Hello again! Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I've been really busy. I like this chapter and I hope you do too!
I didn’t know what to do.
The worst part was I usually did. I was the one with the plans. The one with the ideas. Now everything was going wrong, and I couldn’t do anything. It was like when I died. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move, all I could do was swallow more water and stare at those glowing yellow eyes that still haunt me to this day.
Stop being selfish, I scolded myself. Stop thinking of yourself. Henry’s sister is in the hospital, his best friend was just kidnapped, and he has no idea what was going on. It was just terrible to think an innocent kid had to go through all that.
Henry was in his room, refusing to come out. Zack tried everything he could think of to get him out of his room (since, as he said, "kids from the same era think alike") but nothing worked. I decided it was my turn to try.
I knocked on Henry’s door. “Leave me alone, Zack,” I heard him say. I pushed the door open. Henry was sitting on his bed, holding his knees to his chest. He looked at me. “Alex, please tell me the truth. What’s going on,” he asked, his voice cracking. His face was blotchy and everything about him seemed off. This wasn’t an immature kid who loved ghosts. This was a kid who needed to know the truth.
I sat next to Henry and sighed. “Henry, I’m not exactly alive. I died decades ago. For years I’ve lived in the Afterlife, where you go when you die.” Henry wiped his cheek. “Then why are you here?” “Because I found out someone was going to try and kill Jordan.”
That was when Henry lost it. He stood up and knocked everything off his desk. His breathing became heavy, his eyes looking ready to murder someone. Then they became glassy. Tears poured down his cheeks as he began to cry hysterically. I hugged him. “Hey, don’t worry. I’m gonna protect your sister. She’s gonna be fine. Will’s gonna be fine. We’re all going to be fine.”
Henry let go of me and wiped his face. Jordan ran to the doorframe, smirking that smirk I had to admit, I had grown to fear. “I got an idea,” she said. I sighed. Those were 4 words I never wanted to hear from her.
"So your plan is to attack the most secure place in the living and dead world, where who knows how many Reapers are waiting, with no backup," I said slowly. Lena shrugged. "Yes?" Henry stood up from the couch. "I can't wait around. We are getting Will back, and if this is our best plan, so be it." Zack looked at me and then Henry. "Sorry, sir, but we have to try." I shook my head. "Sir?" "Alex," Zack said, correcting himself.
Then the door opened. Lena's hands began to spark and Zack put his fists up. But neither thing was necessary. Because the person who opened the door was Jordan. Henry ran to her and hugged her tightly. Jordan looked surprised and gently hugged back. She looked mostly healed, some bruises of course, but better.
"Woah there, buddy. You okay," she asked. She looked at me. Does he know, she mouthed. I nodded. She looked down at her brother and hugged him tighter. When she let go she looked him straight in the eye and asked "Where's Will?" Henry looked down. "Those people, they got Will. They took him." Jordan gasped. She looked at me. "Plan?" I crossed my arms. "Look at her," I said sarcastically, turning to Lena.
Lena smiled slightly. "I don't believe we've officially met. I'm Lena Fettan, also dead. I can control the weather because of my job and have impenetrable skin. Your Jordan Pensie, obviously. It's nice to meet you." Lena stuck out her hand and Jordan shook it. She smiled. "Likewise."
The Reapers were always going back and forth between the alive world and the dead one. So they had to have a base here. Their base was an abandoned prison in New York. It was obviously secure before being abandoned, but the Reapers made it a fortress. Nick hadn't been able to tell me much about it, but he described it as the safest place for Reapers.
When we got to the gate, Lena chuckled. "Too easy." She climbed it and landed on the other side. There was razor-sharp barbed wire, but it didn't even scratch her. She opened the gate door and we walked inside the grounds. I was just walking when Jordan held me back by the hood of my hoodie. She pointed to the ground. Sure enough, I was about to step on something that looked suspiciously like a landmine. "Everyone, watch your step," I whispered.
We carefully made our way to the metal door without any problems. Lena punched it and the door fell off the hinges. "Ladies first," she said, motioning for Jordan to go.
We walked inside and tried to make no sound. It was so quiet. So quiet it felt wrong. Then I felt a presence behind me.
"Boo."
I turned around sharply to see Nick. He put his scythe to my neck. "You really are predictable, Alex. I mean, you're a smart person. Just really...idiotic." I took out a knife from my pocket and kicked Nick in the stomach. He fell back. I threw the knife at him and it landed in his leg. He shouted out in pain. I punched him in the face and he fell unconscious. I took some deep breaths. "Predict that?"
More Reapers came scythes' at the ready. "Stand down," one yelled. Lena smirked. "You really don't know us too well."
We began to fight the Reapers. Henry (who refused to stay behind) swung with his trusty bat. Zack and Jordan (I know bringing her wasn't smart, I pointed it out, but she wouldn't listen to me) used frying pans. Jordan just punched and electrocuted them. However, there were too many.
"We're gonna have to outrun them," Jordan said to me. "No shoot Sherlock," I said. She rolled her eyes and we all began to run.
I didn't realize I was alone until I ran into a room and no one, not even the Reapers, were behind me.
I locked the door and sat down, leaning my back on it. I took deep breaths, trying to regain my strength. Being separated was not good, not at all.
I looked around the room and noticed it was empty except for a desk and some chairs. I guessed this was an office of some sort. I stood up and looked over the papers on the desk. The papers were about convicts who had been in here. I looked at all of them.
Then one caught my eye.
Jackson. That director who was working with Jordan for some movie. He was a convict here about 3 years ago. Why?
He had arranged for someone to be killed.
And that's that! Who do you think is the killer? Do you think there's more to the director than he was letting on? What do you think will happen to all the kids? Also, since I have 22 chapters planned, we are now halfway through the story! That just sounds crazy! I hope you stay tuned!
