Jailhouse rock
by Harbinger of Death

“Move over, I was here first.”

“Doesn’t matter. I got killed first, so I have first dibs.”

“That’s not fair!”

“Is so. Afterlife rules.”

“There’s no such thing!”

The bickering in the death mansion’s holding cell was getting worse and worse. The place was pretty big, considering the basement was the size of the whole expanse of the mansion’s area, and there were plenty of supplies and things to do and partitions where they could be separated. But these were Debs, which meant they were fiercely possessive, and often coveted what another had simply because the other person had it.

“I need out of this place,” Omar groaned.

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Nydiva. “I think it’s kind of cozy down here.” She batted her eyes at him.

“Are you crazy? It’s a madhouse in here. These damned bars are keeping us all in here and we’re driving each other nuts. If we weren’t already dead, we’d kill each other. Listen to that commotion!”

“That’s it!” yelled Astraea. “I’ve had it with you!” She took the can opener and threw it at Lady Pegasus. Even though it couldn’t hurt her, LP ducked, and it hit a corner of her wing, which was neatly sliced off. The crowd of dead spectators gasped.

“See what you’ve done!” LP cried, outraged. “My poor wing!” She flexed the ghostly appendage, and the piece on the floor wiggled. “Hey, that was neat.” Wiggle, wiggle.

A lightbulb went on over Astraea’s head. “Do you know what this means?”

“It means when we get back to life you and me are gonna scrap, that’s what.”

“No, no, it means that maybe there’s a way out of here.” Astraea picked up the piece and tossed it at the cell wall. It sailed deftly between the bars and landed outside the prison perimeter. They all looked at each other. Freedom was just a can opener away.

Meanwhile, the Harbinger of Death, unsuspecting of any shenanigans down under, went on with his dastardly business. It was time to get some miscellaneous Debs. So he headed toward the Guest House, where he found Robert, Jerry Helper, Seria, Katelin, and the Wandering Gypsy. They had only been passing through, but my goodness, we must do a thorough job, musn’t we? He looked at his watch. Oh my goodness, look at the time, and so many more Debs yet to kill! This would have to be a quick one. He paused for a moment to think of something efficient yet satisfactorily gruesome. Ah! Got it!

While they slept, the visitors had no idea that the air they breathed was contaminated with a toxic gas. By the time they felt the burning in their lungs, it was too late. They sat up gasping for air in their beds, their eyes watering and noses running. Their vision was blurred as each tried to escape their rooms, run for help, throw open a window, anything. But they were blinded by the fumes, choking, unable to function. Their heads spun as their sensibility left them, and they had no choice but to succumb to the numbness that spread throughout their bodies. Five more bodies. Ten glazed eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling.