ONE
New York City
May 14, 1964
Life has lost its meaning.
Life was once said to be one of Creator’s greatest gifts. A gift so precious that he bestowed it upon the creatures he created, sharing it with the world. Yet mortals discard it every second of the day as if it were nothing more than trash. They were an ungrateful kind, but still an intriguing one.
The sound of a nearby trashcan being knocked over woke me from my thoughts. Peering down into the dark alley from the roof I was perched on, I watched as two mortals entered. They were male and female and didn’t appear to be any older than twenty. The male who was dressed in a gray tweed blazer and blue pants, backed the female until her back was against the brick wall of the nearby building. His brown hair was cut down short close to his head and his body reeked of cigarettes and cheap cologne.
But I wasn’t here for him.
I switched over to the female who was sighing in contentment. She wore a yellow penciled dress covered by a white flowered cardigan that didn’t seem to agree with the cold weather. From my spot on the roof, I could see the sudden chill bumps gracing her legs and arms. Her blond hair was held down by a green headband as it fell down to her shoulder. Two glistening diamond earrings hung from her ear as her gloved hands gripped the male shoulders. The male whispered something to her and she threw her head back in laughter. I tore my eyes away from them to the watch on my wrist. It was time.
Turning my eyes from the watch back to the alley, I watched as the male hands reached up to the grasp the girls neck. She smiled at him, her blue eyes glowing despite this darkness. She liked him. She trusted him. It was her mistake. The male let out a menacing growl as he snapped her neck. Her body slid down the brick wall as the male robbed her of her jewelry and money. He took one more look at her body before running out the alley, a smile on his face. Standing up from my crouched position, I waited until the faint footsteps of the male disappeared before jumping down. I landed on the ground, the noise disrupting the now silent alley. I walked over to the female and crouched beside her body. She was still warm. Closing my eyes, I placed a hand on her chest.
“Rizay”
The females body trembled as a golden light burst from her chest. It rose and hovered above her body. Reaching into my coat, I removed the silver and blue box and opened it. The light floated towards the box filling up the oval shape until it was all in. Closing the box, I latched the lock and tucked it back into my coat. My attention turned back to the now cold body of the female. Though she had the form of an adult female, she was still just a baby. I could smell the youth that was still humming through her body. She was done and injustice and I wanted nothing more than to track the male down and rip out his larynx. But that wasn’t my job. I was a Reaper. I took souls, not lives.
Releasing a sigh, I reached over and closed her eyes. I needed to get out of here. Standing up, I turned and made my way out the alley leaving behind a lifeless body.
The streets of New York were filled with mortals as they made their ways to and from social gatherings that were being held in the wee bit of the night. I tuned out their sounds of laughter, talking, and music as I walked through the crowds. My mood was still a bit dampened from not being able to save the female. I never understood why I was this way. I was from the world of the Pearu. We were outcast creatures of the Damned who fed on the sadness and evil of mortals. We lived for their destruction and in the past we often caused it. But despite the death of the female, I got a rush from her killing. I reveled in it. It was the part of me that reminded me of who I was. But then there was the other part of me, the part of me that knew that this was wrong. A part of me that felt sympathy for them. A part of me that wanted to know more about them. It was a part of me that I kept hidden and would have to remain hidden. If anyone from my world were to find out the way I felt, I would be ridiculed. I would become an outcast. I would be sentenced to death.
I guess I should have been thankful to be a Reaper. It was a job most creatures of my world would kill for. Being a Reaper meant I was allowed to be a part of the King’s circle and live the life of an elite. It also meant that I was able to leave our world and travel to the mortal world whenever I wanted. It was the only perk I loved. My world suffocated me, whereas the mortal world was like stepping into the pages of a fable.
Pushing away the depressing thoughts, I continued to make my way through the streets of New York. Within minutes I had arrived at my last destination. I stood outside the building for a few seconds taking in my surroundings before pushing open the glass door. The lobby of the apartment building was one of lush. The carpet was a wine red as cream sofas and armchairs sat around the room. In front of each sofa was a glass coffee table covered with a centerpiece of flowers. The wallpaper was also cream colored and looked as if it had just been applied. And in the center of the room were four elevators, but I would not be taking them.
“Sir, can I help you?”
I turned my head to the left at the voice. A male in his mid-forties stood behind the security desk. He was a bit of an overweight mortal whose stomach was bulging so much that I could see it peering through the slit of his uniform shirt. There was also a creamy white stain just above his breast. He had a bald spot in the middle of his head as hair clamped to the sides of it. In the midst of his black hair I could spot a couple of gray ones. In his hand he held a sandwich which appeared to be the culprit to the stain on his shirt. His eyes however held a slight fill of fear to them as they roved up and down my body. While he’d probably had seen some crazy sights before here in New York, my outfit of choice however took first prize. I was dressed in a turquoise blue cotton blazer jacket that buttoned all the way up to my high collar. My legs were covered in a pair of black jeans and on my feet were a pair of black boots. Across my chest hung a gold rope belt that was looped two times ending with the gold claw clasping my left shoulder. My demos rested against my back strapped in its pouch, its blue handle illuminating.
The clerk swallowed at the sight of my sword and grabbed his phone. But at the sight of my eyes on his, he took a startled step back. His breath caught as he stared at me his mouth ajar. My eyes were as black as a pit that often made mortals feel as if they were falling into them. I tried not to make contact with mortals but every once in a while someone would grab my attention. I was just thankful they would never get to see my true eyes or else they would really lose it. I was a Hell Demon. I was the type of demon that mortals didn’t fear since myth puts us unable to leave our world. It was somewhat true.
I gave the male one more glance before walking off in the directions of the stairs instead of the elevator. Though he was frozen in fear, I didn’t want to take the chance of him breaking out of his trance and stopping the elevator if I got on it. The last thing I needed was to attract attention from the Gods by killing one measly mortal. No, the stairs was my best bet.
I opened the door that led to the stairs and started to climb. I took each floor without breaking a sweat like mortals would. I finally arrived on the fifth floor. The hall was quiet though I could hear slight snoring coming from one of the rooms. I made my way down the hall until I came to the room I needed. Reaching out a hand, I wrapped it around the doorknob and closed my eyes. I let my senses brush out my mind into the room as it began to paint an image of what was happening on the other side of the door. There was a female standing in the middle of the room dressed in a white robe. She held a crystal glass filled with wine in her left hand as she talked into the telephone device attached to her ear. She spoke in a harsh voice to the person on the other line. The smell of fear from the other person on the line made my body tremble with pleasure. No, this isn’t right. I shouldn’t be taking pleasure in this.
I stepped back from the door and opened my eyes. It was obvious the person on the phone was terrified of the female in this room. Not th
at I could blame them if I were mortal. The female had more anger and hate in her than I’ve seen in a mortal female in a while. However, my interest in her didn’t matter. It’ll all be over soon.
I took a seat outside her apartment door and waited. It wasn’t long before I heard a hard thud inside the room. Pushing up from the floor, I wrapped my hand around the door handle and opened the room door. The living room was empty though there were faint signs from where the female had paced back and forth. I continued through the apartment until I found her. The female lay dead against the bathroom floor— her blood coating the tiles. She had been so busy yelling on her phone that she didn’t notice the floor was still wet. Walking over to her, I spoke the words to call forth her soul and placed it in its box. The process was over and I exited her room and headed down the stairs. I entered the lobby once again but this time the male was alert. He stood staring at me, waiting for the chance to see my eyes again, but I kept walking. Once I was down the street away from prying eyes, I teleported.
A field of wild grass and a manmade dirt path greeted me as I reappeared. I took a second to check my surroundings for Norjels. Norjels were fallen angels that were trying to earn their wings back by guarding the entrance between the mortal world and Pearu. As I sniffed them out, one dropped down out of a tree in front of me. Five more jumped out of their hiding places, forming a circle around me. Their bodies were formed like mortals, but their backs were bent from all the bowing they had done in honor to the Gods. Their eyes no longer held the blinding light that angels were born with, instead they were dimmed. Shredded gray wings clung to their backs as they move around me. While they no longer possess the physical appearance of an angel, they still had their strength.
The Norjel, whom had jumped down first, thrust his illuminating blue spear at me as the rest of them followed suit.
“Reveal yourself.” He hissed.
“Really Yaetis, must we go through this every time.”
“Do not speak my name as if you know me! And yes, we must go through this every time. Now reveal yourself, Aristaeus.”
“So you can call me by name, but I’m forbidden to call you by yours?”
Yaetis let out a hiss as the others followed him.
“Okay, okay.” I laughed. Lifting up my hands in surrender I said, “I’ll reveal myself.”
Closing my eyes, I called forth my true face. The line that separated my mortal form from my true form began to tremble around the edges as my true self threatened the barrier that kept it from the surface. The slight gasps and trembling of metal alerted me to the fact that the change from mortal to Damned had been successful.
My eyelids parted as I stared through cracked eyes. The field had gone quiet and I knew it was because of my true face. No matter how many times the Norjel’s saw my true face— every revealing was like a fresh nightmare to them. I wasn’t offended though. I knew what I looked like to them. I had seen it for myself plenty times. I had the face of a mortal but the features of a demon. My face was covered in outlined scales and my eyes were a slant shape that was void of lashes. In the middle were my eyes that resembled broken glass and when I opened my mouth, sharp teeth were displayed.
Yaetis swallowed tightly. “Okay, you can change back now.”
The transition this time was much smoother and worked calming Yaetis down. Stepping to the side, he allowed me to past as I gave him a nod of my head. Behind me I heard whooshing sounds and knew that they had returned back to their posts. I started down the dirt path as a boom sounded alerting that I had now left the mortal world. We didn’t have to worry about mortals discovering our world since only our kind could enter. I continued up the dirt road until I reached the red barn nestled in the middle. Two bodyguards stood on the outside imitating a pose they had often seen mortals do at nightclubs. Unlike with the Norjel’s, I didn’t have reveal my true self. They were from the world of Pearu, and like all creatures of the Damned, we could see right through mortal forms.
They opened the doors for me as I stepped into the room. The barn had been transformed into a safe haven for those who’d been outcast from the world of Pearu. The first floor of the barn was a bar and on the second floor were small apartments were the outcast lived. The tables were filed with the usual outcasts, as they sipped out of the clay filled mugs and enjoyed a performance by a band of Chimera.
I made my way to the bar and plopped down on the seat. Os’mar, a one eyed Minotaur, was the bartender and owner of this place. He’d been banned from Pearu sixty eight years ago during the time the Damned were sentenced to live only in their world. Os’mar had been a worker of Zobyverth Korfmann, an enchidna that led the mortals to one of the most gruesome killings of their century, the holocaust. Zobyverth and his army had been executed outside the Gates of Pearu by the King of Gods, Zeus. Os’mar for some reason had been spared by Zeus, fueling rumors that he’d been the one to betray Zobyverth. While King Kavos abided the rules Zeus set for our worlds, he didn’t not abide the same kindness he showed to Os’mar. Kavos ordered the death or imprisonment of Os’mar. Os’mar had suffered some bruises and lost an eye, before escaping. It was only by the grace of Zeus, that he was able to survive outside the world of Pearu. With the closing of the Gates, Os’mar was granted the position as Gatekeeper between the both worlds. So far he’d done a great job at keeping everything in line.
Spotting me at the end of the bar, he made his way towards me.
“Aristaeus, already done for the night?”
He grabbed a clay mug off the rack and filled it with the green colored liquid I’d begun to love. He placed it in front of me as I threw it down my throat and waited for him to refill it.
“My list only had a few names on it tonight. Is the mortal world finally starting to grow a conscious?”
Os’mar scoffed. “Yeah, and Zeus will bless me with a new eye. You’re ready to cash in?”
“Yeah.”
I reached in my jacket and removed the box that housed the soul. I slid it across the counter to Os’mar.
“Give me a second.”
Os’mar disappeared in the door behind the bar as I took it upon myself to refill my liquid. As I drunk from the clay cup, an arm roped itself around my neck. I didn’t bother to be alarmed because I already knew who it was.
“Aristaeus, were you really going to ignore me? You know how I get when you ignore me.”
Placing my cup on the bar, I turned to stare at Lilith. Lilith was one of the most beautiful creatures of the Damned I’d seen. I use to wonder what she did to find herself outcast, but then decided it didn’t matter. I had once thought myself to be in love with her, until I discovered she was true to her species.
“You were entertaining guests. I know how you get when you’re interrupted.” I said removing her hands from around me. I picked my cup and continued to drain the contents from it as Lilith plopped down on the stool beside me.
“You’re the only male Damned I’ve seen that can stomach Kampe blood.”
“Don’t I feel special?”
“Come now Aristaeus, this cold act of yours doesn’t fit you. Stay the night with me.”
Os’mar arrived back at the bar just in time to save me from executing a Succubus.
“Here you go Aristaeus. Two million dragon scales.”
I took the purple bag filled with dragon scales from Os’mar and stood up from my stool. “I’ll be back next week.”
Os’mar nodded as Lilith jumped up clasping her hands around my arm.
“Aristaeus, please stay. My next set is about to start, you can’t miss that.”
“Actually, I can.” I said shaking her hand off of me. “I have an obligation to fill back in Pearu, a place my dear you’re no longer welcome to.”
Lilith stared at me in outrage as I brushed past her heading towards the round door located at the back of the bar. I placed my hand on the scanner as a gold skeleton hand emerged from u
p the back of the scanner. It clutched my hand as the red light move forward scanning my handprint before flashing green. The round door let out a creak as it slid backwards revealing the entrance into my world. The hand disappeared back in its hiding spot as I stepped through the doors the faint sounds of yearning sighs at my back. The door locked back with a bang as I stared forward at the world of Pearu.
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