School of Deaths

by Christopher Mannino

  She stopped. A hill covered most of the house, and foliage covered the rest, making the house invisible from the road. She had first encountered the house from its exposed side, which faced the heart of the forest. She circled around a hill, but paused. Was Sindril here? Had he ever been here? She had to find out. She stood behind a tree and counted to ten. She walked to the door and waited again. Silence. She pushed the door open and held her breath.

  The house was empty. The floor was dusty, but she couldn’t seem to make out any footprints. She walked around the room slowly. Three other bookcases like the one she’d gone behind stood around the room, but did not move when she tugged on them.

  She held her breath as each beat of her heart seemed to thunder loud enough for anyone to hear. The slightest sound: a breath, a footstep, and she’d run. Nothing. She walked the room again.

  A second room, one she hadn’t entered yet, stood to the side, behind a curtain. Whoever Sindril had spoken to sat here. A worn table sat in one corner, covered in dust. She circled the room, pressing on the walls. The dust on top of the table was smudged. She saw no other exits, and no footprints.

  She sighed. She had no proof, and if she brought her friends here, they’d be even less likely to believe her. She considered. It had been Sindril, and he had mentioned her. She was sure, but doubted it nonetheless.

  Had it truly happened? Maybe the albino had affected her mind. Maybe Sindril had never been here. After all, the Ring of Scythes had been sealed.

  Suzie circled the room again. She gave up, walking to the bookcase. If Sindril had never been here, then this place truly was safe and was hers alone. She pulled the red book, and the bookcase swung open. White light flowers came to life in the stairway, casting a dim glow behind the bookcase. She walked down the steps and kept going until she reached the library.

  Nothing had changed, which was a relief. She’d half wondered if the books would be gone, or if someone else would have come in, but that was ridiculous. What was happening to her? She’d been focused on getting through the year and now was caught up in a maze of conflicting thoughts.

  She picked up one of the books and started flipping through. Names she didn’t recognize. Words like Donkari. Nonsense. Pictures that meant nothing. She tossed the book aside and picked up a second. She needed answers, anything.

  She read for about an hour, flipping through book after book. Nothing seemed interesting until she came to a leather-bound green volume. She leafed through its yellowed pages until she came to a full-page drawing of a key. Filigree and jewels covered its handle. She recognized the same key she’d found drawn on the stones, and the same key she’d drawn on her own painting. Beneath the drawing, someone had written “Dragon Key.”

  Dragon Key? The next few pages in the book were torn out. She rubbed her finger on the torn edges and looked farther. The next page talked of flames and war. She skimmed the description of bloodshed until she came to a familiar name: Lovethar. She read on.

  “I can’t believe what they’ve done,” she read. “They’ve taken him, they’ve taken him away. Lovethar will not forgive them, she will join the Dragons. And what do they intend to do with it now?”

  Suzie turned the page again. She found another picture, this one of Lovethar herself, clutching a package to her chest. Flames surrounded her with Deaths on one side and Dragons on the other. She turned to the last page of the book and frowned. The same image, only someone had hand-drawn something above Lovethar’s head: an ornate key.

  Now Suzie had another mystery. She sighed.

  This mystery didn’t matter to her now. It had been long ago. She wasn't Lovethar. However, it was strange. Mystery surrounded the only other female Death.

  Suzie took the book and left the library. She couldn’t deal with these mysteries by herself. She closed the bookcase behind her and walked through the empty house, toward the door.

  A pair of green eyes watched her leave.

  Chapter Twelve

  Observing

  “Prepare for your first foray,” announced Hann.

  Three weeks had passed since Suzie’s failed Applications test. She’d been to the library four more times, but hadn’t found a trace of Sindril. She was starting to lose confidence in herself, though she was growing more curious about the Dragon Key. Every time she found it mentioned in a book, she found torn pages and often hand-drawn additions. Lovethar’s name was almost always nearby as well. More than a dozen books mentioned the key; many of them now sat in the corner of her closet. She perused them every chance she got, but the mystery had only deepened. She still hadn’t shown anyone else the library, and though Frank and Billy had pledged to help her, they’d been busy with boskery.

  “Miss Sarnio, are you listening?” snapped Hann.

  “Yes, sir.” She stopped her thoughts from drifting and focused, her heart beating faster in anticipation.

  “This isn’t some joyride. That goes for all of you. This is dangerous work. First years will do nothing. I repeat: nothing while in the Mortal World. You will observe. You will not even carry a scythe this time.”

  Suzie was glad they wouldn’t get scythes. She’d gotten to the point where she could produce a green flash. The secret had been to let the scythe fall, hardly swinging. The green appeared if she let the blade do the work. However, her flashes always seemed small, as if the scythe was humoring her.

  “We travel in our teams. Full Deaths work alone, and juniors in squads of two, but you students, you are going in your group of three. Luc, what does that mean?”

  “We have to be careful not to be seen.”

  “Exactly,” said Hann. “This is a high-risk excursion, but a necessary one. We will begin regular forays into the mortal world soon. We need to practice Reaping. For now, I am designating one student in each group to Reap, one to be a lookout, and the first years… Susan, what will first years do?”

  “Observe.”

  Suzie knew how to observe. She’d been watching the other Deaths for a month. She’d been watching Luc and Frenchie torment her in hundreds of small ways. Nothing like the albino, thank God. Still, plenty of things had come up: from crude signs drawn on the bathroom wall to a snake left in her bed. They’d never leave her alone.

  “Correct,” said Hann. “If I discover you’ve even touched a scythe, you will be in bigger trouble than you can imagine. I can even guarantee that you fail your Final Test, the one in the Examination Room.”

  Suzie’s eyes grew wide. This was the first real threat Hann had made, the first she’d heard from a teacher. She had to pass the test, or she’d be stuck in this world forever.

  “You appear scared, Miss Sarnio,” said Hann, seeming to sense her thoughts. “Don’t worry, you only have to observe. All right, places everyone.”

  Suzie stepped toward Billy, who held a large scythe. This was no beginner’s blade. Even a foot away, she felt power coursing through the sleek black handle and energy rippling through its blade. The light split at the point of the sharp blade, it looked like the air itself would tear. Frank smiled at her, he would be lookout.

  “Reapers raise your blades and ready yourself.”

  Billy grasped the handle in both hands and readied himself. Frank snapped a cord to Billy’s waist, to Suzie’s, and finally snapped himself on, tethering the three of them together. Power flowed through the tether, bouncing around her and away from the scythe.

  “After delivery, return here immediately. You have one hour. Good luck,” said Hann. “Go.”

  Billy raised the scythe. The tether tightened and the blade fell. The world tore open as light and sound screamed into a tunnel of pain. Suzie’s waist pulled her through the portal as the tether hurried to keep up. Darkness and colors bled into each other. The familiar smell of strawberries, present everywhere in the World of the Dead, seemed to fester and boil, exploding into sour fire around her. Everything vanished.

  A pair of green eyes appeared, wreathed in a ring of flame.

  “You are st
rong,” said a voice. It was strange, and yet somehow familiar.

  The eyes vanished.

  Reds, yellows, hots, colds. Sensations blended and faded. Suzie’s head spun in a whirlwind of sensation. Two suns appeared for an instant, and she watched the building where she’d signed the contract. Athanasius, the first ’Mental she’d met, seemed to smile at her, and then was gone.

  Stars burned her.

  Oceans drowned her.

  Clouds suffocated her.

  Noise deafened her.

  The tether slackened. She opened her eyes.

  Billy still held the scythe; the blade dripped with tiny beads of white light.

  “You okay?” asked Frank, turning.

  “Yeah,” she said. “Are we there?”

  “Yes,” said Frank. “We’re in the Mortal World. The scythe will never bring you anywhere near anyone you ever met here. That’s one of the rules, but we’re here. This is the closest to home most of us will ever get.” His voice trailed off, and he looked away. Suzie patted his shoulder. She could imagine his pain.

  “We’re not here to talk,” said Billy. “The target will be here in a minute.”

  “The scythe tells you the target as you cross the portal,” explained Frank.

  “They explained in Theory class,” she said. “But it’s still weird to be here.”

  She looked around. They stood in an alley, with gleams of starlight visible above them. Flies buzzed over a trash can, overflowing with pizza boxes. A cool breeze blew candy wrappers across the pavement, to graffiti-covered walls. Behind her, a cement building rose, with barred windows. In front of them, a larger street met the alley, with part of a neon sign glowing around the corner. It smelled like urine.

  She heard shouts in Spanish from a dilapidated cement building with iron bars. More shouts and someone pleading. Then a gunshot and the shouts moved away from them.

  A young girl staggered into the alley. Suzie was about to speak, but Frank shook his head.

  The girl fell onto her face, a pool of blood leaking out from under her. In the distance, Suzie heard another gunshot.

  “We have to help her,” said Suzie.

  “It’s too late,” said Frank.

  The girl lay motionless. Time seemed to stop. Suzie had never witnessed someone’s death. Who was this girl? Who had shot her?

  Even as the questions started to form in her mind, the girl sat up and stared at them. Suzie started to move, but Frank grabbed her arm, holding her.

  “Where am I?” said the girl.

  She was sitting up, but she was also laying face first on the ground. The sitting girl looked at Billy with terrified eyes and struggled to her feet. Suzie realized they were each wearing black robes; even with their training badges, they must look frightening. Billy still held the scythe.

  “Is this a joke?” said the girl. “I’m not dead—”

  “You are,” said Billy.

  The standing girl had no gunshot wound in her chest. Her dress seemed to shine as she moved a step away. She never looked down at her own body, or the blood continuing to run.

  “Who are you three?” asked the girl.

  “We’re in training,” said Billy. Suzie admired how calm his voice was. He was cool and collected, while she wanted to yell.

  The girl took another step back and tripped on something. She tried to get up again but Billy held up a hand.

  “Please,” he said. “Allow me.”

  He raised the scythe and let it fall. The girl screamed, and Suzie screamed as well.

  The girl stood up again and looked at her body. Frank touched her hand, and Suzie stopped screaming.

  “I’m dead,” said the girl.

  “I’m sorry,” said Billy.

  “And now?” said the girl.

  “It’s time to go,” said Billy. “Hold my hand.”

  Billy grasped the girl’s hand and raised the scythe, letting it fall in the opposite direction. Suzie jerked forward, pulled by the tether. Light and sound converged, this time screaming even louder. Tears flowed, time slipped, and worlds passed.

  “You are strong, do not forget,” said a voice. A pair of green eyes flashed.

  Stars became twin suns. Suns became one. The familiar smell of strawberries returned. The tether slackened and she opened her eyes.

  “Where are we?” asked Suzie. Nothing looked familiar. Behind them, a cliff face rose into the sky for thousands of feet. The stony surface was craggy but rose at a perfect right angle to the ground. The wall of stone stretched impossibly high, masking the sun. The cliffs stretched beyond the horizon in each direction. She’d never imagined anything this massive.

  “The door to the Hereafter,” said Frank. “This is where we bring the souls of the dead.”

  They stood on a narrow beach of sand and pebbles. The beach ran the length of the cliff face, going to the ends of her sight. On the other side of the beach, a great sea roared. The water flowed away from the beach, and about a hundred feet into the ocean, the water shot into the air.

  A wall of water, taller than the cliff face, stretched across the waves. Water pounded in her ears, rushing skyward. The beach was the bottom of a chasm between sea and stone, a chasm reaching beyond her sight and extending to infinity.

  In front of Billy, a stone bridge extended over the waves. An enormous metal door, thirty feet high, stood in the middle of the gushing wall of water.

  “I’m not ready,” said the dead girl. “I want to go back. Please.”

  “There is nothing else,” said Billy. Sadness lingered in his eyes, but his voice was firm. “We will stay here. Cross the bridge and enter the door.”

  As he spoke, the metal door opened a crack. White light streamed from the other side.

  “We don’t even know her name,” said Suzie.

  “I’m Julia,” said the girl. “Please, miss, I don’t want to die.”

  “You already have,” said Billy. “Don’t make this any harder.”

  “Strawberries,” said Julia. “I never dreamed Heaven would smell like strawberries.”

  “This isn’t Heaven,” said Billy.

  “But I’ve been good, you don’t mean it’s—”

  “No,” said Billy. “This is nowhere. Go through that door, and you will get your answers. I don’t know what will happen, but it’s my job to bring you.”

  Julia took a deep breath and laughed.

  “I guess I don’t need to breathe anymore,” she said.

  “Habits die hard,” said Billy. He gestured with the scythe. Its blade caught the reflection of the waves, glistening with an expectant air.

  “What will happen to me?” said Julia.

  “You’re about to find out,” he replied.

  Julia nodded, stood straighter, and walked onto the stone bridge. The metal door opened another crack. She started to walk, but turned back and looked at Suzie. Tears flowed down both of their eyes.

  “Thank you for asking my name,” said Julia.

  “Good luck,” said Suzie.

  “You too.”

  Julia turned and walked to the door. It opened, and the air around the bridge blurred. Suzie couldn’t see anything. The blur faded and Julia, the door, and even the bridge had vanished. The wall of water pounded skyward without pause.

  “Let’s go,” said Frank. “Only a few minutes left. Don’t want to be late.”

  Billy nodded and raised the scythe again. It fell into a swirl of colors, and they were back in the classroom. The trip was over.

  Frank unfastened her tether and Suzie sank to her knees. Billy handed the scythe to Hann.

  “How’d she do?” he asked.

  “She did well,” said Frank. Suzie wiped the tears from her eyes. She wouldn’t show weakness, not here.

  Hann raised an eyebrow and walked to the next group.

  “You okay?” whispered Billy.

  “I shouldn’t be upset,” she said. “It was supposed to happen. It was too—”

  “Too real,” said
Frank. “It’s tough, seeing your first Reaping.”

  “I’ve never seen someone die before,” she said. “We don’t know anything about Julia, but she looked scared.”

  “Everyone dies,” said Billy. “Our job isn’t to get involved. I usually speak to them as little as I can.”

  “She’s a human being,” said Suzie, rising to her feet. “How can you be this callous? She was an innocent girl shot down in a street. Don’t you care about what happened or who she was?”

  “No,” said Billy. “I don’t. We have a job to do. Our job is transportation, and that’s it. We don’t need to make friends with the cargo.”

  “Cargo?” Suzie’s face flushed.

  “Billy’s trying to keep his distance,” said Frank. “Your empathy isn’t bad, if you stay strong enough to keep doing your job.”

  “I care,” said Suzie. “I care about people. I care about people dying and suddenly realizing they’re dead. The least we can do is be nice to them and ask their name.”

  Luc stood and his brother nodded, pointing at her.

  “Sounds like someone’s getting a bit attached,” he said. Luc walked over to her. The class quieted while even Hann looked on. “This isn’t a job for softies,” he continued. “That’s why girls ain’t welcome.”

  “I’m not soft,” said Suzie. For a moment, she worried that he’d continue, but Frenchie beckoned him away.

  “Luc is right,” said Hann. “This is not a career where your emotions can be involved. Reap your souls, and bring them to the Hereafter. Do not stop to chit chat” —he looked at Suzie— “and do not worry about their fate. What happens will happen.” He glanced at the hourglass on his desk. “Class is over; we will continue our discussion tomorrow.”

  * * * *

  Suzie walked back to Eagle Two, trailing Frank and Billy.

  “You did well,” said Billy. “My first Reaping was a mess. Someone spotted us, and we had to flee before cutting the soul loose. They had to send in a real Death to clean up the mess. I’m glad Hann let me do this one, good way to start the year off.”