Being Death offered him several perks. He was immortal and nothing could hurt him. He could see the date of death hovering like a red, wavering title over the foreheads of every human, and as time went on, he realised that there were a few individuals who did not possess an end to their lives. That told him that there were people like him, creatures who weren't human. Thankfully though, being immortal meant that they couldn't harm him and with his length of days, he spent his life in a blur that initially began with rowdy fun but soon mellowed into a peaceful monotony.
The ringing in his head was dull but noticeable. There was another soul ready for him to reap, so he descended onto the earth. As he walked down the dirty path, he caught sight of the man who was close to death. He was wearing shabby clothes and had a plain cloth laying in front of him which had several coins on top of it. His hands were cupped and open, waiting for coins to collect in them.
Death approached him but another figure caused him to stop in his tracks. It was a girl, with a mess of slightly curled dark purple locks. She tucked a strand of hair behind one ear and stepped towards the beggar, then placed a wad of cash on top of the cloth. He thanked her profusely and she patted him on the side of his arm with a warm smile before leaving.
People who gave to beggars were rare, but who gave a month's worth of salary to one when she herself had holes in her clothes?
Death stared after the mysterious girl curiously and as she disappeared from view, his eyes found the title over the beggar's head again. The time was approaching.
Ten, Nine, Eight.
Two men from the alleyway right behind the beggar crept up behind him. One of them shot forwards to cover his mouth while the other removed a short knife from a pocket to bring it to his throat in a quick slash to the side. Blood poured from his wound and the other man snatched the wad of cash from his hand. They quickly escaped back into the alleyway as the beggar collapsed to the ground, gasping through his blood.
Five, Four, Three.
Death came up to him, reaching a hand out to touch his shoulder. Smoke poured from his hand to cover him. It engulfed his body within seconds.
Three, Two, One.
And the beggar was thrown into eternity.
❃❃❃
Ginny put her hand in her tote, and lightly brushed her fingers against her leather wallet as she made her way home. Albert was akin to a close friend of hers, though they never managed to talk much because of her hectic schedule. But she still cared about him. Receiving that one-month bonus at work made her happy and sure, she could have used it on herself, but she refused to have luxuries when so many around her craved bread. She hoped that money would help him get back on his feet, or maybe help him tide through some more days, or even several months if he used it properly.
Soon, a few days passed and Ginny forgot all about Albert. It was yet another day where she was walking home from work and since she usually took a different route home, she did not pass by the usual place where Albert liked to beg. The thought of him never touched her mind and when she reached home, she was pleasantly surprised to see her best friend, Jane, there along with her parents and sister.
"What's the occasion?" Ginny asked everyone, gesturing to the generous plates of food decorating the long table. Everyone took their seats and Ginny smiled widely as she beheld her four most loved people in the world.
"No occasion," her mother said. "We just want to spend time with each other."
"The food looks great, Mom. Thanks for cooking."
"I helped too!" Jane said, smiling.
"Thank you, Jane."
Within moments, they dug into the delicious food as they watched some slasher film on Netflix. The food gradually disappeared into their stomachs, and they were all reclined in their seats, drinking from their cups of coke.
"Days like these make life so wonderful," Ginny said, sighing in happiness.
"Tell me about it," Gemma, her sister, said.
"Are you guys annoyed though? I keep coming over," Jane said apologetically.
"Oh, please. You're like a daughter already. Keep on coming," Ginny's father said and Jane laughed.
Out of nowhere, a man on the screen had his throat brutally slashed by some masked killer, drowning the happy atmosphere in the room with his pig-like screaming.
"Which reminds me," Jane said to Ginny. "Do you know that beggar, Albert? The one you always give money to?"
"Oh," Ginny said, suddenly reminded of him. "What about him?"
"I heard he died recently," Jane told her.
Ginny gasped, her hand flying to her mouth to cover it. "No way! How?"
"I'm not sure, but I think he was attacked."
"Who would attack him?" Ginny said, crestfallen. "He's such a nice man."
"I know, right?"
"Oh, Albert," Gemma said. "I know who attacked him. You're not going to like the sound of this, Ginny."
"What? Why?" Ginny asked Gemma.
"Well, that's because…" Gemma began.