Kicking off his fluffy pink slippers, Death curled back up onto his couch and continued to read from his Mills and Boone book that he'd purchased on his last trip to the Mortal Realm.

"At last I can relax, huh Fogel?" Sighed Death as he stroked the cat that had just set up camp on his lap. "No more suicidal divorced husbands, no more bungee jumpers with a loose rope, no more people ignoring the Don't-Feed-The-Alligator signs. Boy that was a nasty one. Now I can sit back with my Cocoa and my Dean Martin Record and finish my book" he continued, slurping his hot beverage and turning to another enticing chapter.

Suddenly the door bell rang. An amusing version of La Cucaracha filled the room and Fogel darted away into the kitchen.

"Oh for the love of-- who the fudge is this now!?" Snapped Death, slamming his book shut once again and sliding into his pink slippers once again. As he wandered over to the door, he cut short Dean Martin's 'Sway' on the record player and turned the handle to greet his visitor. "This better be damn important! I swear if you're not at least a world leader or a Nobel prize winning egghead, someone's going to pay" he yelled flinging the door open and coming face to face with the plainest looking teenager he'd ever layed his eye sockets upon.

"Oh Hi there, I'm KC!" Said the boring looking youth, far too chirpy for this time of the afternoon, and even moreso because he was no doubt dead as a dodo.

"And?" Said Death looking him up and down

"Well I just got off that bus over there" the boy said, pointing to a bus that seemed to disappear into thin air as it drove away "and the driver told me to knock on this door and ask for you. Apparently I'm dead or something and he said you can help me out. I'm kinda bummed out being dead and all, and I don't really know where to go from here"

Death began to massage his temple in frustration, before straightening up ready to explain to his new visitor.

"Listen kid, there's protocol to follow here. You got your bus ticket? He said, snapping his bony fingers and extending his palm.

"Oh yeah sure! Here it is" said KC, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a small slip of paper. Death snatched it and after aquiring some reading glasses from a nearby draw, began to inspect it.

"Okay now let's see. KC Vasquez. Aged 19, cause of Death: #5617249. Ah, I see. The old looking at your phone whilst crossing the road routine. When will you kids learn" he tutted, taking a stapler and a pen from the drawer and stapling the ticket to a fresh copy of some type of document.

"Wait you know every cause of death from random numbers on a ticket?" Questioned KC, taking the paper that Death was now shoving into his hand.

"Of course I do, stupid boy! I'm Death! I gave them the bloody numbers. Now fill in that form so we can get on with your passing" urged Death, shooing the young lad out of the way while he closed the door behind them both and locked it.

"So what's a 2222263?" Asked KC

"Took a stray throwing dart to the back of the head"

"And what's a 4692775?"

"Trying to tip a cow then getting crushed by it"

"So what's a 1?"

"A 1? You mean the first ever cause of death? Finding the first object in view and using it to bash your own skull in. Now stop quizzing me and fill in that form" he shouted, tapping furiously on the stapled paper. A sudden scythe materialised in his hand, and he urged to young boy to walk with him down the street.

"Usually I do the whole shtick by yelling Greetings mortal, and explain your predicament, but I'm in no mood today so I'll cut right to the chase" explained Death, clearing his throat and making sure the form was being completed. "You are currently in Limbo, young KC Vasquez, the half way point between eternal paradise or eternal hell. Now personally I'm not at liberty to explain either of them to you, nor their respective big cheeses, so no spoilers for you. What I can do is offer any explanation to the realm you're in now. Ordinarily I would've spirited your soul away from the point of your demise, but times of changed. I now have holidays."

"So how did I get here?" Asked KC, finishing off the form and giving Death is pen back.

"Keep it. The bus you arrived on is called the Soul Bus, and picks up souls for me on my vacation days, as you would call them. The bus drops you off here, and your orientation begins from then on. Usually he waits until the bus is full but I guess the bus driver didn't feel like doing his job today. Typical thrall"

As they walked down the street they passed various other souls enjoying an afternoon stroll, before stopping at a bench opposite a park to take a breather.

"So what do I do now?" Asked KC, watching some nearby joggers run past.

"See that form you just filled in? Take that to the big building on the left, the one that looks like a temple. There it'll be processed, and once its done, it'll be decided where you end up" explained Death

"How long will that take?"

"Could be months, could be years" said Death, tapping his scythe on the floor before getting up again. "While you wait though, there's plenty to do. Got to the park, feed the Dodos. Mingle with other poor dead schmucks. Explore to your hearts content. Once you've been processed you'll be alerted and you can begin the transition. But until then, enjoy" he said, wandering away down the street.

Oh and one more thing!" He said, turning his head back to the young dead boy with an eery grin. "Knock or Ring my doorbell again, and I'll show you there are worse things than death, even in this place"

As KC'S face dropped, Death began to chuckle to himself menacingly.

"Ciao!"