “Are you okay?” I asked as I knelt down beside her.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and the side of her face was bruised. She nodded in between coughing fits.

“Can you move?” I asked.

Penny rolled to her side and tried to stand, but fell back against the wall. Hauser and I lifted her and carried her into the living room. We laid her down on the sofa, propping her head up with a seat cushion.

“Why don’t you rest for a bit?” I said. “I think you’re out of danger for the moment. Either way, I’ll be here to protect you if Enoch returns.”

She tried to speak, but it only induced more coughing.

“It’s okay, Penny. You can trust me,” I said as I stroked the hair away from her eyes.

Hauser motioned for me to join him in the kitchen, just out of Penny’s earshot. I nodded, then said to Penny, “I’m just going to be right over there. If you need anything, just… throw something my way.” I winked.

Joining Hauser in the kitchen, I had a million questions, but first I gave him a big hug. “Hauser, you’re alive.”

“Yep. I seemed to have dodged yet another bullet,” he said, patting me on the back. “Although it was touch and go there for a while.”

“What happened? I brought Penny to the city, but when I got back to the cabin, I heard gunshots and then the entire place exploded.”

“Sorry about that, champ. It looks like your homestead is in need of a bit of repair. After you two left, Enoch and I had a fairly drawn-out battle. We each went for the gun and the auto-injector, but thankfully I was able to secure them before he had a chance to. Unfortunately, though, he threw a gas lantern across the room at me, spreading fuel throughout the cabin. As I tried to maneuver closer to him, he continued to throw crap across the room at me. We both jumped in and out of space, trying to get the upper hand on one another. Finally, I’d had enough and decided to take a shot at him with his own shotgun. It was all so fast, I don’t really know what happened. The gas fumes must have ignited or Enoch had a stick of dynamite. As soon as I pulled the trigger, the cabin exploded, and Enoch and I both jumped out of there.”

“Then where’d you go? If he wasn’t tagged yet, how were you able to follow him?”

“Well I’ve been trying to narrow down where he stays, as you’ve seen from all the news reports and research that I’ve done at my place. So I had a pretty good idea of the region. As we jumped out of the cabin, I was able to follow him a number of jumps before he lost me. Finally, I called off the hunt. It would be just a matter of time before he jumped in the middle of a volcano or something and bye-bye, Hauser. Then I came back and found you lying unconscious on the ground and figured the best bet would be to put you as close to the Sentinel as possible before I went back out after Enoch.”

“That is how I got there, then,” I said. “Just so you know, Wilson and the Sentinel believe that you and Enoch are both dead. With no contact from you, they don’t know what to think. They’ve made some changes, and—”

“Jesus, I wasn’t gone for that long. Just a few days really,” Hauser said, shaking his head.

“Well? What did you expect? Anyway, they’ve made Wilson my new trainer and sent me here to finish Penny’s soul collection,” I said, nodding in her direction on the couch.

“Well I’ll stop by the Sentinel and straighten them out before I go on the hunt. A hunt that was only made possible by you, Jack. We would not have been able to get this far without your help.”

“You mean you’re going to go after him yourself?”

“Yep. I wouldn’t miss this opportunity for the world. That bastard has been a thorn in my side ever since he went AWOL.”

Hauser then looked at Penny resting on the couch not ten feet from us. “And whatever your play is here with Penny, I will back you up. Whatever it takes,” Hauser said as he slyly slipped a glass vial from his pocket and handed it to me.

I held the vial up to the light and, seeing a faint silvery mist inside, knew instantly what it was.

“Use your imagination, kid,” Hauser said, nodding in Penny’s direction. “Now, if you’ll pardon me, I need to go catch me an Enoch.”

I stashed the vile in my inside pocket and nodded. “Thanks for everything, Hauser. You’ve done so much for me in the past six months, and I don’t know how I would’ve made it without you. You really are a good person, and it’s been a real pleasure to have known you,” I said, hugging him again.

“Hey, relax, buddy, I’m coming back. Between me and any number of other Sentinel members, we’ll be able to bag Enoch with ease. Of that I am certain,” Hauser said.

“Just be careful, then,” I said, stepping back into the living room. “Wait, before you go, Hauser, you never told me your last name. What is it?”

Hauser smiled widely. “It’s Teufel. It’s German for the devil. It was agreed upon that I would not use it in the afterlife.”

“Ah, wise choice,” I said.

Hauser winked, then he vanished.

Chapter 19

I stood by for several minutes, wishing I had said more to Hauser before he left. Now, he’d never know really how much he truly meant to me.

I returned to the living room and found Penny staring up at the ceiling, looking lost.

“How are you feeling, champ?” I asked, borrowing a moniker from Hauser’s vocabulary.

She blinked her thoughts away and looked up at me, then smiled. “I’m… I’m feeling okay, but I’ve been better,” she said, her voice a little rough.

“I’d imagine so. You nearly died.”

Penny sat up and leaned awkwardly against the back of the couch. “No, there was no almost about it. I did die. I was dead, Jack.”

“Ah, technicalities. At least you’re here now, right?” I said, hoping her suicidal tendencies had passed.

“I suppose, but I would liked to have stayed dead just a little longer.”

Surprised by her answer, I asked, “Why is that? Does that mean that you’re still wanting to give up?”

Penny shrugged. “I—I’m not sure yet. When I was… there, I saw my brother. I would’ve liked to talk to him, but there wasn’t enough time. One minute I was walking toward him and he smiled at me. Then a moment later I was pulled away. It was so brief.”

“I don’t know what to say, Penny. I didn’t know what you just described was even possible. I thought that once a soul was collected, it was reincarnated into another living being. What you just described certainly gives me hope,” I said, trying to maintain my composure until my final plan was put into motion.

“Yeah, me neither. At least I was able to see him for a moment, and he looked happy. And that makes me happy.”

“That’s great, Penny,” I said. “But where does that leave you and your situation? Are you still feeling depressed? Are you still contemplating suicide?”

“I don’t know, Jack. I don’t know what to think. With everything that I’ve witnessed since first meeting you, I’m confused more than anything else. Nothing can change the fact that I am alone on this earth. And before you go on telling me that I can make friends, let me just say that being alone is not a terribly bad situation for me. I have been alone for so long, I’ve learned to crave the solitude.”

I raised my eyebrows at that.

“But at the end of the day, I don’t think I’m ready to turn in my soul.”

“Well then, I think today is your lucky day,” I said as I sat next to her on the couch. I reached in my pocket and pulled out my coin and my rosary before setting them both on the couch between us.

Penny sat up and looked down at the two items. “What are those?”

“Those are tools of the trade, so to speak. One can take you into the past, and one can take you into the future.”

Then I removed the glass vial that Hauser had given me and set it on the couch next to the other items. Finally, I removed the two soul boxes and held them in my hands.

“This is everything I have in my possession, Penny. And I want you to have it all.”

“But won’t you need them? You know, for your job and all?”

“That’s the thing, Penny. I want you to have it all because I think you should take my soul so you can continue living in the afterlife.”

Chapter 20

“So you’re just going to quit?” Penny asked.

“Well it’s not like I’ve just right now made this decision. I’ve thought about this for a while now, and as time has gone along, I’ve felt more and more out of place in the afterlife than I ever did in my past life,” I said.

“It’s your life, man. But what makes you think that I’ll be any better at this job than you?”

“The last six months have been the most difficult of my life. It’s hard to explain. I think for starters I miss the personal interaction. I thought I’d be able to get by in the solitude, but in the end, that wasn’t so much the truth. Secondly, I seem to want to save every soul I come across. I wanted to save you well before it was a plan to do so. I did in fact save the two souls right before yours, but Enoch put an end to that. I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.”

“And you think by dying you’ll suddenly get to walk and talk with everyone, just like before?” Penny asked.

“Listen, I’m not sure what the right answer is here. I really don’t know what to expect after you take my soul. All I know is that being a collector is not for me.”

“And you think it is for me?”

“From everything you’ve told me, you’d be a perfect fit for this.”

“I don’t know, Jack. I wouldn’t even know where to start,” Penny said, eyeing all of the trinkets sitting between us.

“Well that’s the glory of this. Hauser will no doubt be your trainer, just as he’s been my trainer, and probably the trainer of most of the soul collectors in the last century and a half.”

Penny’s eyes widened. “Damn, how old is he?”

“I don’t recall offhand, but I think he said that he died somewhere around 1810? Don’t quote me on that. I’ll let him tell you about his own life at his own pace.”

“And how about you? How old are you?”

“Me? I’m not that old at all. I was thirty-five when I killed myself, and I’ve only been here in the afterlife for six months, like I said. You see, things are different here. You continue to age, but at an eighth of the pace that the rest of the world does. There’s some strange things that happen with time and how it passes, which I haven’t quite figured out. Maybe that’s the first thing you should talk to Hauser about.”

“Slow down, man. I haven’t agreed to any of this yet, and you are continuing to talk to me like I have.”

“I’m confident that you, being a youthful person, will be able to cope with the demands of being a soul collector much easier than I have.”

“What kind of demands are there?”

“Well, Penny, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it for you. You have to take the souls of people that are dying. The Sentinel, which at some point you will probably meet, will demand that you take each soul that comes into your trust, without question. That is the single most difficult part of this job. That and the loneliness, for me.”

“I think that part I would thrive on,” Penny said.

“You will have some perks as well. Namely, you can travel by thought. You think of a location or a destination and within moments you are there. Quite handy when you really want to get away from it all,” I said jokingly.

“And what about all this stuff?” Penny asked, motioning to the items between us.

“Well, the coin will allow the holder to review parts of their life. For example, if you were to pick up the coin and turn it over in your hand, you could think back to a place or a time and relive that moment. I, as your soul collector, would also live through that moment with you. It also can be used, has been used on me a number of times, to recall past memories that have been forgotten.”

“Wicked.”

“And this,” I said, picking up the rosary, “will allow you to go forward in time, up to twenty-four hours, and witness anticipated events.”

“Anticipated?” Penny asked.

“Yes. Not everything you see in that future will absolutely happen. It is an anticipated future that has a high probability of happening. I don’t think I’m qualified to tell you much more than that, so I’ll leave that up to Hauser to cover in your training.”

Penny nodded, then picked up the vial. “What does this do?” she asked, clearly intrigued by the silvery liquid contents.

“That is something that is quite precious. That is a virgin soul. In the event that you come across a soul that you feel deserves to continue living, once a change is made in their fate, you can use this soul as its replacement.”

“What do you mean ‘virgin’?”

“I know this is a lot of information to take in, and I’m really doing you a favor by telling you this all now. It took me six months to get all of this information myself. That being said, there are old souls and new souls. This is a new one, whereas old souls are reclaimed. That is what our job is, to collect souls. None of us own our souls—we only borrow them.”

“Wow, this is all really freakin’ blowing my mind,” Penny said, staring at the two soul boxes in my hands.

“These are what you collect the souls into. Each soul box has a name, and once you collect the soul, the box vanishes and is replaced with a new one. It’s all kinds of magical, but the intrigue will wear off I’m sure.”

“Wow, this is really a lot of information to take in. How long will I have to decide?”

“Well you’ve already died, so your soul is officially no longer yours. I either have to collect it now or you collect mine. In that event, you will become the new soul collector.”

“And that’s it? I take your soul, then I have the job? No interview or anything?”

I smiled. “Honestly, Penny, I’m not exactly sure how the Sentinel will react to this. When Wilson surrendered his soul in place of my own, my position in the afterlife had already been vetted by the high council, which is just a bunch of guys and gals up someplace making all the life-altering decisions. I’m certain this will blow their minds as soon as you show up for your next collection.”

“So you’re really just throwing me under the bus so you can get out?”

“Not entirely. Being a soul collector is a thankless job, but it really does have to be done. I do get that, but I just don’t think I’m cut out for it. I’m a pretty good judge of character, and I believe that you are.”

Penny and I sat in silence for several minutes. Finally, she reached into my hands and took the two soul boxes. She looked at the box with her name first, then the box with mine.

“Okay. What do I do?” Penny asked, her eyes bright and eager.

“Are you sure?” I asked. “Once you take this on, Hauser and the Sentinel will expect a lot from you.”

“Like you said, I’ve already died, right? What’s my other choice? You take my soul and be rushed off to the great unknown? I think I’d like to give this a try at least,” Penny said. “Besides, if I end up not liking it, I’ll just follow in your footsteps. Who knows. Maybe we’ll see each other again sooner than you think. Yeah, I’m ready.”

“All right. I’m not exactly sure how this works on my end, but once you open a box, if there is a soul present, it will find its way in.”

“And you’re sure?” she asked. “You’re ready to end it all? No going back, right?”

I nodded and took a deep breath. I was more certain about this than I’d been about anything else since I died on that New York bus. Now as I sat next to Penny, my entire fate resting in the palms of her hands, I could only think about Cyndi. Would I see her again? Lord, I certainly hoped so.

“Well, Jack it was nice knowing you, as brief as it was,” she said and opened my soul box. When she turned it toward me, I exhaled uncontrollably. I felt as if I were in the vacuum of space as my last, dying breath was extricated from my body.

As the wisp of smoke exited my mouth, I began to re-experience my entire life in reverse. Images of every person I’d ever met flashed through my mind. No matter their impact on my soul, I recognized each and every one. As the years slipped by, the memories began to move increasingly faster. I re-experienced my parents’ funeral, but before any emotions could come, I witnessed them alive and full of vigor.

Then Cyndi came. I saw her images the most, and it pained me to see those memories fly by so quickly. I was able to see how happy we were together early on. Then our wedding. She was such a beautiful bride. Our courtship lasted mere seconds, while in life we’d dated for several years before even getting engaged. Finally, the day we met. That magical moment where she won my heart thankfully slowed down, even if minutely.

I relived my entire college days in a matter of moments. The late night study sessions, the frat parties, the binge drinking—all without any fanfare.

Then I was back in high school, middle school, elementary, and then preschool. All passing by in the blink of an eye. I watched myself take my first steps as a child, a smile as wide as the world is large.

At the end of my thirty-five yearlong replay, I looked at Penny one last time. Then the lights dimmed, fading out like the flame of a candle.