Death Angel

Chapter 2: The Choice

“And what are those things?”

Death raised a single finger and pointed upward for effect. “You must be satisfied, you must find closure,” he said finally. He had walked a little further away and was now leaning on the side of the alleyway. In the distance and the shadows, he looked but a common person, a lawyer or a banker perhaps, with his impeccably crafted suit.

“And how do I find closure?” I asked. I found myself getting impatient.

“Closure comes in many ways, for those who have been wronged, Cherie,” he spoke with finality, and there was just the slightest hint of sadness in his words. Back then, I hadn’t truly grasped the significance of what he was trying to tell me. “But in the end, it is the wronged who have to choose. Vengeance or Forgiveness.”

“And should I choose to forgive?” I asked, that certainly sounded like a simple alternative, albeit one that sounded impossible to me at the moment.

“Forgiveness means to ascend. You leave this mortal coil and you move on to the world beyond, case closed,” he smiled. “Despite how that seems, quite a few are able to do it. Despite what has happened to you, nothing in this world compares to the eternal,” he said, the faintest hint of a smile upon his lips.’’

“And should I choose the path of Vengeance?”

“Alas, cherie, as far too many do, I am prepared to offer you assistance in that matter as well.” Those lines were delivered with a gravity I did not expect. I was so used to his affable manner, used to his calm demeanor. I must admit I was taken aback by this.

“And what assistance may you provide me in this regard?” I asked, more out of curiosity than anything else at the time.

Death moved closer to me, until his beautiful face was almost touching mine. He gazed at my eyes with his piercing eyes.

“There are spirits, Cherie, whose hatred binds them to this earth. They refuse the judgement of the divine and forever walk the land in anguish. They know no peace,” Death said with a sigh. “But such are their circumstances; it is hate that binds them to such an existence. Hell on earth. Dear Cherie, please do not choose such a fate,” Death said a low voice, and I detected a brief hint of sadness in his eyes.

“Do you enjoy what you do?” I asked, unsure of what else to tell him, but wanting to break the seriousness of the situation.

Death seemed to think about that for a while, mulling my words without responding. 

“No,” he said after a long pause. “No, I can’t say that I do, Cherie,” he said simply.

“Ok, so what if I said I wanted revenge, after all?” I could feel anger rising up within me. The injustice of my situation had not been lost on me, not even after the initial shock of my own death. 

The shadows all around the alley shifted again. The oppressive feeling was growing, threatening to engulf me. The darkness. The darkness was coming for me. I was afraid, frightened that Death had come to take me. 

I felt powerless to do anything about it, which was not very common for a person like me.

My father, Donovan Hunter, was the Chairman and CEO of Hunter Robotics. He built the company from his garage twenty-five years ago and grew it into a multi-billion dollar global conglomerate, with offices in Sydney, Paris, London, and Tokyo. When he passed, I was left the sole heiress to an enormous fortune. I had learned much about the business in the four years I have had to get to know it. 

I had the sense back then to install a new CEO: my father’s trusted friend and right-hand, Robert Mayer. Robert was a family friend, and knew the business well. I grew up around the business and memories of Robert were everywhere in my mind. Entrusting the company to a CEO with Robert Mayer’s clout and experience was a smart move, and one that the Board of Directors instantly supported. At fifteen, I was in no way ready to manage a multi-billion dollar complex business like Hunter Robotics. I stayed on as Chair and majority shareholder, retaining full rights to exactly 53% of the company. The stock continued to do well under Robert’s leadership, growing to a market capitalization of just under $5 Billion.