Don't Fear the Reaper

by Michelle Muto

  We ran out of the waiting room, down the hallway. I barely noticed the frigid chill I got running through a nurse pushing a lab cart. I didn’t bother to turn to see if she shivered from the sudden draft. In our mad dash through the lobby, we startled two earthbounds. Both men stared, wide-eyed, their mouths agape as we ran past them. Since I was ahead of Banning and Daniel, the men probably thought I had a demon and a reaper chasing after me.

  “Neither of you saw her leave?” Banning asked. “What happened?”

  “Chloe’s death shook her up a bit,” I said as we hurried through the sliding glass doors and into the daylight. “But, I don’t think that was it.”

  We stopped at the curb. Banning surveyed the parking lot for a ride. “What did she say? Did either of you do anything to upset her?”

  I thought for a moment. I started to answer that neither of us had said a word. But, we had. Jordan began acting weird once Daniel started grilling me on Pete. I gave Daniel a shove. “You knew!” I spat. “You knew she’d go to Pete’s house, didn’t you?”

  Banning glanced at the two of us. “Enough, Keely. Daniel? What did you say?”

  Daniel kicked at the curb, his eyes on me. “I tried to tell you.”

  “You told me nothing!” I shouted.

  “Come on! Did you think I could come right out and say it?” Daniel said in an exasperated tone. “I gave you plenty of hints. Besides, tell me this, who suggested that you check on her?”

  True, he had been trying to tell me something, but I'd had no idea it had to do with Jordan. I’d thought it was all about that stupid test. “That’s not the point, Daniel!”

  “Enough,” Banning warned, “Both of you.” He took hold of our arms and moved us forward as though we were a couple of five-year-olds. Until now, I hadn’t realized that Daniel and I had stopped in the middle of the patient pick-up zone to argue.

  “But he’s the reason she took off!” I tried to explain. “Daniel planted the idea in Jordan’s head that I’d fail. He asked what I’d do to Pete if I knew I was going to hell anyway.”

  “And?” Banning asked Daniel.

  “You know, you could’ve said something there,” Daniel replied.

  He was right. I should have spoken up. If I hadn’t been so freaked about the stupid test and upset over little Chloe, I might have figured out what Daniel was doing. Jordan had understood. But I missed it entirely. Damn! I was such an idiot!

  “Come on. Let’s concentrate on getting to Jordan before she does something she’ll regret, shall we?” Banning said.

  Banning and Daniel scouted people and cars, looking for a probable ride. They could move faster than me, and in ways I could only imagine. “Can’t you two just tell me how to get to Pete’s? I’ll catch up while you guys go ahead and stop her,” I said.

  They both shook their heads.

  “From here on, we can’t leave you alone,” Daniel said.

  I shot him a puzzled glance. From here on? What did that mean? And what exactly did he think I could do? I’d be the last one to get to where we were going. I couldn’t exactly arrange a surprise attack.

  “Banning, please, go ahead of us and talk her out of doing anything stupid.” I shot a glare at Daniel. “Just tell me where you’re going, so the trickster here doesn’t have me make a wrong turn someplace.”

  Frustrated, Daniel took a deep breath. “Ease up, will you? I didn’t know she’d take off, okay? Do I look like I carry a crystal ball? You’re her sister.” Daniel tapped a finger to the side of his head. “I thought identical twins were supposed to be in tune with each other. You wanted justice, Sunshine. I was just trying to give it to you.”

  His explanation didn’t change anything. He had jeopardized my sister, and I had trusted him. Daniel scrubbed a hand across his face. I think he was sorry, but it didn’t change the outcome. My sister was in serious trouble.

  “Besides,” he said, “If she takes the demon’s offer to kill Pete, then you and Banning are off the hook. No one would blame the murder victim, right?”

  I turned away from Daniel. Banning continued to look for just the right ride. Damn! I should have known what Jordan had in mind, and I hated that Daniel had to point it out.

  “I can’t believe Lucifer would take a trade-off like that. He’d only get Pete.” I scanned the area for anyone who might be heading toward a car. “The other way around, he’d get Banning and me, and still get Pete.”

  “I’m guessing Lucifer didn’t consider the possibility of Jordan taking the deal instead,” Banning said.

  The more I thought about Jordan, the more frightened I became. “They’ll hurt her.”

  Daniel reached out to touch me, but decided better of it. “We’ll be there before they do anything. Before she does anything. Seriously. We’ll get there. I promise.”

  Banning pointed out a man getting into an older, black Lexus sedan in need of a wash. We jogged over to the car. “Daniel’s idea might work,” Banning said. “Her chances might be better than yours.”

  We slid into the car just as the man threw the Lexus into reverse. Then he pulled forward equally fast, whipping through the parking lot, and onto the main road, heading north.

  I leaned forward in my seat. Time was wasting away and here we were, traveling by stupid car. “Banning? Please? Can you just go get my sister? Stop her?”

  Banning pivoted slightly to face me. “I doubt Jordan is going to go storming in and demand to speak to the head demon. And the demons won’t do anything right away. They’ll wait and see what Jordan’s going to do first.”

  “How can you be sure?” I asked, ignoring the caged feeling I had just sitting in the car. We were going too slowly. Of course, if we’d been doing eighty I still would’ve thought we were going too slowly.

  “Because I’ve seen this before,” Banning said. “Demons like to watch the fuse burn on the bomb for a while. They don’t care about Pete. Jordan’s attempt to save herself and you is much more entertaining for them. They’ll play it for everything it’s worth.”

  I didn’t feel good about this, but what else could I do? I sighed. The sooner we got to Jordan, the better. Banning’s thoughts about what might happen did little to comfort me. Because, when it came to Pete, even I couldn’t predict what Jordan would do next.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  The Lexus inched along in the bottleneck of cars, aggravating the driver and me.

  Atlanta traffic. Just my luck. One minute, the roads were wide open, and the next minute you were in gridlock for hours. We’d been on the road less than five minutes and this was already beyond excruciating. If Jordan had missed hitting the traffic, she could be long gone.

  Frustrated with my dependence on Daniel and Banning to get me to Pete’s, I pounded on the armrest. “I can’t believe my own sister tricked me. All those questions at the hospital!”

  “That’s it!” Daniel said. “How can I be so freaking stupid? This whole deal isn’t all about you or your sister. Damn, I can’t believe this.”

  “You’re hurting my brain, Daniel,” I said. “What are you talking about?”

  “I was the one set up. He played me!”

  “Who?” Banning and I asked simultaneously.

  “Lucifer,” Daniel said. “Damn it! He knew I’d tell Keely and Jordan about the deal!”

  Biting my lip, I watched the slow moving traffic. Why were we still sitting here? Walking would almost be faster than this.

  Daniel pummeled the armrest. “I’m sorry. The boss man schemed this whole thing. He knew I’d say something, knew you’d go help your sister. He probably figures it’s his best chance to win. Now, he’ll get four souls. You and your sister, Banning, and Pete.”

  We just made it through the tail end of a yellow light. Someone blew a horn, but I barely registered the sound.

  “Demon rule number one,” Daniel continued. “Ruthlessness over truthfulness. And, a common demon saying, a trick is the devil’s walking stick. Why didn’t I see this?”

  �
�He who lies for you, lies to you,” Banning replied. “Old Bosnian proverb. Don’t be so hard on yourself, Daniel. I think he’s got a lot more experience than you do at reading souls.”

  I nudged Daniel’s leg.

  “It’s okay. We were all set up.” I don’t know why I cared, but I did. I couldn’t blame Jordan for wanting to save my soul, although I was still a little angry that Daniel would risk hers over mine. “You didn’t see this coming and I didn’t see what Jordan would do. Let’s just get to her quickly, okay?” I stared out the window. “Can’t we get out and walk or something?”

  I hoped one of them had a better idea than sitting in traffic. “Banning?” I pleaded softly.

  “We’ll get there,” he said, sounding not at all confident.

  I leaned against Banning’s seat. “Don’t wait for me. Go. You’ve got to talk her out of it. Tell her to wait for me.”

  “And if I do?” he said. “What would your sister do if I asked her to wait?”

  Fear hammered away inside me. All I could picture was Jordan in a house full of demons and Pete. I recalled how helpless I’d been against the demons Daniel and I had encountered. “I don’t know. Maybe she’d still sacrifice herself for me. But, you’ve got to try. She might listen to you. At least it’ll buy us some time.”

  I felt Daniel’s hand on my shoulder. “I’ll go.”

  Banning turned toward Daniel. I’d seen that expression on Banning’s face before. Amazement that Daniel would make such an offer? Sure, but I suspected a hint of concern there, too.

  “I can do it,” Daniel said. “Or, I can at least hold up the works until you get there.”

  “Daniel—”

  Banning joined in my protest, interrupting me. “You know what Lucifer will do if he finds out, Daniel, and he will find out. You’ll be hunted. You’ll be rogue.”

  “Don’t you think he already knows?” Daniel retorted.

  Jordan didn’t fully trust Daniel. She’d had a hard enough time trusting angels. Banning was a much better choice. He could stall her until I got there. “Guys, I know my sister. Sorry, Daniel. A demon won’t change her mind. Either we need to get me there right now, or Banning has to go talk some sense into her.”

  Daniel stared absently up at the car’s roof. “And how do you think you’re going to stop her once you’re there?”

  I didn’t want to say it.

  “Make the deal yourself? Can’t let you do that, Sunshine.”

  But that’s what Daniel was supposed to do—get me to make the deal. I stared out the window again. We were moving now, but not fast enough and the light up ahead turned red. “Banning, please? You’re her best chance.”

  The driver slowed to a stop. Banning got out of the car and I quickly followed. Good. Now we were getting somewhere.

  “I’ve got an idea,” Daniel said. “I can get you to Pete’s house faster.”

  I paused, hoping he’d come up with something really good, because time was running out.

  Banning raised an eyebrow.

  Daniel smirked. “Yeah, well. I wasn’t counting on you liking it. But it’s all I’ve got.” He stared at a red street bike a couple of cars ahead of us.

  Motorcycles weren’t my thing. I was more of a sports car girl, but it was hard to look at the glistening red bike and not see speed and maneuverability. “There’s only room for one. How will I know where to go?”

  “He’s saying that while I go ahead, the two of you will hitch a ride on that bike,” Banning replied.

  The bike’s owner pulled closer to the center lane to get a better handle on the situation ahead. Probably figuring the odds of riding down the middle, between lanes. He was checking for cops.

  “We both won’t fit,” I commented.

  Daniel grinned. “Oh, you, me, and that guy are all going. Dude’s going to take you for a ride, and I’m taking him for one.”

  “You mean possession?” The hair stood up on my arms.

  Daniel raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Are you with me, or not?”

  The guy on the bike seemed like he was ready to take off any minute. “Let’s do it.”

  “Be careful,” Banning said. His form darkened, as though eclipsed in shadow. It wavered and twisted, then slid across the sidewalk and up the side of the building in a swirl of black smoke and was gone. A raven cawed in the distance.

  Daniel tugged at my arm. “Let’s go.”

  We caught up with the biker easily enough. He hadn’t moved a whole lot farther than a minute ago, still inching his way along the street behind the cars.

  “Get on,” Daniel instructed.

  I hesitated. This guy had no idea what was coming. For that matter, neither did I. Traffic started to move forward.

  “It’s now or never.” Daniel’s eyes sparked red and veins stood out on his forehead. He chanted words that sounded like a cross between Latin and something more ethereal. The words were fluid as they slithered from his tongue.

  The guy on the bike relaxed, placing his hands on either side of his helmet. With a hard, swift motion, he cracked his neck—first to the left, then the right, the vertebrae going off like gunshots. Then the guy chimed in, repeating Daniel’s words, sounding more and more like Daniel as he spoke.

  This was freaky. If I weren’t in such a hurry to get to Jordan, I wouldn’t have any part of this.

  Daniel slid into the bike’s driver as effortlessly as he had slid onto the backseat of the Lexus. The guy stiffened momentarily, then unfastened his helmet and tossed it to the curb. He turned to look at me. The face belonged to a stranger—a guy who might have been in his mid-twenties with short spiked hair lighter in color, but otherwise not too different from Daniel’s. But it was his eyes that clearly stated who was really behind the handlebars. The guy revved the bike and grinned.

  No one had a grin like Daniel.

  I got on behind him and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist. I’d barely positioned my feet when he took off, veering right onto the sidewalk at breakneck speed.

  “Careful!” I screamed. Daniel ignored me. Bikes might not be my thing, but I’d ridden them plenty of times. Miles had even taught me how to drive his. The speed itself wasn’t the problem—the problem was that there were people up ahead.

  Daniel goosed the bike, maneuvering in between a bench and a light post and my grip around him tightened. A woman walking out of a shop dropped her bags and darted back inside. A guy walking a dog snatched up his Jack Russell and dove from our path.

  “Sorry!” I yelled back, realizing the guy couldn’t see or hear me. Only Daniel. Or, the guy whose body he’d possessed. I wondered what the guy thought about all this. According to what Banning and Daniel had told me, possession was one of those times when the afterlife connected with the living.

  “I thought you were made of tougher stuff,” Daniel yelled back at me.

  “I am tough,” I replied. “But, you’re going to get this guy into a lot of trouble. He didn’t exactly invite you in. What if he’s a nice guy?”

  Daniel dodged a skateboarder and zoomed into traffic, causing a truck to hit the brakes. We headed north, in between lanes of traffic, easily passing vehicles.

  “He is a nice guy. Might not be after this, but hey. Right now, Mr. Nice Guy is worried about you. Yeah, I can hear his thoughts, in case you were wondering. He doesn’t realize that you’re earthbound. And don’t worry. He’s not going to get caught.” Daniel found an open lane and scooted into it, cutting off another car. The driver blared his horn, and Daniel looked back and grinned even wider.

  “WOOO!” Daniel yelled. “I’d forgotten how much fun this was. The bike, not the possession.”

  We wove around a few more cars. Horns sounded loudly and tires squealed as drivers hit the brakes. I looked for cops—with our luck, there were probably a few of them around, but unless I missed seeing them, which seemed all too likely the way Daniel drove—I never saw a marked car.

  “Are you sure he won’t catch heat for this?” I aske
d.

  “Nada, Sunshine. And we’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  I leaned into him, resting my chin on his shoulder and pressing my mouth against his ear. “Then punch it.”

  He glanced back at me, and with another disquieting, slanted grin, popped the front wheel up slightly and rocketed the bike forward.

  A few minutes later, we came to a skidding stop in Pete’s driveway. The house was an older, split-level red brick ranch with a light gray roof and shutters. Whatever plants had once been in the planter along the walkway to the front door had long since died. Remnants of their stalks jutted up from the cracked, dry soil.

  A flock of ravens watched us from a nearby pine, their caws echoing around us. Otherwise, nothing else stirred. No other birds, no squirrels. No children played outside in front of their houses.

  “Banning’s already here,” I said, dismounting the bike. “Hope he’s okay.”

  “I’m sure he is—for now. But there are more demons inside than he can handle.” Daniel shut the engine off and set the kickstand down. “And they’ll keep coming. Especially now that we’re here.” He dismounted the bike and stormed toward the house.

  “Hey!” I called as I ran after him. “Don’t you want to ditch the biker guy first? It’s too dangerous for him.”

  Daniel turned, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Not yet. Our buddy here is still useful. Pete’s human, remember? And this guy is pretty damn tough. Besides, Jordan’s inside. We might need this guy to help get her out of the house.”

  “Why not just ditch him and change into one of those other types of demons?” I asked.

  Daniel didn’t answer. But I thought I might already know why. Because no matter what, Daniel didn’t want to be like them. But he could have picked a better time to have standards.

  “One thing,” Daniel warned. “Once inside, things are going to look different. This’ll be Hell’s funhouse. Once inside, it’ll be like passing into a different dimension.”

  I nodded.

  The front screen door protested with a long creak as we entered the house. I stood in the foyer, eyes scanning the room for demons. The fireplace had been lit, the flames dancing and casting odd, gyrating shadows on the walls. One of the shadows, as black as a starless night, disentangled itself from the wall and darted across the room. It was a grotesque being; squat with a protruding chin and joints that bent at odd angles. The creature paused and turned its head to look back at me, chortling darkly as it disappeared around the corner where Daniel had just gone.