Read Online AfterLife by S. P. Cloward - Free Book Online

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    “We’ve uncovered dozens of similar deaths over the past few
months. The antemorts we know of that are found in this condition are coming
from St. Louis, Indianapolis, and as far up as Minneapolis. I hope, for our
sake, they aren’t close.”
    “Close to what?”
    Emily ignored Wes’s question. She finished the row she was
working on and placed her crochet in a fabric bag she picked up from the table
next to the couch. “I think it’s time to give you the grand tour.” Emily stood
up. She looked gorgeous (where had that thought come from?), and was dressed as
if to go out for an evening of dancing. Her red hair was combed into large
curls that fell across her shoulders and down her back. Her bangs swooped
across her forehead. Leaving the fabric bag on the table, she moved out of the
sitting area toward a set of double doors. Wes followed. Before they passed
through the doors, Emily turned around. “Like I said, these are the dorms. This
is the main foyer, or Den, and in addition to the rooms on this floor there are
rooms on the three levels below and above this as well. You can get to them by
using that stairwell.” She pointed to an opening between two of the hallways
that branched off the foyer opposite the main Den entrance. She then turned and
continued through the doors.
    “We call this AfterLife complex the Hub. It’s a fairly
central location within North America. It’s our headquarters really, and we
bring new members here for the rebirth process. There are other AfterLife
complexes in other major cities and Hubs in other countries but they all
operate in the same basic way.”
    Passing through the double doors, Wes noticed the hallway
supported the same concrete ceiling he’d seen while being transported in on the
stretcher for his rebirth. The hallway felt very institutional with its white
walls and tiled floors, and wasn’t as cozy as the Den was.
    “Most of the complex is subterranean, which is where we are
now. It’s easier to hide and we don’t have to worry about anyone coming to
snoop around to see what we’re doing here.” Emily led Wes to an intersecting
hallway and stopped. “Down that way,” she said, pointing left down one of the
branching corridors, “is where we conduct the rebirth process on new members,
and down the other way,” she pointed in the opposite direction, “are our
training rooms and Operations Central. That’s where Oscar, our ops guy, works.
In the training rooms we hold sessions that focus on survival as a Mortui and
how to live more symbiotically with antemorts. For example, there are training
programs that teach members fighting, self-defense, and self-preservation
skills that may be useful against other Mortuis. Training in the Hub focuses on
skills that help us as Mortuis. Continued education occurs in the real world.”
    “Fighting?” Wes wondered who he would ever need to fight now
that he was dead, and if it would even be a fair fight. He couldn’t feel pain
so if he ever got into a physical battle with an antemort, he could keep going
till the antemort was tired and then get away if he needed to.
    “Yes, fighting,” Emily said. “It’s more for self-defense
purposes if you ever find yourself alone with a Truly Dead. They can be vicious
and you don’t want to be caught by them. They’ll kill you.”
    Wes laughed. Surely Emily was joking, but Emily didn’t
laugh.
    “You can be killed Wes, even though you’re already dead.
Your body will break and it can be damaged. It takes quite a bit to heal a
damaged body. It might even take the equivalent of the lives of three or four
antemorts to fix some of the more extreme damages. Take care of your body.”
Emily grabbed Wes’s chin and looked him in the eyes to emphasize her words. “Do
you understand me?”
    “Yes.” He nodded.
    “Good.” Emily’s voice was strong and commanding and Wes was
startled by her sternness. She certainly didn’t look like the kind, almost
vulnerable