Death has a Daughter (DHAD Series) (14 page)

“
You liar!” I tried to yell as I came up from the water.  But it was in-between laughs.  I wasn’t mad.  It had been a good trick.  He wasn’t in front of me, so I turned around and bumped right into him.  His face was now inches from mine—in the same situation we were in during that first day of him training me.  My eyes stared into his.  Unlike usual, they were filled with some spark of life that I hadn’t noticed before.  He leaned in so that his mouth was so close to mine.  My lips parted and I closed my eyes.  His cheek brush against mine and his lips were to my ear.

“
I win,” he said as he placed his hands on top of my shoulders and dunked me under the water again.  I’d gotten out of that one easy, I thought.  Wow, was I an idiot.  When I came up, Lacie and he were making their way out of the water.

“
I’m hungry,” Lacie said as she got out.  “Can we please go eat somewhere?  Like a real place, since we have Cendall to port us.  I don’t feel like eating a rabbit or deer again.”  While I was gone, Trevor must have just gone hunting for their meals.

“
It’s too dangerous. I’ll just...”

“
No, it’s not.  Cendall will be able to see if any Guardians or Demons, or whatever, is at the place we want to eat,” Lacie interrupted Trevor.

“
How do you...” I began to ask, and Lacie smiled.

“
I’ve read a few books the other Guardians had given me.  I know that when you guys have your powers, or whatever they’re called, you can see and sense one another.  How else would you guys be able to fight all the time?” She laughed.

We ported to Knoxville, which
, according to our map, was the closest city to get some food.  Lacie picked out a small Coney Island.  There weren’t many people in it and they all stared as we entered.  No Demon, Guardian, or Reaper present, so Trevor agreed to go in.  We revealed ourselves, so it wouldn’t look like Lacie was talking to imaginary friends.  This was obviously a local place.  We sat in the first booth to our left, and Lacie laughed as we sat down.

“
This booth is worn thin; I can feel the springs,” Lacie claimed, and I agreed as I took a seat next to her.  Trevor sat on the other side.  We pulled the menus from behind the dusty salt and pepper shakers.  I opened my menu to find a nice, splattered ketchup stain on the dessert section.  The waitress walked over, looking really nervous.  I didn’t think we looked that intimidating.  She pulled out her notepad and her hand began to shake.  Words tried to leave her mouth, but all that came out was stuttering.  I felt my scythe call to me; someone was about to die.

“
We’ll have three waters,” I interrupted the waitress’ stuttering, and she quickly walked away.

“
But I...” Lacie began, but I pinched her to stop.  I reached out my arm to gently caress Trevor’s cheek.

“
Isn’t he just so cute?”

“
Ugh, yeah,” Lacie said.  I leaned over the table and kissed Trevor on the left side of his cheek, making it a loud ‘smack,’ in an attempt to sell it, then whispered in his ear “death—something’s going on.”  I leaned back in my seat.  Lacie gave me a ‘you’re a crazy person’ look.

“
I’ll be right back ladies; I must excuse myself to the restroom,” Trevor said a little loud, but laughed lightly.

“
When did you guys become the Brady bunch?”  Lacie said, as Trevor went into the restroom.  She wasn’t getting it, which favored us. Her fear would give whoever was planning on killing people the idea that we knew.  Trevor walked out of the restroom and looked around as he came back to our table.

“
No toilet paper anywhere!” he said.  “We’ll have to go somewhere else.” We got up and headed for the door.

“
I don’t think you’re going anywhere with money in your pocket,” a deep, southern voice called from behind us.  We all slowly turned around and there were two men standing with shot guns.  One stood about six-feet tall, with a round stomach and two hairs on his head.  Missing most of his teeth, his gums were black and unkempt like his beard.  The other one was only about five foot three.  He was skinny, and shaking as he held his gun. 

“
If only little Nancy here was a better actress, you guys could have gotten away,” he said as he pointed his shotgun over at Nancy and then back at us.  No wonder the whole place stared at us when we got there—they were being robbed.  Trevor’s hands slowly reached at his side and started pulling out his spear. 

“
Put your hands up right now or I’ll shoot you where you stand!” the big guy yelled.

“
You left in three,” Trevor whispered—low enough so I could hear but the humans couldn’t.  Three came and Trevor lunged at the big guy, grabbing his shotgun before it went off and bending it upwards as he tackled the guy onto the back counter.  Trevor began to scramble back and forth with the guy.  I focused my attention to the other one, who was now shaking more than before. 

“
Youuuu...don’t ma-ma-move!” he tried to say with authority, and I held back a smile as I pulled out my scythe. “Your stick ain’t no ma-match for ma-ma gun.”

“
Just put it down,” I said calmly, as I could hear Trevor and the guy wrestling on the ground.

“
No,” he said and he pressed his finger harder on the trigger.  A little more and it would go off.  My scythe began to glow; it was calling to a soul.  I tried to focus on which, because I could tell it wasn’t the guys in front of me.  It was calling for… 

“
Oh shit,” I said as I quickly turned around and saw a third shooter pull out his gun and aim it at Lacie.  I jumped on her to port us out of there, feeling a slight sting in my left shoulder as we teleported to outside the restaurant.

“
Don’t move!” I yelled to her as I put her behind a car and ported back inside.  When I flashed inside I took a quick look around.  Bodies of customers were piled in pools of blood on the floor. That guy sure was busy the minute it took for me to get Lacie outside.  A fight and shooting was still going on in the back.  Must be where Trevor was.  My port to the back landed me in front of the skinny guy.  He screamed and passed out. 

It m
ust have been his first time seeing someone appear out of thin air.  My smile lasted only a second.  I could feel a bullet coming for the back of my head.  I swung my scythe around to block the bullet, and turned to look at my shooter.  This was the one who had been hidden before when I felt that Lacie’s death was coming.  He had been the one who had aimed his gun at her, to end her life in his robbery attempt.  The other two were just his pushers in this operation.  The look of his eyes told me that he operated as the ‘brains,’ and this wasn’t his first rodeo.  While the others did this just for the cash, he did it for the kill.  This was a free-willed psychopath in front of me.  He smiled as he readied his aim again.  Too bad that smile was about to fade, since Trevor was behind him. 

Trevor put a muscled forearm around the man
’s throat, choking him until his lack of air forced him to drop his gun. His hand reached to scratch at Trevor’s arm in attempt to loosen his hold. I smiled; I knew that wouldn’t happen.  I walked slowly, making sure his eyes were watching me approach. As I came face to face with him, I placed the tip of my scythe to his heart.  He was about to pass out from lack of oxygen, and my scythe screamed at me to get it over with, but no, he didn’t deserve that. 

I
pulled out my blade and stabbed him in his side, puncturing his lungs.  I then continued to slide the tip of my scythe inch by inch, slowly and painfully, towards his heart.  His eyes went red and started to water from the pain, as the adrenaline coursed through my body. I let out a loud laugh to make sure he could hear me mocking him in his final moments.  My scythe told me it was over soon enough, and once his dirty soul was in my scythe, I took it out of his heart.  Trevor released his grip and the man’s body fell to the floor.  I spit on him while I watched his sticky, thick blood pool into the cracks of the floor.  Trevor looked at me, with that look of disappointment I’d gotten used to.

“
Oh don’t you dare—this wasn’t this guy’s first time; he deserves where my scythe is taking him!”

“
Maybe, but you didn’t have to laugh.  Your face while you were killing him... It should have been over much sooner.  Do you have the rest of the souls from out there in your scythe too?” he asked.

“
No, I wanted to check out all the noise first, but I’ll go get them now.”

“
Okay, I’m going to make sure no one else is in the back,” he said, and I turned away from him, heading into the diner.  Only three of the six bodies’ souls still remained in their shells.  I placed my scythe into each of their hearts, quickly, and moved outside.  The other three were either at judgment or their spirits were now up to the seekers of my realm.  It is physically impossible, with all the humans having several times in their lives when they could die, for us to take them all to their judgment day.  Some souls went automatically, while others became spirits that roamed earth until found by seekers.  The seekers of our realm were those that roamed earth for lost spirits.  They’d collect them in their scythes, and take them to the researchers for their long-awaited judgment.

“
Where is she?” Trevor shouted as his eyes frantically scanned the restaurant. He must have been done with checking the back.

“
Chill out, she’s outside; I had to port her out.”

“
Why?” he questioned.

“
Because she saved my life again, duh!” Lacie said as the bell above the door chimed and she walked in.

“
I told you to stay by the car,” I scolded her.

“
Yeah, yeah, it’s over now though, isn’t it?” she asked.

“
Yes,” came out between my clenched teeth. This girl didn’t like to listen.

“
You’re bleeding!” she yelled as she rushed to my side and stared at my shoulder.  Looking down, I saw the blood dripping down my side.  There was a hole there.  Must have been that sting I felt as I ported her.  I stuck my finger in it and let out a small ‘yelp.’  As I pulled the bullet from my body, it made a sickening suction noise.

“
Here’s a souvenir for you,” I said, dropping it into Lacie’s hand.

“
Gross!”  She immediately dropped it and Trevor laughed.

“
I think we shouldn’t go out to eat anymore,” he said with a smile.

“
I thought Demons were our worst problem,” Lacie said, and we left.  The girl was a death magnet.

“
Let’s go far away from here,” Trevor said, and we all grabbed hands to port out.

“
Michigan?” I asked.  I knew that was pretty far away from here.

“
Sure,” and I ported us to Canadian Lakes.  It was a town full of cabins and woods.  We found an abandoned cabin and broke in.

“
At least we’ll get beds tonight,” Lacie said as she ran up the stairs of the log cabin that had an upstairs loft.  This place was much smaller than the last place we’d stayed it. It only had one bedroom.  All the furniture looked worn and had a checkered pattern that was brown, yellow, and black.  An interesting moose lamp was on the table next to the couch, but other than that, every item in the place was old and not interesting. 

“There are girls PJs up here too!” she shouted from upstairs.  I took a seat on the couch across from the TV, and Trevor took one on a lazy boy.  I found the clicker on the coffee table and tried to turn on the TV.  Nothing but the four local channels.

“
They must turn off the cable when they’re not here,” I said to Trevor, as Lacie came down the stairs.

“
You watch TV?” she asked.

“
At times.”

“
But you live in hell.”

“
Only in limbo; it’s only the first level of hell.  We have movies and will get seasons of shows on DVD, but we don’t indulge in them as much as your culture.  How do you think I know so much about humans, and the culture and geography of this realm?  Lacie, I’ve been studying your race since I was six.  We are trained to know every place, language, and cultural norm of humans, so that we won’t get distracted by anything that would compromise losing your soul while it’s in a vulnerable state.  When I’ve been in this realm, I’ve watched a show or two if my target was watching.”

“
So you like, have a house too?” she asked.

“
What’s with all the questions? I thought you said you’ve read about us from the Guardians’ giving you a book?”  I laughed.

“
Yeah, but the book just talks about your abilities, like what you can do, and how to battle and defeat you; it doesn’t go into personal details.  Now, answer the question,” Lacie said, with a look on her face like she was actually really intrigued to know about us.

“
Yes, well, each family has a home in our castle.  It’s hard to explain, but it’s not like it’s burning up everywhere.  At least not in my level.  It’s actually green and quiet.  Even though we live in a castle, we’re not medieval.  The castle is just the outside wall. We actually live inside the town, which has small, condo-sized homes,” I said honestly.

“
Oh, I guess I just figured you knew about human things from your studying,” she said as she took a seat next to me.

“
We do, but it’s easiest to explain it like this:  We look like humans and need a lot of the same things that humans do to survive.  We must eat, drink, and have oxygen.  We are different than you in ways, like our healing abilities, life span, strength, speed, and—we’ll call them—special gifts.  Other than that, we are similar in many ways.”

“
I kind of get it, I think….” she said.  “Are there any humans in your realm?” she asked.

“
There are the wives of the Reapers, and then the souls of humans who end up in limbo, but we don’t have contact with those souls.”

“
The wives are still human?” she asked.

“
Yeah.”

“
But I know that Guardians and, I’m guessing, Reapers basically live forever.”

“
Not all of them, but most.”

“
Yeah, okay, but don’t the wives die way earlier than their Reaper husbands?”

“
When they enter our realm, they get a lot of the abilities that we Reapers have.  It’s the effect of the atmosphere.  They typically live as long as their husbands.”