Reapers

by Kim Richardson

  Kara stumbled into the room awkwardly. Her feet seemed to be made of lead.

  “I don’t know,” she said nervously.

  “I was like this in the elevator. I just got here. I can’t believe I’m back so soon. I don’t know why exactly. I scared the operator half to death—well, I guess technically they’re dead, right? I mean, aren’t they? Aren’t they like a different type of guardian or entity? I guess that really doesn’t matter now. You should have seen the way he was staring at me, like I was a ghost—”

  “You look like a ghost,” said Raphael.

  She was still for a moment, as she studied Kara. Then she stepped out from her table and moved quickly toward the door to her chamber. She secured the door and made her way toward Kara.

  She frowned. “Try to calm yourself and let me have a look at you.”

  Although the archangel tried to hide the look of alarm on her face, Kara could see the distress in the archangel’s eyes. Gently, Raphael lifted Kara’s arms and inspected them. She poked, and prodded, and brushed her fingertips over Kara’s skin and clothes, until she had inspected every last inch of her. Finally, she looked up. Her face was grim.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” she said.

  “I can see your essence flowing around in your body, which we sometimes see in cases of defective or battered M-Suits, where the skin gets paper-thin. But this is different; both your body and your essence are translucent. It’s astonishing and very mysterious.”

  For a second, Kara thought she heard shouting coming from down the corridor.

  “I am half here?” she asked. “I mean, is the rest of me on some other plane or something? I was thinking maybe something happened before I made the transition here, like the veil was broken, and part of me is in the waiting room back on the 8TH Plane? Or maybe the room was packed, and now I’m waiting in limbo?”

  Raphael’s face was serious. “No. When there’s a fracture in the planes, you’d either be lost in oblivion until the end of time or your legs would be waiting for you on the 8Th Plane.”

  The archangel frowned again as she inspected Kara. “This is something else entirely. This looks almost like a vega malfunction, as though the metamorphosis process that builds and sheds temporary bodies hasn’t quite finished yet. It’s almost as though you’re still transforming, like your angel essence is still processing—but what it’s processing, I’m not sure. This is very strange. But that’s just a theory. I’ll have to do some tests to find out for sure.”

  She saw the look of fear on Kara’s face and squeezed her shoulder gently. “Don’t worry, Kara. We’ll find out what this is, I promise.”

  Kara looked into the archangel’s almond-shaped brown eyes and forced a little smile. “I hope so. I thought there was nothing worse than being marked.”

  She raised her hands in front of her eyes and stared at Raphael’s stunning face through them. “But this…” she paused, “this is a million times worse.”

  “How do you feel? Are you in pain of any kind?”

  Kara wanted to say she was suffering a different kind of pain, a mental one, but she decided against it.

  “No. I feel pretty normal, I feel just like all the other times I came back to Horizon.” She shrugged. “I know I look different, but I don’t feel any different.”

  Raphael put her hands on her waist, puzzled. “What’s the last thing you remember before your transition here?”

  Disjointed, Kara floundered, doing her best to recall the moments before her surprise return to Horizon. She was a little calmer now and felt safe with Raphael.

  She closed her eyes. “I remember working at the bookstore. I remember a bat dying after it crashed in the window. Yes. I remember that. Then I went to the park to lay it to rest…”

  Kara drew a blank. Her memory faded. It was obstructed by something, and she couldn’t reach it. It was like a black wall shielded her memories. She strained, but she couldn’t see past it.

  “Hmm. This is weird.”

  “What’s weird?”

  Kara opened her eyes. “It’s like something’s blocking my memory. I’m trying to remember. I know I should remember, but I can’t. I don’t remember anything else. How come I can’t remember how I died? I’ve always remembered, every single time.”

  Raphael leaned over Kara and inspected her more closely.

  “Try harder Kara. It’s imperative that you remember the events before you got here. You have to try and remember how you died. Who was with you? Was there anyone with you?”

  Kara reached back unconsciously and brushed the nape of her neck as though she expected something to be there. But still she couldn’t remember what it was she was looking for.

  “What is it? Do you feel something there?” Raphael lifted Kara’s hair out of the way and inspected the back of her neck. “I don’t see anything, there’s no mark of any kind.”

  She let Kara’s hair fall back. “Was this important to you somehow? Were you hit at the back of the head maybe?”

  Kara shrugged and rubbed her temples. “I—I don’t know. I can’t remember.” She let out a loud sigh. “This is so frustrating! Why can’t I remember? I’ve always been able to remember—”

  “Until now.” The archangel’s soft, delicate face was drawn with distress.

  Kara watched Raphael. “That means something to you…doesn’t it? What? Please tell me. I’m dying here—so to speak.”

  “I don’t know, maybe,” said the archangel after a moment’s hesitation. “Clearly, it has something to do with what’s happened to you. Maybe what’s happened to your body is also affecting your memories, making them ambiguous and inaccessible, but I’m just not sure yet. And I don’t want to say anything to make you more anxious. I can tell you’re already in a mess.”

  Raphael made her way toward the back of her chamber. She rummaged through a metal box that contained a variety of medical tools and instruments. Finally, she drew out what looked like a large needle.

  “Come and sit over here,” said Raphael as she pulled an empty chair next to her. “Let’s take a sample of your essence and see what we’ve got.”

  She tapped the seat. “Come.”

  Kara didn’t move. Her eyes were glued to the large needle in the archangel’s hands. A panic erupted in her, and she couldn’t explain it or control it. She didn’t move.

  “It won’t hurt, I promise. You’re in your guardian angel body, not your mortal one. Remember, physical pain is expressed differently here. Your body, your shell, is much stronger. You won’t feel a thing.”

  Still, Kara wouldn’t move. It was as though giant invisible hands held her on the spot. There was something oddly familiar and terrifying about that needle.

  Raphael set her needle down.

  “Kara, if you want to know what’s happened to you, I need to run some tests. Whatever this is…it could be very serious. I don’t want to take any chances. What’s the matter with you?”

  Suddenly, the door burst open and two large silverback gorillas hurtled into the room.

  Chapter 4

  Transparency

  A dark-skinned guardian angel with a squished face like a bulldog came rushing through behind the gorillas. He pointed directly at Kara, “That’s the creature!”

  “Get her! Secure her at once!” said another younger officer importantly.

  He reminded Kara of a foolish young cop on his first day on the job, trying a little too hard to please his senior officer.

  The five-hundred-pound gorillas flexed their massive muscles and snarled. Their teeth looked like miniature swords. The smell of wet dog filled Raphael’s impeccable chamber so that it smelled like a kennel.

  Kara shifted uneasily under the wild stares of the gorillas. She hardly took notice of the officers—they didn’t have pointy teeth. The gorillas were positioned strategically in front of the only door. There was no way she could fight off two gorillas.

  Kara forgot her strange ghost-like appearance and fel
t anger in the pit of her angel body. It lit her like a flame and grew hotter and hotter, until it consumed her.

  She glowered at the officers. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She was being judged and convicted before all the facts were known. What else could go wrong?

  “Now wait just a minute!” exclaimed Raphael.

  She moved in front of Kara defensively, like a mother protecting her child.

  “What is the meaning of this? You can’t just barge in here without proper authorization. This is my private healing chamber. Under whose authority have you come here?”

  The senior officer stepped forward. His face was hard but the fear in his eyes betrayed him.

  “I apologize, archangel Raphael, but we have strict instructions to bring in—” He gestured to Kara. “—her, at once.”

  “From whom? Bring her where exactly?” Raphael’s tone was threatening. She seemed to expand in height, and suddenly she looked fiercer than the two gorillas combined. The two officers leaned back.

  The senior officer hesitated before answering. “It was the archangel Metatron. He wishes us to bring the intruder to him at once.”

  “I’m not an intruder,” said Kara before she could control herself. “I’m a guardian angel just like you. So what if I’m—if I’m a little discolored. I’m still a guardian. Besides, as far as I know, and I know the rules—believe me—I haven’t done anything wrong. I haven’t broken any rules, have I? So you can just go tell your Metatron that I’m staying right here with Raphael.”

  The officer seemed taken aback that Kara had had the nerve to speak to him at all. He glowered at her, which only made her anger deepen.

  “Metatron,” he said and raised his chin, “is a highly respectable archangel, intruder.”

  “I’m not an intruder!” Kara’s anger skyrocketed. If the gorillas hadn’t been there, she would have slapped the scowl off his face.

  She glanced at the gorillas. They were eyeballing her like she was a curious toy, and they were waiting for their commanders to give them the word to grab her and squeeze the soul out of her.

  “Metatron, you say?” said Raphael.

  The look in Raphael’s eye didn’t comfort Kara. She suspected that Metatron and Raphael didn’t get along. Raphael was the most gentle, most passive of all the archangels she had ever met, and so her attitude toward Metatron was disturbing.

  Kara had never heard of the name Metatron before. He must have been appointed to the council of archangels while she had been absent. She had a feeling she would be meeting him very soon.

  Raphael stood defiantly with her hands on her hips and stared down at the two officers.

  “Kara is under my care, and right now she isn’t going anywhere with you. So you can turn around right now and take your companions with you. Get out of my chamber.”

  The officers squirmed uncomfortably, but the senior officer seemed determined to do his job. He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, archangel Raphael, but we have strict orders to bring her in. If you don’t let us take her then—”

  “You’ll what?” growled Raphael, and even Kara felt a little frightened.

  Raphael was as gentle as a lamb until you messed with her. Now she was as fierce as a lioness protecting her cub.

  “I don’t care what Metatron wants,” continued the archangel. “He has no authority over me. She stays with me, and that’s final.”

  “But, archangel Raphael,” began the senior officer, “we were told to bring her in no matter what. We were told to use force if need be.”

  At that the two gorillas growled and hit their chests with their powerful fists. The floor shook as they pounded the ground with their feet.

  Raphael’s beautiful face darkened. “Is that so?”

  An ominous smile played on her lips, and light emanated from her. It grew steadily stronger until her body glowed like a brilliant white star. She made her way toward the gorillas—

  “Okay, okay, show’s over, people,” came a familiar voice. Even before she saw him, Kara’s skin tingled in excitement.

  David came strutting through the front door with a confident smile. He pushed his way between the two officers, and although they grimaced back in protest, they didn’t stop him.

  He wore black cargo pants tucked into a pair of shiny black boots and a short-sleeved black shirt that emphasized his athletic build. His eyes met Kara’s, and for a second she could see a mixture of surprise and fear. But then his smile widened, and he winked at her. David was on her side.

  At first she had feared his reaction to seeing her like this. She remembered how badly he had reacted when he had seen her mark. But now it was different. She could tell that David trusted her this time.

  David waved his hand to the officers, dismissing them.

  “I’m here now, you can go back to whatever lame, boring job you were doing before. Nothing to see here. Movin’ on. Movin’ on. Let’s go.”

  He clapped his hands together. “Chop chop.”

  “Excuse me, David McGowan,” said the younger officer, “but we have strict instructions from Metatron to secure the intruder and bring her to him immediately—”

  “Well, that’s just it,” said David as he circled the officers, inspecting them closely. He reached out and picked a piece of lint off the younger officer’s uniform. “Metatron sent me.”

  He flicked the lint from his fingers.

  “Yes, that’s right, you heard me. Me-ta-tron, that big, bad, archangel who looks like a gangster. Exactly. Well, he told me—” he poked himself in the chest and then reached out and poked the senior officer on the front of his jacket, “to tell you that you are to dismiss that order and hand the intruder—” his eyes went to Kara for a second, “to moi.”

  He beamed.

  “Isn’t that a fish?” questioned the younger officer.

  “It’s French,” said David.

  “The fish is French?”

  David lost his smile and slapped his forehead. “It means me, genius. Metatron orders you to release the intruder to me.”

  The officers shared a sidelong glance and then the senior officer spoke.

  “Metatron gave you that order? You’d better not be lying to us, David McGowan. We know your reputation for being a ruthless rule breaker.”

  David made a face and pressed his hand on his chest.

  “What? I’m shocked. I’m such a good little soldier. I always follow the rules. I have no idea what you mean.”

  He watched the officers’ unconvinced expressions and his face hardened.

  “Look, are you questioning Metatron’s orders? Do you know what will happen if he finds out that you—” he poked the officer again, “disobeyed his orders?”

  The officers were silent.

  “They don’t call him Metatron the Fierce for nothing.”

  David caught Kara’s eye again, and she felt a spark of electricity rise in her. She couldn’t help but smile. David always knew how to make her smile in a tight situation.

  Both officers were quiet. Kara could see the indecision on their faces. And when she looked over to Raphael, the archangel’s sudden great luminescence had diminished. She still looked angry, but she wasn’t nearly so scary. The officers didn’t pose a threat to her any longer.

  David threw up his hands dramatically.

  “Fine. Have it your way.” And then he pointed a finger at them.

  “But let me tell you this. He’ll throw you in Tartarus, that’s what he’ll do.” David observed the men squirm for a moment. “You wouldn’t want that, trust me.”

  He looked over to Kara, and she remembered the time when he came to rescue her in his polka dot boxer shorts. “Once you step into Tartarus—that’s it—you never get out.”

  The officers shared a panicked glance.

  “You’ll stay there until the end of time.” And then he added, “Your body and mind will rot away with the rest of the decrepit souls. You’ll never get out. Never.”

  David rubbed his hands
together. “Might as well say your goodbyes now, unless…” He raised his brows. “Unless you obey the order from Metatron and release the intruder to me, as he requested. What will it be, boys?”

  The senior officer cleared his throat, but he still had a panicked look about him. “We release the intruder to you, as per Metatron’s instructions.”

  “Ha!” David’s sudden outburst caused the officers to scowl at him skeptically.

  David realized his slipup and quickly recovered. “I mean, yes, good, very good.” His tone grew more serious. “Metatron will thank you for it. You’d better go now. We’ll take it from here.”

  Just when Kara was starting to wonder which we David meant, the senior officer spoke.

  “Right then,” he looked at Raphael. “We apologize for this unfortunate misunderstanding—”

  “Yeah right,” muttered Kara under her breath.

  “—We’ll be going now.”

  With a final look in Kara’s direction, the two officers bowed, and then made for the doorway with their giant gorilla escorts. They looked as though they feared the wrath of the mysterious Metatron. They clearly didn’t want to get on his bad side.

  Kara had the sudden urge to run over to David and jump into his arms to kiss him. Horizon had strict rules about romance, but she couldn’t control her feelings. Even in the body of an angel, or half an angel, she could still feel. It took every effort to restrain herself and stay put.

  David watched her. He misunderstood her reluctance to speak or move as fear. He hurried over to Kara and squeezed her hand.

  “It feels…it feels the same as before, but what in Horizon’s name happened to you? Why do you look like a ghost? Are you okay? How do you feel? Does it hurt?”

  Kara squeezed David’s hand back. She wanted nothing more than to tell him how good it felt, to have him with her now that her world felt upside-down.

  But instead she said, “I don’t know why I’m like this.”