Read Online Don't Fear the Reaper by Michelle Muto - Free Book Online Page A

you hurt someone who’s already dead?”
    Daniel watched along the sidewalks as we sped past. He nodded. “Yeah. It’s maybe even more dangerous for you here than the mortal world. It’s one more mechanism to force earthbounds to move on.”
    He casually regarded the people in cars and on corners as we passed. A few glanced up as the truck went by. We slowed to make another turn. Two men, one in a navy suit and another in jeans and a dirty suede jacket stared at us. Hard to tell from a distance and in passing, but their expressions seemed less than friendly.
    “Those two could see us?” Which meant they were dead, too, of course.
    Daniel nodded.
    “I guess they don’t like demons, huh?”
    “No. But it may not be only me they aren’t fond of. A lot of earthbounds aren’t happy to be here and are looking for trouble. And, those bound for hell figure they’ve got nothing to lose,” Daniel replied.
    Another chill of fear crept into my bones. “But, big deal, right? What can they possibly do?”
    “Can you feel the wind? Your own skin? That didn’t end when life did. That’s good and bad. Some earthbounds don’t want to leave until they change their fate somehow. And that is a lot harder to do when you’re dead. Some get a little mean about it. They take out their issues on other earthbounds. Especially the new ones.”
    “So, some people can stay?” I thought of my parents. Maybe I’d find a way to never leave them. Never harm them.
    Daniel nodded. “All anyone can do is give the newbies the facts and hope they move on quickly. Sometimes, it’s best to let them find out on their own just how dangerous purgatory can be. On rare occasions, reapers step in and set the worst of the worst straight, seeing as they’re kind of the marshals in this plane of existence. Still, some earthbounds do decide to stay on—hundreds of years or more in some cases.”
    “That long?” I couldn’t imagine being in this place and feeling this way for centuries.
    “It happens. Unfinished business, disbelief. You think you’ve got issues!” He laughed. “Anyway, there’s more earthbounds in purgatory than you’d think. Millions. Probably ten times over. Once they finally leave here, though, well, they usually never want to come back.”
    “But, why not just stay here until their loved ones die? They could all go to heaven together, right?”
    “Yeah, except here’s the rub—someone always leaves someone else behind,” Daniel answered. “Jim won’t leave without Mary who won’t leave without someone else. You’ve already seen more spirits than you know. You’re just the new kid. After a while, you’ll sort it all out.”
    The pickup truck pulled into an auto parts store. Daniel rose to his feet and offered me a hand. I took it and he pulled me upright so fast I thought my arm would rip from its socket. “Hey,” I said. “Go easy.”
    Daniel hopped over the side of the truck. “That was easy. Lesson one: that’s why earthbounds never mess with demons. You’re already dead, so you can’t really die again. But, there are worse things than death. You can still feel pain, and pissed-off earthbounds aren’t the only ones walking around with nasty attitudes, savvy?”
    Yeah, I got it. Why had I thought Daniel was the only demon around? I hopped over the side of the truck without his assistance, even though he offered. The last thing I wanted was to end up eating asphalt.
    “Morgue’s this way,” Daniel said.
    A bus whizzed past us. One of the passengers peered out at me, pressing a hand against the window. I don’t know if my presence startled or angered her, or if it was concern that flashed across her face. I thought about the men we’d seen coming here and how unfriendly they seemed. I hoped the rest of Deadsville wasn’t like them. Why hadn’t I stayed with Banning?
    “Well,” I said, dusting off the back of my jeans and setting off down the street with Daniel. “You’ll tell me when we come