My after life is my love life (A Wally Darling x Reader fanfiction)

Chapter 1

"Do you really think you'll be better off without me?" A man yells as he's chasing you in an alley carrying a big kitchen knife. You run for your life, literally for your life, and you duck into an abandoned apartment building, rushing to the stairs and up them. The man isn't too far from behind you. You reach the rooftop and look around frantically, you hadn't realized you had gone up about 20 floors off the ground. You look back to the door you came from and there he stands, the man you've dated for 3 years, 'worse 3 years of my life' you think to yourself. He pants and slowly makes his way toward you, "Baby, look at where we are, you can leave with me from here alive and we will continue the happy little relationship we have." he smiles, but you back away to the edge of the roof.

"I can't do this anymore!" you yell at him and he scoffs, he starts running towards you. You startle and step back again, or at least try to, you end up stepping off the edge and falling down.

"Y/N!!!" the man yells as he drops the knife running forward now with fear in his eyes. That's the last thing you see before hitting............. the ground? You didn't die but did fall unconscious.

After what felt like forever, you start to open your eyes, the room you're in isn't a hospital, but a large barn-like room. Looking down you realize you're laying in a haystack. Slowly sitting up you look around and catch sight of a large birdlike character, you freeze, as the creature makes its way to you with a bowl of soup. She seems surprised you woke, she starts to open her beak but you tremble to your feet and run in the opposite direction to her, inconveniently out the barn doors.

Pushing the doors open you squint, as the sun was bright in your eyes, but that didn't concern you at that moment, you needed to run before that creature catches you. So you did, you ran straight into the woods you saw. You didn't dare look back. After a little while you do look back and slow your pace down to a jog, as you look back you slip and fall on some loose dirt. 'What in the...' you think and start slowly shoveling the dirt away with your hands.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" a voice comes from a little ahead. You look up terrified to see a short feminine person resting against a shovel. They smile at you, you look horrified tho. They tilt their head, "What's wrong with you? You're alive, aren't you? Why are you here anyway, the neighborhood is the other way." You swallow hard and open your mouth finally.

"W-where am I? Why... is your skin red..?" You look at them and they chuckle.

"Ah so you're also from the "real world"." they smile and do air quotes. You look at them confused, they sigh and drop the shovel, walking over to you and holding their hand for you to grab. You do and they pull you up from the dirt and brush you off. 

"I'm Eli by the way, welcome to your sweet afterlife," they frown. "Sorry that you had to find out this way hun." You look at them stunned. 'So I did die' you think.

"I'm... Y/N" You introduce yourself to Eli and they smile. They start walking in the opposite direction of the way you came, they look back to you, indicating you to follow, and so you do, following Eli like a puppy.

After a short walk you make it to a small cute cabin, Eli opens the door and smiles at you. You enter the cabin and look around, they follow and close the door, and head to their kitchen nook to pour some tea into a couple of mugs, Eli turns to you, "You can come to sit at the table. Do you want honey for your tea?" You nod to them and they smile, adding honey to one of the mugs. Eli picks up the mugs as you sit at their dining table and they set the mug with honey in front of you and sit across from you with their mug. You raise an eyebrow at them.

They smile as they sip their tea, "I don't like honey in my tea." You nod and drink some tea. Eli sets their mug down and looks out their window. "You should head back after, it's safer in the neighborhood than in the woods here." they look over at you. "The neighbors are basically harmless." You look at them, then nod and drink some more tea.

After a bit, you ask to use their bathroom and they point at a door, you smile at them and go in there and lock the door. Before you reach the toilet bowl you hear the cabin's front door burst open and you startle while trying to unbuckle your belt. A monotone voice speaks, "Hey Eli, Poppy found a person in the neighborhood the other day and took them home, nursed them but now they have run off. Can you let me know if you come across a new face please?" You shiver as you finally sit on the toilet. "I will, don't worry." Then you hear the door again and you sigh of relief and do your business.

You come out of the bathroom and see Eli wash the cups, their back to you. "You didn't tell that person about me?" You ask them, and they turn to you and smile. "Oh hun, I know you're scared, so I think you should take things at your own pace." They explain and you give them a soft smile blushing slightly.

You look out the window and speak, "I think I'm ready to return." Eli nods and gets an envelope from a drawer in their hall, they hand it to you. "Something for you to keep me in your mind with, and some money." They smile and walk to the door opening it and waiting for you. You smile at them and exit the cabin holding the envelope and finally pocketing it. 

The two of you make your way to the edge of the woods. They explain that you can always come to look for them, but only in the daytime and not to mention anyone you met them. Before you leave the woods completely, you turn to Eli, they look out to the neighborhood then look over at you and give you a soft smile. You step closer and give them a tight hug and whisper a thank you, Eli hugs you back and whispers "You're so welcome hun." to you. You smile at them again and leave the woods, look back, and try to wave to Eli, but notice they are gone.

You end up at the barn doors and knock firmly. After hearing some shuffling the doors open and down looks the large colorful bird, she has tears in her eyes as she smiles and picks you up and hugs you gently.  After a minute she puts you down and invites you back in, and you enter.

"I was so worried you got lost or hurt, I'm Poppy by the way, I'm sorry if I frightened you earlier." She speaks. You smile at her and tell her it's quite alright.

After having cookies with Poppy and settling into the same hay pile you woke up in, you drift off to sleep, excited about the next day.