Purchase a subscription? What is this nonsense? How great can the afterlife be that I have to pay for it? Moreover, what is the price?

All these questions and more flooded my head as I stared perplexed at the white text floated dauntingly above my head. I figured I would give this afterlife a try, and finally asked one of those questions out loud after a long while just staring.

"But.. what do I have to pay?"

As if to answer my question, the text began to glitch, forming static boxes, letters being momentarily cut in half before being replaced by new ones.

"A monthly subscription is required. You will have the means to pay when you accept the purchase," I read aloud. That was too much gray area involved in this deal, but what else could I have done? Stand in the abyss for all eternity? Below the text was a lightbulb, turned off, a string dangling below it. Though the void was black, it wasn't necessarily dark.

I slowly approached the bulb and pulled the string towards me. In an instant, the bulb lit up much brighter than I had expected. It was blinding and I felt the aching behind my eyes as I attempted to shield them with my arms.

I stood there a few minutes, pinching my eyes shut before I realized the light had ceased. I opened my eyes to find myself standing before my own grave. How long had it been? I could've sworn I was just in my hospital bed taking my final breath, and when I opened my eyes, I was already buried.

Confused, I stood standing in front of my grave for another several minutes. It was surreal, knowing my now lifeless body was buried six feet beneath where I stood.

A mist had slowly started to fill the graveyard. The graveyard was built on a short hill next to a pond. From where I stood, when the fog got thick, I could no longer see the pier, which wasn't too far from my grave. In fact, the only thing I could see was my grave and the tall cloaked figure standing on top of my headstone.

I tilted my head, confused. "Who are you?" I would be lying if I said there wasn't a faint hint of attitude or sass in my tone. The figure lowered its hood to reveal a face, much like mine in my youth. I stared back at those brown eyes and short, unruly waves sculpted in my hair. The face was quite handsome, reminding me of a time when I was much more desirable and depended less upon my younger family members.

The figure sat down on my headstone shaped like a crucifix, crossing his legs and smirking. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Naming your price," he said simply. Before I could ask him what the price was, he handed me a sword. "This is your scythe. You will travel to the afterlife with me, assuming my form as you see me now and proceed to live your life among the dead as you would if you were still alive."

I nodded, eager to retain a younger appearance again. Yet I was still bursting with questions. "Will I age anymore?" The figure simply shook his head.

"What does the afterlife look like?"

"It's a nearly perfect replica of the living world," he replied. "With one small catch." He proceeded to smirk at me before continuing. "Time works differently. We have no time. The world darkens at what you'd call 'night' and the sun rises during the 'day,' but time is irrelevant to us. It's a concept that we don't pay any attention to. It's simply the motion of the world that we follow."

"Isn't that what we consider time in the living world? The progression of night and day?"

"Truly," he said. "Time is much more complicated. At any point in time, different people are experiencing different events, recognizing different indications of 'time'."

"I see," I replied, looking down at the sword in my hand. The blade was thin and long, with a black handle I could grip at the end. "What do I do with this?"

"I'm sure you're wondering what the price is," he said, his smile widening. "Using this scythe, you will collect human souls. Each month you have a check-in during which you submit your harvested souls to the higher-ups. If you meet your goal, your subscription is fulfilled and you may continue to live among the dead."

I just stared at him, again, perplexed. "So, you want me to harvest the souls of dying humans?"

"They don't have to be dying," the figure said ominously. "Any other questions?"

"Just one," I began, nervously. "What happens if I don't fulfill my subscription?"

The answer was something I was dreading, though he never gave me a straight answer. All he did was laugh and say "you don't want to know what happened to the last guy who didn't meet his requirements..."