Free AfterLife by S. P. Cloward

return.”
    Wes collapsed back down on the couch, his head in his hands.
He replayed his death over again in his mind. It wasn’t just his imagination;
Jezebel had made it inside and had left after Wes died. Even worse, instead of
trying to help him, she had drained what little life he’d had left. It was the
worst possible scenario, yet it was true.
    “No, she never cared if she killed me.”
    “We think she does care because she did leave you.” Anne
Marie moved closer to Wes and placed her hand on his back. He could barely feel
the pressure of it, but the act made him feel better. “Jez was once part of
AfterLife but went to Atumra a few years ago. If she had wanted to turn you
over, you would have been collected by the Atumra.”
    “After you died, she left you to be found by us,” Emily
said, “and that is a big deal. She probably saw in you what I see – that you
have a good soul.”
    Wes considered the implications of Jez leaving him behind.
Was it Jez’s way of saving him? He guessed it was possible that if they’d known
each other as well as he thought they did, she might have figured Wes wouldn’t
be happy with the Atumra.
    “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Wes leaned back
on the couch and looked at Emily and Anne Marie, who were seated on either side
of him. “There isn’t anything that can be done about it now anyway.”
    Anne Marie made a gesture and Emily nodded in understanding
even though no words were spoken.
    “I think it’s time,” Emily said as she stood up and reached
a hand out to help Wes up, “that we teach you how to feed.”
     

Chapter 7
     
    E mily led Wes
to an underground parking area attached to the Hub. The garage was full of cars
of all makes and models. “Take your pick!” Emily opened a box that hung on the
wall next to the entrance of the parking garage.
    “What?”
    “Well, if you won’t pick, I will.” She chose a set of keys
and closed the box. “Let’s take the Camaro. It’s black and I like the way it
looks on me.” She smiled and walked past Wes who turned to follow her.
    “You can take whichever one you want?” The idea that he
could drive any of these cars whenever he wanted excited Wes.
    “No, you take the one that will suit your situation best.
We’re going to a bar where there’ll be a lot of college kids, and I think the Camaro
suits our situation. Besides, I told you, I like the way the black complements
my hair. And just so you know, big sisters always get to drive.”
    Wes laughed. This was a side of Emily he hadn’t seen before,
either in their meeting with Anne Marie or when they were soul-synced. She was
turning out to be a saucy redhead.
    Once in the car, Emily reached over and opened the glove
compartment to extract a tube of lipstick. “Yes, it’s still in here.” She
applied the lipstick using the rearview mirror and put the lipstick back into
the glove compartment. Wes laughed again.
    “Okay Wes, this is going to be your first time so I’ll talk
you through it on the way, and then I’ll let you practice on me once before we
go into the bar. It’s late enough that it should be pretty busy and you’ll be
able to find some good energy to feed off.”
    Wes thought about the plan. He didn’t really know where they
were headed or what to do once they got there. He looked over at Emily, again
noticing that she was dressed up. “I don’t think I look like I’m ready to go
out.”
     “Sure you do,” Emily said as she pulled the car out of the
parking spot. “Jeans and a t-shirt are fine, and they look good on you.
Besides, we’re going to a college bar so you’ll fit right in with everyone
else.”
    They ascended a circular ramp and then stopped at a garage
door that automatically opened up to allow them to exit into the outside world.
Wes looked around to see what the Hub looked like from the outside. To a casual
observer it appeared to be a large farm building with giant grain silos. The
farmland surrounding