𝐋𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖗

𝐃𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍

𝐃𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍 hovered, floating vicariously in a foreboding mannerism overhead as he watched Allison crawl painfully from beneath the wreckage. He then laughed mockingly while his specter of a torso revealed the rest of his body, before morphing harrowingly back into a human-like state. What once were a pair of lonely empty eye sockets forming within the darkened mist of a skull had now taken shape into someone familiar to the nearby vampire. From the eerie stillness there drew a smile between the cold cracked lips of death as snowfall crept onward like a open crypt welcoming Allison as if to greet her while feeling the cascading moments on her life clock in which he could only see that went ticking above her motionless body. A red timer counting down like a stop-clock, simply circling ahead Alisson. The vampire himself had heard the alarm from a car going off close by the manor that conjoined itself as slaughter house in the distance. He had already been on his way towards the scene of the accident when he saw Death swirling around above.

"Now, Jethro, let's not be hasty to jump the gun, shall we?" The apparition of a male who had reached a more mortal state calmly suggested as he approached the vampire with a spring in each step towards the burning vehicle. Coincidentally, Death that was still smoking, not so much ablaze but rather inhaling.

"Oh, so very tragic this one could be, eh?" He ripped the cover from his jacket removing a cigarette. Just then, Allison let out a terrifying gasp! To make matters worse, the car itself was still on fire with the engine running; the keys left in the ignition. Death squinted his eyes prior to using his own middle finger to light the cigarette. He kept it pointed in Jethro's direction without hesitation. The flame appeared in the color black as he kept his finger still, inhaling the blunt end of the tobacco stick.

"I only want to watch this one make it towards the finish line with a big kaboom!" Death had spoken his words animated as if truly enthralled with already knowing the results. His gaze quickly turned back to Jethro as let out a trail of smoke between his mouth ceasing to keep his finger locked in the previous berating position. He was neither a troubled nor worrisome entity for the most part, always understanding his duty especially if The Devil themselves needed their own dues. Some would call him their lapdog while others disagreed, proclaiming them as their own bounty hunter of supernatural sorts.

"Jethro, let's rewind this whole scenario backwards, step by step, shall we?" Death chuckled as the smell of tobacco filled the air around his body.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but did that old sturdy tree make this poor innocent little girl so angry that she felt compiled to strike it down?" He then pointed to the large olive tree before giving a frown. His eyes glanced back at the lit cigarette momentarily.

"Ya know, these things can kill ya?" He laughed, getting off topic but that one was one thing he always did by nature. Turning towards the hopeless female once more before rudely stepping on her chest as if she was a complete nuisance. He'd open his eyes widely before they grew blackened as more of the same thick smoke came blowing out after exhaling it right into her face. Death held to his own sadistic nuance. He cared not either about living for the most part because he was already dead inside himself.

"Embrace the cold burning warmth deep within your chest, girlie, for even were are cursed by your own mother at birth; wretched is your end with nothing in this plane of existence whether eternal or external to save you now!" His laughter grew louder as if taunting like a jester ringing Death's bells, for soon over the counter would end signifying her end and another soul he would have to snatch dragging straight to Hell.

He gave a bunny hop, jumping off of Allison as she coughed up blood. The ashes from the motor vehicle had dropped soot in her hair and along her forehead. Death instantly disappeared and in seconds reappeared with an arm wrapped around Jethro as if they were best friends. "My Dearest buddy Ol' pal, mi amigo..." He paused.

"If I am to be robbed of this soul as I was yours, I will not be a happy or agape." The cards were laid on the table with the hand being in my favor for this girl, however, the one thing I never appreciate is hard bluff. He ceased laughing as his mouth drew in a taunting manner as if a demonic ambassador standing at the hilt of Jethro's shoulder.

"This all wouldn't have happened if she had been driving a Honda or perhaps Mitsubishi?" The words soberly reeked of strong tobacco with a hint of mint.

"Those cars ya know, I hear even through word of mouths throughout the underworld that they have really good safety features; so many lives saved from the inevitable pending doom, not to mention their gas milage ain't bad either..." Death turned his attention back to Allison.

"What is this life to you, Desperado?" He asked Jethro in a lower hushed tone.

"Why cling to the very fabrication of what this world still has to offer?" Suddenly, there came a sparking flare of fire that started to spring outward towards a gas trail which trickled around Alison's nearly lifeless form. The ticking on the clock was almost up!

Three more minutes remained on the counter. Jethro turned his head to Death, keeping himself calm as he understood the dirty trickster games Death loved very much to play. He sought in giving him no reaction, however, his intention to pick-up the female after making strides to retrieve her from the snow that piled above her freezing body. The vampire first checked for Alison's pulse using his index and middle fingers from his right hand before nonchalantly carrying her over his shoulder in a firemen's pose away from the catastrophic scene.

Death turned his head back to Jethro with anger growing within his veins and asked, "She was scared because she saw you, Jethro?" He added finally having finished his cigarette, "For every cause there is an greater effect, as for every action there is also a reaction!" The words were derived of evil, the darkness had since multiplied in power, even the vampire himself would feel that pressure to feed lingering deep within his flesh smelling the scent of Allison's fresh blood as it dripped from her mouth and now her nostrils. The urge to release had increasingly intensified.

The Reaper grit his teeth and smashed one of the windows with his bare fists. "I declare a bounty for your head and hers!" Death raved at the vampire as he continued to walk away.

"𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙔 𝙃𝙀𝙇𝙇𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙉𝘿, 𝘿𝙀𝙈𝙊𝙉,  𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘼𝙉𝙔 𝙎𝙀𝙍𝙑𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙐𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍 𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙄𝙍 𝙋𝙇𝙀𝘿𝙂𝙀 𝙏𝙊 𝙇𝙀𝙂𝙄𝙊𝙉 𝙒𝙄𝙇𝙇 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙀 𝘼𝙁𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙏𝙃𝘼𝙏, 𝙋𝙀𝙌𝙐𝙀𝙉𝘼 𝙀𝙈 𝘼𝙁𝙊𝙍𝙏𝙐𝙉𝘼𝘿𝘼!" The sound of Death's voice carried, echoing with a screeching across the surrounding snowfall area. It was uncanny, surrounded by more large olive trees, notably with only one burning from the blazing explosion that went ricocheting across the vineyard two minutes later. They had been planted there for centuries since, even before Jethro's mother and father were born.

The undead vampire announced cleverly, his same right hand waving back at Death unapologetically, "Arrivederci, mio amico."