Forever After - By David Jester Page 0,26

He looked through the contents with a murmur of curiosity. He picked up a tub of what appeared to be coleslaw, sniffed it with a startled grunt and then shoved it back on the top shelf, unimpressed.

When he closed the fridge door he glimpsed Chip standing on the other side, entering the kitchen with his grubby hands scrubbing sleep out of his bleary eyes.

Chip didn’t notice the Angel of Death poking around in his fridge, he brushed straight past him and drifted towards the couch in the living room as the demon watched him, perplexed and amused.

Chip sat down and settled into the couch with his eyes still half closed. He picked his nose and wiped the offending contents onto the arm of the sofa. He jiggled his grubby fingers inside his ears. He sniffed his armpits, the smell woke him like a tub of smelling salts, his head jolted back and his eyes sprang open. Only then did he see Azrael watching him on the other side of the room.

He dived onto the floor as if his legs had lost their rigidity and his body had spasmed.

“Good morning,” Azrael boomed.

Chip dragged himself back onto the couch, his feet kicking cartoonishly on the floor as he hauled himself up. He peered over the arm of the couch at Azrael, ducking down slightly as he prepared to hide or run.

“Is it?” he asked, agitatedly. “I mean, of course it is! Good morning to you sir.” He slapped on his best smile, he looked constipated. “Can I get you something? A drink perhaps? Coffee?”

He made a move to stand but quickly decided his legs wouldn’t hold him and sat back down.

“I’m afraid it goes right through me,” Azrael countered.

Chip tilted his head from side to side, bouncing it on his neck like an ornamental dancer. “That’s the point of a morning coffee isn’t it?” he enquired, feeling his heart rate settle slightly. “Helps clean the pipes.”

Azrael shook his head. “I mean literally,” he opened his robe, exposing his skeletal frame. He closed it again before Chip had time to thoroughly examine the contents.

“Holy shit,” Chip spat, more impressed than scared. “Well...” he said slowly, staring distantly at Azrael’s robe, “how about some toast?”

Azrael frowned and waited for Chip’s gaze to meet his, when it did it suddenly flashed with a smile. “You’re an odd little fellow aren’t you?”

“You’re not the first person to notice.”

The Angel of Death nodded curiously. “You work at the tooth factory right?”

“Freelance collector, kinda.” Chip shrugged. “How did you know?”

“There’s a bag of teeth in the fridge.”

Chip hopped to his feet. “I was wondering where I’d put them,” he declared, opening the fridge and removing the teeth, leaving another broad and simple smile for the Angel of Death as he passed.

“Are you here for me by any chance?” He wondered. He was halfway back to the couch, ready to run to the front door if the answer was affirmative.

Azrael simply shook his head, relieved that he wasn’t.

“Oh, thank God,” Chip sunk into himself with relief. “Well, nature calls. Do excuse me,” he headed out into the hallway, talking as he went, “apparently I don’t need coffee this morning.”

Michael passed his friend in the hallway and strode tentatively into the room, his hands clasped behind his back, his thumbs twirling nervously. He crossed to the living room and gestured for Azrael to take a seat. The Angel of Death took one glance at the sofa and shook his head.

“I’ll stand, thank you.”

Michael nodded calmly and rested against the back of the sofa, half seated, his arms folded across his chest. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked.

“This is not a visit of pleasure,” Azrael replied soberly.

Michael sunk his head into his chest and sprayed his feet out further in front of him, sinking into the cushions on the back of the sofa. “Of course not,” he said sullenly. “You’re sacking me aren’t you?” he spoke into his chest. “I always wondered how they’d do it, going from immortality to dust isn’t easy, you wouldn’t want to give the job of revealing that to just anyone. I guess sending down the head man, so to speak, makes things a lot easier for everyone involved.”

He sighed heavily, pushed himself off the sofa and looked Azrael in the eyes. “You know what, I don’t care. This immortality business has been nothing but a confusing mess. I’m sick of people not answering my questions. I’m sick of still not knowing