Reaper - The Curse

|Nineteen|

The reaper stood over him, "You need to play the game, Jed."

***

1894

Reaper 272 swung his scythe, and Jed's rotting form turned to a puff of smoke. His consciousness once again separated and was sucked back away from the place he had been standing. The reapers' dark figure shrunk as he was pulled to a location he could not see.

When he came to a stop, there was a slow dripping sound. The black space around him had a brown-yellow goo that materialized and slithered down it, almost like there were walls. The slime formed a spider web with thin mesh between the webbing. The ooze lit dimly from inside, and a picture of monstrous proportions was displayed.

A middle-aged woman's body was seated in an armchair. Her eyes were closed, her head resting back like she was asleep. Her bare shoulders were caked in a tapestry of dark-red stains. An off-white sheet was laid over her unmoving body. A red pool glistened on the wooden plank on the cottage floor.

"Drip, drip, drip, went the blood, but you didn't care. She was merely a prostitute. No one would miss her, right, Jed?" The booming words made the webs shake, and the picture flickered.

The wall of goo turned red, and a heat began to build in the bodiless figure Jed had become. Flames emerged from the crevices of barren land that had formed in front of him.

"You've been a bad-boy, Mr. Morrison. I know about your wives, all three, and the many children you've fathered. You were a reckless and selfish person." The dripping intensified, "I've always admired the living beings that chose unrighteousness and deceitfulness. It is the key to success in my line of work."

Jed felt the connection of his living form, and there was a shift to the ground, "I didn't want to kill her, she was going to tell the town that I was cheating on my wife. What else could I do?" He crumbled to his knees and coughed until blood was spattered over every inch of ground before him. "Who are you?" He wiped the remainder from his face onto his skinned arm. He felt a tugging on his cheek and brought his hand to the area the flesh that had covered his face was melting into his bare bone fingers.

The ominous laughter that erupted scared Jed, and he spun to see a reaper like the first he had met standing behind him.

"I am Reaper One," This reaper was much taller and broader. His scythe was stored on his back, and only the razor-sharp blade was visible at the front. His face was hidden by the oversized hood of his full-length black robe.

"I'm not judging you, Jed. We are very much alike, and as 272 informed you, I want to play a game. It's been too long since I've had any fun, I want to kill again," he raised his hand and flicked his wrist.

The motion possessed Jed's body. He was now seated and tied to a makeshift rock chair. "I thought you said it was a game for fun," Jed shook wildly, "What's this all about?"

"I said it would be fun for me."

Jed swallowed hard, only the taste of blood and dirt remained on his tongue, "Why did you choose me?" He relaxed his muscles and accepted his fate.

"I needed someone who would give me the answers I want. A person who would do as I ask when I ask. This game is unlike any you've ever played." The giant reaper glided across the fiery red ground, "Shall we begin?"

"Will I get to live again?"

The reaper pivoted on his heel, "That depends, how badly do you want it?"