Edited: I am still trying to find an editor but went through and edited this taking your comments into account. Second chapter is being written right now.
Also please consider that each literotica "page" is about 3,500 words or approximately 4-5 actual 8.5 by 11 pages. So, some chapters may look short but actually are really long.
Author Notes: First story, feel free to comment and give advice and ratings!
This series will be a multi-part series dealing with such themes as death, family, finding your true self, consequences, and esoteric topics.
All characters are above 18, as should all readers.
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John heard his alarm clock go off and cursed it while reaching over and slamming his hand down over the top to stop it. He sighed and rolled out of bed and wandered onto the old tile floor of the white tile. His apartment was a one-bedroom hovel; with all the walls being a pasty generic white. The few windows were high toward the ceiling as it was in the basement of a large apartment building. It also didn't have air conditioning, but his apartment was low to the ground, so his place was often cool enough during the summers. His best friend Sarah often remarked on the mismatched furniture, as he had gotten most of it at yard sales and thrift stores.
Tomorrow, I am 21 years old, John thought with some measure of resentment. He did not believe his birthday was going to change all that much in his life. John worked two jobs to hold down his crappy basement apartment and had little time for romance.
John found himself in front of the mirror, and if there was one thing he could admire, it was his good looks. His hair was short on the sides and long enough on the top that he spiked it. John still had his teenage lankiness and was not likely to gain any weight thanks to his metabolism. The one thing that helped him was that he had a huge cock. John's previous girlfriends had measured the behemoth, and it is under 9 inches when erect.
He took off his clothes and went into the shower and rinsed himself off. When he came out, he got dressed left his apartment. He took the steps up and met by the sounds of the bustling city and began to walk up the street when he heard, "Hey John, wait up!" He turned around to see his friend Sarah walking up the sidewalk through the sea of people.
He took a second to appreciate his friend's figure. She stood almost as tall as John being five foot nine and have a slim figure. She often hid behind a loose black hoodie and ripped jeans, so her figure was barely visible. Her beanie had several pins in it that some would say was rebellious; she would say, "they're rad."
"Where are you headed?" She asked.
He responded, "I am going to work at the graveyard today." John liked working at the Old Graveyard in town. His sole job was to cut the grass, tend the weeds and chase the occasional oddball away. He also felt at peace there. He spent a lot of time there relaxing under the oak trees after his shift.
"Going to raise the dead, are you?" She asked.
"Yup and going to have them visit you." He said.
She let out a small laugh and said, "Only if they still have an extra bone."
"You are gross; you know that?" He said with a grimace on his face.
"I can't help it. It's been too long since I had sex," Sarah said.
He smiled and blushed, "Yet I keep offering."
"You wish, grave boy." She joked.
John had a crush on Sarah since they met and they both knew and talked about it. Sarah said she was not ready but said, "one day," and John did his best to respect that. They had known each other for five years now, and it became almost a joke between them. Though John did not mind, he was grateful for her being part of his life. They often went to every event together when they both were free, and neither ever dated. So they became each other's crutch against life's ups and downs.
He asked, "What about you, working at your family's shop today?"
She said, "yeah, I am heading there later. We have a special private event tomorrow, so I need to get some things ready. I still have time to bug you, though."
She reached over and playfully hit him in his right arm, causing him to wince at the pain.
Sarah's family owned a metaphysical store called Elemental Crossroads. It also served as a local coffee shop and sandwich shop for the neighborhood. Naturally, it became a place where kids and young adults gravitated. Her family practically adopted John as well when they both started hanging out. He spent most of the holidays with them and had a standing invitation to dinner.
John and Sarah continued walking to the cemetery, both talking about the neighborhood. Sarah told John about the "rad" game that she was playing about killing zombies in an apocalypse.
"What do you think of zombies, John." She said casually.
"What about them? other than they must smell terrible." He spoke.
"I always questioned why in movies characters never smell the zombies and get out of there. Like, let us say you saw a zombie, would you kill it?" she asked.
His eyebrow raised as he offered, "I mean, would not most people? If I could find a way to reverse the virus-like in that one movie with the dog and scientist in NYC. I would, but otherwise, it poses a threat to the entire planet. The best thing I can do for everyone is, kill the zombie. Not to mention if that poor person can still see or feel what is going on."
"Huh, I never thought about that. Like if the zombie is trapped in their bodies but responds only to their base instincts? So, you would put them to rest then knowing the person is still alive?" she offered.
John said, "Well yeah, I mean if this person is a prisoner in their own body and is a threat, and there is no way for me to help them. I do not see I have a choice. Especially if they are already trying to make someone their lunch."
"So, save first, kill second?" She asked.
He nodded, "Yeah, why do you ask?"
"No reason, come on, the graveyard is around the block, race you!" she quipped as she punched his arm and ran off.
"HEY! No fair!" he yelled and chased after her as they rounded the corner and ran down the street, both laughing. He had to dodge someone carrying a to-go tray of coffee on the road. Sarah ran across the street, sliding across a taxi's hood while laughing. He followed her, apologizing to the shouting taxi driver. As Sarah ran further across the street, he saw a woman with black hair and wearing a black cloak and hood in the crowd. The woman was looking straight at him that appeared to be around his age. John did not notice the car coming straight toward him until it hit him and launched him over the hood. The last thing he remembered was Sarah running back toward him with tears in her eyes.
John woke up finding himself in a graveyard in the middle of the night. As he looked around, he could see anyone around the moss-covered headstones. He discovered a large stone altar behind him with a grim reaper statue. One hand held a scythe, and the other hand had a hefty tome.
"It's almost time, John," said a voice.
John responded, "Who are you?! What do you want?! Show yourself!"
The voice replied, "People throughout all Time have known me under different names. I am the Watcher in The Night, The Lantern for the Departed, The Cloaked One, The Night Mother, and in your time, I am known as the Grim Reaper."
Down the center aisle leading to John appeared the exact figure on the street that wore the dark cloak. It took long strides to John as it began to lower its hood. As the hood came down, it revealed a woman's face with long red hair and ice-blue eyes. Her jaw fixed and stern. She said, "I have been waiting for you, John. I was with you before your first breath and when you took your first steps. That time you got that concussion, and when you graduated high school."
"So, your Death then does that mean..." John trailed off.
"No, John, it is not your time yet. Getting hit by a car does not help your situation, so please do not do that again. But the reason you are here is that it is time you learn your family's legacy." Said the red-haired reaper.
John replied, "My family's legacy? I did not even know my parents; what legacy?"
The young woman said, "Yes, your family has served me for years. They helped me keep the balance between the living and the dead. There used to be many families that did this work, and now there are only a few left. One of them was yours. They would help spirits pass on to the next world and prevent people from breaking the Great Cycle's laws. Will you serve me as your family once did?"
