Skin and Bones (boyxboy) ✓

Chapter Thirteen

He was formed like a human, or perhaps a human skeleton, and cast over that skeleton was a thick ink coloured skin that as he ran forward sank against his skeleton and filled in all the cracks. The ribs becoming visible, the short bone of the nose, and the odd skin filled eye sockets. Even the mouth seemed to be covered with that leathery black skin the colour of ash.

He was screaming now, or making a noise, yet even as he opened his mouth there was no actual hole, the skin just sank further in the gaps of his mouth against his teeth.

I turned back to face forwards, my hand tightening on the warm, strong hand I was holding, the image of what was chasing us comfortably sitting in the forefront of my mind I made a sound similar to "eee" out of disgust.

We only finally stopped running when we landed in a clearing, an empty park with shortly cropped grass and a lone swing set and climbing house sitting neglected in the distance on some black asphalt.

He let go of me and I put my hands on my knees, crouching as I breathed hard. I wasn't unfit as far as people go and jogged every morning and that but running is another deal especially when you're trying to keep up with the cloaked transporter of souls that seemed more like he was skating downhill when he ran.

"Why did we stop?" I asked after a long inhale.

"To fight." He said, stepping forward as the shadowy figure approached him, slowing down once more.

I frowned at him, looking around him at the size of the sword the thing was carrying. "Uh... Not sure I have a sword stashed anywhere buddy..."

Death simply ignored me as the figure swung his blade back and then let it fall towards us and the air whistled as his blade sliced it in two and I felt the pressure of the displaced air brush me in the face.

I looked up at Death with a raised eyebrow, unsure of what I was supposed to be doing if I was supposed to be doing anything. He didn't say anything and just looked ahead of him, stony eyes on guy in front of him, apparently threatening him.

He swung the sword once more, this time, although the blade didn't seem to reach me, it still managed to slice into the fabric of my hoodie and I yelled out in surprise.

Turning back I saw him raising his sword once more as he approached. I thought I saw eyes for a brief moment as he got closer but it seemed to be a trick of the light, only shadows.

Then he charged forwards and the mud and grass went flying as he bolted towards us, debris flying everywhere as the blade of his gleamed. It looked a hell of a lot sharper when he was charging at me with it, I noticed. 

"Ah shit." I fell backwards even though Death remained standing and I tugged at Deaths cloak uneasily, waiting for him to do something. Death glanced at me briefly and then turned back again, this time I realised that the figure at other end of the blade was still, unusually and impossibly still. A dark mist that hung around Death had slipped over unnoticed and wrapped itself around him and apparently, somehow, frozen him stiff.

Death moved his hands and the mist collected around him closer. Like a deadly black cloud with a pitch black body, it looked like tar as it stuck to him and squeezed. It was sort of impressive to watch, and yet also almost frightening. Out of the two of them it was far easier to fear him, though I tried not to, over what amounted to a rather pathetic creature when immobilised so easily.

This time the mist didn't appear to fall away, this time it gathered and gathered and wrapped its way around the guy like an insect caught in a web. The mist collected on him until it looked like he was disappearing into a black whole, suffocating on the strange entity coiling around him.