[ WP ] In the year 3015 , scientists are able to bring back the dead , first on the list are debtors . What will happen next ?

Dan's eyelids squeezed in protest to the light. `` Where... where am I?'' 
 
 But there was no answer; only the hum of fluorescent lamps and the whir of a fan in the distance. 
 
 He was laid out naked on a folding table of sorts, and -- shaking -- rolled into a fetal position to cover himself from whomever or whatever was responsible for his predicament. 
 
 For an unbearably long time, silence. But then the echo of footsteps sounded just as Dan's retinas adjusted to the brightness. 
 
 `` Honey?'' 
 
 It was a woman's voice. And its warmth sent sweet waves of familiarity running through his spine. 
 
 `` Abby? Abby?'' He asked, blinking her into view. 
 
 Her blurred visage appeared in front of two equally blurred men. One wore scrubs. 
 
 Then suddenly Dan remembered where he was. He was at the hospital. Waking up from anesthesia. The open heart surgery must have been a success. 
 
 Abby smiled. `` Hi Dan. How are you feeling?'' 
 
 Was it just a trick of the light, or did she look older? Jesus. By something like twenty years. The stress of his surgery must've really gotten to her. 
 
 `` Cold,'' he replied, shrinking into himself. `` I'm c-c-cold.'' 
 
 The man wearing scrubs went to grab a blanket. 
 
 `` Do you know where you are?'' the man asked when he returned. 
 
 Dan struggled to a sitting position as he wrapped the cloth around his form. `` I'm at the hospital, right?'' 
 But even as he finished this question, he knew something was wrong. 
 
 It was n't just a trick of the light. Abby *was* older. A lot older. 
 
 And the other man standing next to Dan's wife did n't look like a doctor at all. He looked more like a lawyer. Yes. Everything about this man screamed lawyer, from the cheap suit to the stack of papers in his arms. 
 
 `` You're in a clinic,'' The lawyer-looking-man said. `` Allow me to introduce myself. I'm your case manager, Steve.'' 
 
 Then, unbelievably, Steve held out his hand. 
 
 Confused, Dan shook it. 
 
 `` What's going on?'' Dan asked. 
 
 `` Dan,'' Abby said. `` I love you. I'm so sorry. There was no other way. They were going to take the house. They were going to take the house, Dan.'' 
 
 Dan furrowed his brow. `` Who was? Who was going to take the house?'' 
 
 Steve patted Abby on the back and motioned for her to have a seat in some sort of waiting area. It looked like the kind of waiting area where one sat for an oil change, complete with crappy coffee machine and free donuts. 
 
 Then, without asking, Steve plopped down on the edge of the table next to Dan. Something about the manner in which he did this suggested daily routine. `` Your ex-wife is awfully distraught right now,'' he said, leaning toward Dan with confidential flair. `` That's typical.'' 
 
 `` Ex-wife?'' Dan shook his head. `` I do n't know what you're talking about. We've been married for --'' 
 
 Steve placed a slimy, insincere palm on Dan ’ s back and gave it a squeeze. “ Ex-wife, actually. Your marriage was dissolved in the eyes of the law upon your death… ” He rummaged through the paperwork. “... fourteen years ago. ” 
 
 “ What? ” 
 
 “ Ah. You must ’ ve passed before post-mortem-revival came along. ” 
 
 Dan mouthed the words “ post-mortem-revival ” silently. He *had* heard of this. It was banned in the states, but some damn scientist in Asia had figured out how to bring the dead back to life. There were tons of ethical issues, though. And Dan -- for one -- was against the idea. So was Abby. Wasn ’ t she? 
 
 He looked over to find her weeping in a folding chair next to a case of picked over pastries. Jesus Christ she looked like shit. What was up with that shiny spot at the top of her head? Was her hair thinning? 
 
 “ Sir, ” Steve continued, still glancing through the documents, “ I must regrettably inform you that you didn ’ t survive your heart surgery. And your wife -- your next of kin -- has since accrued significant debt in your absence. ” 
 
 “ They were going to take the house, ” the old lady sobbed from across the room. 
 
 “ Abby? ” Dan asked, his forehead knitting with concern. “ What did you do to me? ” 
 
 “ She ’ s brought you back to life, ” Steve said, still fingering through the paperwork. “ So I ’ m going to need you to sign here, and here. ” He indicated to two highlighted sections. “ And once over here. ” 
 
 Dumbfounded, Dan signed. 
 
 “ Wait, ” he asked, handing Steve ’ s pen to him. “ What ’ s going on? ” 
 
 Steve shrugged as the scrub-clad technician escorted Abby out the door. 
 
 “ Abby? ” Dan yelled. “ Where ’ s she going? What ’ s going on? ” 
 
 “ Don ’ t worry, Sir, ” Steve soothed. “ She ’ ll be back to pick you up when your debt has been paid in full. ” 
 
 “ In full? How long will that take? ” 
 
 Steve smiled. “ About seventeen years. In a moment, another caseworker will be in to brief you on your stay at one of our local work facilities. But before I leave, I wanted to take a moment to inform you about our referral program. ” 
 
 Dan nodded. It was all happening so fast. He still wasn ’ t sure what was going on. “ The referral program? ” 
 
 “ Well, it looks here like you have two next of kin on your mother ’ s side that have passed recently. As Abby wasn ’ t a relation, she couldn ’ t sign to bring them back. But you ’ re in a unique position to cut your repayal period in half if you choose to revive one. ”
