Empire

Chapter 54

Japan's POV:

"That a$$hole!" I shouted as I watched over my dead corpse. Bloody and beaten.

"Don't breathe,"

"The f#ck is that supposed to mean?" I muttered.

"Your dead, the last thing you want to do is breathe here," He said.

"Oh no, who would have thought that I was dead?" I snapped sarcastically.

"Well, it's good to see you too," Nepal said calmly behind me.

"Bold of you to show your face!" I shouted as I turned around.

"Hey, I just thought you might want someone to show you around. Evil or not, being dead is not something you get used to just like that," Nepal said, rolling his eyes.

"Fine... So, this is the afterlife? I seem to be in the same place I died," I said as I glared back down at my lifeless bloody body.

"This isn't the afterlife. Well, it is afterlife, but this isn't the final destination. I can take you there, but you need to stop breathing." He muttered as he reached out his hand.

"How am I breathing? I don't have lungs, I'm a ghost." I stopped to think. I was so confused.

"It's a habit you get into. You so heavily relied on breathing while you were alive, your ghost performs the same functions, just not subconsciously. Try holding your breath and then never breathe out," He explained.

I decided to give it a go. I held my breath. I was expecting it to get harder, but it didn't. I could hold my breath forever and never pass out... because I'm already dead.

"See. Now, are you ready to go now?" Nepal asked, still reaching his hand out.

"Okay," I sighed. I took his hand and he started leading me away from my corpse.

The further we got, the weirder and more distorted. There was a strange floating rectangle. It seemed odd. There was a face. It looked as if it was studying everything. Suddenly, the eyes rested its eyes on mine. We just stared. I looked at it. It looked at me.

"It would be best to leave the readers alone... it makes them feel uncomfortable if you stare at them," Nepal said.

"Readers? What is this," I said as I kept staring back.

"The fourth wall," Nepal said simply.

"Has it always been there?"

"Yeah, sometimes they ask questions. Typically, we can only interact with them if we have permission from the Author or if it is going to 'develop character'. It's best not to think about it."

"You are telling me, that they have been watching us the whole time?"

"Yep"

"I am never going to sleep again," I muttered.

"You're a ghost, you don't need sleep. Now, did you want me to take you to the afterlife or not?" He asked.

"Hold on, can I talk to them?" I asked. My curiosity was getting the best of me.

"We aren't supposed too and we really should be going to the afterlife." Nepal urged.

"Do they follow us to the afterlife?" I asked, curiously.

"I wouldn't know, I've never been there," He muttered.

"Then I'm going to stay here. I need to study this 'fourth wall'."

America's POV:

"I never should have doubted you," I smiled. I pressed the button under my desk that locked all exits my office.

"I had my suspicions, thanks for believing me," Palestine nodded.

"What?" Jordan muttered nervously.

I turned my computer screen around to play him back the video of him confessing being an NZE spy.

"You've been caught, Palestine, tie him up." I explained. Palestine picked up the rope on my desk and started looping it around Jordan. He didn't fight back against the restraints.

"It's a faulty recording!" Jordan shouted in defence.

"Don't fight it. I have even more proof too." I explained calmly.

"Fine. You caught me. Now what?" He admitted.

"You remove all your equipment attaching you to the NZE,"

I watched as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a wire taped to his chest. He pealed it off and placed it on my desk. Using a pair of scissors, I cut all the wires and smashed the box itself for good measure.

"Is that all?" I asked. He looked down at his pockets and slowly, Palestine began pulling out 3 signal scramblers, a chocolate bar, 12 USBs, 2 pagers, a fax machine and a stapler with no staples.

"There, that is everything I have. You can check my room but there is nothing more in there." He muttered.

"I already sent Mexico to seize your belongings." I explained. He looked at me weirdly.

"Aren't you going to like interrogate me? You know, to see who I'm working with?" He asked.

"No. You could point out someone who is innocent and I don't want to apprehend the first person you point at," I explained. I had made that mistake before.

"I- uh... Palestine literally said she was a spy!" He whined.

"That was a script Mr America and I ran through before the confrontation," Palestine explained.

"You lied to me!" Jordan shouted.

"That's what you get for friend-zoning me," Palestine seemed to whisper under her breath.

"Calm down. I'm sending you on a mission. My ni- Gray has gone missing along with Scotland, and I want you to track them down." I said.

"What? You trust me to go on a mission?" He mumbled.

"Oh, I don't trust you, that's why Palestine is going to be supervising you," I explained further.

"What!?" The two of them unanimously shouted.

"Don't whine in my office, I have made my decision. Palestine will be in charge," I said firmly.

They both stayed silent aside from mild grumbling. I handed Palestine a gun and a small sack of spare bullets.

"These are only to be fired at enemies and no one else. Gray and Scotland aren't enemies and neither is Jordan. If either of your targets are to return wounded by your ability or worse you will have no home to come back too," I threatened.