The Grim Reaper Effect

-F O R T Y - S I X-

Chapter 46: Little Monsters

"I'm not shoveling this time!" Lindsay crossed her arms.

Tanner did the same, "I did it yesterday."

They both turned to me, eyebrows raised. I usually didn't compare the two, but at that moment, they looked exactly alike. I crossed my arms as well, feeling left out. Besides that, there was no way I was going to shovel. I had spent the past few weeks writing letters and my hands were still cramping.

Sleep was a rarity at this point. When I did get any, it was never much. I spent the days with my family and the nights writing letters. It wouldn't be so difficult if I didn't add a personal touch to each one. Even though it would be easier not to, I knew I had to.

When I wasn't missing out on sleep, I was paranoid. Andrew's words haunted me. He didn't know for sure that I was being set up, which meant death could be following my every move. There wasn't a day I didn't glance over my shoulder or pay extra attention to my surroundings. As much as I wanted to go out on my own terms, there was still a chance I didn't have that option.

"Nose goes!" Tanner shouted, slamming his finger to nose.

Lindsay did the same, leaving me to do the shoveling. I groaned before pulling a coat on. I opened the door and let Mufasa play in the snow. I grabbed a shovel and got to work, cleaning the driveway and sidewalk. It wasn't a hard job, though it was rather tedious. After a while, Mufasa had to go inside, leaving me alone outside.

I sighed, watching the puff of air appear in front of me. Lindsay and Tanner were probably laughing at me from a window. My face felt just as frozen as my hands. Wearing gloves did nothing to fight off the cold. It just prolonged the inevitable. My feet were slowly started to freeze as well.

"You're shoveling? Seriously?"

I rolled my eyes at the sound of Griffin's voice, "No, I'm elephant hunting in the middle of a grocery store."

"How's that going for you?" I could hear the smug look on his face.

I bent over, gathering a healthy amount of snow in my shovel. I chucked it over my shoulder, knowing at least some of it would hit him. The sound of surprised yelling proved me right. I continued to shovel like nothing happened. Griffin marched up to me, eyes narrowed. A small mountain of snow sat on his head. I bit back a proud smile.

"How may I help you, Mr. Ryder?" I asked innocently.

He grinned, "I just wanted to say hello to my beautiful girlfriend."

I waved at him before grabbing the shovel again. Immediately, he took it from me, tossing it aside. Before I could open my mouth to ask why he tackled me into the snow. With a yelp, I sunk into the snow. Griffin was howling with laughter by the time I sat up. I shot him a glare, brushing off snow from my hat. Even as he helped me up, he was still chuckling.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my shovel. Once again, he took it away, tossing it aside. I frowned, backing away slowly. There was no chance I was going back into the snow. He had tackled me into the snow I just shoveled, which was like a smack in the face.

"Relax, I'm not gonna do it again," He smiled. "I came to invite you over."

I quirked an eyebrow, "Your house?"

He nodded, "I realized I've been over here hundreds of times, but you've never been over to my house once."

Despite my excitement, I kept my cool, "If it's as cold there, I might have to refuse."

He chuckled, "The Reaper world is strange in regard to the weather. We get snow, but it's not usually much. Even then, the snow doesn't stay long because it's not cold enough."