• =The Shuttlers=


    All of us were brought together for one reason. That one day changed everything, but somehow tore us apart at the seams. After that, we were never the same. Our lives went different ways and the friendships that stood the test of time broke. Sure, we might speak to each other once in awhile among the crossing of paths, but only a few words are ever uttered.

    Me? Well I still got Ian who every now and then still licks my fingertips in the hope of awakening me for a bite to eat. Sometimes I worry about him when he lies by the front door waiting for him to walk through. He wishes to leap up into his arms and give him a sloppy lick of satisfaction, but we both know that will never happen again.

    Ian never had anything to do with it. He was just a happy and stout dog who went about his business and would always put a smile on your face.

    A smile was all that I ever had. I would like to tell you some long awful story about me and how the tragedies of my life would make me into a better person. This time is not the case, but to be true to the cliché I guess I could say that I learned a valuable lesson. Always treasure what you have because you do not know when the world will turn its back on you. Seems like a good one. Does it not?

    I laugh as I think about it now. Saying that is almost contradicting in a way seeing as how my occupation was something that would strike a fear into any sane person.

    You see before The High Faith was destroyed it seperated many barriers between races, beliefs, and ideas. It kept the worlds of the universe contained into separate sections designed to keep order and for certain opinions to be easily isolated and crushed. Within The High Faith, there were many jobs set among people to keep the colonization ideas simply science fiction.

    The D.S or the H.F.A is what my precinct was known as and now I can see why The High Faith recruited us. We were nothing more than brainwashed kids “adopted” into a new way of life with a preset idea on how we were supposed to live.

    I was in the specialized group where they trained us as assassins. A harsh word when you think about it, but that is what we were. Of course, High Faith called us the Shuttlers to bring down the cynic tone.

    The Shuttlers had two jobs to complete when necessary. The first was to simply collect a soul of the being that was about to die for shuttling to the dwellings. The second one brought out the deeper more guilty side of us, was the assasinations ordered by The High Faith. However most of the time I would have the chance to do a roundabout, shuttling traveling souls to one of the Tri Dwellings (three sites for the dead). That job was considered fortunate to receive. Of course, until I reached my early teenage years they dared to send me on the more important missions.

    The missions of shuttling led me to The Tri Dwellings, strange places that only souls went too. Alive beings could only enter past a center point and if they dared cross, they would instantly vanish.

    Sometimes you would wake up to your roomate, go for a shuttle or two, and then wake up with no one beside you the following morning. We just never asked.

    As far as the Tri Dwellings go you should know that Heaven and Hell are two of the three places both existing as some scholars of religion could tell you. The lesser of the evil souls are transferred to either of those places. What they do not tell you are Heaven and Hell were at one point literally connected. They still have spiritual ties, but after the wars, things went sour. A cut off section is what is now known as Hell. However, this is a long tale that has been written in the history books since before most of us were born.

    Onto the last dwelling which is by far the most intrguing area to a person who has seen death for most of their life, but by far is still the last place they would want to go. Sheol is what we call the abode of the dead. The souls who are lost to Sheol are called the Genii.

    Abiding there are not just the Genii, but also the most deceptive and loosely trained creatures that make your stay a place of pure agony. I laugh at any thoughtless being when they say Hell is the worst place you can go. All you get there is a whipping or two and a desk full of paperwork. No, Sheol is a place of vexed spirits that if escaped would create a torture so slow and painful, death would be a happy thing. Just imagine being a soul that could by no means die.

    I had the chance to tak a quick peep at a Genii, through a very unfortunate event. Anyway, that particular Genii had an emotionless face with a horrible pale complexion. It just kept staring at the ground with glazed over eyes and a dreary prescence. I tried my most convincing voice, cooing at him to come with me. I received no eye contact only a faint whisper that was barely audible.

    As I become conscious, what the Genii had said my heart broke and for the first time I saw what had truly gone wrong. The Genii were nothing more than innocent souls sent down by High Faith. You could say they were pawns in a macabre game of chess.

    Things have a way of leaking and not thinking this through was one of their many mistakes leading to their demise.

    Two years ago, I turned twenty that was when my past finally caught up to me. Belief was just a downfall in disguise.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    “He was in my damn section!” I slammed my fists on the oak desk that belonged to the distressed personnel.

    “I-I am sorry but I can’t do anything about it.” He nudged his glasses closer to his face and readjusted his tie at the sudden commotion in my voice.

    I looked at him watching him move his glasses, wetting his lips, and fumbling with his gray pencil that rested in between his fingers.

    The ticking of a clock hung overhead on a nearby wall, which started a boiling sensation in my blood. I could see a bead of sweat dribble off the man’s forehead as I had been yelling at him for the past hour.

    “I can give you paperwork to fill out. You must request a violation form before anything...”

    I grabbed his tie and nearly pulled him ontop of the desk “You think I came here to sit and fill out a sheet of paper that we both know will do absolutely nothing!”

    “Patrick get in here now and stop patronizing the personnel!”

    I turned my head to see my superior standing in the doorway to his office with the color of his face burning to a deep red. The personnel that had been struggling for a grasp of air had been released from my clutch.

    “Will catch up later.” I nodded my head towards the personnel with the tie.

    Strutting into my superior’s office he did not have a happy face painted on. I pouted my lips when I sat down on an old beat chair.

    With my elbows on the desk and my chin in my hands I gave a sigh, “You don’t seem too happy today.”

    I began to fiddle with a group of invidually-packaged chopsticks. Somehow, I never learned to use them properly considering the time I had spent in a quaint town on Earth.

    “Happy? and what are you? A cocky attitude with a piece of bull s**t report and a happening chance that you are this close to being fired?”

    He leaned over his desk and almost pinched his thumb and index finger together.

    My lips turned into a pouting frown “You really should have combed your thinning hair better.” A smirk claimed the corner of my mouth.

    Instead of feuling my rentless attitude he slowly straightened his back.

    “They have escaped the dwelling place.” His voice cooly said as he turned his back to me.

    I released the chopsticks from my hand, gently resting them on the desk. “The Genii?”

    “Sarina.”

    I pushed my chair back and stood up instantly “I want no part of this.”

    “Sarina…”

    “No! It never is anything good when you use my name like that. Nothing is good anymore!” My voice led with traces of distress.