Death Angel

Chapter 20: Dueling Hearts

I was seething.

I didn’t exactly envision the way I would unload on Death when I met him next, but I knew that retribution would be swift. I had been planning this for several weeks now. I had considered the elegant approach first: a swift, cutting remark that would have left Death dumbfounded, but I realized such a being would have been able to come up with an even wittier response, hence defeating the elegance of the approach to begin with.

And so, I opted for what any other primate would have done when faced with the same circumstances: I chose violence instead. Effective, simple and inescapably clear. It required far less planning, and for someone like Vanessa Hunter, who liked to have contingency plans built upon contingency plans, completely unexpected. It also had the added benefit of being something entirely predictable when it came to Haley Wellington’s actions.

“Cherie,” Death began as he continued to dust himself and survey the rubble behind him, “I sense a little hostility from you. Perhaps it is something we can talk about?”

“You lied to me.”

“Excuse moi?”

“You’re Death, dammit,” I said. “All that garbage and mumbo jumbo about souls and their final destinations. You’re a big fat liar.”

I moved in again, this time, with the full intention of smashing his face into the wall. I moved with all the speed and ferocity I could muster under the circumstances, but Death wouldn’t be Death if my little move caught him off-guard. He took my carefully aimed punch, and guided it, much like an Aikido master would guide it, moving the force behind my fist and redirecting it, toward the nearest wall where my blow landed and blew up one of the walls.

“Cherie, the bill for this little temper tantrum is beginning to rise,” he said with a smile, and there was that irresistible smile once more.

“Not until I’m satisfied,” I said as I launched into another attack. 

Death grabbed me by the waist and took me forcibly, like a man takes a child, his speed and strength equally impressive. He took me in his arms, like father would a petulant child, and I was even more incensed that he chose to treat me in this way. I was a Death Angel after all, and no one treats a Death Angel in this manner.

“Look, cherie, if you and I are going to have a proper fight,” he said again, running swiftly now as he carried me in his arms,, “I would very much prefer it if we could minimize the collateral damage.”  He had dashed out of the little store and was running at top speed now.

Everything around us was frozen again, the people, the trees, the streetlights that evoked images of London by gaslight. Everything was so surreal as I was carried along. 

It was the Nether Void, I quickly realized. Death had unleashed it once again. 

“Activate,” I said, as I unleashed my Scythe.

“Ah!” Death exclaimed, as he swiftly let me go, in just enough time to deftly dodge the blade I had unleashed. 

I rolled on the ground, but recovered, quickly finding my bearings. I crouched to increase my weight on the ground, using my left leg to anchor myself to the dusty street and pushed my left hand down firmly to help stop myself. I skidded a few feet back, but finally came to a stop.

“Serious now, are we?” he said, beaming.

“There is a lot more to your new Death Angel than meets the eye,” I said. As I moved forward once more, I held back cautiously. Timing was everything. I knew I had very little room for error. Death was underestimating me of course, but under the circumstances, I wouldn’t have blamed him. He was, after all, unaware of my new powers.