My Roommate Is a Reaper

by Andrew Peed

  She put his arm over her shoulder and heaved him to the house. She used the key to unlock the door, which swung open sharply, causing them both to stumble inside because Waylon’s weight had been on the door. They tripped over an umbrella rack and fell to the ground.

  Kaylie rolled off of Waylon and lay down on the ground next to him. He was breathing heavily. She started to giggle and swore at the house in the back of her mind. He was being a bastard.

  “We’ve got to get you upstairs, big guy,” she said as she patted his chest and stood up.

  “No, I’m comfortable right here,” he mumbled, patting the ground and rolling over on his side.

  She didn’t have the nerve nor the sobriety to do this the hard way. She left him for a moment and walked up to his room, grabbed his pillow, and returned to where she had left him. Sleeping, snoring loudly, and drooling on the wooden floor, Waylon looked like a mess.

  Kneeling down beside him, she slid the pillow under his head. She placed her hand over his eyes and closed her own. In a blink, they were in Waylon’s bedroom. He was lying in his bed.

  Kaylie walked around to the foot of the bed and took off his shoes. She pulled the blanket over his body and made sure that he wouldn’t choke in his sleep. She patted his stomach and used a quick spell to calm it so he wouldn’t get sick.

  She left his room in search of her own bed. The walk down the hallway only got her turned around once. It wasn’t a straight hallway, with twists and turns. And there were so many doors!

  She walked into the room and closed the door. Ditching her hoodie and her pants, she jumped over the end of the bed and crawled into the thick covers. She was so exhausted that it was only a matter of seconds before she drifted off to dreamland.

  ~//~

  Waylon opened his eyes. He was in his bed, and he had no idea how that had been accomplished. His shoes were off, and he was tucked in under the covers. He coughed and sat up. Smacking his lips, he rubbed his eyes and threw off the covers.

  His bladder was about to explode as he rushed to the bathroom to pee. As he turned to leave to get back into bed, he passed by a mirror. What he saw in the reflection scared the crap out of him. He jumped with a start, and his back smashed into the wall behind him. The whites of his eyes were filled with blue fire. There were flames dancing around the insides of his irises.

  “What the hell did I drink?” He stood up straight, and when he looked at his eyes in the mirror again, everything was back to normal.

  Waylon shook it off and went back out into his bedroom. He sat on the edge of his bed and thought about going back to sleep, but he didn’t really want to. The art was calling his name, and he wanted to go downstairs and get out a bottle, but he didn’t think that was a good idea.

  He hadn’t drawn so much in a while, and he always came up with some interesting works when he was drunk. Hopping up from his bed, he left his bedroom behind and went down the three flights of stairs to the basement. Pencil in hand, sitting at his art desk, he was ready to get to work.

  He always started his drawings by picturing in his head what he wanted to put on the paper. All he could think about in his drunken haze was Kaylie, and for some reason, blue demons. He put his pencil to the paper and began to sketch.

  There was a noise behind him of two bottles clanking together. He turned to look at the bar. There was nothing there, but there were two bottles of whiskey that were rocking back and forth. He put his pencil down and stood up. Slowly, he walked over to the counter, but there was nothing there to find.

  He grabbed a glass and filled it about a quarter of a way. Walking back to his table, he sipped the drink. When he looked down at the drawing, hours and hours of work had been completed.

  “Damn it!” He dropped his face into his hands.

  He sipped the drink before picking his pencil back up. Was he going crazy? He didn’t think about that. Instead he went back to his drawing.

  Chapter 08: West End

  There was so much pain in Waylon’s head when he awoke lying on the floor next to his drawing table. He was curled into a ball and shivering in the cold of the basement. It wasn’t strangest place that he had ever woken up, but his neck was killing him. Rolling over onto his back, he stretched.

  “Waylon!” Kaylie called down from the top of the stairwell.

  “Down here!” he yelled up to her, making pain fire madly across his brain.

  Kaylie walked down the stairs. Waylon didn’t have the strength to lean up and look at her. She walked over to his drawing table. That was when he remembered what he had been in the process of drawing the night before.

  Suddenly he found the strength to shoot up off the ground much faster than he should have been able to in his state. He had to grab his head to keep his balance. It was too late, though; she had already seen the drawing.

  Kaylie looked down at a badass drawing of herself. She was fighting off flaming blue demons that were attacking her from every direction. The drawing version of her was having no trouble at all keeping the demons at bay. Waylon wondered why he’d gotten such a badass impression from such a tiny person.

  “So, uh, I draw weird things when I get drunk,” Waylon said awkwardly, scratching his brow. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. I love it,” Kaylie said, picking up the drawing. She started to closely examine the details that Waylon had put into the work of art. He didn’t remember most of the drawing process. His brain worked hard to try and put together some of the blank spots in his memories from the night before. How did he get home? When did he come down to the basement?

  “Thanks,” Waylon said.

  His head was killing him, and it felt good when he rubbed the heels of his palms into his eyes. He sat down on the stool that he used when he worked. It spun a little, and he clutched his stomach to keep from it turning and making him feel sick.

  “It’s pretty late,” Kaylie said when she put the drawing back down on the table. “I was starting to get worried about you. We drank quite a bit last night.”

  “Yeah, I woke up at some point last night. I didn’t feel like sleeping, and I hadn’t come and worked down here in a while,” Waylon said with a shrug. He stood up and walked toward the stairwell leading back upstairs. Coffee had to be in his future, or he was going to die, that was a sure thing.

  “So, what are your long-term plans for these drawings that you do?” Kaylie asked, following him up the stairs.

  “What do you mean?” Waylon asked.

  “Like is there some kind of finished product that you are trying to assemble?” she asked, moving her hands around, trying to make the words come out of her mouth.

  “I mean, it would be cool if I could make a graphic novel or a comic series, but I’m not holding my breath. I just do it for fun. Besides they aren’t that good.” Waylon shrugged.

  The kitchen was bright. He walked straight up to the blinds squinting his eyes to block out the light and began closing them.

  “I think that you underestimate the value of your work. I think they’re amazing,” Kaylie said, sitting down at the table. She pulled her legs under her butt and got comfortable.

  Waylon couldn’t figure out if she was hot or cold. He had yet to see her without her hoodie, but at the same time, she was wearing shorts that could not have provided much heat. Pondering this oddity, he began gathering the supplies needed to brew the life blood that would keep him going for the day.

  “Thanks.” He sighed. “Hey, what did you put in that coffee yesterday that gave it that minty taste?” he asked as he scooped the coffee grounds into the filter and filled the coffee maker up with fresh water. “I know that I’ve tasted it somewhere before, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

  “Secret ingredient,” Kaylie said with an awkward smile. “But I’m all out now.”

  “Oh. Okay,” he said, pressing the brew button.

  Every noise in the room was like taking a sledgehammer to his brain. Slowly he walked around the table and gingerly sat down a
cross from Kaylie.

  “Busy day at work?” Waylon asked in an effort to make small talk. He remembered that he was waiting on an email from Ivan with the details of his new hospital job. The part of his mind that should care about the job was switched off at the moment, so he didn’t give it any more thought.

  “I’ve got a little side job that I’m taking care of today for some extra cash,” Kaylie said as she put her elbow on the table and leaned her head on it.

  “Must be nice finding extra work like that,” Waylon said with a scoff.

  “Eh, you seem talented enough. You’ll turn this around,” Kaylie said with a reassuring smile. Her smile was infectious, and Waylon couldn’t help but return it.

  “If you say so,” he said, standing up from the table. “I’m need to go and get my phone.”

  ~//~

  The moment that Waylon was out of sight, Kaylie breathed a sigh of relief. It was going to be extremely difficult to hide what she was from him. It killed her that she couldn’t just tell him what he really was; she wanted to tell him so bad. It would make both of their lives so much easier, but it was not her place to tell him, and it could go… poorly.

  If a family member didn’t tell them, there were usually complications when any magically inclined warlock, witch, mage, or what not found out without discovering it on their own. Usually the result was ability suppression, but sometimes it was death. Kaylie had no desire to be responsible for the loss of another warlock in any way. Their numbers were already dwindling as it was.

  Most people couldn’t even see her magic—their brains filled in the blanks with whatever made the most sense to them. Waylon, however, would see everything, and he wouldn’t understand it. Kaylie was addicted to using magic. She loved it and hardly knew how to function without it.

  With a wave of her hand, the coffee maker accelerated, finishing the brewing process in a matter of seconds. She used her other hand with a flicking motion to pull two mugs magically from the cabinet and had them float down to land gently on the counter next to the coffeepot. She didn’t even really have to focus to coax the coffeepot to lift and pour two perfect portions into the mugs.

  A final wave of her hand returned the pot to the warmer and floated the two mugs across the empty air to the table. One mug landed in front of her and the other drifted to set down gently on the table in front of Waylon’s seat.

  Kaylie took a long whiff of her coffee. There was nothing better to start off the day. She sipped it and let it flow into her soul as she smiled and leaned back in her chair.

  ~//~

  “I can’t find my toothbrush,” Waylon said as he went back into the kitchen. He sat down at table and picked up his own coffee absently. Taking a long sip, he let out a sigh of approval when he swallowed the first bit.

  “That’s weird,” Kaylie said with a concerned look. She looked down at her coffee.

  “There’s no telling what I did with it. I’ve been so scatterbrained lately,” Waylon said, shaking his head. He would never be able to figure out what happened. With so many blackouts, he figured that he could have mailed it to the other side of the world for all he knew.

  He unlocked his phone, charged for once, and checked his email. There was an email from Ivan waiting among fifty junk emails.

  Boy,

  The hospital that you do work for now is West End Medical Center.

  Go there today and make yourself useful.

  Waylon had seen this hospital before. From what he knew, it was privately owned, and it was in poor shape. Something told him that they didn’t pay all that well. With a long sigh, he gently tossed his phone down on the table.

  “Bad news?” Kaylie asked, looking up at him.

  “No, not really,” Waylon explained in a sour tone. “I’ve got to go to West End Medical Center today. It’s on the other side of the city. I just don’t think that they are going to pay quite as much as I had hoped.”

  “Is that near West End River Park?” Kaylie asked.

  “Yeah, literally right next door,” Waylon said with a shrug.

  “Could you give me a ride when you go?” she asked, taking another sip of her coffee.

  “Sure. Is that where your side job is?” Waylon asked.

  “Yeah. There’s a dog on the loose that I’m supposed to help find,” Kaylie admitted.

  “A dog on the loose?” Waylon said as he cocked his head a little.

  “Yeah,” Kaylie said but offered no more.

  “You are so weird. We leave in thirty,” Waylon said. He gulped down his coffee and stood up, putting the mug in the sink to wash later.

  “I warned you,” Kaylie said, still sipping her own coffee.

  “That you did.” Waylon left the kitchen to go upstairs and get ready for his first day of contract work. He was not super excited about what he was going to find tech wise in the hospital.

  ~//~

  Waylon’s car was parked in the front drive. That wasn’t where he usually parked it, but he vaguely remembered putting it there at some point the night before. However, he also remembered driving it out to Wong’s, and then things got really blurry.

  Kaylie was ready to go. She came down with her bag on her shoulder and dressed to leave. She walked around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door.

  “Do you take your backpack everywhere with you?” Waylon asked, opening his own door.

  “I do,” Kaylie said with a nod and slid into her seat.

  “Fair enough.” Waylon got into the car. He backed the car around the roundabout in the front drive and drove out toward the highway. There was a mile and a half of driveway before the public roads. The driveway needed a ton of work, and he could feel his car complaining every time he hit one of the potholes.

  They turned onto the highway, heading toward the city. There was a minimal amount of traffic because they were leaving in a later part of the day. Most people that worked were already at work, and most people that were done with work were already at home.

  There were still quite a few people walking the streets. People shopping or enjoying the cool day. Most of them were bundled up and fighting against the cold. Waylon thought that it would be about time for him to get his coat out of the closet and stop trying to pretend that the cold didn’t bother him.

  The West End River Park had been beautiful at one time, but like much of the West End area, it had fallen to horrible disrepair. The state of the area led to an increase in crime and violence. There was a parking lot at the entrance of the park for about a dozen cars, and beyond that, a grassy area that was in desperate need of grooming. For its namesake, the park had a leg of the river running through it. The banks were covered in trash that had washed up and found a final resting spot on the shore. Where once people could come out and enjoy a swim, anyone who got in the waters now would likely die shortly thereafter from any number of diseases in the disgusting water.

  “You going to be all right?” Waylon asked, leaning down so that he could look out of the windshield at the park. He didn’t really like the idea of just leaving Kaylie in this part of town. Personally, he would never walk around in West End River Park alone, not that he considered himself to be a badass or anything, but people tended to mess with pretty girls far more often than men.

  “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry,” she said with a smile and swung open her door.

  Waylon rolled down the window as she closed the door. “Call me if you need anything.” He leaned to look at her through the window.

  “I guess I should probably get your number,” she said, pulling her phone from her pocket.

  The moment that her phone came into Waylon’s view, he was offended. It was so abused, and he could see duct tape on one corner holding the glass from shattering any more than it had already.

  “What is that?” he asked, holding back a small vomit sound.

  “It’s my phone. I know I need a new one, but I’ve got to complete a few jobs first,” she said with a shrug.

&n
bsp; “I have some phones back at the house that I would be glad to give to you if we can put that one out of its misery,” Waylon pleaded.

  “Thank you, but I’ll stick with this one for now,” she said, holding up the phone with her finger on the screen. “Ready?” She smiled.

  Waylon held up his phone with his finger on the screen. He tapped his phone to hers, and their contact information was transferred. A new contact for Kaylie was created automatically. He locked the phone and put it back in his pocket.

  “If you change your mind, please do not hesitate to ask,” he said with a stern face.

  “Thanks, really. See you in a bit,” Kaylie said as she waved and walked away from the car toward the park.

  Waylon pulled away in his car and attempted to merge with traffic, shaking his head the whole time.

  ~//~

  If Kaylie’s phone hadn’t been special, she would have easily taken him up on the offer, but she needed this one for her work. It was very expensive to replace, and it usually ended up with the user owing a warlock or witch a favor. She also couldn’t use magic to fix it because the device was magically signed to the person who created it. If she tried to fix it herself, it would likely explode on her.

  She entered the park through the main entrance. It was weird, it was still afternoon, and there was still plenty of sunlight left in the day, but there was a significant amount of darkness in the park. The trees didn’t even have a healthy amount of leaves to block out the sun, but the clouds seemed to gather perfectly overhead.

  Kaylie put her phone back in her pocket and knelt down on the path for a moment. She took her bag off and dug through it, looking for a pair of gloves that she had made. On the palm of each was a differently charged piece of quartz. She had spent time feeding energy into these stones. The gloves could be used to track magical energy signatures.