BECOMING DEATH: CHAPTER 4
Chapter 4
Okay, you're probably wondering what my plan was to unravel the truth of what lies beyond Death. To be honest with you, I had no idea. Work carried on as usual, but the thought never left me. First, I had to discover what exactly Death is. In short, it is an extension of Life. They are one in the same, the sun to the moon, different sides of the same coin. Would that mean I need to destroy Life too?
From what I remember feeling as a mortal, and the millions of souls I've taken to the other side, Life is painful. It hurts. Disease, famine, war, filing taxes, all of these things are inextricable parts in the machinations of Life. At the same time, Life is incredibly beautiful, and that is why we cling to it. Sunrises and sunsets, the birth of a child, putting your face into a cat's fur, all of these things bring joy to Life and a general apprehension to Death. That is where the concept of the Afterlife comes in. Eliminate all of the seemingly tragic and dark aspects of Life, and replace them with endless joy and love. As for the wicked and evil, an eternity of tragedy. To be honest, as I've told you before, I have no idea what lies beyond my headquarters. It could be an endless void. It could be the line at Starbucks. Perhaps it is God. Or maybe it's just a bunch of numbers.
With each Life, there comes an archetype. Within that archetype, like a caged animal, lies the human spirit. Desperate in its desire to escape the shackles of its mortal coil, it manipulates the user toward its unsure escape through Death. Upon Death, it is rudely confronted with the reality that after mortal Death, lies more bullshit. That is when the human spirit ceases to exist, its hope is forever extinguished. Or so they think, before crossing the threshold.
I figured I should start with working through the structures already in place. I submitted a request to tour the other side for work related purposes, which prompted Cerberus to call me into his office. He was chewing on a devil shaped toy when I sat down across from his desk.
"So what's this all about? What're ya trying to see?
"I think it would be beneficial to me to know the ins and outs of my job. You know, for continuity's sake."
"Continuity. Hm." He seemed to chew on that sentence for a minute.
"Kid, the more you know, the more trouble it brings. It's best to just keep your head down and do your job. Don't trouble yourself with knowledge. The forbidden fruit is what got humanity in trouble to begin with. Seems like you've forgotten that. I can't blame ya, but there's nothin' there that's gonna help you with your job. If anything, it might make you worse at your job. I just can't approve it."
And that was it for trying the right way. So, I had to rebel. I found out that Cerberus was astute in his analysis that human curiosity was one of the few traits that clung to my being after Death. I became obsessed with it now, and in that way, it gave me meaning. Having meaning is having hope, which unbeknownst to me at the time breathed purpose into my otherwise bleak and hopeless world. So, I hatched a plan. I had to break in, and cross the threshold. I needed to see what goes on behind those doors.
Cerberus may be immortal, but he was still a dog. I figured if that was the mortal form his spirit resided within, I could work with that.
Cerberus just finished consuming a politician who was crying out for his mother.
A disgusted look was on his dog-face. "Jeez, it's always those types who cry when they have to go. Bums. He tasted horrible."
He was fumbling around for his keys to lock up the door in his mouth. That was my chance. I pulled out a red rubber ball I picked up on one of my jobs. His eyes grew wide and his mouth salivated. The door was still open.
"Kid, now listen to me. I know what you're thinking. Put the ball down, slide it over, and let me give it back to you. But do it very slowly---" He started barking and frothing as I moved the ball from left to right, before putting it right in front of his face. He couldn't resist, and his mouth opened wide, which was when I threw the ball into Oblivion.
"Oh no! Sorry, I'll get it for you!"
"No kid wait!" he gargled, but before he closed his mouth, I dove into the abyss.
Everything went dark. It felt as though the atmosphere inside was attempting to tear me apart. The air was thick, and hot, and smelled like a wet dog. I was falling fast at first, but then gradually as the atmosphere thickened, I fell slower, and slower, as the temperature continued to rise. I passed the time by recalling everything I could about my mortal life. All I could see were faint particles that reminded me of lightning bugs, which triggered a memory of catching them as a child in the summertime, collecting them in milk jugs. I remembered the feeling of wonder, followed by remorse when they would all be dead the morning after.
Finally, I hit the ground as gently as a feather. It remained black, and cavernously silent for a moment, until I heard the subtle cries of the politician who had just passed through. I followed the sounds of sobbing until I finally saw the light of twelve doors, each inscribed with symbols representing the human archetypes.
His door was that of the Ruler, which is a soul that seeks power and control over others for their own personal benefit. The door was scarlet red, and inscribed on its surface were portraits of monarchs and tyrants. A crazed tiger with fearful eyes held the handle in its mouth, and the politician was clinging onto it.
I stood behind him for a while, watching him. Pitiful. He didn't seem to know I was there. Finally, I broke the silence.
"Open the door."
He didn't seem to hear me. I walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, but my hand simply passed through him. Puzzled, I spoke again.
"Open the door! Your fate is sealed."
"I just wanted to make a difference...I'm a sinner...O God! I'm sorry!!! Please!!!!"
Suddenly, the door slowly pushed open. The politician tried to close it, but to no avail. Three hooks came out from the jaws of Oblivion and snatched him up. He was screaming and flailing as he was dragged into the darkness.
Now was my chance. Through the door and into the darkness, I could see a red trail of smoke following the politician, and his cries confirmed that I was on the right trail. Finally, I could see some light.
Before me stood an amphitheater of pure white marble. The politician was confined to a pulpit in the middle, still pierced by the hooks of the figures that dragged him to his judgement. The seats were filled with beings in red cloaks. None of the faces were visible. I stood at the top, curious about what was unfolding.
One of the cloaked figures was standing opposite of the politician with a large tome.
"The soul presented today, RP-1977-9005, had underwhelming general scores. Although he consolidated power, he never reached the potential to complete the full realization of his archetype. In accordance with Revision RC.777 of the Assembly of Rulers, this soul is subject to reeducation and reinstatement to the Lesser Realm, in order to continue the Trial of Mortals. Reeducation is to go into effect as of immediately, and reinstatement is to become final upon completion. If he fails the general exams, he will be terminated. If anyone of the Assembly objects, they can submit a formal request for an Appeal to the decision made by the Assembly today. This concludes our session."
The figures holding the hooks dragged the hapless politician toward a gated corridor which seemingly went underneath the amphitheater.
The figures dragging him had badges like mine (the only difference being theirs were red instead of white), and used them for access to the corridor. Great, I thought to myself. Now I need to steal a badge.
More bureaucracy, more bullshit. We still haven't reached Death. I couldn't sense a trace of it here. I had a surreal thought that they had it chained up somewhere, depriving it of reaching its final evolution, which is Freedom. Maybe it's imprisoned wherever the gods tied poor Prometheus to be consumed alive for an eternity as punishment for stealing fire from the gods; his gift to mankind. Honorable, but stupid. I didn't get the idea to destroy Death and bring Freedom back to the mortals. If anything, I'm doing it out of pure boredom. Selflessness isn't gifted to things like me. I barely even am myself. Maybe somewhere inside my humanity is pushing me on this quest, but frankly, I don't really know, or care, I just want to understand the point of my existence. Maybe I'll end up like Prometheus. But at least I'll know. The forbidden fruit beckons.
One of the cloaked figures was looking in my direction. I strained to see the face, but all I could see were beady white eyes looking through me. I waved. If it saw me, I might as well act like I belonged there. It turned toward the gate, and turned back to me, and without skipping a beat, dropped its badge on the ground and followed the other cloaked figures out. So this is luck!
Whatever that figure was, it seemed to know what I was up to. I put that thought aside, because despite the implications of that moment, I was another step closer to knowing.
END OF CHAPTER 4