"Good morning, Mr. Reynolds," I said in my best voice, "Are you ready to die today?"
"I don't think we should stand so close to him," Allie said, pulling me away from her. "Stuff your mouth with something, don't talk."
When I turned on the bedside lamp, Mr. Reynolds still did not respond, illuminating his bedroom with yellow light. I gave him a little push. "Good morning."
His eyes opened, and he swayed straight, resting his back on the wooden headboard. He pressed the quilt to his chest and took out an earplug from each ear. His shiny eyes searched our faces. "Who are you anyway?" he asked.
His gray-brown hair was puffy and thin in front. His blue eyes squinted, resisting the impact of light. According to our observations, he is a burly figure and weighs about 140 kilograms.
I glanced at Ellie. Next to me, it is a few centimeters taller than my personal assistant, about 1.75 meters. We walked up the stairs, Reynolds's apartment was very warm. She unbuttoned her red A-line coat, revealing the non-white pleated shirt and dress under her. Her golden straight hair, chocolate eyes and small diamond nose studs grabbed and lifted the soft light of the Reynolds lamp.
She flashed the photo attached to the front of the folder, and then nodded twice. We are in the right place at the right time.
Of course, I can still have a good time.
"Thief," I said, my mouth full of muffins, chewing. "If you can peel off those pillowcases and fill them with your valuables, we will be on the road."
His eyes were fixed on the half-swallowed sugar bomb in my hand. "Is that mine?"
I slowed down my chewing speed, thinking about how to best answer this question. "It's possible. It's on your kitchen counter."
"So you took it?" He pushed the quilt away from his chest. The sleep disorientation gradually disappeared.
"Mr. Reynolds." Ellie leaned over to him and put her hair behind her ears, when the hair fell forward. Her tone is professional and kind. She is good at dealing with customers. I? not that much. "We are here for your substitute."
His face was still pinched. One problem with getting hospitals to arrange death replacements is that patients will not see their agents until they are truly dead.
"At the hospital, remember? Your doctor helped you arrange a replacement last April," Ally continued. "This is Ms. Fan. She will be your agent today."
He squinted at me. "She is a zombie?"
My job is to remind him that "zombie" is a derogatory term? No, but I still did.
"Necromancer," I corrected. I threw the muffin wrappers into the trash can by the bed. "I am the dead spirit here, so that you can continue to live"
The last part I am talking about is the last part of country music, and our beautiful city of Nashville is famous for it. He looked at me from head to toe. What does he think a dead spirit looks like? Maybe not so young, or just wearing jeans and t-shirts.
"How did you get in?"
"Janitor," I replied. "Look-"
Ellie stepped in, not daring to let my roar unscrupulously. "Before the incident, it is important for Fan Fan to keep in close contact with you. As the doctor may explain during your consultation, she needs to follow you all day."
Mr. Reynolds turned to the clock beside the bed. "It's only midnight."
"This is usually the beginning of the day," I said, stretching my narrow neck to one side. "Your death is September 18th, that is today, right?"
"Yes." He didn't sound so sure.
"Da da," I said, opening my arms. "I am here."
He was taken aback and stretched his body out of my reach.
Allie gave me a push with an elbow, and I stretched my arm in to protect my ribs. She smiled forcefully at Reynolds again. "We called you before, but you didn't answer it. We rang the doorbell and knocked on the door, but you still didn't answer."
I folded my arms across my chest, tired of standing beside him. "We thought you were dead."
He opened an earplug. "I wear this when I sleep. I don't think I heard what you said"
"We are just worried, nothing more. Our job is to keep you safe," Allie added. Oh, her smile is really bright now. "We are sorry to enter your home without permission."
She gave me another push with her elbow. "Yes, I'm sorry," I complained.
The longer Ally smiled at him, his shoulders slumped down and looked more relaxed. I think this is her gift, the ability to relax people. This is certainly not a trait I have.
"Sir, if you can behave normally today, according to your usual habits, we will be here, ready for anything," Allie said with a smile. Her weight has changed. She was also tired of standing. "Please, keep sleeping. If you need us, we will always be by your side."
I believe him, he did try to go back to sleep, although he forgot the earplugs, he might be suspicious of us. I don't think I can sleep with two weird people leaning on the wall of my bedroom, especially the one who is as agitated as I am.
This nanny job with children lasted for 30 minutes, and I got an income. I was bored. But waiting for death to appear is a normal part of the replacement process.
At 7:45 in the morning, Reynolds finally got dressed and ready to go to work. He swears that he usually walks to work, so we take a walk together. Franklin Street is very busy, and the sound of horns conveys that not everyone is happy to be alive on this beautiful Monday. The morning air brought it the unique chill of September, so I pulled my black hoodie to my chin and put my cold hands in my pockets.
Allie can look as professional as she likes, but my clothes will be ruined at the end of the day-anyway. Of course I have better clothes at home, but when I am doing a replacement job, I cannot wear those clothes. The doctors really like to cut off my clothes. I mean, they saw my dying body, like "nurse! Please give me scissors."
I was hit and killed by a bus that time. They cut off my clothes. I was wearing my favorite three headscarf and an optional t-shirt. The members of the local band are all fratricidal like me, which means that we suffer from the same neurological disorders, but they are not agents to replace death, nor do they have a Zhèng Fǔ employment contract like me.
Dude, every time I think about that shirt, I get annoyed again. For the sake of God, they have already signed it. Hospitals destroy it more often than buses. I could have kept it, damn it, the blood on the t-shirt is cool.
Anyway, that was the last straw, so now I only have a lot of black jeans and hoodies. Sometimes Ellie was able to intervene and save my clothes, but most of the body fluids would leave stains, so I quickly walked through the wardrobe—as did the shoes. I don't know how I lost my shoes when I died.
At home, I have a basket of shoes, I only have one, and I refuse to buy more. They work. Just like today, I am wearing a pair of red Nike sneakers and a pair of blue Reebok sneakers, each pair is tied with soft laces. Maybe that's why Reynolds kept staring at my feet while walking.
We arrived only two blocks away, squeezed through hordes of people, past open shops and shops, and then the conversation changed inevitable.
Mr. Reynolds turned to Ally and showed a smile that I suspected was a rehearsal. His voice changed into a cautious tone. "Are you a zombie too?"
"Necromancer," I said, and corrected him. If I want to dress up as a zombie, that's one thing. I just want to rephrase the word. But people can't just equate my lifestyle with a mindless, brain-eating corpse. "The correct term is necromancer. You can't call black people "n-character"."
"Necromancer, see," he blurted out, embarrassed because I was speaking too loudly. His eyes scanned the passing crowd nervously. He turned to Ellie again. "Are you...resurrected?"
"Oh, resurrected. Speak out loud," I said. "No, Ellie is not dead. She is 100% mortal."
I have seen the section that let us know about the lovely assistant. I don't blame him. Allie is very beautiful. I did a play for her myself, and I was lucky, Ellie likes women, otherwise I might be as ridiculous as Mr. Reynolds.
"I'm just a hired helper," Allie said with a polite smile, which is a permanent fixture between me and my client. Maybe it's because of her round cheeks or small and cute nose that make people like her. She just seems to be a good person, unless of course you provoke her. "Fan Fan's schedule is very tight, and my job is to keep her awake."
"You must do a good job," he said.
Is he insulting me
I can play. "You are not the type she likes. You need breasts, bigger breasts."
His jaw is tight. "Is she always so charming?"
I opened my mouth and let him see how charming I was. Allie begged me for mercy behind him. Brinkley, the person in charge assigned by my Zhèng Fǔ, suddenly appeared in my mind. If there is another bad evaluation, Fan Fan, I will kill you. Several times. If Mr. Reynolds thinks I am a challenge, he should try to deal with Brinkley.
I rolled my eyes at Ally and practiced it a bit.
"Dear sir or madam, I am sorry for this inconvenience. Given that you are about to pass away, this must be a stressful time for you. Please accept my apologies for this situation and let me promise again , No matter what happens, you can count on me to save your life." (to be continued) (end of this chapter)