Sam Walker and the Grim Reaper Services (ONC 2021)

13 - Against the Shadows

Out of the bookshelves and from along the walls, shadows flowed forward, separating from the natural shadows that remained behind. Sam started as they bobbed in the air, connected to nothing except the ground, cast by no object and caused by no light. They were just...hovering there, existing without any reason to.

It really freaked him out.

"The Shadows," the Grim Reaper seethed. "Of course."

"The Shadows?" Marcus repeated in an undertone. "Real original."

"Of course we're here," the shadows all hissed, in eerie synchronicity. "We always serve her bidding."

There's that ominous "her" again.

Sinclair lifted his hands. "I told you, Thanatos. You can't change anything now."

The Shadows all hissed as they pivoted, seeming to look at Sam. He couldn't quite tell due to the lack of faces. "The anomaly has joined us. You brought him here to her, just like she said."

Brought me here to who?

Then a thought struck him. Cate and the Grim Reaper had mentioned a group they had been watching, who had been watching him. Were these Shadows the group?

That would explain the weird shadows I've seen recently.

"Damn," Cate muttered. "She knew."

The Grim Reaper shushed her, his eyes still pinned on Sinclair. But Sinclair was looking at Sam. "Sam Walker. Finally find out what happened to your roommate?"

"You killed him," Sam accused, tightening his hands into fists until his knuckles turned white. Sinclair laughed.

"Why, yes, I did, Mr. Walker. I needed a victim and my confederates here assured me he was the perfect one."

Stepping out from behind the bookshelves, the cluster of emo kids Sam had seen at the café leered at him. Sinclair gestured to them. "They aren't much, but they wished to see a murder and I showed them one."

Jake's "friends" had sold him out – all to watch him die.

Sam's blood boiled.

"I see you're the anomaly I've heard so much about," Sinclair continued, giving Sam a slight, wicked smile. "I was told you'd come, in the end. My lady would want to see you, and so you are here." His gaze flicked to Cate. "Ah, Hecate, the beautiful, dark sorceress. You could be so much, hold so much power, and yet you confine yourself to serving Thanatos. Why?"

Cate glared at him but said nothing.

"Why is he using the Greek names?" Selena wondered.

"He's a classic myth professor," Raj said in a low voice.

The Greeks were the closest, Sam remembered, thinking back to what the Grim Reaper and Cate had told him. The Greeks knew the most about death.

....And Sinclair is an expert on the Greek myths.

Damn.

"I've always been fascinated by the fight between you and Heracles," Sinclair said, flicking his eyes back to the Grim Reaper. "Care for a rematch of sorts?"

He lunged.

The Grim Reaper fell backwards as Sinclair's hands closed around his throat, slamming him to the ground. Cate's sword was off her back faster than Sam could blink as her hands glowed with the dark blue, nearly black energy she had wielded against the Restless Dead. She hurled herself at the struggling forms of her brother and the serial killer.