I didn’t take the news well.

It was strange being called into HR.

I spent the day as I usually do.

Some morning calisthenics.

Fresh squeezed orange juice.

Checked my phone.

Then I slipped my black robe on and grabbed my scythe. I had just polished the handle, and it was beginning to look like a great day. Well, great for me. The people I was visiting wouldn’t feel the same.

Until I got a message from HR.

I’d never been there before. I usually work solo and don’t need to come into the office much.

“Hello Grim,” she said.

“Linda,” I replied nodding my head. I barely knew Linda, though I barely knew most people, as I only spent a few moments with most people. I only knew her from emails.

“Have you been to the office before? I don’t know if we’ve met in person.”

“Once or twice.”

“Oh really? I haven’t seen you around.”

“It wasn’t recently.”

“Oh, maybe when I was an intern. I worked here in college.”

“Was it during the Black Plague?”

“No,” she said.

“Then no we haven’t met. I was an intern too you know.”

“Oh did you work for Bob in accounting too?”

“No.”

“Who did you intern for?”

“Hades.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Linda opened the binder on her desk, “Well Mr. Reaper I called you in today to inform you we’d no longer be needing your services.”

It takes a lot to confuse the Grim Reaper but I was dumbfounded.

“What?” was all I could muster.

“I’m sorry to say that we will be laying you off. The good news is that you will be paid till the end of the week.”

“I don’t understand,” I said, “I’m Death. It’s me and taxes. The only two constants.”

“Well, turns out it’s just taxes.”

“How can this happen? How do you not need me? Who’s going to shepherd souls to the underworld?”

Linda smiled, “that’s the thing. We’ve partnered with this new start-up. We’re paying people to take people for us. It’s like ride-sharing but for…you know…death.”

“An app?”

“Yes, its even called Grim. Isn’t that clever? We’re disrupting the whole industry.”

“I AM the industry.”

“Ha, oh right.”

“I don’t understand. What am supposed to do?”

“Maybe you can get another job?”

“How? They won’t hire fifty year olds? I’m eons older than that.”

“Well,” she said slipping me a piece of paper, “I’ve been told Grim is hiring.”