Darkside

DK 2

Ava turned to look at the person who tapped her to see a stunning dark young lady in a white glowing gown and the glow just like the others in the hall.

“Hi,” the woman said warmly. “I’m Talia. And you must be Ava.”

Ava blinked. “Yes… I’m Ava. But—how do you know my name?” Her voice cracked between fear and disbelief.

Talia’s smile widened, the glow around her gown shimmering brighter. “I’ve read your file already. I’m your case officer.”

“Case officer?” Ava repeated, frowning. “What do you mean—like I’m some… assignment?”

Talia tilted her head, her expression soft but unreadable. “Exactly that. Every soul anomaly gets one.”

Ava’s brow furrowed. “Anomaly? Case officer? None of this makes sense. I just… I just want to go home.”

Talia’s glowing smile softened, though her eyes carried a weight Ava couldn’t read. “I know. They all say that at first. But listen carefully, Ava—what’s happened to you isn’t ordinary. Your body is alive, but your soul isn’t where it should be. That puts you under my jurisdiction.”

“My… jurisdiction?” Ava echoed, the word foreign on her tongue.

“Think of this place as a checkpoint,” Talia explained, gesturing around the grand white hall with its glowing pillars and endless queues of waiting souls. “The living move forward, the dead move on. But you… you were intercepted. Stolen. That makes you a file. And files require handlers.”

Ava’s heart clenched. “You said stolen… by whom? By what?”

For the first time, Talia’s glow dimmed ever so slightly, as if even the surrounding light feared the truth. “A Rogue Soul Reaper. They’ve been hunting mortals at the edges of life. You’re the fourth case in this district. And unlike the others, you’re still tethered to your body. This makes you an Anomaly”.

Ava’s voice cracked, her chest tightening as she whispered, “So… does that mean I can never go back?” The words trembled out of her like broken glass, sharp and fragile, carrying the weight of every fear clawing at her.

Talia’s radiant glow softened, dimming as though the hall itself felt Ava’s despair. For the first time, her perfect smile faltered.

“Not never,” Talia said gently. “But not easily. Returning to your body requires balance—the kind stolen souls rarely regain.”

Ava shook her head, tears welling. “That’s not good enough. I don’t care how hard it is—I have a life. Friends. A future. I can’t just… stay here, in this—this waiting room for the damned.”

“Not necessarily. You can still live a pretty normal life,” Talia said, her glow softening as she tried to lighten Ava’s mood.

Ava’s eyes widened, her voice sharp with exasperation. “Normal? There is nothing normal about being dead.”

“Well… technically, you’re not dead,” Talia replied with a playful tilt of her head. “You’re half-dead. Think of it as… limbo with perks. On the bright side, you could still go shopping, catch a movie, hit the spa—you name it.”

Ava blinked, caught between disbelief and outrage. “Really…?” she asked, her voice dripping with confusion.

“Yeah,” Talia said, almost cheerfully. “The Darkside is practically the same as Earth. Same streets, same people, same distractions. Just… with a few differences.”

Ava folded her arms, suspicious. “What kind of differences?”

Talia’s grin flickered, just for a second, before she smoothed it back into place. “Oh, you know. Nothing major. Just… the shadows move on their own sometimes. Some doors don’t lead where you expect. And you might hear voices whispering your name when you’re alone.”

She leaned in, her glowing eyes locking onto Ava’s. “But hey, at least the coffee’s better here.”

Ava gave a weak laugh. “Better coffee, huh? Fine. Prove it.”

Talia’s grin widened. “Gladly. Come on—I’ll give you the grand tour. But first, let’s get you registered and settled.” Without waiting for permission, she hooked her arm through Ava’s and dragged her toward a row of glowing cubicles that looked uncomfortably like a bank counter fused with a confession booth.

Ava resisted, her heels clicking against the marble-like floor. “Registered? What am I, a library book?”

“Technically, more like a case file,” Talia said breezily, tugging her along. “Don’t worry. Paperwork is the real purgatory, but we’ll survive.”

They stopped at a cubicle where a man sat behind a tall counter. His face was carved into a stern scowl, sharp cheekbones and furrowed brows that made him look like a judge about to deliver a sentence.

But when he spoke, his voice was warm and patient, almost grandfatherly. “Ah, a new arrival. Welcome, Miss Morgan.”

Ava blinked. “You know my name too?”

The man chuckled, the sound surprisingly soft. “Of course. You all come through here sooner or later. My name is Donald.” He tapped a glowing ledger that pulsed faintly under his hand. “Now then, let’s get you entered into the system.”

Despite his intimidating appearance, Donald guided Ava through the process with gentle precision—asking her questions, explaining terms, and even cracking a few dry jokes that coaxed a nervous laugh from her. By the time the glowing mark of registration shimmered briefly on her wrist, Ava realized her shoulders had loosened for the first time since her death.

Still, unease lingered in her chest. Registered into the system. It sounded so final, like a lock clicking shut.

But Ava didn’t have the chance to ponder on it. The moment the registration mark on her wrist dimmed, Talia seized her by the arm again.

“Come on, newbie. Time to see your new digs.”

Before Ava could protest, she was being whisked down a wide corridor. The floor gleamed like polished stone, reflecting the glow from orbs of pale light hovering along the ceiling. On either side stretched rows of identical doors, each marked with glowing numbers that pulsed faintly, as though alive.

Ava slowed, her eyes darting nervously from door to door. “What is this place?”

“The residential wing,” Talia explained matter-of-factly. “Everyone needs somewhere to stay—half-dead or otherwise. Think of it like… dorms for the displaced.”

The further they went, the stranger it became. Ava swore some doors whispered when she passed, the numbers flickering as though they recognized her. A chill ran through her spine, but Talia didn’t seem to notice, humming cheerfully as if this were a perfectly normal hallway.

Ava’s grip on her bag tightened. “You’re telling me people actually live here?”

Talia grinned without looking back. “Live, exist, float—call it what you like. It’s home for now.”

As Talia finished her explanation, they stopped before a pristine white door. Ava froze when she saw it—her own name etched across the surface in glowing silver script.

Her stomach flipped. How…? She hadn’t told anyone. She hadn’t written anything. Yet there it was, gleaming on the door like it had always belonged to her.

“Don’t look so shocked,” Talia said lightly, though her grin held a knowing edge. “The system uploads your details the moment you’re processed. Name, file, room—voilà. Welcome home.”

Before Ava could argue, Talia grabbed her wrist and held it up to the shimmering panel beside the door. The faint mark Donald had registered now glowed brighter, pulsing in rhythm with the panel. A sharp click echoed, and the door creaked open.

Talia nudged her inside with a playful shove. “Ta-da! Your new place. Don’t worry—it looks worse from the outside.”