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Purge, Inc.
Into the Vortex
By: Everleigh Allen
Chapter 6
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Bella moved through the unmarked a red door easily, releasing the breath that she didn't realize she was holding.
No one ever knew what was going to be on the other side of the door. Some had flames or water to go through and one unfortunate soul had lava with furniture floating about that he had to use to get through to his destination.
But the nothing that was on the other side of the red door was just as concerning.
Was she inhaling microbes or perhaps something was lying in wait to jump out at her? She was hoping for the later because getting flu was torture but having it in Hell was even fouler. There was no motherly love with a cool compress to help soothe you. It was all the horrible things possible until it ran its course.
Those were not fun days, at all not that she ever had to experience it herself there.
Mostly the flu only happened to people who jinxed others vindictively. She could always tell when one of the humans were about to get sick... they always seemed to be horribly wound up about something or someone and acted fiercely without consideration or thought or feelings of others.
Usually, it happened more often to fear based modalities usually regarding opinions on politics or something similar.
Bella was not immune.
Most of that landed on the desks of the Karma department and most of them were perpetual hangry, or so she was told.
Looking down the long hallway, there were twelve doors on each side, (not including the one she came in from) and one door in front of her and one behind her. She didn't know what those doors lead to, nor was she the overly curious type so they remained a mystery.
She walked past five o'clock door with a yearning to rush through it. There, it was rumored to have a beach on the other side of the door which led to a cabana- which led to a glimmer of a cabana boy, Diego, whose eternal job was to serve you all the delicious cocktails you could want.
Heaven for some, no doubt.
Alas, Diego was just a dream.
The humor of the infamous name wasn't lost on Bella as "Diego." She was sure was a play on words for 'DieGo.'
Bella could bet that Diego was actually a reaper or an angel of death that was really taking unaware souls to their temporary 'happy place' disguised as 5o'clock. Rumored, of course, because no one who ever went there was left in there… well, that she knew of anyway.
It had one big tell that it had to be all an illusion and definitely a part of Hell because… sand.
Not to mention being stuck on a beach with a drink in hand with a hurricane?
No thanks.
Bella's smile curved wickedly at the thought of pushing that button.
Standing in front of the door labeled 2 O'clock, Bella couldn't help but take a deep breath in before turning the handle. They could never be sure what horrors lie just beyond the threshold and there was a good chance, if her math was right, that it could be a dentist.
Or worse.
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"Welcome, come in!" A small woman with kitten heels that matched her large blue eyes watched Bella closely. She was energetic, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Did you have any trouble finding two o'clock? Some find it disorienting." Her smile fell into a pout, but her eyes flared wide.
Bella took a step back wondering where this woman even came from. She didn't seem to possess the normal kind of personality that the lower levels usually exhibited. They were more… jittery, guarded, and untrusting.
"I found it fine, thank you," Bella said cautiously.
The woman's smile expanded impossibly wide showing a mouth full of glossy white teeth. Her hair was black with bits of blue and white streaks in it, knotted carefully into one ponytail. "Wonderful! I bet you're wondering why you're here and I hope to explain that to you as easily, painlessly," She paused, "and quickly as possible!" She gushed as she reached her arms out widely.
Bella took in a sharp gasp at the woman's words and turned to look towards the door, but it was gone. It was as if it was never there.
"Don't worry about trying to escape. All is well." Her smile stayed ominous large and intimidating as she dropped her arms back to her sides.
Bella shivered as the woman stared at her. In a blink, her smile was instantly gone, but her big blue eyes were wide and staring into Bella's. It was unnerving and reminded Bella of what the moment before death must have been like staring in the clear blue like the sky as she slowly bled out.
"Yes, perfect. You remember." The woman cooed.
"Remember what?" Chills covered over Bella's body before she calmed herself but the woman remained stoic and watchful. "Hey, I don't recall you're name." Bella tried to make conversation as the woman's intensity was starting to unnerve her, especially since she didn't want to get caught in the depths of them again.
"I didn't offer one but you can call me, Chloe," The woman cackled. "I'm from a bit farther up." She popped up a finger and pointed to the ceiling. It was then that Bella noticed there were some tattoos on Chloe. She had a few colorful flowers that ran up her arms, but on her hands read Amor Fati, with one letter on each finger.
Chloe stood like a statue gaining Bella's attention. Her words came out rigidly, almost as if it was threatening. "You may be surprised to know but we do see all and know all and when someone like you doesn't do the things they are meant to do, we have to see what happened down the line, you know?" Chloe waited until Bella nodded before she continued, "In your case, from far, far below." Her stare turned somber again, but it was well rehearsed and didn't last more than a few seconds.
Bella gave a slight tremor before she steeled herself again. "So, you are saying that I did something and I am being investigated?"
"Oh, that's a great way of thinking of it!" Chloe snickered with a nod. A file appeared in front of her with a snap of her fingers. "Interview with "Bella" last name unlisted for security purposes," she winked, speaking quickly as if it was one word, "by Clotho Moirai, regarding the Case file number 2281 in regards of Esme Evenson, a 23 year old student out of Ohio State visiting rural Washington-"
"Who?"
"I did just say who didn't I? Please pay closer attention," The woman frowned. "Miss Esme Evenson whom was jogging along this path," a section of a map appeared in front of them and Chloe proceeded to point to the path "where she was scheduled to be murdered by... let's call him M. K. D for all intents and purposes- for now- when he suddenly disappeared from view. Tall man, approximately 38 years of age and was dressed in jogging attire."
Bella scoffed.
"Is something funny?"
All humor left Chloe's face and irritation set in. Her sky blue eyes narrowed, turning icy.
"I thought so," Bella scoffed. "If jogging attire is listed as zip ties and a knife in his denim jeans pant pocket. He wasn't dressed as a jogger at all. He was dressed like a creepy murderer."
Chloe looked confused as she thumbing through her papers, but saw nothing. She snapped her finger and a projection of a man jogging moved by and another hiding in the shadows and trees with zip ties hanging out his back jean pocket came into view. She took several notes before turning back to Bella.
"Doesn't matter. What does matter is that you interfered with the fates, Bella."
"Sorry?" Bella scoffed again. "As my client, I did what I felt was best at that time."
"You reacted adversely to the situation, yes. I agree. But you are forgetting that he was listed as your client, too, but he disappeared in frame 6032 before any incident occurred- which you were manning the controls at the time. That tells us you were able to do something beyond that realm of responsibility and sent him away without his soul being released beforehand." She bit the last words out like venom.
"Oh," Bella hadn't thought about soul releasing at the time. That wasn't something she ever thought about anyway, so why start then?
"Oh, is right." Chloe said smugly. "You should be happy to know that having been buried alive, as we suspect had happened- caused the soul to assimilate into the ethers and it's on to its next journey, because no soul was found upon retrieval. But there lies our next issue."
"Which is?"
"Esme Evenson." Chloe's eyes darted right into Bella's. "There is now a pregnancy that wasn't supposed to be because she wasn't supposed to be alive to have said child! The fates now have to collaborate slash interfere as strings are newly created and lengthened and the whole string of futures has been altered for many, many, many people. You don't even realize how far this reaches!" She screamed as if that got her point across better.
"I'm sure you've had to change for a few fates here and there throughout time. How is this one any different?"
Chloe scrunched her nose at Bella in distaste and whispered ominously, "Perhaps we should take this slower so you understand the magnitude of that you're facing here. You have a history of interfering do you not?"
"Not that I recall," Bella averted her eyes.
"Really? Shall we discuss the tornado hitting the man?"
"Not particularly, because the tornado didn't technically hit the man- a piece of the tree did." Bella nodded, not understanding why it mattered that the actual twister didn't hit him because it never seemed to matter before.
Chloe's eyes narrowed as her lips curved maliciously. "Shall we talk about the file?"
"Okay."
"You were responsible for Miss Lauren Mallory, but you no longer possess that file you?" Her wicked grin widened.
"Files are not usually possessed- the people on the other hand." Bella smirked but it fell when Chloe's dark eyes twitched.
"Funny. Now answer the question."
"I can possess said file again if you would like to see it."
"Really? Isn't it now Jake's file, or should I say… was?"
Bella was silent.
Her lips pinched shut as she wondered what happened to the file.
She knew Jake had- or at least she suspected he did- just moments before her arrival at 2 o'clock.
"You see, I know all that pertains to me and my job and you, my dear, are messing with my job!" Chloe bit out. "You were supposed to take the Mallory file on and you were supposed to allow that man in the forest to kill the girl. He, then, was to trip and hit his head on a rock as that was your job! Right?"
Bella remained unflinching. "Yes."
"And using your vortices that you were assigned, you then are able to choose the how to facilitate such a fate like a twister of sorts... mini whirlwind, dust devil, cyclone, tornado, etc. kind of item, yes?"
"Obviously."
Chloe's agitation elevated.
She was positively shaking with fury as her words sliced out of her mouth intending to cut. "Obviously, you must know that you messed with the fates, dear soul... And so they mess with you. I'm sad to tell you won't be getting that promotion."
"What promotion?"
"You're right." Chloe grinned. "There wasn't a promotion, but there is a demotion. Also, you can't be trusted as a reaper anymore, yet you still have files assigned to you that need to be completed, ASAP."
"I wasn't ever a reaper." Bella sighed. The whole exchange was tiresome.
Chloe waved her hand over the papers and they changed before both of their eyes.
"Right here," Pointing to a section underneath the title, Purge, Inc. and in the Vortex section was a small blip of reaping names, hers was listed on there but she didn't recognize any of others.
"Why is my name the only one in my section?"
"Why would we put you all together?" Chloe scoffed. "You'd figure it out what you were all doing and that always ends badly."
"I still don't understand how I am a reaper- or how Jake isn't when he has had people die in his section?"
"Because you end them on purpose when their time is up and the others are way less complicated. They are more in the capacity of accidentally-on-purpose or deliberately-undeliberate. Jake mans the simple, usually harmless doorways vortices and Ben mans the unassuming dryers, Angela the spirit boards, Emily the stairs, Sam the televisions, Hera the dreams- shall I go on? They all have their place and purpose. Of course there are souls who would have mishaps in those areas from time to time- even in the simplest vortices like the toilet or bathtub have their little bumps of misfortune. It is pretty obvious that you're different and the fact that a year and a half went by without you knowing it says something, doesn't it?"
Bella swallowed.
It was embarrassing to say that it didn't ever dawn on her- or that she paid any close attention to the fact that she was different.
Complacent, yes.
Different, no.
She had no idea that it was reaping that she was doing. She thought she manned small vortex-like areas in which living people got caught up in and died.
"When you pushed their button," Bella thought with annoyance.
"You failed to notice that Lauren Mallory was your client but the other two were not. They were not meant to die. By putting the file in your hands, things changed for each of those souls," She shrugged.
"Me touching their file changed their fates?" It was hard to believe. "You're fate; you can change it back for sure."
Chloe shook her head. "It doesn't work that way. I wish it did. We can only control so much."
Bella had a bad taste in her mouth; no doubt her nerves were causing the bitter coffee to return with her unease.
But like a lightbulb in her head, certain aspects to her existence started to illuminate. "It's all an illusion to keep everyone busy for eternity, isn't it? The dryer, the doorway, the spirit board-"
Chloe's eyes softened slightly. "Most don't notice that and they seem to enjoy their tasks at hand. It gives them something to do and we get to utilize them to help us as needed until they realize anything different."
"What about Edward and Lauren?"
Chloe frowned and her eyes instantly darted down towards Bella's tainted hand.
Bella instantly pulled it behind her back.
Chloe's knowing eyes darted back to Bella's, "They will still have their fates decided- just not by you so we will need those files back." With a snap of the fingers, all the papers fluttered into view and were suspended before them.
Edward's picture twisted in front of Bella, taunting her before it and all the other papers folded in on themselves and then disappeared.
"Enjoy your next journey." Chloe grinned before tapping Bella on the tip of her nose.
And then all went black.
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A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Hope you are well.