Don't Fear The Reaper

by Lex Sinclair

  ‘Do what you want with me,’ he hissed, ‘but you’ll never catch up to them now. They’re long gone from here. Killing me won’t change that.’

  The Grim Reaper didn’t speak or show any sign that it had either heard or reacted to what he said. It nonchalantly drew closer approaching the stoic man who in spite of his fear held his ground and didn’t budge. Jonesy stood ramrod straight, accepting his fate like a man.

  No one will ever know if Jonesy felt the curved dagger-pointed scythe slice through his neck bones, cartilage and muscle. No one will ever know whether or not Jonesy’s brain still functioned as his head flew from the body. And no one will ever know if he saw and felt the geyser of blood erupting from the severed stump cascading over the mattress and floorboards like a tropical fountain.

  No one but the Reaper, anyway…

  30.

  ACCORDING TO JANE’S WATCH more than a whole day had passed since they’d taken shelter in the concealed bunker. She’d stayed by the heavy, rusted door and slapped a hand over her mouth when she heard footfalls scuffing across the asphalt path.

  She listened attentively, heart in her mouth.

  ‘No sign of them,’ she heard an adult male voice say. ‘Fuck!’

  Jane daren’t move a muscle in case she gave their hideout away. Instead she sat on the cold, hard floor. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed to a god she never believed in or had any reason to believe in to keep them safe and to keep Jonesy safe.

  Now a day had passed and the gunfire was a distant memory, Jane returned to the underground door and listened again. She still wanted to be careful. The more time passed without word from Jonesy the more risk there was to emerging from their hideout right into the arms of the demons.

  Nevertheless, at some point they would have to take a chance. Jane took it upon herself to be the one to take that chance and check the terrain from any intruders.

  Perhaps Jonesy’s shot and killed them, but wants to be certain we’re safe to come out, she thought. That was hardly likely. If that was the case, Jonesy would have checked on them just to reassure them he was all right. No, something unfortunate had befallen Jonesy. Natalie and Sue were right about that, if nothing else. Jane left them sitting against a wall holding each other, crying softly. She could have succumbed and done that, but Jane wanted to prove her worth and her gratitude to this group of survivors by being brave and resilient.

  She spent much exertion carrying the concrete lintels out of the doorway. Then she heaved with all her one hundred and forty pounds until the door opened and grey dull light poured into the chamber.

  Jane crept up and out of the secluded curved stairs and skulked to the side of the mulch-covered church. The cemetery was a barren, unkempt field. The headstones appeared more damaged due to the initial asteroid strike and negligence. Strangely, this abandoned cemetery comforted her. This was her home. This was the place where she regained belief that there was light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. She loathed herself for not resisting Jonesy’s urges to remain in the bunker. Her actions were that of a coward.

  Seeing that the coast was clear, Jane edged out into the open, scanning the cemetery for any intruders lurking in the foliage. As far as she could see, no one but her stood upon the cemetery grounds.

  A trickle of assurance came over her, and Jane walked down the gradient. She turned right onto the asphalt path and stared keenly into the yellowing grass before she went any further. Satisfied that no one would pounce from a hiding place, Jane hurried down the path.

  She arrived at the picket fence gate and came to a halt.

  Blood…

  Arterial spray dappled the earthen floor by the fencing. The gate stood wide open offering the concrete path leading to the front door. Then Jane saw the front door was ajar. You could barely see this ominous sign as the weather was murky. It brought to mind overcast days. However, these were not the result of ordinary clouds, but massive ash clouds ebbing to weak light.

  Trembling with uncontrollable fear, Jane followed the path and found herself at the doorstep.

  Silence.

  She didn’t really know what to make of the lack of sound. What did she expect to hear if Jonesy had returned? He’d hardly kill all the demons and then hit the hay for more than a day. The sole reason her mind screamed OMINOUS at her was due to the fact that the silence and absence of Jonesy wasn’t a good sign at all.

  Fighting her fear into submission, Jane stepped over the threshold into the gloom. She wanted to call out to Jonesy but her mouth was bone dry. Not only that, a part of her mind informed her that calling out Jonesy’s name might draw unwanted attention to herself. Instead she eased every door open to reveal nothing or no one.

  Then she came to the master bedroom.

  Her senses tingled like electricity running through wires. Somehow she knew that pushing this half open door and revealing the interior would be detrimental to her health. If Jane had been asked to explain this instinctive emotion to a psychiatrist then she’d become inarticulate. Yet she knew.

  Looking over her shoulder, Jane considered her next course of action.

  Heart in her mouth, the lady with the gift of foretelling pushed the door inwards and froze…

  *

  Jane didn’t recall anything else of that day. When she came to Smokey was sitting on her lap purring contentedly. As she blinked her eyes open and knuckled the blurriness away she saw the source of the heavy, incessant sobbing she could hear.

  ‘Sue?’

  Sue’s reddened, tear-stricken face met Jane’s gaze. ‘Jane!’

  ‘Sue? Sue, what happened?’

  Sue hurried to her side. It was then Jane realised she was lying on the sofa in the living room. ‘You must’ve fainted,’ Sue said, by way of explanation.

  ‘Fainted?’

  ‘Yeah.’ Sue swept Jane’s fringe off her brow. ‘Don’t you remember?’

  Then as though an avalanche struck her consciousness, it all came flooding back to Jane what she’d seen and been doing prior to waking.

  ‘Jonesy!’ she snapped. ‘Oh, no! OhnomygodohgoodGodno!’ she said holding her head in her hands, blinking rapidly.

  Sue offered a weak smile then nodded. ‘I’m afraid so.’

  ‘Oh shit! Oh, God! Where’s Natalie?’

  Sue smoothed Jane’s brow and gently pushed her head back onto the pillow. ‘Natalie’s fine. Well, considering what happened. She’s in the bathroom. Being sick; poor girl. We came looking for you when a couple of hours passed. Worried to death we were. You must’ve hit your head pretty hard when you fell. You’ve been out most of the day. It’s ten at night now.’

  ‘What about Jonesy?’

  ‘We’ve covered his corpse with a blanket,’ Sue said. ‘We’ll dig a grave and bury him tomorrow. But don’t you think about that now. We’ve all had ourselves a very nasty shock today.’ Sue covered her quivering mouth, fighting back the tears. S-sorry.’

  ‘No need to apologise,’ Jane said, and opened her arms.

  They held each other for some time, hurting with a pain that would forever be a burden.

  *

  The next day was even harder. All three women took it in turns to dig a grave. Then they carried Jonesy’s earthly remains out of the vicarage down the path to the hole.

  The grave was plenty big enough, which aided the grieving survivors to be able to lower Jonesy into the ground ceremoniously. Once that had been accomplished and they caught their breath the three women stood over the grave looking down at the headless body of Jonesy.

  ‘He was a great man,’ Natalie said. ‘I didn’t realise that until the very end. Anthony was right about Jonesy. He’d lay his life down for his friends. That is a sacrifice that cannot be equalled, not in a million years. He died so we could live in hope. I now see not a man who cussed a lot, but a man who was burdened by the loss of his pet and a man who wanted none of his friends to endure the pain he did all his life. He is our hero. A proper hero. For that Jonesy, on behalf of ev
eryone here today and Anthony and Sapphire we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. And we love you. We love you. We’ll always love you.’

  Sue scooped Smokey up in her arms and linked her arms around her two grieving friends. Smokey had stopped purring some time ago. He might not have known what exactly had gone down. However, he knew someone whom she cherished was no longer here. Then Smokey cried, too.

  *

  The Grim Reaper rode silently through the night in the confines of its carriage. In its haunted grasp it held the severed head of the man he’d killed. A man who, quite remarkably, never begged for his life. A man who offered no insight to the saviour’s whereabouts. In spite of this recalcitrance and vague information, the Grim Reaper rode west to the seaside. It studied every curve and wrinkle of this fallen man with hidden admiration. For the man had shown courage the likes of which the Reaper had once witnessed upon the beach of Normandy and other parts of the world where war raged.

  It stared at this man with its hideous, soul-destroying visage… and the man stared back. Yes, there had been fear. But there had been something else far greater than the emotion of fear. Something that banished fear and threatened to end the existence of the Grim Reaper.

  The Reaper pulled the purple drapes apart, slid the top half of the window open and tossed the severed head away onto the road. The Reaper snapped the window closed and sat back in his seat. Its demeanour gave it away. The Reaper was glad to be rid of the severed head that would have otherwise been a cherished trophy.

  EPILOGUE

  PERKINS clutched the steering wheel in a knuckle-baring grip. The journey had taken a lot longer than he first anticipated. The A465 that was normally an incredibly long stretch of Dual-Carriageway was littered with hazardous vehicles and serpentine cracks.

  The asteroids must have created an almighty draught, throwing vehicles around as though they were Matchbox sized. The barrier intersecting the four lanes from crossing over into the others path had been dented and torn away on some sections.

  The off-road leading to Resolven, Crynant and Seven Sisters was choked with vehicles barrelling into each other. Some smaller cars had capsized, spilling carcasses wearing flaky masks. He’d had to slow down, bring the transit van to a halt and get out. Had Perkins had a full stomach his gorge would have risen and he’d have puked violently. Instead he leaned against the transit and watched the bright sparks dancing in his retinas.

  Sapphire came around and sat beside him. He never said a word. He simply took Perkins hand in his own and sighed.

  ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Yeah. Uncle Anthony, I miss Smokey and Natalie and Sue and Jonesy and Jane.’

  ‘So do I.’

  Sapphire stroked the back of Perkins’ hand. ‘Do you think Smokey will remember me? Or will he forget as he gets older?’

  The questions made Perkins feel like crying more than the sight of seeing God knew how many dead bodies he’d had the misfortune to see during the aftermath. ‘Smokey may be a cat, Sapph, but he’s also got a brain just like me and you. He’s also got a memory. He loved you, and you loved him in a time when all love was lost. Smokey won’t ever forget you. I’m not just saying that to make you feel better either. I’m saying it ’cause people think that just ’cause pets and other animals can’t talk that they’re stupid. They’re not. Love is the most powerful emotion in the whole world. Where there is love, the impossible can become possible. Love brings out the best in us.’

  Sapphire leaned his head on Perkins’ shoulder and exhaled.

  Overhead where dim light had crept through the sky, black clouds roiled together. Thunder rumbled to the west as though nature itself had grown angry with the dire events that had befallen the Earth.

  ‘There’s a storm coming,’ Sapphire said.

  Perkins followed the chosen one’s wide-eyed gaze. The blackest of clouds formed as one vengeful mass, preparing to unleash its fury. Perkins heaved himself and Sapphire off the roadway still staring at the darkening sky. ‘I know…’