Reaper

CHAPTER 1 - What You Give Is What You Get

Her soles crashed on dirt as she sprinted forward, her lungs were screaming as she willed muscles to go far beyond any previous limits she had. Her panic caused a chain reaction, propelling her onward, though only for a limited time which was quickly nearing its end as the poison worked its way through her system.

Her mind and body were in survival mode, a painful and tiring process, yet her need for life was greater than the small voice telling her to give up. Rest was not an option, behind her, she could hear the growls of the wolf, the thundering sounds of his paws that he deliberating made, letting her know he enjoyed the chase.

As usual, when people panic they make mistakes, and this girl was no exception. Missing a step, gravity immediately intervened pulling her down to the earth. Sharp stones shredded her skin drawing shrieks of pain from her mouth. With an agonizing moan, the girl pushed herself over, her hooded eyes caught sight of the wolf rushing toward her at an unbelievable speed.

The eyes of the creature zeroed in on its prey that was mere meters from him and lunged at the girl. The scream bellowed from her gut, terror, and desperation palpable as it echoed through the dark forest. As the salivating mouth of the predator was about to lock around her throat, more wolves jumped from the shadows, they tackled the attacking wolf to the ground and successfully knocked him unconscious.

She was saved. One of her rescuers licked her wounds, comforting the wailing child that clung to his fur.

As dawn broke, people filtered from their homes to greet the wolves who had returned with the missing girl and her unconscious assailant. Relief and worry reflected in the warm welcome the girl received as her community surrounded her offering words of comfort. However, their words did nothing to stop the chill that seeped into her chest. Within the next few hours, the girl who was the victim of a horrific ordeal was treated, cleaned, and dressed.

She, along with the rest of the community was gathered in their court as her assailant awaited judgement. Upon the leader's command, the wolf was awakened, he snarled as fur receded into his skin. His reluctance made the shift painful, even for those who judged him, his excruciating shift was hard for them to watch. But they were lycans, and the Alpha's word was law.

When claws and fangs finally retracted, what was left was a panting teenage boy who kneeled bare before his pack. The boy was met with hostility when he looked into the eyes of those who were to watch him be judged. Naturally, after mutilating eight of his pack mates, he was no longer seen as pack. Nonetheless, he will be judged by the pack's law. "Naheer Thon, for your crimes against this pack, you will be punished" the Alpha's voice was firm and rung in the ears of those in the large space. 

The boy, Naheer, looked into the furious eyes of the Alpha and said with such calmness that it caused anger to explode in each person in the room. "You are mistaken Alpha, my crimes were not against the pack, but against those with who I have a grudge. I have never once betrayed this pack like you have led them to believe."

Naheer's words were true, the Alpha had placed the blame of the murder and treason on Naheer, when in fact the traitor stood silently on the sidelines and watched. The Alpha stood with trembling fists in front of the kneeling boy, he wanted so badly to rip the child's throat out after what he put his daughter through.

"You've taken from the pack, blood must be repaid. A life for the lives gone." It was then that Naheer stood, with his head high and shoulders squared, he continued to look the Alpha in the eyes. By the pack's standards, Naheer was weak, he did not excel physically, he was average at most and it was the reason he was targeted.

A collective gasp swept through the court, Naheer could hear his parents cry and it hurt him to know they were in pain, but he had chosen his path. The Alpha's daughter averted her eyes from the boy, guilty she was, ashamed even. The pack was shocked, hostility turned to pity and curiosity, and they all wondered what happened to Naheer. The Alpha shook his head, flabbergasted at what he saw – or rather, the lack thereof. The man took a step back, eyes darting to Naheer's eyes then between the boy's legs, "w-what? Where is...how did-?" the Alpha had many questions but his words were incoherent.

"Ask your daughter" was Naheer's simple reply.

In that instant, the girl was once again the center of attention, her anxiety had turned to fear, with her eyes cast to the ground, she refused to meet any of their gazes, especially her parents. Sophia Everly was the golden child of the pack, she was loved by all and unflawed in their eyes, she didn't make mistakes. Or so they thought. Unlike hours ago, the pack's gaze wasn't filled with warmth, no, she was now under the same scrutiny as Naheer, and her crimes were going to be known.

Naheer didn't miss a beat, he rushed forward, though slowed by the drug that prevented his shift, he took his opportunity when the pack had their guard down. Their slow reaction gave Naheer the moment he needed, in one fluid motion, the boy reached Sophia and sunk his teeth into the girl's neck before yanking his head away taking a generous amount of flesh away.

Spitting her blood and flesh from his mouth, Naheer watched unfeeling as she laid struggling to breathe. "Choke on it" he recited the line she had told him after she and her friends mutilated him, taking away the very essence of him being a "man." Satisfied, Naheer smiled but a moment later the crunch of bone was the last thing he heard before the darkness took him.

***

I smiled at the two teenagers in front of me, when multiple names of children from the same pack showed up on my list, I knew it would be a good decision to show up early and watch everything unfold. And I must say, I was not disappointed.

I applauded Naheer, "Well done my dear, I'm truly a huge fan of your work and a firm believer of getting even with those who've wronged you." His methods were classic but effective, everything that was done to him, he did to his tormentors. He made the hunters into the hunted before mutilating them as they had done him, unfortunately, the last one not so much.

"Who are you?" Sophia asked.

I looked at the scared little girl, with a wave of my hand I gestured for her to look around, I kept an eye on her as she looked at her own dead body, as she called out to her grieving parents who could not hear her. "I go by many names, but you can call me Grim. It's time for you to go."

She turned quickly, eyes teary and lips trembling "go where?"

Oh, how I love the crying ones. I tilted my head with a wry smile "to hell of course!"

Sophia's hysterics were expected, she went through the "stages" of grief as her friends did. She denied her death and tried to get back into her corpse, she cursed at Naheer and I, then tried to bargain with me, to take Naheer and leave her behind, her selfishness was boundless. She refused to accept she was dead, "You can't do this! You won't get away with this!" she screamed, how utterly ironic. I cupped her cheeks, my smile never faltering even through everything she did. 

My tone certainly sounding cynical "I don't care." With that being said, I kicked her to the ground and watched as the gate to her final resting place opened. The spirits of the damned pulled her through, eager to have another playmate. Just like her friends, she begged and apologized till she could no longer be heard, I'm sure she will meet her friends, not that she'd recognize them, fresh souls tend to be cannon fodder for the veteran residents of the underworld.

Turning to Naheer I inspected him, "afraid?" I questioned,

Laughing, the boy shook his head in denial, "it's funny, isn't it? The world is full of monsters with beautiful faces, yet to get rid of them you have to become like them. I don't mind where I end up, but could you tell my parents I'm okay with the path I chose?"

What an interesting child, he believed himself to be a monster, yet he still shows compassion for his parents. He has no clue what a treasure he is, much too great to be rotting with those other insects. Grinning, I extended my hand. "Shall we?"