Gabriel's Armada

Chapter 2: The Afterlife

Outpost of the Afterlife

Gabriel groaned as he awakened, trying to remember what happened to him. He opened his eyes and was forced to close them because of the bright light that streamed into them. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he opened them again and looked around him,

“Where the hell am I?” He mused, taking in his surroundings. He was in a white room with no furniture other than the equally white bed he was laying on?

He looked at himself and found out he was wearing a simple white robe that was long enough to cover him from head to toe.

“Another resort?” He asked as he climbed down from the bed.

Many times, his parents had sent him off to fancy "resorts" which were nothing more than glorified rehabilitation centers where he worked off one addiction or another.

“But I haven't been indulging in any drugs. Why am I here?” He asked as moved around the room, looking for an exit.

When he couldn't find a door, he began to panic. Pounding on the wall, he began to shout, “Hey! Is anyone here? Let me out! Let me out!”

A finger tapped his shoulder from behind and he turned. He was shocked to see a bald man in a white robe smiling at him.

“f**k!” Gabriel exclaimed, putting a hand over his heart, “You scared me! How did you come in here?”

The man smiled and gave a little bow. Ignoring Gabriel's question, he said, “My name is James and I'm the guardian on duty today. It is my pleasure to welcome you. Congratulations, many wish to be here, but only a few actually get in.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. He got this all the time. He was tired of hearing about a huge waiting list and how he was among a lucky few to get in. He knew it wasn't luck that got him whatever he wanted, it was the Sinator billions.

“Into where exactly?” Gabriel asked, curious to know where he was and what he was there for.

“The afterlife, of course.” James replied politely.

Gabriel rolled his eyes, “Seriously? Is that what you call this place? What am I even doing in a heaven-themed resort?”

“A resort?” James asked, quirking an eyebrow, “This is no resort. This is actually the afterlife. Or the outpost to be precise. From here, you get to your final destination depending on how you lived on earth.”

“Yeah, right,” Gabriel scoffed, “What are you trying to do? Brainwash me? This isn't the afterlife, it doesn't even exist.”

“Ah! An unbeliever!” James quipped as though he had seen a fascinating species of some rare lifeform, “We get people like you from time to time. In fact, we get more of people like you these days, than believers.”

“Cut the crap, old man,” Gabriel said, losing his patience, “For me to be in the afterlife, that means I have to be dead.”

“But you are.” James smiled benignly.

Gabriel lost it and made to grab the man so he could throw him to the ground and teach him a sorely needed lesson.

James deftly shifted to the side in a motion too fast for Gabriel to process, leaving him grabbing air.

“Just what sort of stupid game are you trying to play? Do you know who I am? Do you know my family?” Gabriel raved.

James put up a hand, “Stop. Who you were on earth doesn't matter anymore. As of now, you are a totally new person, free of any shackles that tether you to the past.”

“You high on weed or something?” Gabriel asked, before he narrowed his eyes, “Wait. Is this a prank or something? Which one of those fuckers I call friends put you up to this? Whatever they paid you, I'll double it.”

James shook his head and sighed, “I see I'm making no headway here. I hate to do this, but you leave me no other choice.”

Before Gabriel could ask what was going to happen, James waved a hand and a screen formed in the air.

Gabriel focused his attention on the floating screen and watched himself as he collapsed in a lecture hall.

“That was you, a week ago.” James narrated, “Being the class clown and a thorn in your poor lecturer's side.”

“Why did I even collapse?” Gabriel asked as he watched himself being carried away in an ambulance.

“You had something called a cardiac arrest.” James replied.

“No way! Man, you're out of your f*****g mind. I'm only twenty-two. Cardiac arrests happen only to people in their eighties or something.” Gabriel said disbelievingly.

James shrugged, “That can't be true, seeing it happened to you.”

On the screen, Gabriel saw his parents rush into the hospital room where he was laying. The doctor went over to them and told them something which made his mother burst into tears.

“That's the doctor, giving them news of your death.” James explained.

“Really?” Gabriel asked doubtfully, although some part of him began to believe what he was seeing on the screen. He was saddened to see his parents in despair because although they were always too busy to spend time with their only child, they obviously loved him.

The screen switched to a cemetery with a headstone that had his name on it. After that, the screen disappeared.

“Oh my God!” Gabriel screamed, falling on his knees, “I'm dead! I'm actually dead!”

“Yes, you are.”

“How could this have happened? I have the best doctors at my beck and call.” Gabriel said, tearing at his hair.

“Sometimes, that's not enough.” James shrugged.

“I can't believe I'm dead! I have not done quarter of the things on my bucket list.” Gabriel said, beginning to come to terms with the fact that he was that.

“Yes, yes, I hear that a lot.” James supplied.

“Okay, okay.” Gabriel said, trying to calm himself down, “If I'm dead. Then that means I'm going to heaven or hell, right?”

“Yes.” James nodded.

“So, which am I going to?” Gabriel asked, his heart beating with trepidation. He knew the kind of life he'd lived while on earth, being rude and disrespectful to people he thought were beneath him.

“Good question.” James said, bringing out a folder from nowhere. He flipped through its contents, making tut-tut noises of disapproval at some points.

When he was done, he looked up to Gabriel, “From your deeds while you were on earth, there is no question about where you are headed. You're going to go to—”

James' pronouncement was cut short by a booming sound which shook the room.

“What was that?” Gabriel asked, scared. It sounded like someone had dropped a bomb on them.

“I have no idea,” James replied cluelessly.

The next minute, a beautiful young woman with immaculate white wings appeared, holding a glowing sword in her hands.

“James, we need to get out of here!” She said, “You're under attack.”

* * *

Gabriel was so mesmerized by the woman's beauty, he didn't catch what she said. She was at least six feet tall with flawless tanned skin and hair the color of midnight. She was dressed in a warrior's armor and her hair was packed in a ponytail. Gabriel guessed her hair would definitely reach her derriere if she let it down.

He snapped out of his reverie when he discovered she and James were looking at him expectantly.

“What?” He asked, feeling lost.

“The demons never attack the outpost because it is also a portal for them to get souls to recruit into their army. Why would they attack now?” The woman asked him belligerently.

Gabriel could see she was angry about something but he didn't care. It looked like they were trying to blame him for something he absolutely knew nothing about.

“Hold on, lady,” He retorted, “I just found out I'm dead. I don't even know where I am or what I'm doing here, so don't try to blame me for some s**t I didn't do.”

In a blink of an eye, the woman had her sword to his throat, “You will answer my question, you insolent brat!”

Gabriel gulped audibly. If not that he was scared of his life, he'd have told her he found her hotter when she had rage in her eyes but seeing as she was ready to decapitate him, he kept his opinion to himself.

“Umm, truthfully, I don't know.” Gabriel replied quietly.

Another bang was heard and the room they were in shook.

James looked up fearfully and addressed the woman, “Dina, what's going on?”

As she was about to reply, five creatures appeared in the room. They were as black as night with eyes as iridescent as those of a cobra and forked tongues. They wore robes as black as they were and wielded short curved swords.

“What the f**k are those?” Gabriel asked, repulsed by them.

“Demons.” Dina replied, “James, we have to leave. I'll explain everything once we are safe.”

James nodded and they turned to run.

“How do we get out of here?” Gabriel asked, panicking when he couldn't make out a door or window to escape through.

James muttered some words under his breath and a portion of the wall opened, revealing a blueish void.

Gabriel who was about to use the passage stopped immediately when he saw the void.

“Jump!” James said.

Gabriel shook his head frantically.

Dina swung her sword and cut off the arm of a demon who was advancing on them and exclaimed, “For the love of God, jump before these demons make mincemeat out of us.”

Gabriel shook his head again, “I don't want to jump. I'd rather get killed by a demon than jump into that! What if there's a monster in there?”

Another demon lunged for them and Dina stopped him with a kick to his abdomen. Before he could recover from the hit, she thrust her sword into his eye and smiled as his eye popped, sending tissues and blood flying all over the place.

Next thing Gabriel knew, she turned and pushed him hard, and before he could stop himself, he was flying into the void.

“Noooooo!” He screamed as he made his descent.

James and Dina jumped after him and immediately they did, the passageway James had opened closed, leaving the demons trapped in the room.

“We lost him,” One of the demons lamented, “our king will punish us for sure.”