The traffic director for the gates of Hell

Prompt

Your a traffic director for the gates of Hell.

Response

“Keep it movin’, keep it movin'”.

I waved my light up baton directing the large mass of people walking past me. Down the endless line I could see my fellow traffic directors making similar motions.

Maybe one day I’ll have a break. That would be nice. An entire day where nobody died. Maybe then we would finally be able to catch up on all the booking. But, as it stands, the endless line will forever be here, just like I will be.

“This is wrong, all wrong!”

A hysterical man muttered to himself as he approached me.

“I’m not supposed to be here! This is a mistake!”

“Mhm. I’m sure it is. Keep movin'”.

I saw this type all too often. People who just couldn’t comprehend that they had died. The way their eyes were filled with hysteria always freaked me out. Like, calm down buddy, you’re just dead, that’s all. Your worries are over. Well, actually they’re just beginning cause you’re in Hell, but whatever.

“No! You can’t make me!”

The man shrieked, pushed himself out of the line and made a break for it. I couldn’t help but sigh, shake my head and watch him run. I’ve grown into the habit of letting them run for a bit, tucker ’em out.

“Runner!” I hollered nonchalantly.

The man vanished through the ground within an instant. I wonder where they go. I never really thought about it before. Meh. Above my pay grade. I resumed my herding of the line.

Entertainment was never far off when directing the traffic. Just a few moments later a young couple approached holding each other, weeping. Ah, that’s a shame. Kind of sweet though, comforting each other in Hell.

It did make me think. What did they do to put them in my line? We weren’t allowed to ask, so I’d just have to go without knowing. If they approached me, I was just supposed to tell them to keep moving.

I made the mistake of making eye contact with the woman, who of course took it as a sign to talk to me.

“Sir, why are we here?”

“No idea, keep movin’.”

She really turned on the puppy eyes which made me feel quite uncomfortable. I’m literally a grunt, lady, I can’t help you. Move along already.

“We did everything right in our lives. Didn’t we sweetheart?”

“We did. We lived by the book.”

Oh, jeez. Should’ve known. Religious nuts.

“We sacrificed so much.”

Sure, sure.

“Maybe it wasn’t enough.”

Hopefully she didn’t see my super dramatic eye roll. My momentary peak of interest was gone and they were holding up my line. I did not like people holding up my line.

“Move along.”

She didn’t move, instead staring into me with those big, brown eyes.

“We should’ve killed more, right? It wasn’t enough. We needed to end more of them.”

Okay, what the fuck. Did not expect that. This cute couple were murdering psychopaths. Damn. Really can’t judge a book by the cover.

She seemed to finally take the hint as she walked away murmuring “more.. more..” as creepily as possible. Yikes. Glad I didn’t meet them in life.

Just then, alarms starting blazing.

Oh, no. It can’t be. Not now.

My fellow traffic directors and I started screaming at the people to move quickly. We needed them to move forward or we’d be swallowed whole by what was coming.

Then, the siren stopped.

“Ah, fuck.”

I looked down the endless line to see a massive wave shooting towards me like a wave of water. There was a massive natural disaster upstairs that must’ve killed a lot of people.

“Guess I really am never getting that break.”