Unchosen by Michele Vail Page A

for me after I was dead. Okay, that was a creepy thought. But I knew for a fact death is not the end. Souls lived on, and according to Rath, they were energy. And I think that if human souls fueled the gods, then they also fueled everything else. In a way, the soul is like a star. Death was not really death. It was just a transformation.
    “Are you ready, Molly?”
    I nodded. I closed my eyes and thought about Big Al’s Zomporium. I wasn’t exactly sure where Ally wanted to meet me. But I assumed she didn’t expect me to walk through the front door. So, I envisioned Dem’s space—where he made the zombies. As I did so, I explained the details to Rath so his thoughts would give power to mine.
    “Molly, you don’t have to close your eyes.”
    I opened my eyes, and looked at him. “Huh?”
    He laughed. “You need to be able to see your destination. See?” He pointed in front of us, and there was the sahnetjar . “Let’s go.”
    Rath stepped forward, into the image, and pulled me with him. As we stepped into the zombie-making room, the gray dissipated the color brightened. The familiar smells of the sahnetjar reminded me of how homesick I really felt. Then another scent caught my attention.”
    “Is that smoke?” I asked. I ran toward the door that led to the little waiting room. From there, we could go down the hallway to my dad’s office. Then go to the reception area to nab Ally and Nona. Worry sickened me. Were they okay?
    Rath grabbed my arm and yanked me back. “What are you doing? You’re supposed to run away from fire!”
    Smoke billowed from underneath the door I had just been about to touch. All the same, I wouldn’t let Rath drag me away.
    “My family’s in there,” I cried. “We have to help them!”
    “We have to go. Now. You can still be killed, Molly. You’re not invincible.” He grabbed me in a bear hug, and then flipped me over his shoulder, holding me tight as he headed in the opposite direction.
    “No!” I screamed. “No!”

 
     
     
     
    “It’s easy to forget that reapers were once human and had families, connections to those who still lived on the Earthly plane. In time, all whom reapers knew and loved pass on to the other side, and so, too, did the sorrows and joys. Reapers are compassionate by nature, but they soon forget what it means to be human.”
     
    ~ Secret History of Reapers, Author Unknown
     
     
     
    “Zombies deserve kindness. Dead humans deserve has much respect as alive humans.”
     
    ~Citizens for Zombie Rights

 
     
     
     
    Chapter 8
     
    RATH BARRELED OUT of the building. I clung to his waist, bouncing up and down, and I couldn’t stop screaming.
                  My family was in the fire.
                  We couldn’t just leave them in the smoke and flames to die!
                  “We have to go back!” I shouted.
    “You stay here.” Rath put me down and held me by the arm. “ I will go back and check to see who’s there. I’m already dead.”
    His calm tone dampened my panic. I nodded slowly. Tears dripped from my eyes as I thought about the fate of my family. What had happened? How had the Zomporium caught on fire? Were they in there?
    Rath touch the side of my face. “Stay here. Please . I’ll look for your family.”
    “Then go already!” He turned, but I grabbed his hand and then I kissed the top of his knuckles. “Thank you.”
    “I’ll do anything for you, brown eyes.” Rath disappeared instantly.
    A flicker of movement at the top of the building caught my eye. Flames licked the rooftop. I was absolutely sick about our family business being destroyed. I backed up because I could feel the heat of the fire, and I knew it was beyond awful. As I dazedly watched the flames erupt from the top of the building, I frowned. I swear the fire was outlined in black. Glittery black … like reaper magic.
    Impossible.
                  “Molly, girl. Whatcha you doin’