The Reaper

Chapter III

-Freedom-

The reaper grunted as the blade was pulled free, though he did not bleed as much as the girl expected. A thin trickle of blood ran down his shirt, but once the knife was out, his blood vessels began repairing themselves and replacing the blood that he had previously lost. He took a deep breath and stretched his arms above his head, grinning at the horrified girl beside him. She held her hands to her mouth, unmoving. Slowly, and using the wall behind him for support, the reaper eased himself into a standing position, grimacing slightly. The girl automatically grabbed one of his arms and helped him up, but soon he was quite able to stand on his own.

"Thank you," he said in that same soft voice, "ever so much. I don't know how I shall repay you, but I do know that I'll be seeing you again sometime, and I will remember what you've done for me." With that, he turned away and knelt down by the body of the woman. He stroked her hair, staring at her sadly, paying no attention to the girl behind him. She gaped at him, amazed. Some people...

"Erm...excuse me, but, erm..." she began, "you can't just leave me like that!" He turned to face her, and she wilted under his gaze, but she went on all the same. "What I mean is, you can't ask me to pull a knife out of your stomach and then get up and get on with your life as if nothing's happened! Well, you just have, but you can at least give me an explanation!" She stood back from him, breathing heavily, unable to break herself away from his gaze.

To her surprise, the reaper sighed heavily and sat back on his heels. "You're right," he said, "You are absolutely right. But, as you can see, I have a few things to...sort out, so, would it be all right if I met you later at the inn?" He looked so tired and helpless that she could not refuse, and she felt immediately ashamed for her words. She agreed and told him she would be there when she got back from the apothecary, but even as she said it, horrible thoughts came flooding back and she realized how much later she would be because of her little "detour".

"I have to go!" she gasped and jumped to her feet. She was halfway down the alleyway when she remembered her packages lying on the ground. Blushing crimson, she raced back and grabbed the packages, not looking at the man. He, in turn, paid her no attention. He didn't even seem to notice that she came back and left again; his focus was completely devoted to the woman in front of him. Though her body was horribly mangled, he was absolutely certain of who this woman was. There were other souls in this town that he was obligated to save, true enough, but when he felt this woman's soul strain at its earthly bounds, he had arrived as quickly as he possibly could. As a reaper, of course, this was faster than a human being could travel, but he could not help feeling a deep sense of regret that he had not arrived soon enough to save her. Souls know when they are about to be released; her soul was calling to him before the deed was done, and at first, he had not recognized it because it had been so long since he had heard it. The time he wasted deliberating could have saved her life.

He sighed heavily. "Oh Marissa," he whispered. "I'm so sorry...So so sorry..." He rose and turned away in the direction the albino girl had gone, out of the alley, brooding. He thrust his hands into the pockets of his cloak and shook down the hood off of his head. The sunlight struck him like a blow as he left the alley, and he blinked, shading his eyes with one hand. The sun had sunk close to the horizon, and it shone directly into his face. He ignored the people still crowded around the stalls and wove his way in between them. He hunched his shoulders and moved quickly, avoiding their gazes. No one even noticed him, though, so he got to the inn without incident. Despite the lack of attention that he received, he hurried up to his room as soon as he stepped inside. Trapped souls drew him to them, but he also drew to him souls that were near him. People may not see him at times, but they felt 'something' and were often compelled to travel to wherever he went. The innkeeper should be expecting a few completely unexpected guests within the next few hours.

In his room, the reaper sank onto the bed and put his head in his hands. Only then did he let the tears that had been welling up overflow and stream down his face. His whole body shook, though he uttered no sound. The tears continued to pour as he sat there, alone with his grief.

***

The girl ran as fast as she could, weighed down by her dense packages. It was not yet five o'clock, so the market was still in full swing. In fact, it was even more crowded than it had been before. People were getting things ready for dinner, which most people would by from the stalls rather than eat in their own homes. New smells joined the existing ones, making the girl's mouth water, but she tried to ignore them. By the time she finally reached the apothecary, it was quarter-to-five. She pushed open the door slowly and walked quietly over to the counter where she set down her packages.

The apothecary itself was definitely one of the most interesting shops in the whole village. It was average in size, but it seemed much smaller than its neighbors because it was crammed with all manner of items. Every wall was lined with dark shelves, and a large shelving unit was positioned in the center of the shop as well. Some parts of the shop contained jars full of different powders, each a different color and texture. Some jars, the more popular ones, were almost empty, whereas some were completely full. An entire wall housed various plants. Like the powders, no two plants were alike. In color, they ranged from black to white, yellow to red, and all the colors in between. Some of them could fit in the palm of your hand, and others were the size of a man.

Hanging from the ceiling were odd contraptions and even a small stuffed alligator. The girl could not help shuddering every time she passed the reptile even though she saw it almost every day. Its lifeless eyes seemed to stare so hard at her that they delved into her very soul. She suspected her master had put a spell on the beast; she also thought that he was a sorcerer, among other, far less like-able, things.

She was halfway to the back room to take a list of the current inventory when her master himself burst from the door on the other side of the room. His living quarters, like many other shopkeepers', were above his shop, and he had seen the girl arrive. The girl squeaked and dashed into the storeroom, shutting and locking the door behind her. Her master stomped over to the door and pounded on it, but the girl remained in a corner of the room, her hands over her head. The master, of course, had a key to the storeroom, but it would be a while before the cloud of anger that shrouded his mind left him, and until then, she was safe. After ranting and cursing at the door for a while, the master roared one final insult and stomped off to inspect the packages that the girl had delivered.

Alone and in the dark, the girl listened as her master tore the brown paper to shreds, muttering to himself. When he did not come charging back to the storeroom to scream at her for breaking something, the girl quietly opened the lock and slipped out. She peered around the corner just in time to see the door to the master's quarters close. She breathed a sigh of relief. She would not be beaten tonight. Just thinking of being beaten made her shudder, but a thought other than that of future pain sprang to her mind, and she liked it very much indeed.

The girl's soft leather bag still hung by her side, and with a speed brought on by necessity, she went about the store, slipping things into the bag. If anyone asked, she was making a delivery. She whispered to herself as she pulled things down from the shelves and hurriedly measured them out.

"I'll need that ... yes, and this too, and this for fatigue, and ... oh yes, this as well, and..." she moved quickly and confidently; she knew the store like the back of her hand. When finally her bag was full with everything that she needed, she rushed from the store. As she stepped outside, she was struck by a sudden thought that sent shivers down her spine.

He could be watching me right now from a window! she thought. She flattened herself against the wall immediately and scooted along in such a manner until she was out of sight of the apothecary. Once free from the prospect of the master's gaze upon her, the girl clutched her bag to her chest and ran. The streets were still thronged with the business of the market, so she kept to the back-streets and alleyways. Some were so unoccupied and desolate that the inky blackness within them seemed to pull at her, but even the blackness could not surmount the fear that she had for her master. Finally, she came to the inn. She crossed the Town Square easily enough and slipped into the building. The innkeeper spotted her and called out.

"Sorry, young lady, but if you're looking for a room we're completely booked! It's the strangest thing..." he said, stroking his long, white mustache. The girl stopped, puzzled, and stared at the handful of people milling in the inn's lobby. It was then that she noticed an odd ... pulling sensation. Something made her look up and to the left; she just knew that the strange man from the alleyway was there, and it was he who was drawing her to him.

And all these other people, too! she thought, amazed. When she reached the second floor and the man's room (she was sure it was his), she was surprised to see people milling outside of it.

"What are you all doing here?" she asked the nearest woman, who shrugged.

"We have no idea!" she replied. "It's just...a feeling, you know?" The woman stared off into space and leaned against the wall, as misty-eyed as her three companions.

The girl nodded to them and tried the door's handle. To her surprise, it opened. The room was empty save for the man; he was sitting on the bed and had his back to her. She took a step and closed the door behind her. At the sound, the man turned around. The girl gasped as she noticed the thin trickles of tears that coursed silently down his pale cheeks. She hurried over and, when he patted the bed beside him, sat down.

"Sir...what's...what's wrong?" she asked.

The reaper sighed and gave her a considering look. "Let me tell you," he said.