The afterlife is the continued existence of souls after a mortal has died as well as the physical regions that host such souls. It is home to three of the four planes of existence created by God.
Souls of the recently deceased first materialize on Earth or other physical planes they were residing on during life near their now dead body immediately after dying. They usually take on an appearance resembling how their corpses looked at the moment of death, meaning a mortal that died violently can have a ghost that is still be bleeding or mutilated. They are usually greeted by Jack and sometimes agents of Heaven such as Angels if they're in the area investigating activities or are the loved ones of the newly deceased. Souls are usually collected immediately but Jack may stall taking them if he needs to collect others in the area, if they plead to do one last thing before moving on or if they make a run for it.
Once collected by Jack, they are taken to Judgment where it is determined which plane of existence they will next reside.
Realms of the afterlife[]
Once judged, souls are then sent to the appropriate plane of existence based on how they lived their lives.
- Heaven: The destination for righteous souls who were deemed to have died in God's grace. Heaven is considered the ideal location to go and a place of everlasting love, comfort and pleasures. Heaven is the only permanent destination for souls.
- Purgatory: The destiny for souls who lived mediocre lives with no major sins or virtues. Represented as a peaceful but unfulfilling suburban neighborhood that souls feel an inkling to leave, but they can ignore this calling as long as they like.
- Hell: The destination for souls who died unrepentant of their sins and previously Heavenly creatures who rebelled against God. A nightmarish wasteland where the wicked are punished and made to suffer for their sins.
Ghosts (aka "Runners")[]
Some souls manage to avoid Judgment by fleeing from Jack and avoiding his capture, becoming "runners". All attempts to avoid Judgment are temporary as Jack will eventually find them, but some successful runners can avoid him for years, decades or even centuries if they find isolated areas to hide. The actions of runners around the living reflect what's traditionally known as "ghosts" and their continued presence and activities in an area will be interpreted by the living as a "haunting."