by Stead, Nick
My sister looked pale and sickly, as if she was practically a corpse already, just like her physical body. Her soul or consciousness or whatever it was the Reaper had hold of (if there was even a difference between the two) didn’t seem to have any awareness of its surroundings, her eyes dull and not focusing on anything in particular. Her body hung limp in the Reaper’s grasp, offering him no resistance.
Even though there was nothing to be seen in that darkness ahead, there were voices whispering from within. They weren’t the vengeful voices of tormented souls I’d sent to early graves though, like I might have expected. I didn’t recognise any of the voices in particular, but they were soothing, whispering promises of an eternity blissfully free of all my earthly troubles. It was all a lie. I knew full well that if I did face some kind of afterlife and not oblivion, I would never be allowed to rest in peace. But even knowing that, I still felt drawn to that darkness, and I knew there was a very real risk that I might be seduced by those ghostly voices if I wasn’t careful.
Feet that were closer to paws began to carry me forward with barely a conscious thought, and I realised then that I was back in my hybrid form. I didn’t know if that was symbolic of my true nature as a werewolf – a creature who would never be completely human or completely wolf but always caught somewhere in between – or whether it was my consciousness giving itself the best chance it could against one of the most powerful forces of nature, but either way it seemed fitting. As did Death’s chosen form and the grounds we were meeting on, I supposed.
You could say I’d cheated him twice, since I’d had to die to lycanthropy and be reborn for the curse to take hold and make me a werewolf. But it must have been surviving the mortal wound to my heart that stung the most. If I was going to go with him this time, it felt right that it would be in the same setting where he should have been allowed to take me before.
I forced my feet to stop just short of the gaping blackness and tried to ignore the pull of the voices, focusing on my sister’s weak form and the being holding on to her. My anger might have taken over at the sight of Amy in his clutches if I’d let it, but this was Death himself. He might not look like the typical Grim Reaper I’d been so obsessed with as a human, but he was still the most powerful being I’d met to date. If anyone had ever deserved my respect, it was surely him, and I dipped my head in a gesture of reverence.
“I’m told you wanted my life in return for my sister, so here I am,” I said.
“Yes, though I was not entirely convinced you would come. The lengths to which you mortals will go for family still amazes me.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I didn’t reply to it directly but instead asked “And there is nothing else I can offer you besides my own life?”
“You should belong to me already. Nature hangs in a delicate balance, and the very existence of the undead upsets that balance. Releasing my hold on any creature is one thing, and it is a thing I do not do lightly, but allowing those with no natural end to slip through my grasp? It is bad enough that you can exist for centuries outside of the natural balance, without your kind using other means to escape any hold I may be granted over you. We both know you should have met your end on this moorland. Now you have the chance to put things right and restore some of that natural balance between life and death.”
“And what about humanity, do they not upset that balance? With their technology and their constant pursuit to cheat you of their natural end, and the way they keep on overpopulating the planet at the expense of nature. Surely the existence of we undead is a good thing, to help keep their numbers in check?”
The likeness of the older Slayer tilted his head, seeming to consider me. “I concede you make a good point, but humans must still succumb to me eventually, and to Time. Their lives are still relatively short and nature has a way of repairing itself. All it takes is for one virus to mutate into something their medicine can’t fight, and the natural balance is restored. You unnatural creatures are not so easily brought to your knees and your existence continues to threaten the balance it is my duty to keep.”
“Okay,” I said with a sigh, resigning myself to having to make that ultimate sacrifice. “But if I’m going to go with you, first let Amy go so I can be sure she’s safe. I mean, if I allow you to take hold of me while you still have hold of her, how do I know you’ll keep your end of the bargain and release her as promised?”
That seemed to amuse him. “You mortals are so full of distrust. But by that same token, if I let your sister go, how do I know you’ll uphold your end of the bargain and come with me?”
“You don’t,” I admitted. “Maybe I’ll grab my sister and run or maybe, once she passes back into the light, I’ll turn and fight you. Maybe I’ll even win – after all, Selina successfully fought free of your grasp so who’s to say I can’t do the same?”
“Perhaps. Or perhaps I let her escape with the intent of luring you here.”
I felt that sinking feeling in my stomach again, but I couldn’t just give up.
“Then how about you let her go and we fight, if you’re so confident you’ll win?”
Glowing red eyes appeared at my side, the powerful form of the barghest materialising beside me. New hope ignited at the sight of Selina’s familiar. I didn’t for one minute expect the spirit dog to be capable of beating Death himself, but maybe it could buy me enough time to get away. And its presence surely meant that my allies were doing everything they could on the mortal plane, which filled me with an unfamiliar warmth, a feeling I’d become unaccustomed to in my months of exile and isolation.
Death narrowed his eyes. “It looks like you’re not going to give me a choice.”
“Can you blame me for wanting to fight to stay alive? I don’t want to make a move until you release Amy though. Please, let my sister go. Surely the life of one mortal human isn’t going to cause too much damage to the cosmos in the grand scheme of things. Or we can stay stuck in this stalemate but what good does that do any of us? Or you could decide to claim her life here and now, but then you’ll only be giving me more of an edge when my rage rises up, and if it’s me you really want then why risk me escaping again? I’m sure you’re well aware of the damage I can do when driven by anger and the need for vengeance.”
I knew my argument was weak in the face of his considerable power. In reality there was nothing to stop him dragging Amy into that final darkness, now we’d established I wasn’t going to go willingly into the void. But I prayed he would choose to let her go. Attacking him could put Amy at risk so I didn’t really want to instigate the fight until she was safe, and luckily the barghest seemed to be waiting for me to make a move before it attacked. But I also knew, if the Reaper didn’t release his hold on her, I might not have any other option.
Several tense filled moments went by before finally Death said “Very well.”
His fist opened, Amy’s arm falling to her side and the rest of her limp body collapsing to the ground. Her eyes remained unseeing as she laid there, showing no indication of awakening from this kind of living death she seemed to be stuck in. I’d hoped she’d recover and run straight for the light but it seemed she was too far gone, still trapped in that state between life and death, even without the Reaper physically (so to speak) having a hold on her. I should have known it was never going to be that easy but inwardly I cursed at the added challenge, knowing full well the odds of me escaping back through the light with her were slim to none, even with the barghest’s help. Then Death made his move to claim me once and for all and the fight for my life (literally!) began.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Fight for Life
Powerful though Death himself undoubtedly was, the gun was just for show or symbolism or whatever. It obviously couldn’t fire an actual bullet or the Reaper would surely have tried, and I guessed Selina’s power granted me a strong enough footing on the ground between life and death to prevent him from simply snuffing me out (with the use of that symbolic gun or otherwise). I
nstead, the likeness of the Slayer’s eyes fixed on me, and I tensed, ready for an attack.
They were the colour of cold grey winter skies, but with something pulsing through them which wouldn’t have been possible in their mortal counterpart. It put me in mind of lightning streaking across the sky, visible only as flashes in the clouds while the storm builds, only to unleash its true power in bolts of electricity lancing down to Earth.
Death lunged forward, swinging the gun in his hand. It was lengthening into that iconic weapon most people associated with personifications of death – a scythe to reap the souls of mortals. I barely managed to duck out of the path of its blade, outclassed yet again when it came to my opponent’s speed and strength.
Keeping my eyes fixed on my adversary, I watched with morbid fascination as the human mask he’d been wearing began to rot away. Greying flesh soon appeared sunken, skin clinging tightly to the bones beneath. The cartilage of his nose and ears just dissolved away into nothingness, as did his eyes and hair, and finally his skin went the same way, baring the chalky white of his skull. His clothes had been the same as I remembered the real Slayer wearing that day on the moors before they turned black, as if they too were going through some kind of necrosis. That blackness formed itself into the more familiar garb of Death’s robe, the skeletal face I’d been expecting all along grinning morbidly from within a shadowy cowl.
The Grim Reaper attacked again, and again I just managed to dodge the worst of the scythe’s arc without suffering a fatal injury. But I didn’t completely escape that time, the blade slicing through my upper arm and causing me to roar in pain. If it had been a mortal weapon, I’d have suffered a mere flesh wound, but even though the scythe had done little more than nick my bicep, somehow it cut much deeper and created fresh damage to the very fabric of my being; my soul if I still had one – as if that hadn’t been ripped and torn enough by my lycanthropy. It was more than a feeling of physical pain left in the blade’s wake; I could feel it was somehow spiritual as well. I knew then that one blow to my head or my chest would place me firmly in Death’s clutches and there would be no coming back that time; no more cheating him. My physical body back in the mortal realm would die and there’d be nothing Selina or any of the others could do.
I also found myself stepping dangerously close to the gaping blackness of the void, and I realised Death could just as easily push me through it and claim me that way as he could cut me down. He was well aware of his options and he pressed his attack, manoeuvring me closer and closer to the eternal darkness. I was given no chance to retaliate and even if I did get an opening to strike back, what could I possibly do to the one being who was literally an unstoppable force of nature?
With a growl, the barghest finally sprang into action, clamping its muscular jaws down on a bony arm and tugging with all its might. Death was pulled off balance and he was forced to turn and deal with the black shadow dog. Not wasting any time, I took full advantage of the distraction and dived to where Amy lay. She looked so small and frail in comparison to the powerful forms of the barghest and Death himself, and I thought it a small mercy that she still didn’t seem to be aware of what was currently going on. At least she was being spared the terror that the situation might otherwise have put her in.
A yelp came to my right and I glanced across to see the shadow dog down on the ground, a nasty cut visible across its ribcage. Dread filled me as I realised even creatures of spirit were vulnerable to the Reaper’s scythe, though whether the barghest could be killed in the same sense as a flesh and blood being remained to be seen. It was the first time I’d ever seen the black dog injured. Surprisingly, the gash in its side looked just as red and angry as it would have on a physical creature, though it didn’t bleed. Neither did my own cut for that matter, presumably because it wasn’t my actual physical body under attack in that place.
Death turned his attention back to me. I settled into a defensive stance as he advanced, but the barghest picked itself back up and lunged at the Reaper once more. I didn’t wait to find out what happened, grabbing Amy and cradling her in my arms as I sprinted for the light. If I could just make it through, we should both wake up back in the chamber with Selina and the vampires, out of Death’s reach – for the time being at least.
The glare of that light was too much for my eyes, and I was forced to scrunch them tightly shut as I drew closer. Out in the physical world I might have been worried about tripping on the uneven ground, but somehow I knew that wouldn’t happen in that place. Not when it was either somewhere in my own consciousness or on some kind of spiritual plane where the usual rules didn’t necessarily apply. I had the feeling I’d only stumble if I let doubt trip me up, so I focused with all my being on rising up to a state of consciousness, and bringing my sister back with me.
Skeletal fingers wrapped around my ankle, pulling me off balance and sending me falling to the ground. My eyes instinctively snapped open and I found I was surrounded by that white light. I had to be just on the edge of consciousness. Amy’s body seemed to have been thrown from my arms and, temporarily blinded, I couldn’t see where she’d ended up. Then Death started to drag me back towards the blackness he was so intent on sending me into.
I twisted round to find the Reaper must have broken free of the barghest and re-materialised at my feet, his form rising up from the earth like a shark from the murky depths of the ocean. Only his upper body was currently visible above the ground but it didn’t stop him from continuing to pull me to my doom.
I slipped further and further away from the portal back to my physical body and with a cry of frustration I kicked out, but to no avail.
I looked back to try and find Amy. Squinting against the glare, I thought I could just make her out from within the light, an indistinct shape which finally seemed to move of its own accord, crawling back to its weak hold on life. It had to be my sister. Relief washed over me with the realisation she was safe.
That was more than could be said for me. Before I knew it, I was back on the edge of the void and in very real danger of being dragged all the way through. I struggled to free myself from the Reaper’s grip but it was useless, and I had all but resigned myself to my fate when finally the barghest reappeared.
Death’s full form was back above ground and the shadow dog was able to latch onto one of his legs. At first it only seemed to slow the Reaper. But the spirit beast kept straining against him, until it succeeded in bringing the skeletal figure to a standstill. Death was forced to deal with the black dog yet again.
This time the Reaper swept the barghest aside as if it were no more than a plant his leg had become entangled in, though there was enough force behind it to send the dog skidding a few feet away. But I was given no time to get to my feet and make another run for the life still waiting for me back on Earth.
The shadow dog leapt straight back up and charged in for more. Or it would have done, if it had been given the chance.
“Enough!” Death thundered, and the dog simply winked out of existence mid-run. I didn’t know if it had truly ceased to be or had merely been banished from whatever spirit plane we were on, but one way or another I felt certain it wasn’t coming back. “Now we finish this. It’s time you came with me.”
The Reaper raised his scythe, and I prepared to die.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Family Reunion
I lay there, vulnerable and in no position to so much as dodge again, let alone make another run for it. Death’s blade cut through the air in a path meant to connect with my chest, putting an end to my cursed existence and sending me on to whatever waited for me beyond the veil. It should have all been over, but the scythe never made it through that deadly arc.
A second blade made of what had to be Hellfire blocked its cut, the clash of steel ringing in my ears as if there was something solid and metallic about the fire weapon. I rolled away while the Reaper was distracted yet again.
“I can’t let you do that,” a new voice growled as I got to my f
eet. It sounded vaguely familiar but I couldn’t place where I might have heard it before.
Unable to help myself, I risked a quick glance behind me to see what looked to be the back of a huge black werewolf facing the Reaper. Bat-like wings protruded from the beast’s shoulders and – were those spikes running down the spine? I didn’t dare stick around to watch Death take on this latest rescuer so I couldn’t be sure of what I’d seen in that brief glimpse, and I didn’t dwell on it in that moment. Facing forward again, I started to run, focused entirely on escaping the darkness of death and returning to the light of life.
I could hear them trading blows as I sprinted for that blinding whiteness a second time, forced to close my eyes again when I reached its edge but never once slowing. Determination to escape filled me. Not just so I could keep on surviving myself, but also to make sure Amy was okay and that she made it out of the dungeon alive. And then there was the unfinished business I had with David and his cronies…
Gritting my teeth as I ran, I half expected the sounds of battle to come to a sudden stop and for Death to grab hold of me like he had before. But I stayed upright and moving, the clash of steel growing fainter with each step I took. Then I plunged back into consciousness and left the two powerful beings behind me, firmly back in my physical body and the land of the living once again.
Gwyn and Zee’s worried faces hovered over me. I groaned and tried to sit up, relieved to find my body had been freed from the power which had temporarily shut it down. It was fully functional once more.
