Of Life and Death

ten

I wake up in a king sized bed. I look around at the luxurious room for a clue as to where I am. The walls are black and the windows are covered. I try to get out of the bed but pain in my back convinces me to stay put.

I go over my injuries and try to figure out where they came from. My entire back feels like it was used for batting practice. My throat feels like I swallowed sand. My arms are sore and my head is pounding.

I force myself to get out of the bed. The sucky thing about not being able to die is I still feel pain. I brace myself on the headboard and look around.

The room is empty, except for the bed and a lamp. I slowly and painfully make my way to the door. I open it and lean against it. I rest for a few minutes before walking down the bare hall.

I get the door at the opposite end and lean against it before I open it. Without warning it swings open and I fall. I catch myself and pain flares from my hands to my back.

" Grim! Are you okay?" Life asks as he gently lifts me to my feet." Life? What's going on?" I ask. He leads me back to the room. I don't want to go but I'm in no condition to fight it.

He stops by the bed and I sit on the edge. He crouches down in front of me and grabs my face with his hands. He turns my face from side to side, looking for something.

" Stop it. Tell what happened." I demand. He stops turning my face but doesn't remove his hands." You don't remember?" He asks, concerned." Remember what? What's going on?" I ask.

" Grim, are you okay?" He asks." Yes now tell me what happened." I order. He sighs.

" You went to reap a soul in Tokyo. It didn't go as planned. The guy was a creep. He was into these ritual things. Apparently he was trying to be immortal. This thing showed up to keep you from reaping him. And it worked. You fought it but it was beating you. You screamed and I heard it."

" Your scream surprised it. But I still had to fight it. It threw you into a wall and scraped your back. It decided that the guy was safe and left. I couldn't kill the guy but I did snap his neck, just so he'd shut up." He says. His thumbs rub my cheeks almost absentmindedly.

I push his hands away." What was it?" I question. He shrugs." I don't know. I even asked the Council. They didn't know either, just said to get you back to reaping condition. They said they could take over your job for a few days but that was it unless you were being replaced."

I stand up, accepting Life's help. I sigh and summon my Reaper's list. Instead of my phone an old fashioned stone tablet appears in my hand. I start reaping and a wave of energy moves through the world.

Only an immortal would feel it, making it the perfect way to tell the Council I'm back on the job. Life watches me as I sit back down.

" Are you sure you're okay?" Life asks again. I roll my eyes.

" I'm fine." I tell him again. " Where's my phone?" I ask. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a cracked phone." Here." He says as he hands it to me.

I gingerly grab the phone and look at it. The screen is ruined and it's flatter than it used to be. There's no way it'll work. I sigh and toss my phone to the side.

" I'm going home." I announce. " I really don't think you should." Life says. I raise an eyebrow and look at him." And why not? It's not like I can die." I point out.

" Well that thing could come back. It definitely looked like it could kill you, or at least hurt you bad enough to make you stop." He argues.

" I'm not going to hide like a scared little kid. Next time I'll be prepared." I counter.

" But if you stay near me I can help you fight. It doesn't want me." He says.

" Life, you can't protect me. I don't want you to. If you really want to help, stop it. Don't keep me from my life and my job." I tell him.

He nods reluctantly." At least let me get you home so you don't have to use the energy." He offers.

" Fine." I accept. He teleports us to my house. I head to the kitchen and sit down. He watches me. Once he's sure I'm fine he says goodbye.

" Bye Grim. If you need help, just call." He says.

" Bye Life." I say. He pauses before leaving and turns to me.

" Call me Alex." He says. I smile a little.

" My name is Gwen." I tell him. He smiles before shaking his head.

" I like Grim better. It suits you." He says and vanishes from view.

I roll my eyes and get myself a drink from the fridge. Only that man would think Grim was an acceptable name.