Games Reapers Play

Chapter 7

SEBASTAIN SQUINTED HIS eyes as he stepped into the sunlight. He took a deep breath, welcoming in the morning air. Annalysia stood by his side. He turned in her direction. The vision of the child last night invaded his vision. The child's pale complexion haunted his mind.

"You said you've been in the arena since you were six?" she whispered.

He dropped his head before turning and facing her. In the dawn's light, she looked like an angel. "Yes, my sister and I were homeless. It was her fourth birthday." He took a step forward and began walking deeper in the forest, with Annalysia behind. "I didn't want my little sister dying on her fourth birthday, so I went to the nearest bakery and took the first thing I could get my hands on."

Sebastian paused and felt her hands brush against his back. "When I left the alley my sister and I called home, twenty years ago, was the last time I ever saw her." He turned toward her. Perhaps this was the reason he felt drawn to her. Was it her helplessness, or could it be because he believed her? He met women daily in the forest. There was no way he could feel sorry for her for that reason alone, but there was something deep down that pulled him toward her, something the likes of which he had never felt before.

Annalysia looked down before looking back into his eyes. "I, too, have lost family. I understand even after all this time, it still hurts." She turned her head away from him and looked into the distance. "I bet when you get out of here, you will find her again and approve of the woman she has become." She gripped his hand tightly. Sebastian looked away; his sister died that same year. The people that had created him to be a killer told him so.

"We must hurry. The friend I mentioned won't be alive much longer." Sebastian gripped her hand. Something about her slender fingers brought back memories of his sister from long ago. He walked towards the forest with Annalysia following by his side.

Hours passed as they progressed through the forest. Moss-covered walls appeared before him. They were getting close. He turned and watched Annalyisa move from behind a tree. He risked both their lives by coming here, yet there was no other choice. It was the only way out, besides being the last one standing. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach. The last time he saw his friend, he had a run-in with the government.

Annalysia arrived at his side and glanced up towards the wall. He knew how this looked. It looked as if it had once been a magnificent city that now laid in ruins. She would be right. This city was the first dropping point the government used to unleash the criminals. Crime became so bad within the walls the people feared for their life and ran into the woods for shelter. The government followed suit, and now the city was a forgotten ruin.

Sebastian withdrew his scythe from its sheath and proceeded forward. It had been many moons since he had last visited here. There was no telling what lurked behind the walls. As they progressed down the cobblestone street, chills raced up his spine. He paused and glanced around. Something was wrong. The city was quiet. Almost too quiet. A gunshot sounded from behind him, followed by a pain exploding in his left thigh.

Sebastian winced as he grabbed his leg and fell on one knee. "Are you okay?" Annalysia shouted from beside him. He wanted to scream from the pain, but he knew now was not the time. They were being attacked, but where did the shot come from? Nausea swept over him. His head swam, making the world spin. Had he been poisoned?

The sound of footsteps entered his ears from ahead of them. A man wearing a white lab coat and black pants came into his vision. "Rowel." Sebastian grimaced as he held his thigh with both hands, trying to apply pressure to the wound, "What are you doing here?"

"I knew you would not be able to resist saving the life of an innocent woman, not after what happened last time. And the only way to save her, without killing everyone in the arena including yourself, is to take her to the seer."

The gamekeeper, a man who was responsible for him and everyone else being placed in the arena, let out a hearty laugh. Sebastian watched as he held up a syringe and pulled back the plunger. "Once I give him his medicine, controlling who escapes and who dies will be so much easier."

Sebastian's body shook. He had to do something. The seer was his friend, the first person who agreed to help him survive since he arrived. His mind burned as he began rising. The government wanted him dead.

"You're wrong. You can never destroy the seer. As the name suggests, he sees all and knows all. If he judges you purely, then he will set you free." His leg screamed for help as he rose back to his height and put regular pressure on it. A circle appeared under his feet. Allowing him to transform into his true self. The inside was a five-pointed star with a skull in the middle of the star. His eyes turned a solid green. If the bullet had indeed been laced with something, then the gamekeepers, or wardens as some call them, would be the last people he would ever knock down.

Rowell, the gamekeeper, frowned. He had been watching him long enough to know what would happen next. Sebastian spun his blade around, causing it to glow green. The circle grew so bright he disappeared inside. He felt the flesh of his hands melt away, leaving nothing but bone. To a normal person this process would have been painful beyond belief, but for Sebastian, it was his true form. The form of death. Once the circle faded, it had consumed the young man with long white hair down to his waist and green emerald eyes and left him with a body of mere bone covered by a tattered black robe.

Death turned toward the young woman. She backed away from him, yet she showed no signs of fear. Why would anyone trust him once they knew his true form? But then again, perhaps that showed how much trust she had placed in him since the cave.

"Men, destroy that horrible creature!" The gamekeeper called out.

Several men holding rifles flooded past him. His eyeless sockets watched as a platoon of twenty men came from behind him with weapons drawn. Death let out a laugh that froze his attackers to the bone. He can't be killed while in the form of death.

Raising his hand, he summoned a mist to form around them. He threw his bony hand back. A green rod appeared in his hand. His scythe materialized out of thin air. Gunshots went off as he raced inside the mist. Time stood still as he entered. Everyone around him moved in slow motion. With speed and precision, he charged past each armed soldier, striking them on their suits.

Exiting the mist, he stood back beside Annalysia. His body glowed once more, returning him to his form of flesh. He fell to his knees as the mist cleared. Annalysia dropped beside him and placed her hands on his shoulders. He looked up at her with a smile. The soldiers screamed as invisible cuts appeared on their chests and weapons. Their weapons sliced in two as they fell to the ground. Blood splattered from the wounds, and they collapsed

The man that held the syringe clapped slowly as everyone but him lay dead or dying. Sebastian fell forward, placing his arms on the ground for support. His body returned to that of a normal man. How did he survive the attack? He was sure he hit everyone. Something was wrong. He picked his head and the men's eyes met. A wicked gleam glinted in his eye. He knew how to protect himself. "I see you are still the wild boy we placed in here twenty years ago. You're not a thief anymore."

The man looked around at his fallen comrades with no remorse in his eyes. "We both saw how that played out. But as I'm sure you know, the deal is off. Seeing how your sister is a murderer."

Anger boiled through him. If she was a murderer, then where was she? Why hadn't he met her before now? Sebastian rose to his feet and made a step forward. Annalysia stepped in front of him and held her arms up, blocking him. "Let us visit the seer. I may not know who he is, but if he is who I hope he is, he can settle this grievance for us."

A smile pulled at the man's lips. Sebastian could tell he was in favor of this idea, but he, on the other hand, was not. Rowell only wanted to see the oricl to kill him. Rowell stocked forward and pulled the reaper up by his arm.

"Lead me to your seer." He hissed within his ear, "And no funny stuff." Sebastian growled. He wanted to show him he was no longer a doormat he could not push around. However, he noticed he pointed his weapon towards Annalysia. If he didn't obey, she would die. Letting off a low growl, Sebastain moved deeper into the city.