💀Death's Apprentice💀

Chapter Six: Mitzi's

Rose Delaney

I felt like I was going to hurl. My eyes were squeezed shut. I didn't even want to know where we were. Wherever it was, I seemed to be laying on the cold ground. The apprentice groaned from beside me. I peeked out of one eye. Stars and clouds hung in the night sky like ornaments. Rain gently dripped on and around us. Another groan sounded form beside me. I opened both eyes and turned.

"Your leg!" I shrieked.

"I'll be fine." The apprentice grumbled.

"You'll be fine?! You just got shot! I mean what was that? What just happened?! And how did you do that without the Scythe?! I mean this isn't what I would call fi-" I ranted before the Apprentice covered my mouth with his hand and shushing me. I smacked his hand away.

"Do not shush me!" I snapped.

"Look, I promise to explain everything. But first we have to get inside."

"Inside where?!" I asked incredulously. We were in the middle of an empty street! There wasn't so much as a car parked, or even one person walking! I didn't see any doors or openings. There was only row upon row of back alleys and darkened windows. The apprentice pointed to the end of the block. A solid wall painted with a picture of a smiling girl stood taller than the rest of the buildings. Mitzi's, the sign read in calligraphy over the bottom of the painting.

"Help me up." The apprentice winced as he sat himself up. I tried to get him up as gently as possible, but he still hissed in pain as I heaved his arm over my shoulders. We began to walk towards the wall. I walked anyway-the apprentice had no choice but to hop. Finally we reached the wall.

"Okay, what now?" I questioned.

"Keep going."

"What?"

The apprentice sighed before pushing his shoulders forward, causing enough weight to pull me forward. I squeezed my eyes shut as my face swung into the wall-and then right through it. The apprentice chuckled. I cautiously opened my eyes again. It was incredible!

String lights dangled across an open room with lines and lines of people. I looked closer. They weren't human! Not all of them, anyway. They were all different. Some had patches of scales on their shoulders, some had light layers of fur, and all of them had the most beautiful eyes! Fangs flashed in some of their smiles and laughs, and bursts of light that could only be magic shone from some of their fingertips as they played with different shapes and motions. I watched in fascination.

The apprentice pulled me forward like a nanny pulling an awestruck child through a candy store. I tried not to stare at anyone in particular as we got to the front of the line. Two bouncers stood watch at the door. One stood in front of it, only moving to let certain people past. The other held a clipboard in his hand, going through each name to make sure that the guest was on the list. Scales traced the front of his throat and patches on his head. His eyes were a deep yellow, and instead of the round irises that I was used to seeing I saw only narrow slits.

"I need to speak to her." The apprentice shouted above the noise. The bouncer only raised a scaly brow. The apprentice rolled his eyes and yanked back his jacket to reveal a pin nestled onto the sleeve of his shirt. It was a tiny martini glass filled with bubbling pink liquid. It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. The liquid moved! The bubbles of the glass floated from the bottom of the glass to the top before popping and starting all over again. "As if you don't know me..." he mumbled. The bouncer handed the clipboard to his partner before disappearing inside.

"You expect me to let you in here dressed like that?" A woman's voice purred. A tall blonde stepped outside. It was the woman from the painting! Her blush pink dress was even more sparkly in person. She looked us up and down skeptically until her bright blue eyes landed on the gunshot wound. Her gaze snapped back up to us.

"Long work day?" She asked.

"You have no idea, Mitzi."

"Fine. You can come inside, but you're sitting at one of the back booths. Where no one can see you and those hideous rags you're wearing. Except her. She actually looks halfway decent. Only if she weren't so filthy. Maybe you shouldn't cheap out on your dates and actually drive her next time. If there is one. I'll get you some medicine and a couple of drinks. It looks like that landing busted up your face." Mitzi scolded.

"She's not my-" But it was too late. Mitzi had already disappeared into the darkness of her club. "Mitzi!" He yelled as he jumped after her. "I'll take the medicine, but I don't want you to go to much trouble with the drinks. We can't stay long." The apprentice followed her through the dancing crowd and to one of the back booths. We sat down as Mitzi turned to us.

"Good!" She shouted over the din. "I don't want you sitting here for ages looking all banged up and scaring my guests away!" Just when I thought she might be serious she sent me a playful wink before strolling away. The apprentice shook his head with a fond smile before turning to me. I crossed my arms and rested them on the table as I leaned forward.

"Okay, you said you would explain. So explain." I ordered. He rolled his eyes before glancing around and placing a stone slab in the middle of the table. I reached forward to slide it closer to me so that I could observe it. I traced my fingers over the shiny symbols.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's a tablet. They have many different purposes, but I've never seen one used for this. In case you didn't get the gist back there, this one raises the dead." The apprentice explained. I rolled my eyes. Of course I got the concept from my boss playing Frankenstein with his sister!

"Yes, I get the idea." I griped.

"Good. Now, I was able to portal jump without the Scythe because I've spent so much time with it. I've absorbed some of its power, and I have a reservoir of it inside of me to be used in emergencies. Like escaping from your creepy boss." The apprentice noted. My eyes bugged.

"Does that mean I have some?" I asked.

"Very little!" The apprentice laughed. "It'd be a miracle if you could so much as unlock a door. You definitely won't be able to travel the way I do." Glass clinked against the table as two tall cylinder-shaped water glasses were set on the table. A pink, bubbling drink was set in front of the apprentice. Mitzi sat on the seat and wiggled over to push the apprentice out of the way. She planted her relives on the table and rested her head in her hands as she grinned sweetly at me.

           "So who's your girlfriend?" Mitzi asked.

          "She not my girlfriend! She stole the Scythe!" The apprentice protested.

          "So where is it now?"

           "..."

          "...You are so fired..."