"All Smiles"

In "All Smiles" main character Alec is tired of his mediocre life and is seeking for fulfillment and stability. He meets Matt who introduces him to a business where he learn he will have the job as a soul collector for an upcoming war. I liked this story very much. It is the first we've read so far that involves a little science fiction without actually lapsing into the sci-fi genre.I liked the how the description of the headlights connect to the story in the end. Also the analogy was new and refreshing. Flashbacks were well done and the transitions from past to present were smooth. I liked the eerie feeling I got when Alec answers the phone and hears the sound before falling to the floor. I thought they were going to verbally hypnotize him or have them meet them somewhere so they could put a bag over his head and drag him to some dark cellar from some kind of initiation. The use of a kind of white noise was unexpected. Well done! Also, Kudos on the ending. The "all he could do was smile" was an excellent and chilling way to tie everything together.
I wanted to know a little more about the upcoming "war". Who is the war against? Why are they going to war? The boss man said that Alec was an important asset because of his writings. I would have liked to know a little more about what Alec had been writing that was so important. Also, how did the "soul collectors" know about Alec's writing? How did they find him? Also, what are Matt and the other guy's jobs? Are they soul collectors as well or is this job something only Alec can do because of his writing. A little more detail in those area would bring the story out more. Sounds like the pilot episode for a TV show. =)