Don't Fear The Reaper

Heather

Alexander was dead.

There was nothing else to it and nothing else to me. His family had all left the room, unable to stomach the smell of blood and motor oil on his skin any longer. But I was still there, sitting with him and holding his hand, imagining the shaky breaths in an unmoving chest. I didn't believe it, not yet, and I didn't want to live without him anymore.

I wasn't going to leave; I wasn't ready yet, and the doctors told me I could stay as long as I wanted. "The Family OK." The dark hair that used to cover his skull was gone, burnt flesh in exchange. If only he hadn't been driving so fast, if only I had been the one in his place...

I didn't lift my head as the door opened and two people walked in. As they neared the bed, I knew they weren't doctors, judging by the dark coat dragging on the floor. "There's a girl here," one said quietly.

A more mature voice answered, "That's not a problem Benjamin; we are only here to do our job. Whether the girl sees us or not, nothing changes."

I looked up and met the black eyes of a young man. The older man didn't look at me, but rather at Alexander, fingers scratching through the black beard resting on his chin. He smiled a little. "He was young, Benjamin, about your age," he said quietly.

"Please," Benjamin said as he looked to his feet. I stared at them, wondering why they wouldn't acknowledge me otherwise.

"Hello," I said quietly and the older gentleman looked at me.

"Hello there Heather, nice to know you can see us," he whispered.

"Who are you?"

"That's not important, dear, but I would suggest you leave. There are some things girls like you shouldn't see."

Grim

I lifted the oxygen mask off of Alexander's head and set it behind him. For once, one of the deaths went as planned: little douche driving too fast gets himself killed in a fiery car accident at the age of seventeen. I just wasn't expecting Heather Grace to be here. Her life was supposed to be different, not clinging to this sad sack of skin put on this earth.

But sure enough, she was there, crying into my coat and begging me to spare him. Benjamin uncomfortably rested against the wall, staring at me. He hated dead kids, he had seen too many of them already, taken too many of these souls already.

I shook Heather off of me and she retaliated, firing a punch towards my chest. I let her punch through the mist that made up my body and her eyes widened. "What are you?" she whispered softly, backing away to grab the dead boy's hand.

"I'm Grim, the reaper? I'm here to take you boyfriend's spirit. Benjamin is my apprentice, who should be doing this right now."

"I'll do anything," she said and I flinched. Benjamin looked up quickly. He hadn't been doing this long, but he knew what those words meant. "Please, just let him live."

"Why do you want him to live?"

"I love him," she gasped, sobbing again. "I just want him to live and be happy and have a good life. I'd rather die than let him."

"Don't say that," Benjamin chuckled, shaking his head.

She shot him a glare and looked up at me. "Isn't there anything you can do? Anything to let him stay?"

"If I let him stay, I need to take someone with me Heather. It isn't simple."

"Please, I'll go with you!" she said as plenty of other had done in their life: foolishly giving away their life, acting like it wouldn't matter if they lived or died.

"What about your family? Your friends?"

"I don't care! I want him to live."

"You're rash," Benjamin said, running his fingers through his long brown hair. "You're thinking only through emotions and nothing else. Let him go."

"Like you would know anything about emotion!" she yelled and he winced.

"Oh honey, you're breaking my heart. You don't know what I went through when I was alive. You deserve a better fate than this. There's bound to be someone else out there for you, someone who isn't a total too."

"Please Grim," she said and I knew Benjamin's words had hurt her. She would learn eventually what he meant. "Give him back his life."

I set my hand on the boy's forehead and willed air back into his lungs. I knew she was now feeling short of breath and the panicked look came into her eyes. She collapsed down into the couch and Alexander's eyes fluttered, consciousness now coming back.

She covered her eyes with her hand and started crying. Benjamin stared intently, once again watching death up close. It haunted him. I set my hands on Heather's forehead, watching as the eyes shut entirely and her breathing stopped. Alexander's heart rate was back up, eyes wide open. Benjamin disappeared and I did as well, nurses crashing in as I took what was left of Heather's life.