[ WP ] In a world where reincarnation is accepted fact there are two kinds of human - elite `` Pilgrims '' who reincarnate to new 25 year old bodies every time they die - and `` Shells '' - destined to become new bodies for Pilgrims at some point in their 25th year , losing their own soul in the process .

My body shuddered against the metal bars of the cage where they held me. It was only a matter of time now before someone would come to take me away. Somewhere down the hall a sink was running and the water dripped over onto the floor. It was the only sound I heard aside from my own heartbeat. I knew this day was coming for so long but nothing prepares you for it. I had always thought maybe I would be overlooked or spared but that thinking was naïve. 
 
 I heard the stories growing up that if you were a hard worker you could be saved. They would grant you Pilgrim status for being a valuable member of society. As a kid I wish they would have just told me that was bullshit. I worked hard and in the end it was for nothing. I somehow thought that because I was the son of a Pilgrim it would be better for me. 
 
 My father was a Breeder. He was a Pilgrim whose sole purpose was to create the Shells and for some reason I thought maybe he would see a connection with me. He had already moved on before I had grown up, I hadn ’ t seen him since I was a child. I remember being in bed just wondering what it feels like to burn through bodies like that. 
 
 I heard someone walking down the hallway and before long the sink had stopped dripping. I knew this was meant for me. I could feel it. My teeth rattled in my head and I shook, feeling an overwhelming nervousness I wasn ’ t ready for. 
 
 The guards opened my cell and restrained me but I couldn ’ t fight them if I wanted to. I was always relatively weak and at this moment I had mostly accepted what was to come. We walked for what seemed forever, passing the cells of the others who would have their bodies repurposed and I felt pity for them. Not all were taking this as well as I was. 
 
 We passed through a gate and the guards gave a nod to a man with a key standing in front of a big laboratory door. The white finish seemed out of place amongst the rusted metals and cracking concrete of the preceding room. They brought me in and immediately all eyes were upon me. It seemed to be the 25th birthday party that I never had. Everyone went about their business as I was strapped down in the chair. They drew some blood and checked to make sure I wasn ’ t brain dead but all the while what scared me most was the silence. No one wanted to say anything. People just nodded and pointed at screens. I was a test subject. A guinea pig. A mule for someone else ’ s soul to ride. 
 
 A man pressed a button and some buzzers seemed to mark the end of my being. My chair rotated around and I found myself staring at another man in the same position in a chair across from me. I could tell that this was the man I would become. And that hurt me. I could see that he held no remorse for me or my body. I was a vessel to him. And as the buzzers went off and the countdown started I realized I knew this man. There was a familiarity in his eyes. A single word escaped my lips and I knew it was my last. 
 
 “ Dad? ” 
 
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
 
 I felt my muscles tighten again as the strength returned to my fingertips. It felt good to be young again. It was odd to stare at my old body and see how frail it had become. I had only used it for half a decade and already it was burned up. 
 
 “ Charlie I ’ m burning up faster and faster, I need you to figure out what ’ s going on with that. ” I said to my doctor. He gave me his usual nod and I called for my car to pick me up. I had a date tonight, and I was looking forward to letting her explore all of my new self. 
 
 I got home and went for a run which I desperately needed. I hadn ’ t run in over a year and it felt great to be at it again. My son had done well to keep his body in the shape it was. I went upstairs for my shower and took off my clothes. That ’ s when I saw it. I stood naked in my bathroom staring at my new body. It was covered in black marks. Everywhere that wasn ’ t exposed was marked. I leaned in closer to the mirror and realized I had tattoos. They seemed to be words written over and over again. I read it slowly to let it sink in but it made no sense. Why he wrote it I ’ ll never know. 
 
 “ My name is Edgar and I was a person once. ” 

