Disclaimer: "Dead Like Me" and all related subjects, places, characters and names are copyrighted by MGM. I do not own Dead Like Me or anything related to it. All the Characters used in this are fiction, any and all similarities with reality is a pure coincidence. Also if you want to use any characters in your own story/stories please tell me before you publish the story.

Dead Like Me: The Days After Life

"It's all in a Days Work"

You can't choose what you are in life. Fate, destiny or luck, whatever you will, it just happens, and it doesn't seem to stop after you died. More things to do, and it's not unfinished business or rattling chains. Or even not scaring away people from the house you grew up in, or was murdered in. The lot of us are lucky, they get to go to the bright light.

I am Alex Grey, that name seems to fit me more and more by the day, and even better after death. The job of Grim Reaper really seemed to fit me, my lifestyle and my way of handling with stuff. Faith DeGraw on the other hand wasn't at all a Grim Reaper, she wasn't at all grim. Always happy and smiling, being soul popped by her would really be a pleasure, he big blue eyes watching at you and her soft hand running down your arm, Yeah, I would like my soul reaped that way.

The girl sitting next to her, Chloë McSheer, was less happy, she was more like me I guess, quiet, very quiet, but she was a capable reaper. But very quiet, she might even like her role and took any opportunity to get more souls to finally get her quota.

"Frank is late again" I said looking at the two girls, Chloë just nodded while she was waiting for me to hand her an assignment, Faith was doing her nails and didn't really pay attention to the rest of us, she looked up shortly and smiled. She probably thought I said something nice to her.

"So why do you think he always misses the bus?" Chloë asked suddenly. She had a somber but quite nice voice, there was a certain calm in it. She bit of a nail and started chewing on it, she was getting impatient. I don't know what it was in this girl, but she was special.

"Perhaps he doesn't like his job" I answered her question, but then again who would like the job of taking the souls of those whom are about to die. "Chloë, can you make it to Grand Central in thirty minutes?" I added while holding the details on a small white note.

Chloë reached out and grabbed the note "I was hoping you had a challenge for me this time" she said. After that she got up and nodded to me and Faith, who was still busy doing her nails and didn't notice Chloë getting up. Chloë walked outside and said hi to somebody coming in, finally Frank had arrived.

"Chloë seemed in a hurry" he said while he pulled up a chair to the table. He was tall and quite muscular, it was quite logical, he was a surfer before he joined our ranks. His short black hair reminded me of those plastic G.I. Joe dolls. He was more the outgoing type, I think he and Faith would fit together quite nicely.

"yeah she needs to be at grand central in…" I looked at my watch for a second "…about twenty-five minutes" I added. I quickly wrote done a note for Frank and Faith. Ever since chief disappeared, well his real name was Marvin Veder, now you know why we called him chief, I got the lists. We didn't know where he went. "Frank, 44th Avenue for you mate, you still have two hours so don't hurry" I said to Frank as I shoved the note to his end of the table. Faith had just finished her nails and looked up.

"Where is Chloë?" she asked having a questioning look on her face, "When did she leave?" she added to her previously asked question. "She left ten minutes ago, to Grand Central" Frank answered right before I could. "oh no, not another suicide, is it?" Faith asked, seemingly caring for Chloë.

"No, at least not as far as I could see" I answered her, there where codes for the deaths, and the one for Chloë wasn't a suicide. I pushed the remaining white note at Faith "Half past two, the public library" I told her from the top of my head.

"The library? That is gonna be a boring death" she said with a grin, "mind if I tag along with you first?" she asked Frank, I always thought the two liked each other. But after the Chief left it became more clear, they made a good couple. Frank just nodded with a smile and twinkle in his eyes, it couldn't be more obvious, Frank really like Faith, but it was always hard to see what Faith really thought, about anything or anyone.

The two left me in the diner, the last one was mine. Thank god we only did the real shitty jobs, the nasty deaths. Suicides, some murders, mostly accidents though. Otherwise we would have a lot more work on our hands, although New York was a big city, there weren't a lot of real nasty deaths and they where lucky to have this brand in stead of the peaceful, it was you time deaths, they where even more lucky they weren't stationed in the sub-urbs.

I sighed as I paid the check for our drinks, they always left before we had to pay. Mine was a suicide, man I hate suicides, especially when they are young people, so full off life they always are. They had different reasons to give up on it, some better some worse. I nodded friendly to the waitress, and she smiled back, I bet it was my charm that made her smile. Or the two dollar tip I just gave her, maybe both.

"People don't jump the empire state anymore these days" I whispered to myself as I took the elevator to the seventh floor of this apartment building. It seemed high enough up the social ladder, I wonder what reason this one has. I knock on the door, there is no reaction. I looked at my watch, I wasn't late, I was five minutes early. Off course still suicide could involve bleeding to death, which could take a few minutes normally.

I wanted to knock again but before my knuckles hit the door it opened revealing a sturdy elderly man with graying hair and red rimmed eyes. I was half expecting a successful business women on drugs or something but this. I shook the mans hand introducing myself, I always shook the hands of my souls. You know the signature they always have, this is mine. A shiver must have went down his spine when I removed his soul. He probably wondered why I was there.

"I am wondering if you know this women?" I said holding up a picture of Faith, yes Faith DeGraw, it was an old trick. "she was last seen around this building somewhere" all the man could do is shake his head, he was probably to busy with himself and his grief, he apologized for not knowing anything and closed the door. E.T.D. two minutes and counting, there was no shot, no scream of a man falling to his death, I think he might have kept it civil. I like people who keep it civil, a jump of faith, how we call it, a bit double I know but we'll get to that later, traumatized so much more people then just the one taking it. Cutting your wrists really left a mess and a thorough police investigation, taking pills and writing a note was just, civil.

Frank and Faith had taken a taxi to 44th, and now all they had to do is wait. They had quite some time left so they just walked up and down the avenue, I guess they talked about things. They had no idea who this guy or gall was, all they had where the initials and a last name, Estimated Time of Death, the E.T.D. I was talking about with my suicide, and off course the place. But 44th was a long street, they probably couldn't find the "soon-to-be-deceased" before he died so all they could do is hope that it wouldn't be to messy.

A bicycle errant, a rather young female bicycle errant. Beautiful brown eyes and long curly hair coming from under her helmet. And a taxi, with some rich businessman in it who needed to be in a meeting three minutes ago. Every time he leaned forward the taxi driver needed to go faster, he just couldn't stop when the bambi eyed girl crossed the road. I bet it wasn't messy, just squeaking of tires a bang and it was over.

Everybody rushed to the scene, so did Frank and Faith. Pretending to check her pulse Frank freed the soul and apologized, it was always pretty nasty when you can't remove the soul before the death, it leaves a mark on the victim. Bambi could only stare, first at her body then at the two reapers. Finally at the lights, there was no unfinished business for this girl, she went straight on to the afterlife.

The station seemed quiet for this time of day, there where a lot of people that's for sure but it wasn't busy. Just, loaded I guess. Chloë should be thankful that she got a bit more clarity on this soul, she got a specific place. 8 minutes and counting, she had made it there in time, which surprised me, damn, 30 minutes, I would swear that girl could fly. She looked around a bit, taking in the big risk factors. She always seemed to have an eye for this kind of thing, perhaps she was born to be a reaper or something, destiny?

A man waiting for his train, it had to be him, not the elderly couple next to him or the skater boy rolling up and down the station with his board. Chloë just sat down next to the man and asked where he was going. I was going to Los Angeles, lost angels. To see his kids, didn't see them in three months. He was divorced and his wife took the kids to her new place in LA, every month he would get a letter, every three he could come visit them. Harsh as it may seem, the last letter he wrote about looking forward to seeing them and that he wouldn't miss it for the world, it was a lie, he would never arrive.

Chloë gave the man a tap on his shoulder and a reassuring smile as she said to him that she really felt for him and that he was a good man. The man smiled back shortly, realizing that after all that happened he really hadn't anything to complain about. He wanted to get on the train when he got hit by the skater, with a twirl he ended up in between the station and the train, he hit his head so hard he died on impact. He deserved a death on impact.

I didn't know what to do next, I had my soul. I wondered how the rest where doing, Chloë and Frank should be done by now, I just hoped that Faith's sunny attitude wouldn't buckle under all this death. She had kept up for 3 months, but it seemed that she was slowly declining. All I could do is hope that she wouldn't become like Chloë, it just wouldn't fit her.

Faith and Frank had arrived at the library, and there where no risk factors whatsoever. Faith wondered if it could be a natural death but Frank corrected her, we never did those. It had to be an accident, so they kept looking. M.J. Franklin, that was the name of the soul. The library was quite big, but it shouldn't be hard to find M.J. and they still had 10 minutes to E.T.D. they just walked up to the counter. The librarian looked up to the two reapers and shook her head as they asked if she knew any Franklin.

So M.J. wasn't working in the library and probably wasn't a regular either. All they hoped was they could get the soul before the death, they didn't know how mutilated it would become after the accident. So Frank lingered around the counter while Faith walked around for a short while, only two minutes to go and a blonde petit girl walked into the library, she walked up to the counter and put her books down. The librarian checked them back in but right before the girl left the librarian suddenly spoke to Frank. She told him that this was a Franklin, and wondered to herself how she could've forgotten a regular.

Frank told M.J. to wait a second and got Faith from the first floor of the library, they rushed back to the counter. Faith smiled warmly as she touched her shoulder and down her arm to reap her soul. Faith's blue eyes became a bit watery, the girl was as old as she was when her time had come, she was around her age. It wasn't fair. M.J. didn't know what happened to her when Faith apologized that she wasn't the girl she was looking for, and told her to do whatever she would be doing hadn't Frank stopped her. So M.J. walked off to the books.

A graveling jumped from bookcase to bookcase, and when M.J. was looking for a book he jumped down on the other side and pushed two guys into the case. It shook violently and all the books came crashing down on M.J., Faith and Frank where happy that they had found her before this happened, and now took her hand and walked outside. For some reason there was no blue light, she wasn't passing on, Faith and Frank were a bit confused.

Chloë and I had already returned to the bar, for a refreshing glass of something. "Orange Juice? I wouldn't take you for a orange juice girl" I said in wonder to Chloë her order. Chloë just smiled a bit probably wondering what kind of girl I would see her for. I couldn't decide on what to order yet, then I saw Faith and Frank walking in, with the soul of M.J. Franklin. I sighed and looked at the bartender "I could use a Martini right now" I told him resting my head in my right hand.

"What happened?" I asked Faith and Frank as they sat down at the bar, "why is she still here?" I asked again without having gotten an answer on the first. Frank just shook his head, he was as confused as I was. "She didn't cross" Faith just said. She then looked up to the bartender, "Mineral water please" she said, after that the bar tender looked at Frank, he just shook his head again, he didn't want anything.

I drank the martini all at once, this was really shitty. "I… I have to go" I said to all of them, perhaps the answer was already on my doorstep. I stood from my stool "Just hang on to her for now" I told Faith. She bit her upper lip as she nodded. I walked towards the door, just before I opened it I looked over my shoulder and said "Whiskey, you're more of a whiskey girl" Chloë said nothing but the right corner of her mouth curled up a bit. This confused Faith and Frank even more, they must have wondered what the hell I was talking about.

The keys in my door, I already saw that there was a new envelope on my doormat, I could only she a small corner still on the outside of the door. I heard a click, these keys where a bane, they never worked until you almost wanted to kick the door in. "I so need a new apartment" I mumbled to myself as I picked up the yellow envelope from the ground, it seemed lighter this time, it didn't contain a list of deaths to come, I was sure about that.

I sat down behind my desk and opened the thing. It was a letter, written by somebody whom I didn't know. I didn't recognize the handwriting, yes handwritten, who would do that in an age of computers and technology. Death probably still wrote with a feather and ink.

"Although we regret the loss of Marvin Veder we hope that the new recruit, Mary Jane Franklin, we have send you is capable enough to take some of the following day's workload of your hands. Unfortunately we are unable to give you more information about M. Veder's location at this point, he asked us to tell you that everything is ok and that he's just being promoted, he also regrets not having had the chance to give a proper farewell party"

Reading through the letter twice it still left me with an empty feeling, it didn't help anything. In stead of security I saw a new rookie and a shit load of work coming up. I better get back to the bar and tell the crew the good news, well at least it was news. I threw the envelope in the garbage and the letter with the rest of my lists, I never knew how they handled these things but I sure knew it would be a bad idea to throw lists with the deaths, times and location in the garbage.

I sighed and got up from my chair, time to train that M.J. girl. I was absolutely sure that we were now officially the youngest reaping team out there. How lucky our souls were to be reaped by youthful and cute reapers, although the dead might not agree. And what was this about the following day's workload, all I could hope that it wouldn't be 9/11 all over again. I opened the door and locked it, it worried me that locking it was so much easier then opening it. It was just to easy to lock myself out.

Well this day would turn into a training day after all, I hope M.J. Franklin is up for the job. Otherwise she would have to pass over after all. I really hoped that she didn't take her new job to heavy, it would really not do the crew any good to lose another colleague, and possibly friend, so shortly after Chief got "promoted".

But not today, not tonight, I needed some sleep, we all did. I got my mobile phone from my pocket and hoped that they were still at the bar, the bartender picked up the phone, "I am looking for either Chloë, Faith or Frank", I got Faith on the phone, "go home, no more deaths for us today" I told her "oh and take M.J. with you, she might want a place to sleep" after that I hung up, I thought it would be best not letting her react or ask anything.

I walked downstairs, my landlord really needed to do something about that freaking door. I sighed as I saw that the lights weren't on in his own apartment, he must have been somewhere else. I got the folded white paper from my pocket, I looked at the name. "why do people murder each other" I asked myself in a whisper.