[Note: This is a fan-fic based on the aftermath of the episode "Haunted" from Season 2 of "Dead like me." I thought they left a lot un-answered and un-explained about the serial killer, so I wanted to do my own story where it explained some of the loose ends. For those of you reading this who have never seen the show, George swears a lotttt, so there is a lot of bad language in here, but it's strictly because it's her character.]

"I didn't know how he was gonna die. And to tell you the truth, I really didn't give a shit. Some of the dead are just better left forgotten."

This year's Halloween was a load of shit. When I was alive Halloween was always my favorite holiday...I liked the feeling of being afraid. Like there was something dark lurking behind all of those closed doors. Think about it...you go to stranger's houses and ask them for candy. And it's perfectly acceptable. I guess I felt there was some sort of danger to it...not ever knowing who was going to open the door. All of us had reaps that night, Mason had to reap a little boy. His name was Robert, but he went by Bobby. He was dressed like a little devil. No trick or treating for him that day. Or ever again. He was home alone, waiting for his dad to pick up some cough syrup. He was sick. We had to sit and watch that sick fuck walk into his house and kill him. And that's just it...even when we know something horrible is about to happen there's nothing we can do about it. I wanted to kill the man, I wanted to rip out his soul whether I had a post-it for him or not. As luck would have it I did have his post it, and at 11:59 on the dot I removed his soul.

I've always resented my job as a reaper. No one chooses to become one, instead...it chooses you. In the past I tried to fight it, I even missed an appointment once. Turns out if a reaper doesn't show up for a reap, the person still bites it. Problem is, they feel everything and the soul becomes trapped in the body until we go get it. I learned that the hard way when Rube took me to the morgue and made me remove the soul from a man who had to witness his own autopsy. Of course...he couldn't feel anything but the experience left him traumatized. Seeing his reaction when I finally pulled his soul out of his body was not something I'd ever want to relive. Not even with this guy, who was obviously pretty fucked up. There are just no ways around death. Some reaps are easier than others, particularly when we don't get attached. My first reap was a little girl. A little kid. How fucked up is that? I thought it was bad...dying at eighteen. Then my first assignment is to take a soul from a little girl. Someone who experienced even less of life than I did. It'd do no good complaining about how unfair life was sometimes, but the more time I spend as a reaper the more I realize that sometimes it's just that. Unfair. Then again, maybe I just didn't understand the rhyme and reason to everything. And I guess I never would. I shrugged off my thoughts as I ducked under the roof of Der Waffle Hause, determined to get out of the rain. It was bitter cold out and the last thing I needed was to be soaked. Especially before breakfast. I slid into our usual booth with a loud thump, then slammed my head on the table. I was exhausted. Rube had a lot of nerve calling us to meet at 5:00 a.m. I just reaped the mother fucker about five hours ago, it's not like I had much sleep since.

"Can I get you something sweetheart?"

Kiffany came over with a full pot of coffee. She gave me a concerned look and I slowly lifted my head off the table and balanced my chin on my palm.

"Coffee..."

I replied in a groggy voice as I struggled to keep my eyes open and focus on her. My eyelids were very heavy. I was glad that I was the first to arrive, this gave me an opportunity to get in some much needed sleep before Rube and the others got there. Before Mason started pissing Roxie off and annoying Daisy.

"Aren't you going to have something to eat? Maybe some oatmeal? With raisins? I know it's your favorite..."

I shrugged and leaned back against the booth. I wasn't really hungry, I just wanted to go back to bed. That and I wanted to know why the fuck Rube woke me up at 4 in the morning and demanded I be at the waffle house in an hour. God damn them and their convenient hours.

"I'll come back then."

Kiffany nodded and turned away to go help the next table. I let out a loud sigh and was about to make a break for it when I heard Mason and Daisy walk in. I groaned and slammed my head back on the table, hitting it repeatedly.

"Good morning Georgia!"

Daisy said with a bright smile as she scooted in next to me. How did she always manage to be so damn cheerful? It was disgusting. Mason looked around before sliding in the seat across from us.

"Where the bloody hell's Rube at? I just took a load of these pills this bloke sold me the other day...I'm 'bout to start freaking out...is it nighttime or day time? It's still dark out...but everyone's eating breakfast food..."

Mason blinked a few times in confusion, then pulled his knees up to his chest. I opened my mouth to reply, but I shut it quickly when Roxie and Rube filed in.

"Out."

Rube motioned for Mason to leave the booth. Even in his groggy state Mason knew better than to argue, so he slid out of the booth and waited for Rube and Roxie to sit down before he sat down again. Kiffany came back and took everyone's order, though I had drifted out by then. I was nearly asleep before I heard Rube address me.

"We've got a problem, Peanut."

I lifted my head up and looked at him, then frowned a bit. A problem? What kind of problem?

"What? ME? What'd I DO?"

I was so exhausted that I didn't even notice that I had a fresh cup of coffee in front of me. I placed my hands on the warm mug and took a sip, innocently looking away from his eyes. Shit. I forgot to put milk and sugar in it. I made a face and put the mug down, then busied myself with grabbing sugar packets. Rube watched me blankly for a minute, then sighed and leaned back against the booth.

"Is this job...too complicated for you? Do you not understand all the requirements that go along with it?"

For once everyone at the table was dead quiet. Mason wasn't saying anything, in fact he was just staring at the ceiling as if he'd found Jesus. Daisy didn't have anything to add either, she was busy peeling her grapes and delicately popping them in her mouth one by one. Roxie was cutting at her bacon with a knife and fork, pretending to look absorbed by her breakfast but obviously intently listening. Great, so everyone knew what was going on but me. Fuckin' fantastic. I stared at Rube in confusion.

"Uh...I think I get the job by now, can you just tell me what this is about instead of being so cryptic about it?"

I never bothered hiding my annoyance or sarcasm with Rube. Sure he was the boss, and sure he thought of me as a daughter but I didn't give a shit. I guess I was still bitter about being killed by a fly-away toilet seat at 18 years old. Go figure.

"Well let me clarify your job requirements, in case you forgot."

Rube always managed to somehow keep his voice very calm and collected. It was rare that he raised his voice. I nodded sarcastically and urged him to go on with it. This was bullshit.

"When you reap someone, it's also your job to escort them to the afterlife. Make sure they see their lights, and get where they're supposed to go. Have I not made that perfectly clear?"

I stared at him in confusion for awhile, and then it hit me.

"Fuck..."

I mumbled under my breath. I never saw that sick mother fucker die, I don't even know how he died. I left him to find his own way. I guess he was still wandering around.

"So what am I supposed to do now?"

"You go find him and you help him find his lights. That's your job Peanut. You don't have to like it but you have to do it. Out of my hands."

I stared at him in disbelief, then began to defend myself.

"He KILLED people! He was the reason for all of our reaps that night. Ask Mason, he killed a little boy. A LITTLE BOY! He was sick, his dad was out buying him cough medicine. Right Mason?"

I turned to Mason for help, but Mason was still staring up at the ceiling with his mouth wide open. Every now and then he'd smile and let out an odd giggle.

"Fuck me."

I mumbled under my breath and slammed my hands on the table and turned back to Rube.

"It doesn't matter Peanut. You still have to take care of this. And I expect you to. Now."

"Fine."

I threw my hands up in the air and looked at Daisy, silently ordering her to get up. She scooted out of the booth, ever so daintily and I stormed out of there, not looking back. I was pissed. I had to go track down the spirit of some sick serial killer and I was not in the mood for any of this bullshit. I wanted to forget all about him, all about this entire night. And fuck Mason for not even being coherent enough to back me up. He's always such a fuckup, of course. I was walking fast-paced, ignoring the splashes around my newly soaked jeans before it dawned on me. I came to a halt and took a deep breath. Maybe Mason didn't want to think about it either. Of course...he was the one who had to reap the little boy. He always turned to heavy drugs when he was alive, and now that he had to constantly witness death, I guess it wouldn't be any different. I felt a bit more guilty now but I shrugged it off as I pushed ahead to find the soul of the dead killer.

Most of the time when I reaped someone, I felt a sense of remorse. It was always shitty to tell someone they were dead. The younger they were, the harder it was. And these were just normal every day people, people that weren't sick, or old. People that had no idea their lives would end in minutes. And there I was, a perfect stranger, aware that this would be their last day alive. With this guy though, I relished it. I didn't care how he'd die but I hoped he'd suffer. Suffer at least a little. I mean, how was I supposed to know if he would even get his lights? Do people like that even crossover? Are they reborn into another sick fuck that will someday terrorize another generation, or was it his brain that made him so twisted? Maybe he'd be reborn as a completely normal, good person. I didn't know why I put so much time into thinking about this. We had all dealt with murderers before, that was part of our particular division. Accidents and outside influences. Maybe it was just the fact that I remembered peeking into his house as a little girl. I always knew there was something wrong with the man that never left the comforts of his home. I wondered what secrets lay behind his door.

I walked to his house, my hands shoved in my pockets. My eyes blinked against the freezing rain, which was now accompanied by a strong wind. Great. I kept pulling the hood of my coat back up but it was no use. My hair was already soaked. How far could his spirit have gotten in five hours? I remembered he died inside his house. After I rubbed his arm and removed his soul, he closed the door and went back inside. He was a loner, a hermit. If he didn't wander much in life, I couldn't see him doing it in death. The neighborhood was buzzing with police cars and caution tape. I let my eyes linger on the little boy's house before walking toward the man's. There was no caution tape around his house, so I knew no one had discovered the body yet. I wondered if anyone would. I stomped up the steps, then stood at the door and frowned at the doorknob. I hoped he didn't have time to lock it before he kicked the bucket. I gave the knob a twist, and...of course, it was locked.

"Fuck.."

I growled under my breath and tried to think of a way to get inside without calling attention to anyone in the neighborhood. On an impulse, I searched under the mat for a key and with a sigh of relief I grabbed it, then turned it into the door knob.

"Let's get this over with..."

I rolled my eyes as I stepped inside the dead man's home. I can't say I wasn't curious about what his house looked like, but it wasn't anything unusual. Everything was neat and tidy, everything in its place. I looked around for the body, or the spirit.

"HELLO?"

I called out loudly, wanting to get this over with. I walked into the living room and jumped a bit when I saw his spirit sitting on the couch, staring down at his body.

"You did this to me..."

The man said quietly before looking up at me.

"All I did was remove your soul before you croaked."

I replied in a cold tone. Fuck him, I wasn't in the mood. I took a step towards him and folded my arms across my chest.

"It's my job to remove the soul before people die, so that they don't feel anything. But if I could have left you in there until after the autopsy, or hell..even when they creamated you, I would have."

The bitterness was heavy in my tone. My life was cut short at 18 years old. The little boy's life was cut short. He killed a lot of nice, good people. And here he was mourning his own death? He didn't answer me, he just looked back down at his body. Yeah, typical. What could he really say to that?

"So how'd you die?"

I took another step closer, investigating. I wanted to see blood, guts. Gore. See results of a truly horrible death that meant he had suffered. Sure, I knew deep down that was fucked up but come on. I'd seen a lot of gory horrible deaths by now, and none of those people deserved to die like that. Was it so wrong of me to hope the one reap that did really suffered? The man didn't answer though, and I guess I couldn't blame him. I did see a small pool of blood under his head but I was tired of being around him, tired of being in this house.

"It's time to go. You're done here, you can't harm anyone anymore. You need to move on to the next life, wherever that is."

He looked back up at me, a little confused.

"Are you slow or something? Get the fuck out of the house. You're done. Let's go."

He jumped a little as I yelled at him. No wonder he stayed in the house all the time. The guy was a spineless little shit. He stood up awkwardly and stepped over his body, looking at it one last time. I didn't say a word to him as I pointed out the door.

Everyone's lights were different. The little girl I reaped saw a carnival. Some people saw gardens, or playgrounds. Waterfalls, or beaches. Everyone was different, it was their own perception of Heaven, what the afterlife looked like for them. What I saw when he stepped outside was not something I'd ever seen before. There was a large swirling circle of flames on the bottom of the stairs. Tortured souls were wailing and reaching for the man, who stood there in absolute terror. They beckoned for him, extending their bony sharp fingers towards him. if he wasn't frozen by fear I was sure he would have turned back into the house.

It was truly terrifying, I stood there just staring into the pit of flames and despair. The screams, the sights inside were evil and just..chilling. I shivered as I saw one of the men drag a woman deeper into the flames, and i just couldn't look at it anymore. I looked back at the man and I just...felt everything build up inside me. You know how in movies when the heroine has finally just had it, so she fucks up everyone who gets in her way? My life had turned upside down since I had died. I missed out on having a lot of experiences when I was alive. And now I had to watch my family fall apart. I had to reap the souls of innocent people, some even younger than I was. And I was tired of it.

"This is for Robert, you sick fuck. I hope you burn."

I kicked the man's back and he toppled over, his arms flailing as he tried to catch his balance. He let out a scream as he fell down the stairs into the firing pit, and I watched in horror as the evil spirits eagerly grabbed him and pulled him inside. I stood there panting for a bit longer after the pit disappeared, then I looked behind me and pulled the door shut. I re-locked it, and threw the keys into the bushes. I shoved my hands back in my pockets and smirked as I realized the wind and rain had let up. I walked my way back to the Waffle house. Maybe I was hungry afterall.