Page 26 of Inbetweeners
“You said to leave him.”
Nix gaped at him. “No, I didn’t. Why would I have shouted that? He might have been the grey-haired man.”
Emmett groaned. “Sorry. Should I go after him?”
“He’ll be long gone.” Plus, he didn’t want this trip away from Hell to end on day two.
It looked as though the thought had occurred to Emmett because he wasn’t showing any signs of wanting to follow the man.
“Why won’t you wake up?” said one of the young guys lying on the mattress.
Nix opened his mouth to tell him, and Emmett elbowed him. Fine, let Emmett do it.
“What’s your name?” Emmett asked.
“Jamie Neeson. What’s happened? Did I overdose? I don’t think I did. There was a pain in my back and…”
“I’m sorry, Jamie,” Emmett said. “You died.”
“I died? Oh God, he stabbed me.” Jamie touched the motionless body next to him and his hand disappeared. “Ugh.”
“Who was that guy in here with you?” Emmett asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before. He offered me money for a hit but then… Are you the police?”
“Reapers,” Nix said. He hadn’t thought about it until then, but that was what they were.
“Reapers? Oh God. You want my soul? Why?”
“We don’t want it personally,” Emmett told him. “We want you to go wherever it is you need to go. You can’t stay here with your body. Only the dead can see you. You can’t eat or drink or—”
“Shoot up,” Nix said.
Emmett scowled at him. “You can’t talk to anyone. Well, only others who are dead.”
“Like you?” Jamie looked up at them.
“Yes,” Emmett said. “Like us.”
“So, am I going to Heaven?”
Nix snorted which earned him another glare.
“We don’t know. We don’t make that judgement. It’s not up to us. We’re just here to help you move on.” Emmett held out his hand.
“I fucked up my life.”
“Yep.” Nix looked down at the needles and pieces of burnt foil on a saucer next to the mattress.
“We all make mistakes.” Emmett shot Nix a look, then turned back to Jamie. “Just be a better person in the next life.”
Nix thought about Jamie finding himself in Hell and the impossibility of being a better person down there, but kept his mouth shut.
Jamie took Emmett’s hand, but the guy disappeared before he was even halfway to his feet. Emmett was white as a…ghost.
“You going to throw up again?” Nix asked.
“No.” Emmett leaned against the wall.
