“It’s just you and me…” I exhaled.
Raix glanced up at me, his eyes burning silver. And slowly, very cautiously as to not alarm him, I slouched down onto my knees and held my hand out. I placed my hand on his nozzle and felt it was warm despite the winter’s cold touch and it sent a very pleasing tingle through my entire body. I sat myself onto my rear and tilted my head back. I must’ve sat there for hours, just watching the moon’s gentle radiance bloom in the middle of the starless night. Raix was quiet also, his body radiating enough heat that I felt toasty and warm.
I am going to leave forever. That was my final decision.
***
It was just a couple of days later when bunches of fare well flowers were left outside Mrs Flitch’s house. I was on my way home from spending my time with Elliot. He took me to a hospital where a man died while sleeping in his bed. Elliot had given me a cloak just like the one they all wore; the material was light and flowy but otherwise felt just the same as normal material. It wasn’t black or really any colour. It was a soft white shine, but when you put it on it became transparent through your clothes. I wore my normal clothes underneath it, only wearing the cloak when I was working on the job. Not that it matter, I could never take off the cloak and no one would be the wiser. It was really fascinating, when you wore no clothes underneath the cloak or you were in your reaping state it became black, but with clothes on the cloak remained transparent and alternating.
It was accelerating. As soon as I stepped underneath the weight of the robe, it was like a magical sheet covered me from head to toe. It had actually felt like I was covered in brittle tissue. When I looked into the mirror, wondering what everyone else saw, my body was just a distorted flickering spec. The light curved around me unnaturally like I was pulling at the covers of a tight blanket that was reluctant to move. It was a little overwhelming, watching as my face shift underneath the mirage. It made me doubt that I was even standing there in front of the mirror at all.
As I walked through the halls of the hospital it was even more shocking to notice that I didn’t need to weave and dodge everybody else. The cloak not only wrapped light and shade around me but also made me untouchable, everything but the soles of my feet fell through material objects.
Elliot had also mentioned to be careful when walking through muddy places, as it is important not to leave foot prints behind for the living to see. I watched from outside the room, again not wanting Raix to be tempted by the fresh spirit. It wasn’t exactly surprising to see a whole number of Reapers patrolling the halls, walking in and out of the hospital rooms with their Goons’ mouth filled with blue smoke.
I had spotted Teresa flicker into light for a second. She scrunched her nose at the smell of me and glared furiously for me to stay in my spot. I gave her my best sympathetic smile but it did very little to ease her hatred. She moved in and out the room with gliding ease, her vulture Goon hot on her toes before they both disappeared into the ground.
***
It was late when I finally got home. Dad was sitting on the couch, waiting by the front door and helping himself to some sweets left in the candy bowl. He seemed to be a little anxious about something that his spine straightened when I opened the door.
“What’s going on?” I had asked when Nathan rounded the corner.
“Old woman next door kicked the bucket.” He said.
“Mrs Flitch?” Of course. How could I have forgotten that?
“She had passed away a couple of days ago now,” Ange explained before running her fingers through her hair. “Her stupid cat has been here nearly every day meowing for food.”
“Evan… he doesn’t know does he?” I asked suddenly swelling with overdue guilt. He had been really close to Mrs Flitch, the news will be devastating… and if he knew it was me who took her life he’ll hate me forever.
I moved further into the room feeling the unease knot of my conscience twist at my stomach. Not long after I entered the room, there was the shuffling of shoes scaping along the drive way. Raymond stood up and greeted Evan by the door.
“Evan, come in here for a moment” He ushered Evan inside with a soft touch on the back. He sat him down by the couch, and a little cowardly I stayed hidden behind the wall divider. I don’t know what made me think he would look over at me, able to read the guilt that tightened my voice.
Dad continued on, “I know you’re a big boy now and you are familiar with, the umm… cycle of life…” He paused for an unbearable long time, thinking through his words while Evan sat rigid in his seat. He was panicked by the serious tone, his eyes widening expecting the worse. “Mrs Flitch from next door has passed on, we were told by paramedics a few days ago when some of the old ladies rang worried about her not turning up for bingo. She went without pain...”
“She died a couple of days ago? Why didn’t you tell me?” Evan shouted.
“Well, it just slipped our minds.”
“It just slipped your mind? Are you kidding me?” Evan’s voice cracked underneath his yelling as his cheeks started to bloom red. I cringed at the expression of his face, knowing soon he’ll break under and start to cry. I couldn’t help it… I looked away.
“Evan, lower your voice. Don’t talk to your father like that…”
“She’s just some old woman, why are you getting so worked up over her?” Dad’s voice scoffed in his confusion.
“She wasn’t just some old woman! You didn’t even know her!!” Evan bellowed before I heard a loud crash like something was thrown across the room. Glancing up the table had been booted over which caused the candy bowl to be sprayed across the floor.
“Pick that up right now!” Dad roared and stepped up to him, both their faces matching their rage.
Evan attempted to make a run for it, but Ray caught him by the elbow and dragged him back across the ground. Ange inhaled a quick panicked gasp, not sure what to do as Nathan watched on with a pinch to his eyebrows, it could’ve been a look of curiosity or shock.
Evan continued kicking outwards against Ray’s advancing footsteps as Ray shoved the flailing limbs away slaps. It had looked dangerously close landing a wild punch into Evan, so I quickly threw myself in the middle to stop the fight. I pushed against Ray to control him, taking a hold of both wrists so he couldn’t strike downwards anymore. And when I had enough grip, it was easy to tip Raymond backwards and throw him onto his back foot. Without a word more, dad threw his hands up before storming out of the room. The silence only made the bang of the slamming door echo louder. Unable to move, I just stood there dwelling in self-loathing, knowing that I had been there when Mrs Flitch died. I could’ve told Evan. This whole thing could’ve been…. Avoided.
But I hadn’t. Maybe I couldn’t… whatever blame was anchoring me down was strong enough to hold my mouth shut. Ange started to clean up the scattered candy pieces, trying to busy her hands as I glanced over my shoulder, just in time to catch Evan bolt from the room. Nathan exchanged almost fearful looks with me, like he hadn’t ever seen Evan explode like that before.
I went straight to my room. It may have been childish of me, but I couldn’t bear to try and comfort Evan knowing that I was the one that drew Mrs Flitch’s soul from her body.
And it was really selfish of me but I started to avoid him too.
Chapter Eight:
Next day Elliot came to collect me for work but the muscles in my body screamed at me to stay in bed. He wasn’t pleased but left me in peace. He bickered over his shoulder before he left, ‘You can’t stay here anymore. You have to let go before you really hurt someone.’ I didn’t ask him what he meant because I already knew.
Soon it was Christmas and the town was painted white with snow and freckled with Christmas lights and decorations. It was like mad elves had graffiti the entire town in their attempt to fill everyone with the jolly spirit. But they had not reached our house. Ange and Ray had left the night before hand, leaving me in charge to run the show on Christmas morning. But I hadn’t had the spir
it to even fake a smile, and neither Nathan nor Evan bothered to wake before noon. I had gone out on a few more jobs with Elliot since then, the sight of these deaths growing less and less sickening to me.
Maybe I had been desensitised, but I’m thankful for my thick skin. It had almost gotten to the point where Elliot had allowed me to go on the next one alone. It’s not like we really had to go searching for deaths anyway, but just by being near my presence death seemed to follow. But sometimes, when the pull is strong, I am lead into someone’s house or to a car accident or hospital. It’s like a strong smell. A smell of what I can’t really explain. It just tickles my nose and turns my head this way and that, taking me down a road that at the end awaits a fresh soul. I’m still not confident in Raix’s temper and aggression towards other Goons, so if two of us turn up at a death site I’m always the one to leave empty handed.
***
I was on my way down a suburban street when I got the strong sensation again. It was different from all the other times when I was baited. This smell was… foul.
I almost didn’t want to go to it, but my duty as a Reaper kept my feet moving in its direction. It was in a house just at the end of the street where one of the buildings was divided into four different units. Two for the ground floor and two on the second level. The smell was strong from the bottom right where the curtains were drawn in. Like usual, I approached the door to let myself in only to notice the door was left ajar. Inside was completely black except for the flickering on the television screen, the sound on low near mute.
I didn’t bother to put on the hood of my cloak just yet as the spasm of nerves ran around my right eye, printing the tattoo into my skin. I pushed open the door cautiously when I heard a voice shout my name back near the entrance of the street.
I had been followed?
Panicked I fled inside the apartment and slammed the door closed. I reached down to secure the lock only to realise that the lock had been pried off with a crowbar. Inside was thick with dust; dirty dishes were piled up in the sink and newspapers and clothes thrown carelessly across the lounge. There were open packets of food that had invited a line of ants into the flat, their trail of workers weaving through the mess and into the joining kitchen. But then I stopped suddenly at the dangling form in front. I felt unable to swallow my words as a silent yelp almost escaped me.
There was a man in here, hanging by a rope.
I stumbled backwards in my horror; the motionless body just a dark shadow within the lightless room. My right eye felt like it was on fire, the pain was so intense I had to pull my face away and clutch at my forehead. I had seen death paraded in front of me almost a hundred times but it always came in the form of a sleeping patient. Nothing like this, nothing where the decreased was cradled in the noose of a rope. In my bewilderment I didn’t notice the front door was pressed open as it casted the sunlight into the gloomy house. The voice that had called out to me stepped without falter into the apartment, stretching his neck around the bend of the door frame. It was Mark. He had followed me here.
“Mark?”
“Jordon… what the hell? I was calling your name.” Mark walked in before he too suddenly noticed the owner dangling by his neck. “Holy crap! What’s going on?”
“Mark get out of here!”
“Who is this guy?”
“Mark just lea-”
But it was too late. The darkness in the room shifted, moulding Raix out of the pressed shadows and into the giant canine body like an omen. I rushed to Mark with a bowed head, trying to keep my face concealed, as I shoved him against his chest and out the door. I was trying to keep Mark distracted from Raix and thankfully he couldn’t seem to dislodge his eyes from the body in front.
“Dude, quit pushing me we have the call for an ambulance or the police! Why are you even here…?” He took my hand that held my face and moved it down, revealing the tattoos that squirmed like parasites under my skin. He inhaled sharply but couldn’t say anything. My secret was unravelling faster than a loose thread on a spinning wheel. The unfolding events shocked us both into silence until Raix snarled and tore Mark’s attention away from me. He leapt backwards that his back hit the wall, eyes nearly falling out of his head by his anguished surprise. He may have been more shocked that he had even missed noticing a creature like Raix in the first place.
“Look out!” He yelled and tried to pull me away protectively from the demon dog.
“Mark, you need to get out of here.” I pleaded with him, fighting against his strength when he retracted his hand off me so fast I had thought I was burning him.
“What the hell happened to your eyes-” He leaned away from me as my eyes tingled with their transformation, my usual brown now warped into a deep, metal silver with twisted black lines in the right iris.
“I can explain later okay…”
Raix’s vicious bark turned me back around, watching as the ghost started to disperse from its body into electric blue light. The loose spirit built himself up into his human form, but instead of slouching like he was on sleeping medication everything about this spirit started to tremble. His soft hair became black and a tainted darkness seemed to rain down his face, stopping just across his eyes as if covered by soot.
The rest of him spiralled into place, his body drawing power from the darkness that filled him out till he built a replica of himself instead of being blue fog. It was like he wasn’t a spirit; he wasn’t see through and made of smoke but instead his human skin was a sterile white. He’s eyes flew open, wild and senseless and they shone with such heat that I could feel the spiritual energy light up my face.
They were blue, a burning, flaming sapphire blue. The spirit’s face started to curl in what I could only presume was a scowl, hunching his back in a feral manner as if he were some wild boar ready to charge. He was looking everywhere, dazed and lost. He almost made Raix look tame.
The spirit was fast as well. He dodged Raix as the Goon made a desperate leap for him, snapping his jaws but catching only air. The other spirits didn’t flee like this one did. I was able to jump out of the way just in time as the spirit made a mad dash for me. Well I thought he was aiming for me, until he drove his smoky body into Mark’s chest and wedged himself through Mark’s eyes and mouth. Mark shivered heavily but otherwise didn’t seem to notice what had happened.
“What the hell is that thing? Why are your eyes doing that? You’re really freaking me out,” He was still pointing at Raix. Could he not see the spirit as well?
I was stunned. Speechless. Unable to even keep myself standing upright let alone try to explain everything to Mark. He was still pressed against the wall, completely oblivious to the spirit that just seemed to burrow inside of him. Was this another Haunting? Had that strange spirit chosen Mark to cling to?
Raix snorted in his frustration, but then quickly faded back into the room. Hunter… I need a Hunter.
“Mark, okay I can explain all this but I first just need you to come with me.”
“No. No way man. You’re really freaking me out, where the hell did that dog thing just go? Why is there a tattoo on your face? I’m getting out of here.” He pressed further away from me, but in all honestly I couldn’t blame his sudden hesitation. I would’ve looked like a demon now with my silver eyes, blonde hair and new face tattoo.
“There’s a ghost attached to you Mark, I need to get him out of you… well, how can I explain this without sounding crazy?” I sound insane!
“Jordon!” Elliot was at the door too now, panting as if he had been running. He looked at Mark and scrunched his face up.
“I came here as fast as I could. You’ve got him still I see. Good. Quick follow me.”
“Okay. Mark, please come with me.” I turned to Mark and took his shoulders forcibly.
“No way- Who is this guy? I’m not going anywhere with you-”
“Mark, just do it! You’ll be fine” I forced Mark out as we followed Elliot into the streets.
“What’s going on
Elliot?” I asked as I tried to keep up with him, jogging at least two paces behind. Mark sure wasn’t making it easy for me, though he wasn’t pulling against me he wasn’t exactly thrilled about being shoved into a trot.
“Just wait – I’ll show you.”
Elliot tipped his hood forward over his face before gesturing for me to step away from Mark. Dumb founded Mark just stood in the spot where we left him, and I wasn’t sure if he was shivering from the cold or from the spirit but he had his arms wrapped around himself and was trembling madly. Elliot summoned First out from the road. The hyena creature stepped through the thick slab of concrete, cackling in its demonic bark at the smell of Mark. Elliot commanded him to attack.
“What – No!” I leapt in to intervene but Elliot held me back. Helplessly I watched as First took off into action, running at Mark at full speed right to the point he was about to charge through his body. I was certain I was just about to watch my friend die, and angered I tried to shake Elliot into calling his Goon back.
“Just call the Hunter! Don’t kill him, call the Hunter!” I begged but my words fell upon deaf ears.
Mark’s body went rigid and his eyes glazed over as if covered by an invisible veil. He then abruptly turned on his heel and fled in the other direction, back towards the house. Amazingly he’s speed was able to outmatch First’s who slowed in his advancement. Elliot tried to put himself as a barrier between Mark and the building, prompting Mark to crouch down and hiss at him like a stray cat. I had never seen him act this way before. He then tried to run in the other direction desperately searching for cover.
“First!” Elliot demanded as First scooped Mark up into his jaws and started to thrash him mercilessly. I summoned Raix and commanded that he charge at First, to take the Goon down but Raix didn’t seem interested and merely remained in my shadow.
My Demonic Ghost Book two (The Reapers 2) Page 8