5 Homecoming

As I regain consciousness, I find myself in complete darkness. I go to reach out with my hand, but my hand is stopped by a wall. I start to panic. I never thought of myself as claustrophobic, but when you are trapped in a small enclosed space, you generally start to freak out. I begin banging on the walls surrounding me. When I bang on the cold, metal wall behind my head, the bottom of the space I'm in moves. I push on it and I slide out of the space. Apparently I'm in a morgue? I get up, and that's when I notice that I am naked and it's freezing. I look around, only to see metal cabinets and tables with medical supplies galore. I am in a morgue. There is a tag on my toe, so I take it off and read it. It says, "John Doe (unidentified male teenager)

Approximately 16 years old

Cause of death: drowning and

head injury"

I grab some spare scrubs and decide to head home in hopes that it hasn't been that long since I died.

Walking down a busy street near home, I come across a news stand. I didn't even know these still existed! I glance at the date and do a double take. It had been over a week since the day that I died. I start running towards home in hopes of seeing my parents for the first time in several months.

I arrive at my house after several minutes of running. Surprisingly I don't feel tired at all, even after several miles of running. I put it out of my mind and walk inside. I search throughout the house for any sign of my parents presence. There is none. The house is completely devoid of all life. I try to ignore the disappointment welling up in my chest. I wonder if anyone even noticed that I was gone. I trudge upstairs, put on my own clothing, and go to sleep, hoping that everything would be better tomorrow.

I sleep fitfully and dream of terrible things. Death. Fire. Mountains of Corpses. The sun shining in my eyes wakes me up. However, I don't wake up in my bed like I expect. I wake up under the big maple tree in my front yard. Confused, I stand up and look around. There is a small crater where I was sleeping. This only spawns more confusion until I remember what that guy Natas said about me getting abilities and perks. I look down at my watch and notice that school starts soon. I may have died, gone to hell, made a deal with the devil, and come back, but attendance waits for no man!

When I get to school, I notice Zack looking around anxiously. He has dark circles under his eyes, disheveled hair, and an unhappy look on his face. I run up to him. As he sees me, a look of relief flashes across his face before it is replaced by a look of anger and worry.

"Where have you been?!? I thought you were dead in a gutter somewhere!" he scowls at me.

I chuckle internally. He has no idea how right he was. I think quickly of an excuse. "I got really sick, I couldn't get out of bed for days and had a high fever. And my parents weren't home, so I couldn't call the school. And I couldn't text you because my phone broke when I tripped over a curb into a puddle..." This is actually a very believable excuse, as I am actually a very clumsy person. At one point I tripped UP the stairs, and face planted a wall. Now Zack just looks embarrassed.

"Oh good, well, NOT good, but I was also worried that you were avoiding me because of the weirdness at my house..." he trails off, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh yeah! I had nearly forgotten! What was with that by the way? Your family is creepy," I ask, hoping he'll be honest with me.

He takes a deep breath before replying, "Well, my family is heavily involved with a cult. They are called the Society of Darkness, the Society for short. They worship the twin demons Natas and Reficul. Natas is the Lord of Hell, and Reficul is the Lord of Rebirth. Supposedly some 'savior' who guides them into the world of the living is going to appear, known only by the powers he has and the Mark of Death on his body. Personally, I don't believe any of it, but my parents force me to practice with them." As he finishes he looks at me uncertainly, as if I'm going to reject him because of this. While I am a little worried about Natas and the whoever the whole "savior" thing is talking about, he has been my best friend for what seems like forever. I would never reject him over something like this.

"Oh, that's all? It's just a cult, what are you so worried about?" I say teasingly. A look of relief, like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, flashed across his face. I suddenly feel a strange sensation, as if I'm being called by someone. I faintly hear myself say, "Sorry, gotta go," to Zack as I walk over to the bathroom. He looks as confused as I do. I see a sink filled with water, almost to the point of flooding. Somewhere in my gut I am certain that this is the source of the sensation. I look into its depths and see a face staring up at me. It is Natas.

"He Mikey, what's up? Are you enjoying your time in the world of the living?" he asks, smiling wickedly.

"Yes, I actually am. Thank you for extending this opportunity to me."

"Have you noticed any of the perks I gave you yet?"

"I've noticed some... irregularities, but when do I start my work for you?"

"I gave you the day off, but you'll start tomorrow. I will send a demon to your house to guide you and make sure that you don't die."

That last part makes me nervous as he severs the connection. I walk back outside and try to resume the school day as best I can, but my conversation with Natas weighs on my mind. Who knows what tomorrow has in store.