Each time Wes noticed the Hub was busier than the previous visit. Mortuis from all over the region were coming to get new assignments and special training to prepare for AfterLife’s new focus: counteracting the growing threat of the Atumra against antemorts. Wes left Emily at the Den and walked down the hallway to his room. It was surprisingly smaller than he remembered. In fact, it was smaller than the closet room he stayed in at the yellow house, but it still felt more like home. The personal items from his life helped create an atmosphere of familiarity. He dropped his bags to the floor and sat on the cot to soak in the calm before going back to the Den to meet up with Emily. The seating area in the Den was full of Mortuis. They sat in groups talking and laughing, and the scene reminded him of a lounge at a college dorm except for the greater variety of people. Wes felt slightly out of place as he looked around the room. Emily hadn’t made it back yet, and no one paid him any attention as he walked in.
