Ash took a few steps across the roof to his usual spot where he wasted away the little life he didn’t know he had left. He took a seat on the ground, spotting a plastic bag filled with three cheap beers still wearing their plastic collars, missing their other three brothers. He thought about sticking his hand inside the bag and finishing what he probably started up on this roof a day ago, but thought better of it while he still had questions he needed to ask.

  As he looked off to his right he saw Vandal up on all fours, ready to answer the questions he had, and Gray at the edge of the roof looking down to the ground below.

  “Gray’s toilet metaphor didn’t exactly do it for me,” he shot him a glance, but Gray seemed a little too focused on something off the edge of the roof. “Where are we right now exactly? It doesn’t look all that different from Broolhaven Heights, it’s just a little more colorful, with a couple less floors.”

  “To put it simply,” Vandal began, “we are occupying the space between life and death, almost like purgatory, a sea where souls flow into once they’re released. Where we are now is your soul stream, gently trickling into the greater body of souls until it vanishes entirely.” Vandal sat back onto his hindpaws, relaxing a little as he got as comfortable as he could on the stiff roof surface. “Locations such as this are created in Broolhaven’s city limits every day, and today myself and an associate are investigating yours.”

  “Your associate over there was giving me the impression that my soul stream was a little special.”

  This time it was Vandal that stole a glance at Gray, which this time was acknowledged for a moment before he turned away to walk towards another part of the roof. “I am afraid I cannot divulge all the details regarding your stream’s special attributes, as that information is Diver confidential.” There were two quick flicks of annoyance from Vandal’s tail that he wasn’t able to control, followed by a small thump against the roof as he regained his composure. “However, as you have been prematurely made aware of this possibility, I will affirm that your stream is quite unique.”

  “Sounds like you can’t tell me why though.” The longer Ash sat next to the plastic bag, the more the full cans living inside it called to him.

  “I am afraid my paws are tied in this matter, but I may answer other questions up to a certain point, as time permits.”

  Ash looked back out towards the horizon and watched the clouds shift ever so slightly as pepperings of blood orange light shone through the small gaps.

  “Can you at least tell me what I am now? Am I ghost, a zombie?” Ash looked back at Vandal, observing about as serious of an expression that a cat could muster. “Maybe something cooler like a vampire?” he asked with a little hope in his voice.

  Vandal waited a moment before answering, choosing his response carefully, as he had done many times before. “Currently, you are in your purest state with your soul given shape and form using your memories as a guide. To use one of your words, a ghost, resembling your former self.”

  “Is that what you two are too? Ghosts that look like how you used to be?” Ash asked quickly, barely processing the answer he was given a second ago.

  “We both have regained our physical forms, while yours is unfortunately worsening by the day.” His answer was blunt, but what Ash needed to hear.

  “So my soul is out and about while my body is decomposing, and I’m so good at dying that I stuck around after it happened.” A gentle breeze picked up, rustling the plastic bag next to Ash, as this time he does reach inside. He absolutely needed a beer or three.

  “So where do I go from here?” He asked, genuinely lost and seeking guidance for his new death experience.

  “In order to answer that, I require some answers from you as well.” Vandal relaxed a little as Gray came over from the edge of the roof, standing beside him with his hands still in his pockets. Ash fished out one of the three cheap beers, feeling how lukewarm the can was as he sat it down beside him. “As long as you don’t ask me where I see myself in ten years, fire away.” He cracked open the can to a muffled hiss before taking a swig of warm malt that made him visibly grimace.

  “Do you want to return to your old life?”

  Ash took another almost rancid swig, getting used to the taste a little more after the first sip. “Not a chance.” The words quickly left his mouth before he filled it with more lukewarm swill.

  “That was quick.” Gray piped up.

  “Even if I didn’t know what was going to happen after my last decision” Ash started, but paused as he felt the revolver in his back pocket grind against him uncomfortably, “I still stand by it.” With his free hand, he reached back behind him, clutching the grip of his decision maker before he slowly slid it out of his pocket. He stared at the gun in his hand as he held it in his lap, gently thumbing the cylinder without popping it open.

  “Unless things can change, there’s no way I’m going back.” Ash set the revolver down beside him, making sure it was pointed away from everyone on the roof.

  “Then perhaps I should pose a different question,” Vandal began as he moved a step closer. “Do you wish to start a new life after death?”

  Ash set the now half empty can down beside him to give his lonely looking revolver a friend. “Like a second try? Is this a reincarnation thing?”

  “Not precisely, but not entirely incorrect,” Vandal smiled as much as a cat could without showing any teeth. “Your soul’s more unique properties make you a prime candidate for a very important job. A job that only the dead can undertake.”

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  Ash slowly picked up his drink again as he gently shook it side to side in his hand, feeling the liquid swirl around the cheap aluminum can. “Gray had mentioned something like that. What happens if I don’t take the job?”

  “Then I fear you would be trapped here with little chance for escape, and worse chances for your soul’s survival…”

  Ash looked out to the horizon again, noting that he could still see the same buildings all along the Broolhaven skyline. He wondered if he could find a safe way out of the apartments and continue to explore, maybe find someone else in what Vandal called a soul stream.

  “Worse?” he finally asked, lingering on the word, wondering just how worse things could get after he was already dead.

  Before either Vandal or Gray could answer, a cry that sounded like a distressed hawk large enough to wrestle an airplane echoed throughout the blood orange copy of Broolhaven. The guttural sound bounced off of aging brick buildings until it finally reached the roof, amplifying with each bounce and echo. As the screech practically shook the air around them, Ash finally noticed a thin, mostly translucent sheet shimmer between him and the horizon along the roof’s edge, like a fence made of pure light.

  “Soulseekers,” Gray spoke up this time, looking out towards the sky, “they’re all over the soul sea, but Vandal’s barrier stops them from getting too close.” His gaze never left the horizon as he continued to speak. “Staying out in the open like this for too long would be a bad idea without protection like this. Normally we wouldn’t need it, but…,” he trailed off, looking down at Vandal staring back at him before he decided to leave his sentence where it fell.

  “What are they?” Ash got up from his small seat on the ground, feeling like his hair was still standing on edge from the sound alone. He took a couple of steps towards the barrier, and since no one warned him otherwise, he felt like it was safe enough to reach out a hand and touch it. He could barely see it with the naked eye, it was like the air in front of him was shimmering and waving with a gentle glow. The moment his hand connected with the light he felt his skin warm grow warmer.

  “Beasts,” Vandal finally answered, “driven by an insatiable hunger for the emotions that human souls provide, for what you would provide if left here alone.” Right on cue as if it was rehearsed, a black mass flew past Ash’s field of vision, too fast to see properly with the naked eye before it dipped down past the edge of the roof. His eyes snapped down to the street below, catching just a glimpse of what looked like a raven, large enough for its wings to touch both sidewalks if it stood in the middle of the street. It was only visible for a couple of seconds before a few flaps of its wings took it behind another building and out of sight, the same cry of distress echoing down Broolhaven’s streets.

  “Right,” Ash finally said, “worse…”

  “They come in many different shapes and sizes, but all are drawn to the same scent, driven by hunger.”

  “He’s just trying to spook you a little,” Gray casually walked over to where Ash was standing. “Soulseekers aren’t so bad with some training under your belt, at least the ones you’ll find around here.”

  Ash continued looking out to the horizon, his hand still gently placed on the barrier thankfully protecting him from harm. His eyes continued to scan the streets, seeing empty sidewalks with shifting shadows, all now looking potentially dangerous.

  He turned back around, slowly walking to his little spot on the roof where he sat many times, and took his seat right back as the already warm can of malt warmed further in his hand. “So what happens if I get caught by one of those things? I’m already dead, but I’m guessing they do something worse.”

  “Nothing good.” Gray told him. “The ones here are thankfully slow, and too hungry to be smart about their food, but you’d still rather die a second time than let one catch you.”

  Ash stayed silent, taking the last sip from the can.

  “You’ll see more of them on the job, but past today you’ll be prepared to actually take them on.” Gray tried his best to make it seem a little less daunting.

  “Ultimately, I cannot force you to accept my offer. It must come willingly.” One of Vandal’s ears twitched, possibly hearing another soulseeker in the distance that the other two couldn’t. “I however will make no allusions that the choice you are faced with is completely fair in nature.”

  “What’s the pay like?” Ash finally spoke up as he fished another can out of the bag, leaving just one remaining inside.

  Gray spoke up this time, walking back from the wall surrounding the roof. “Starting salary blows, but we make commission on top of it.”

  Ash pointed the unopened can towards Gray accusingly. “Guessing you get a singing bonus since you found me.” Gray swiped the can from Ash’s loose hand with a smile, making Ash’s eyes widen for just a moment. “Bingo! I’ll be taking this as a little finder’s fee too, just in case you don’t decide to come with.” Ash let the can go since he had one more to grab, taking it out of the bag to leave it truly empty except for the beer’s old plastic chains.

  “Are you old enough to drink those?” Ash’s finger lingered around the pulltab.

  “I’m 25 alive, two dead, and could probably out drink you into a second grave before you know what’s happening.”

  Vandal didn’t say anything more, clearly waiting for an answer. Meanwhile Gray helped himself to his finder’s fee, and almost immediately regretted his decision. “Please tell me these are better cold.”

  “If they’re cold enough to numb your tongue, maybe.” Ash opened the last can, but didn’t take a sip, he simply held it in his hand and looked off towards the red horizon again. He thought about what was lurking around Broolhaven’s streets, and what other beasts were waiting around on the other side of the barrier. He looked off to his right, towards the gun that brought him here, briefly wondering if it was good for killing anything besides himself. “I’ll give it a shot,” he brought the last can to his lips, taking another big swig of lukewarm fuzziness.

  “Are you certain?” Vandal followed up, taking one step closer.

  “I don’t think I’ll get a better offer out here,” he gently swished his can around in his hand, already feeling that it was close to half full, “and I think this bag was all the beer my soul had left in it.”

  “I need to hear an answer without any room for doubt,” Vandal’s expression was about as stone cold as a cat’s face could muster. “State your name, and then clearly tell me that you accept my offer. ”

  Ash pounded back the rest of his little can, feeling his favorite awful brew pool in his gut, and dropped the empty vessel back into the plastic bag. He turned to face the cat, his new boss, matching his serious eyes with a sure stare of his own. “I’m Ash Morana, and I accept your offer.”

  A smile quickly took shape on the cat’s face right before his yellow eyes shone with a glow that matched the horizon. “Congratulations, Ash Morana, on becoming a Diver, and embracing your new life after death.” Vandal extended one of his black paws towards him, and with faith that this new job couldn’t be worse than his last, Ash took the paw in his hand to seal the first deal of his new death.