Morante weakly hobbled down the hallway and back into the elevator as he nervously stared up at the security camera that was placed in the top left corner of the tiny room. This whole thing was a terrible idea to begin with. Why didn't he just listen to Peter when he told him to follow this investigation by the book?
Better question, why couldn't he seem to let this all go? What happened between him and that son of a bitch happened when Amos was just a kid, and it happened almost two decades ago. He spent his whole career obsessing over one case that fell through his grasp. Just to see where he landed himself at now.
He didn't know if Amos's threat about having security footage of his break in was a true statement or not, but he didn't want to provoke him and find out for himself. His boss at the precinct would definitely take his badge, and worst case scenario is that Amos got his father involved again. But this time, at least they both had something to lose.
Despite Amos holding that supposed surveillance over his head, the injuries he left behind on his body if inspected by a medical professional would show that they were more than just defensive maneuvers. Attacking a home intruder to protect yourself is one thing, but to try and slice the throat open of your assailant was a completely different story.
He might have lost the fight, but he hadn't lost the war. Not yet. They were both on an even playing field, but now Amos was aware that he was under his radar. He wasn't ready to give up this investigation yet, in fact he felt more motivated now than ever to discover and expose the truth once and for all.
All Amos accomplished today was pissing him off even more and fanned the flames to his convictions. The elevator finally opened up to the lobby on the main floor, and when those double doors swung open, a surprised and concerned elderly woman was on the other side. She immediately registered the sight of his blood covered appearance and ran to his side.
"Goodness sir! Are you alright?! I mean, clearly you're not. Give me one second, I'll call the police right away!" She said as she unzipped her purse and proceeded to start taking out her phone, but before her small hands could dial up emergency services, Morante took ahold of her hand to stop her before she could finish.
Even with his face covered in sweat and his expression distorted in pain, he flashed her a handsome smile that caused her to blush. "There's no need to do that ma'am. I look a lot worse than I actually am." He basically lied between his teeth. He was actually extremely injured and all the blood loss was starting to make his head all fuzzy, but he didn't need her getting any more police involved in this.
With his trembling hands which he tried to steady as much as possible, he withdrew his badge out of his coat pocket and flashed it at her. "I don't need you to call the police, because I am the police. You see, I'm deep under cover and it would do me the world if you could keep this a secret between the two of us. Deal?" He said in a suave tone that sent her elderly heart in a flutter.
Despite his disheveled and tired appearance, his face reminded her of her favorite noir actor that she fond over back in her youth. She nodded her head in agreement as Morante brought a finger up to his lips informing her to stay hush hush about what she saw tonight.
"O-of course! You have my word!" She said reluctantly as he smiled at her one more time before he limped outside of the building and headed back to his car. However, when he got back to his vehicle, he came up on yet another setback. Someone had taken the time to slash all four of his tires which left him as a sitting duck. "
You have got to be kidding me! Who the hell would do something like this?!" He sighed aggravatingly as he took his phone out of his pocket to call his partner one more time. "Peter, change of plans. I know I told you to meet me at my house but I'm going to need you to come and pick me up." He said as he clutched at his wounds even tighter, trying to stop the blood from flowing even more.
On the other end of the call, Peter sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Seriously? Just what did you get yourself into tonight?! I'll come and pick you up, but you need to tell me where exactly you are." He waited for an answer, but for some reason Morante had gone deathly silent on the other end of the call. "Hey. You there? Hello?" The silence broke as he heard the raspy breaths of his partner, which made him become more alarmed. He wasn't sounding good at all.
"Detective Morante? Answer me! What is your status?" He said worriedly but sighed with relief when his partner started to speak back to him. Morante's legs had finally given out underneath his weight and he was painfully leaning against his car, barely clinging to consciousness.
"Remember that Amos kid that we saw not too long ago? I was staking out his place… and let's just say, things did not go according to plan. I'll tell you more about it when you get here. I'm down the street from his complex. And I'd hurry if I were you. I don't mean to scare you, but if you take too long I actually might end up dying. Do not call for backup. Alright, bye." He said before he hung up the phone and collapsed in a slowly growing puddle of his own blood.
"Hey! Morante?!" Peter yelled out but saw that the call had ended. He slammed his hand on the steering wheel and turned the sirens on in his car as he aggressively turned around on the street and headed straight towards Morante's general location while hauling ass.
Back inside Amos's apartment, Amos cautiously turned around to see yet another uninvited guest. He checked her out up and down with his cold gaze and recognized her to be Lila, the best friend of Bryce's girlfriend. But she was definitely different from what he remembered her to be like. If his memory was correct, she was incredibly meek and shy.
When they first met, she was rather quiet and would try to avoid looking him in the face, but right now she was staring at him dead in the eyes with a look he could only describe as hunger. It sent a shiver up his spine the way she looked at him. He considered himself to be the predator, but her hungry eyes looked like they really wanted to take a bite out of him.
He was used to being the center of attention for a lot of women, but not to this extent where they would break into his home like this. He instantly noticed the knife that she had brandished in her hand and he smirked mischievously. Things were starting to get more interesting. It appears he found himself an A grade stalker all his own. "
What are the odds that not just one, but two people would show up unannounced like this. I didn't realize I was this popular." He said as he turned to fully face her. The smirk on his face quickly fell as he glared at her, and with his own knife in his hand, he pointed it at her threateningly.
"So just how much of that did you see? I'd like to ask you what your purpose of being here was, but there would be no point. Regardless of your answer, it will all lead to the same thing. You've seen and heard enough to become a liability; therefore, I only have one option. You need to die." He expected her to tremble by his declaration or show some kind of fear, but what she did next caught him by surprise. She threw the knife down and ran at him with her arms spread wide.
Completely ignoring the weapon in his hand, she jumped on him and enveloped him in a one sided hug as she effectively nuzzled her face into his chest. He staggered backwards as he uncomfortably tried to force her off of him, but to no avail. She was not going to let go.
"I love it when you talk like that! Ahh, it just drives me insane!" She said as she looked up at him with that same crazed look of obsession across her face. Amos grimaced with disgust as he grabbed her violently by the shoulders and yanked her off of him, and despite how hard he was clutching onto her, she seemed to be enjoying it which only grossed him out even more.
He could recognize a crazy person when he saw one, and she was definitely crazy. "I didn't mean to make you upset! In fact, I think you might be misconstruing something here. I didn't come here with any bad intentions. In fact, I came here with the purpose of protecting you." Amos looked at her confused by what she could mean by that.
"Let me elaborate. I've been in love with you since the moment I laid my eyes on you. And when I saw how that nasty police officer was causing you stress, and then I saw him starting to follow you around. I knew what I had to do. While he was tailing you, I started tailing him. But tonight, I saw him do something completely unforgiveable!" She said as she started to raise her voice.
Her sugary sweet tone started to twist and became hatred filled, almost like a snake hissing with its fangs bared. "When I saw him break in here, I knew that I had to protect you. You see, I saw you kill Chris that night. And I figured that he probably thought you were the one behind it. But I couldn't just let him do whatever he wanted… Not to my precious Amos."
Her eyes sharpened and their warm brown color looked almost red as the shadows overtook her face. "I was going to kill him. But when I got here and was ready to strike, you suddenly came home so I stayed hidden. And what I saw just made me fall in love with you even more." She said affectionately as she switched from her murderous persona back into her loving form.
Amos was listening to what she was saying, but still, he didn't really care. No matter the excuses she was going to give he was still going to do what needed to be done. He turned on the charm and smiled at her with the same love filled gaze she was giving him. He reached his arms behind her back and pulled her tighter into their embrace, causing her to gasp from the friction and her face turned as red as a tomato.
"You were willing to go that far for me? You must really mean it when you say you love me. I couldn't be more honored. And thank you for keeping my secret. You had all this time to report me since you saw what I did, but you opted not to say anything at all. I admire dedication like that." He said as he cupped the back of her head with his hand and forced her to cuddle up to him as tightly as possible.
While in the embrace of his arms, Lila's heart was beating like crazy! She smiled contently as she rested her head against his shoulder and allowed herself to sink deeply into his strong arms. While Lila was preoccupied on cloud nine, Amos stared ahead with that cold murderous gaze and lifted his knife hand up in the air, ready to plunge the blade deep into her back and finally bring an end to this hellish night.
But as he stared forward, he noticed something that only someone with perceptive eyes like his could notice. Buzzing in front of him was a fly, flying around freely until it seemed to stop midair. It floated there in a motionless state and before he plunged the knife into her back, he let Lila go as he approached the insect to get a better look at it.
"What the hell? It's like it's frozen… but why?" He said as he raised a finger up to his chin. Lila walked up behind him to see what he was staring at and gasped when she saw the fly too. It's wings, which were once flapping at a rapid speed had stopped completely, almost as if it was frozen in time.
"How is that even possible?" She said flabbergasted while Amos moved to the balcony and yanked the door open to step outside and get a look around at his surroundings. He looked down at the bustling street where cars would normally be zooming by at this hour. And the cars were there, but just like the fly, they were motionless as they drove down the street.
He then looked up at the sky and saw a plane flying overhead but just like the cars, it was stuck in place in the big black sky. "It seems time has stopped. But why are we the only two that seem to be unaffected by it? At least it looks like we're the only two-"
His words were cut off as the Earth started to shake violently and both of them fell to the ground in a defensive huddle. Accompanied with the random earthquake came the sound of a bell toll emanating straight from the sky. With each ringing of the loud, ominous sound, the moon started turning an eerie dark shade of crimson and illuminated the ground with a terrifying red light, enveloping everything underneath it in its ethereal glow.
It started to shine so brightly that the light from the moon started to seep into Amos's apartment and began to blind them with its radiance. They both covered their ears as the bell sound only got louder until it was almost unbearable to stand.
The ringing in their ears caused them to become disoriented as Amos fell weakly to his knees, still with his hands cupped tightly over his ears to try and muffle the sound. "What the hell is going on?!" He shouted out loud. Lila crawled over to him and leaned against his arm. "Amos? Do you know what's happening?! I can't… I can't even think straight anymore. It hurts… too… much." She said as she slid down his arm and slumped unconscious on the ground next to him.
Amos gritted his teeth as he too was on the verge of passing out. He tugged on her arm to try and get her to respond, but she was already out like a light. "Wake up damn it! Shit! I can't… I can't hang on any longer either." He said tiredly as he finally allowed sleep to overtake him.
When Amos opened his eyes, he was no longer in the world that he was familiar with. He sat up with what felt like a major hangover as he grumpily rubbed his eyes and grabbed at his pounding head. When he looked around, he found himself in a wasteland.
It was a barren world where the plants had all but died and dried up, and there was not an ounce of life to be seen in this strange new place. While he contemplated how he ended up here, he heard grumbling coming from next to him when Lila, who had been transported with him, had also started to wake up.
"Amos? Ugh, why do I feel so sick all of a sudden?" She said sleepily as she released a cute and small yawn. "I don't know why you're asking me like I have any clue what's happening. I'm in the same boat as you, so stop asking me idiotic questions." He replied to her aggressively.
He stood up on his wobbly legs and continued to scan his surroundings. Most people would be in complete and utter shock considering the situation, but Amos wasn't like most people.
"I have no explanation or reasoning as to what is happening here. All I can do is make guesses based on what I've seen, but no matter what I come up with, nothing sounds logical." He said as he sighed and brushed some dirt off of his shoulder and placed his hands in his pockets.
"You saw as well as I all that happened before we came here." He said as he turned to face Lila who was now also back on her feet. "First there was the fly. And the cars, and then the plane. I bet if we had seen people, they would have been in the same state. They would also have been frozen in time."
He furrowed his brow in annoyance as he scavenged his pockets and pulled out his pack of cigarettes and a lighter. His emotions might have been dull compared to most other people, but even he could get bouts of uneasiness in the face of uncertainty. And he was really craving a good smoke right about now to ease his nerves.
Lila then walked up to him to stand right beside him and coughed slightly while fanning her face as the smoke from Amos's cigarette wafted in her direction.
"But why were we the only ones who weren't affected? And how did we end up here? You don't think this is some kind of foreign invasion do you?" She said worriedly while biting on her fingernails; a bad habit of hers that Stacy has constantly tried to get her to stop doing.
"That sounds unlikely. If that were the case then where is everyone else? If you haven't noticed, we're the only ones here. If this was truly an invasion from some unknown enemy then it still doesn't explain how we were the only ones who weren't frozen like everything else." He said as he blew a thick cloud into the air before stomping his cigarette out on the ground.
He spun around and without even a moment of hesitation, he roughly grabbed Lila by her arm and pinned it behind her back before he slammed her down on the ground and sat on top of her, pushing all his weight down on her to keep her from moving.
"One of my biggest rules is that I don't trust anybody. So you can imagine how ironic it looks when the minute your crazy ass walked into my life, something like this happens." He slowly leaned down so that he was talking directly into her ear before he slipped his free hand into his back pocket where he flipped open a switch blade and then pressed it against her throat, slowly dragging it across her skin to draw some of her blood.
"How do I know that you're not the one responsible for all of this? I can't trust you, that much is clear. So tell me everything you know right now before I gut you like a fish." He declared boldly with his tone sounding closer to a snarling dog.
While he tried to intimidate her, Amos couldn't ignore the audible breathless gasps that escaped Lila's lips as she laid underneath him. She squirmed slightly with her legs moving rhythmically, and her thighs lewdly rubbing against each other. "Harder… You can be a little rougher with me if that's what you want my love." She replied huskily as she turned her head slightly to the side to show Amos the pleasurable look plastered on her face.
He jolted back, lightly shifting his weight off of her which gave her the perfect opportunity to switch their positions. Lila swiftly hooked her leg underneath Amos's knee and twisted in a fast motion. She was now on top of him and proceeded to pin his arms to his sides, knocking the knife out of his hand while she did so and sat herself neatly on top of him, pressing her hot womanhood against his flaccid member.
Amos gritted his teeth while he glared up at her with a look of pure disdain. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing? I'm telling you right now. I am the last person you want to be messing with." He said as he struggled, but her grip was just too strong for him to break free from. For a tiny thing, she was incredibly strong for her size.
"That's funny. Because I could be saying the same thing. Now, be a good boy and sit still. You'll enjoy this, I promise. She said as she slowly started descending her face closer to his, with him flinching back and recoiling from her advance ever so trying to avoid contact.
They were interrupted however by the sound of a screeching raven cutting through the silence and landing right above Amos's head. The giant black bird stared at the two of them with blank eyes as it tilted its head at them with curiosity.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Amos was able to swing his arms out from her reach and roughly pushed her back. Lila fell backwards with a loud smack sound as dust flew everywhere and she finally came back to her senses as she started coughing and fanning the dirt away from her mouth.
"Why would you do that?!" She said with an adorable pout, but all Amos did was click his tongue and cross his arms over his chest as he glared down at her. "That's what I was about to ask you. Seriously, someone is holding a knife to your throat and the first thing you do is try to take advantage of them?"
Lila pressed her fingers together and held her head down in shame knowing that he was right. But she just couldn't help it. When it came to Amos, she admitted that his presence was driving her absolutely insane and that she couldn't control herself. And that itself was a mega understatement.
"But perhaps… What you did was the right course of action." He said quietly, but still loud enough for her to hear. And what he said only made her hopes go up even more as she misunderstood the intent of his words. Amos saw the twinkle in her eyes as she looked at him and his intense glare only grew more sharp as he scoffed.
"Don't get any wild ideas because I said that. All I mean is that you kind of helped me from making a big mistake. I don't have enough proof to say you are responsible and I nearly jumped the gun. Regardless of whether I trust you or not, you are the only familiar face I recognize right now. Killing you now would only make things harder for me. So until I find out more about what's really happening, I need you." He said emotionlessly and even though he got his point across.
The love struck Lila took it to heart and squealed with delight at the idea that her one true love said that he 'needed her'. And that's all she could focus on."Say it again. Please?" She said as she clasped her hands together and knelt by his feet, looking up at him with wide puppy dog eyes.
"What did you say you need? I don't think my ears heard you the first time." She said playfully, but Amos was not having any of it. "Stop playing dumb. You know what I said… Now get back on your feet. We don't have time to waste. Let's find out what's really happening here. Because the sooner we do, the sooner we can go home and finish what we started." He said annoyed.
"I can take you where you need to go next. All you need to do is ask me where." Said a deep, mysterious voice seemingly out of nowhere. With his eyes narrowed in a sharpened and alerted gaze, Amos looked around cautiously to try and detect the origin of the voice.
"Who the hell are you?! Better yet… Where are you? Show yourself now before I start to get real nasty." He said in a venomous tone. "I'm right next to you master Amos. Just simply look near your feet." Amos did what he was told and glanced at his feet, but all he saw was the raven that had landed by them only moments before.
It couldn't be possible, was it? Animals couldn't talk! There was just no way!
"By the look on your face, you must be in shock. Who could blame you? But yes, it is true. I am the one who was speaking to you. My name is Sullivan. I am only one of many who are pieces of our Lord, come to take you to the starting grounds. Are you and miss Delilah ready to depart now?" Cawed the raven. While Amos just stared at the bird, trying to figure out if he was merely hallucinating, Lila couldn't help but hold her hands over her mouth as her jaw fell agape.
"I understand you both must have many questions. But all will be answered in due time. Now come, the others will be waiting for us if we do not hurry." Before Amos could get in another word, Sullivan took off high into the sky and started flying North, alongside a deep empty riverbed that had long been dried out.
What once looked to be a mighty river carving its path into the ground was no longer there and left a deep canyon in its stead. "I guess we don't have a choice. It's not like either of us know what's going on. So it's probably best to just do what we're told if we ever want to make it back home." He started walking without saying another word, leaving a still astonished Lila behind.
"Huh? W-wait! Don't go wandering off without me!" Lila said desperately as she ran to catch up with him, and despite his protests, she clung tightly to his arm as the two accompanied each other to this supposed 'starting grounds'. But while they walked, Amos couldn't help but think.
What did the bird mean when he said that the others would be waiting for them? Does that mean that him and Lila weren't the only ones to be teleported to this strange place? With Lila still attached to his arm, a low chuckle erupted from the back of his throat which peaked her curiosity.
She caught a quick glance at his face and felt her soul shake with terror at what she saw. Whatever was going through Amos's head in that moment must have been downright terrifying, because even though she herself was scared, the look of pure enjoyment and psychopathy was etched all over her beloveds beautiful face.
They walked for what felt like hours, but who's to say how long they had actually been traveling for. They both had their smartphones on them, but for some reason neither of their devices were in working order. Even with a battery full of charge, their phones only had black screens which left them to wonder how long they had been stranded for.
Not even the watch Amos never took off his left wrist was working, with the hands of the clock staying at a standstill. Amos gritted his teeth in frustration as he glared at the sky and gave a mighty shout. "Hey you dumb bird! How much longer are we going to keep walking for?!" He proclaimed with a huff.
Sulivan, who was still flying in the sky, stopped momentarily as he turned towards them and started to speak. "We are nearly there, master Amos. All I require is a bit of patience. See for yourself. Look to the horizon, and you will find your answer." And with that, he started flying again.
Amos released a loud disgruntled sigh as he cupped his hands over his eyes to block the sun from his view, and he could barely make it out but he did in fact see something large in the distance. "Looks like the bird wasn't lying. There really is something ahead of us." They both started quickening their pace, eager to see what was awaiting them. And once they got there, it was definitely a sight to behold.
In this grand barren wasteland, they finally saw a sign of life. Standing feet away from them stood a tall, healthy oak tree with its branches so large it was almost like they could graze the clouds. Bright green leaves sprouted from every branch in abundance, as well as many other ravens that were sitting and hiding within the brush.
Sullivan, their helpful if not vague guide, took his place amongst his comrades and settled next to them in the branches. Standing underneath the tree near the sturdy base, many other people were there with them as well. There was a variety of figures ranging from teenagers to the elderly.
But one thing Amos noticed right away was that a great many of them were wearing detention and prison uniforms. Just what kind of crowd was gathered here, and for what reason? "Hey. Stay close to me." Amos said as he protectively wrapped an arm around Lila's waist, causing her to blush profusely.
She was so happy in fact that she could have sworn she thought she heard angels singing. "We're not friends by any means. But I trust you a lot more than I trust these guys. You said you came to me today to protect me, right?" He said as he looked down at her with a serious expression.
She gulped back a ball of spit as she nodded her head at him without saying a word. Amos smirked after watching her willingness and flashed her a loving grin. "Then prove it to me. Whatever happens, swear to protect me. And if you're good enough, I promise to do the same thing for you. Do we have a deal?" He asked her with his face getting ever more closer to hers. Lila smiled up at him with pure delight as she quickly landed a kiss on his cheek before she retreated shyly.
"O-of course Amos. I'll do whatever you tell me to…" She replied as she nervously twirled a lock of her hair.
It wasn't long after their arrival that the same bell toll they heard before waking up here started to resonate loudly, but instead of multiple chimes they only heard one. "Fucking finally! I was starting to wonder if anything was going to happen!" Declared a random convict as he stood up, which caused the crowd around him to follow suit.
All the ravens that were gathered in the tree started cawing wildly as they took off and started swarming in a cylindrical storm. No one there had ever seen a phenomenon quite like this and they were all eager to see what was going to happen next.
After the swarm dispersed, standing in the middle of the flock was a cloaked, black hooded figure and in his right hand was a large and intricately designed scythe. Although only half of his face was visible through his large hood, a smirk was placed on his ever so pale face. "I welcome all of you to my humble abode." He said with a demonic and oppressing sounding voice that echoed with raw power.
"You all need not know my real name so I will keep the introductions short before I explain why I brought all of you here. But to start things off, this place I have called you to is named The River Stix, and it is my home. It is the realm that connects your world to the afterlife." After hearing this, the crowd started to murmur amongst themselves out of concern and curiosity.
This must have been a prank, right? If what he was saying was true, then that could only mean one thing. The hooded figure couldn't help but laugh after seeing how distraught they had all become, and just the sound of his laughter caused everyone to stop talking all together.
"It seems that most of you have figured it out by now. But let me clarify to those who haven't. I am what you mortals call The Grim Reaper, but you can all just call me the reaper. And I summoned all of you here to play the game of death."
As soon as he said those last words, the sun descended behind the hills and the moon arose just as fast, in the same blood red color as the one they saw back home.
"You're bullshitting, right? None of that could possibly be true! Who the hell do you think you're trying to fool here?! The Grim Reaper?! Don't make us laugh!" Said a bald man in an orange jumpsuit with a large scar running across his face. His denial started a debate amongst the others.
While some were still taking this very seriously, a lot more joined in on his moronic fit of hysterics. The reaper just smirked and stared at the arrogant man with amusement. "I don't see how I could possibly be lying. Have I not given you enough proof that something other worldly is at hand? But if I must, I shall prove it further for you…"
He raised his pale hand up and pointed a finger at the incompetent man and gestured for him to come forward. "You. Billy Hodstaff. Come over here. Since you seem so bold, I might as well use you as an example." The bald man named Billy's eyes grew wide with shock. Just how the hell did he know his name like that?!
But it didn't matter how, he still didn't want to believe that any of this was true and knew that it must have been a trick. And he was willing to play along.
Billy stepped forward and approached the reaper, standing in front of him with his arms defiantly crossed. "Take ahold of my hand Billy." The reaper said nonchalantly. Billy scoffed but did what he was told. He intertwined fingers with the mysterious man, but by now he wished that he hadn't.
As soon as his hands were locked in his, he felt the life inside of him start to rapidly drain out of his body. He fell to his knees with himself barely being able to catch his breath. His lungs refused to inflate and his heart started to beat weakly inside of his chest. His skin started to shrivel and age and his brown eyes started to gray as well as his hair.
Originally he looked like a man who was probably in his early thirties, but in the state he was in now, he looked like he could have past for over one hundred years or older. With his free hand, he took a hold of the reapers wrist and tried to pry him off, but to no avail.
It took only a matter of seconds, but his dead body had dropped to the floor. But not before he shot a look of terror at the crowd as he basically begged for help with his gaze before he died a helpless death. Upon witnessing such a horrific sight, many people recoiled in fear with some tripping over others and causing a panic.
"This is what my powers can do. This is no lie, and this is no dream. I have the power of death itself, and with a simple touch your life can be distinguished like a candle being blown out by the wind. And that is only a fraction of what I am capable of." He proudly boasted.
The Grim Reaper then removed his hood, revealing the mysterious face underneath. His looks were not unordinary by any means. In fact, he could have past for a regular man if he walked by you on the street. His face was handsome to say the least with fair skin and a chiseled jaw.
But his most astounding features were his long hair that was the color of a glistening rose with morning dew on its peddles and his eyes were so blue and clear it was like they could see right through you and straight into your soul. "Like I said previously, I summoned you all here to partake in my game. The winner will win the ultimate prize that only mortals like you could only dream of obtaining! And that prize would be my position. I am looking to retire you see, but I need someone to succeed me."
His playful tone from earlier had been replaced with a mournful one, and soon the entire atmosphere had changed as it started to sink in with everyone just how real this all was.
"But why us? What made you choose us out of the millions that exist? I can't count everyone here but I can probably estimate around fifty or so among us." Said a giant looking man with broad shoulders and rippling muscles that were perfectly extenuated by his tailored suit. "Finally, someone asks something of value." Said the Grim Reaper, again with that playful smirk.
"I can explain this quite easily. As the Grim Reaper, I know the lives of everybody and I certainly know the lives all of you have led. You're murderers, criminals. Scum. Whatever word in your language has called you, there is one thing all of you have in common. You have taken the lives of others. Some of you have definitely taken more lives than you can count on both hands. But that's what makes you guys the perfect candidates to partake in my game!"
He clapped his hands together and all of a sudden, images started to flood each and every persons minds of the heinous acts they committed over the years. "Being death is not an easy job. It takes someone crazy and detached to do what I do. I take the lives of hundreds of thousands of mortals every day. But there can be only one of me, and that's what the games are for."
"You see, you're all the worst of the worst and that's saying something coming from the ultimate murderer. So here is the baseline to the rules!" He raised his scythe up with both hands and slashed the air, causing a black hole to rip in space and words started to spill out from the hole that he created, forming sentences in the air as he spoke so that everyone could see.
"This is a game of kill or be killed! Only one can survive, but everyone gets the same fair chance. For those who participate, you will receive a gift. A taste of my power if you will." He lifted his hand and a black glowing orb appeared, floating in his palm.
"This is my essence. For those who agree to play, you will be given a piece of me. It will acclimate with your soul and you will be able to conjure a weapon that best reflects your personality. So rule number one." He said as he pointed to the words that started to rearrange themselves, almost like commandments. "
When in proximity with another player, you will each sense each other's lethality. This will draw you to each other like moths to a flame. With a strong enough to desire to kill an individual, this will officially start the challenge. When you finally meet each other back in your world, there's no holds barred. Kill each other in whatever way you deem fit."
"Rule number two. Never expose the truth of this game to anyone. Doing so will result in a drastic penalty. I leave it to your imagination what that penalty will be… And now for rule number three. If you die by the hands of someone else who is not a part of the game, your position and my power will migrate to your killer, and they shall take your place. Any other questions?" He said with an untrustworthy grin on his lips.
Amos, who had been rather quiet during the entire monologue, finally decided he was ready to speak up. His adrenaline was pumping hard, and he was more excited out of anyone to get started right away. After all, power was the most important thing in the world to him.
And what could be more strong than the power of the Grim Reaper himself? Death would literally be at his fingertips, smiting anyone who ever dared to oppose him was almost like a dream. All he needed to do was ensure his victory, but he wanted to stir up the crowd first and get rid of any unneeded competition if he was able to.
"Yeah. I have a question. Why invite so many weaklings here? I think it's clear from looking at the crowd that only a handful of them are worthy of trying to obtain your power. Right now, I could kill someone without them even realizing what I just did." As soon as he said those words, Amos spun around and quickly snapped the neck of the person standing behind him.
The crowd dispersed around him as the person he had just murdered with his bare hands slumped to the floor. "Do you see how easy that was? I didn't even have to think about it. Poor fool didn't even see it coming. It was just that easy… He was there, and now… He's just gone.
How many of you want this to be your fate? Are you prepared to die like this man just did? Dropping dead any day, or be brutally attacked in a slow and painful death? Which method would you all prefer?" He said menacingly with that evil glint in his eyes. He smirked as he watched some people start to sweat.
The whispers of indecisiveness quickly started to spread throughout the crowd. Amos knew what the Grim Reaper was doing. Being a killer and being a criminal were two completely different things. Just because you murdered someone doesn't mean you did it without regrets. He was sure a lot of them resented themselves for what they did, and that it still weighed heavily on their egos.
But for someone like Amos, and even the true competition he was about to face, was of a different breed. They killed for the enjoyment of it, and that was the true test the Grim Reaper was setting out. He wanted them to weed out the weak from the strong.
"Hey man, what the hell do you think you're doing?! You can't be taking that freak seriously?! How could you just do something like that?!" Said an angered man in his early twenties as he pushed through the crowd to grab Amos roughly by his shirt collar. Amos smirked as he took ahold of the man's arm and pulled his face in closer to grin at him mockingly.
"Aren't you here for the same reason that I am? Like the reaper said, all of us are murderers. You've done your own fair share of killing have you not? So why the hell do you suddenly care what happened to that guy?" He couldn't help but start chuckling, but grimaced when he received a sharp sucker punch to the right side of his face.
"How's that for being weak?! Huh? You punk!" He said as he started to laugh hysterically. Amos reached his hand up to his face and rubbed the bruise that was already starting to form, but his smile only grew wider when he looked over his attackers shoulder. "I don't think you should have done that."
The young man looked at him confused but screamed out in pain when Lila jumped on his back from behind and bit deep into the side of his neck, gnawing at him with her teeth and tearing a large chunk of his flesh off. He started shrieking as he let Amos go and clutched the side of his neck that was bleeding profusely. Lila walked to stand in front of him and spit his flesh on the floor with his blood dripping all over her face and shirt.
She stared at him with murderous eyes that looked ready to tear him to shreds. "How dare you harm my loves beautiful face?! You piece of man garbage!" She said as she kicked him in the face causing him to fall backwards, where she then repeatedly started stomping on his face.
His body twitched with every stomp until his screams finally ceased. But the crowd was now more riled up than before and many of them were crying and screaming in terror at the brute force. "That's enough now Lila. He's already dead." He said as he placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to stop her assault.
He smirked as he pulled her in close and felt her rapid breathing start to slow and she started to relax in his arms. He was beyond amused by her antics. She was almost like a rabid beast that only he could control. So that was her reaction to someone simply punching him?
He couldn't even imagine what else she would be willing to do if he were ever to find himself in danger. Amos was happy that he hadn't killed her before, because now that he saw how serious she was about her feelings towards him, he knew that he could use that to his advantage.
The Grim Reaper started to chuckle as he watched Amos play around with them all like cheap toys. He knew he was right in choosing him. He wasn't even that surprised that Amos was the one to make the first kill and the games hadn't even started yet.
After all, he was one of the big competitors he had his eyes on and hoped to win. It was nice to watch the young boy display everything he had hoped to witness. That ruthlessness and insincerity truly reminded him of himself in a twisted way.
"Indeed. I know many of you might not be willing to participate. None of you agreed to come here, and I'm sure a lot of you want to just go home and live about your days as if none of this ever happened. But wouldn't you like to try? Don't you want to have a taste of that glory? Or are most of you too scared to face death yourself?" He said loudly with authority.
"I think you all should take notes from this young man here. If you want to become my successor, then you must be fully committed to do the unthinkable without a seconds notice. After all, this is a killing game. Only one of you will be able to make it out of this alive. I cannot be more clear about this. So by a show of hands, raise your hand if you want to participate. This is the only time I will ask before the decision is final."
Immediately, Amos was the first to raise his hand. "I'm not afraid. None of these losers could even get close to killing me anyways. They saw what would happen if they even thought about it. If you agree to play, then know you are at risk at dying by my hands like pigs lead to the slaughter."
He looked at Lila with an affectionate gaze, and again that thumping in her chest came back. "You said you would do anything I tell you to and that you would protect me. I need you Lila, so play with me." He said to her lovingly. She immediately nodded to him and raised her hand, becoming the second official participant.
"Of course Amos. I would follow the gates of hell if that's what you wanted of me. My life is to do with as you please!" He smiled with a satisfied expression. So far, they were the only two people with their hands raised which means that his scare tactic seemed to have worked. However, the muscular man from earlier also raised his hand much to his dismay. "I am not afraid either. I too would like to have your power. My life already has no real meaning, and if I could die with the shot of gaining everything, then I am willing to take that risk."
After his bold statement, ten more people out of the fifty of them raised their hands. Amos sucked his teeth with annoyance since it seems there were people as eager as he was to obtain the powers of death. But he expected that this would happen. At least he was able to whittle the competition by a large majority.
After a couple of more minutes, the decisions were final. Out of the fifty that were summoned, only thirteen people agreed to play in the death game. The Grim Reaper still stood under the tree and pulled his hood back up, hiding his handsome face once again.
"Then it's decided! You lucky thirteen will become my champions and each receive a blessing. But… the rules still apply to everyone. Rule number two, never tell anyone the truth about the game. Because if you do, that would be exposing the truth about me and the afterlife to mortals. For those who didn't raise your hands, you officially just became a liability to my secrets and I can't have that. Which means, none of you are needed. How fitting the number thirteen is, because for the rest of you, you became majorly unlucky."
He clapped his hands together once more, and one by one the people who didn't agree to play started to wither away like Billy did only moments before. Bodies were dropping left and right until only the final thirteen remained.
"Look around and remember everyone's faces. Because you thirteen will be fighting for your lives until a winner is determined. But regardless of that, I congratulate you all for accepting my offer! And welcome to the Grimm Games! I wish you all the best of luck." He stomped the butt of his scythe on the floor and the blood red moon above started shining brightly and came the return of the deafening bell tolls.
All of them huddled on the floor in pain, and just in the same fashion as they got there, they were sent back home from the dimension they came from. Amos slowly opened his eyes and scanned his environment. Lying next to him with her head on his arm was Lila who was still asleep.
Amos started to feel something he had never felt before manifesting inside of him. It felt almost like butterflies that were frantically flying around inside him, tickling his soul. He placed his free hand over his eyes and felt a rumble in his throat.
He started off quietly, but quickly broke into a full fit of hysterical laughter with the sounds of his deranged voice bouncing off of the walls. He peeked through his fingers and stared at the ceiling; his cold blue eyes now glowing in the darkness, and a dark power now resonating from within him.
What was this feeling, he asked himself. Ah, maybe he knew. For the first time in his life, Amos felt fear. But it wasn't a bad feeling at all. The feeling of fear made him want to laugh, it was almost like a game to him. It was a new and exciting situation he found himself in and if he wasn't careful he could almost get hooked on the sensation. And he just couldn't wait to see what dangers awaited him next.