Reaper of Souls: A fantasy short story (2 page)

“What are you?”
Reggie asked softly.  “Why do you sound so lonely?”

The creature
gurgled a soft response and continued to stare at her.  Reggie touched the back
of her head then looked at the blood.  The creature wailed once soft and
short.  She looked at the creature.

“Blood,” she
gasped softly.  “God, I hope you’re not hungry.”

The creature
slowly crawled from the railing on all fours and moved a few feet closer. 
Reggie tensed.  The creature stopped and again collected itself into a
condensed lump, as if cowering before her.  Reggie watched the creature and
attempted to relax.  She slid down the doorframe to its level and slowly
extended her hand toward the creature.  The creature extended its tail to her. 
It could touch her with its tail if it wanted to but held back.  Reggie
appeared startled and stared at the long tail before her.  She slowly reached
out and touched the tail, running her hand along it.

“Reptilian--like
snakeskin.”

The creature
slowly eased its way closer to her while she held its tail.  Reggie watched the
creature closely but didn’t move.  It stared at her and gurgled softly.  She
uncertainly reached out and touched its head.  It again gurgled softly.  Reggie
smiled then laughed while running her hand over its smooth, dark head.

†

R
eggie sifted through the
refrigerator and removed some fruit and meat.  She eyed the meat then quickly
replaced it and grimaced.

“Pray for vegetarian,”
she muttered.

She shut the
refrigerator door, turned, and looked around for the creature.  She could hear
its claws tapping on the floor as it scurried across the kitchen on all fours
behind the island counter.

“I have fruit
for you.  No meat,” she said firmly.  “I don’t want to give you any ideas.”

The creature
rounded the island counter and came into view.  She stared at it and marveled
at its size.

“Jesus--”

It approached
the pantry, straightened on its hind legs, and opened the door with its tail. 
Reggie watched with surprise.  The creature used its clawed hands to remove a
box of Twinkies.  It dropped the box on the floor and tore into the box of
snack cakes.  Reggie stared with a look of shock as the creature ate the
Twinkies, wrappers and all.  She dropped the fruit.

“Dylan--?”

The creature
suddenly spun and straightened.  It stared at her and sharply gurgled.  Reggie
slowly approached the tall creature.  It sank to five feet as she approached. 
She stared into the creature’s eyes.  Dylan’s eyes stared back at her.

“Oh, my God! 
Dylan!”

Reggie suddenly
threw her arms around the creature’s neck and hugged it.  The creature placed
its paws around her waist and wrapped its tail around her.  It buried its large
head into her neck and wailed softly.  She sobbed softly onto the creature’s
shoulder.  A little while later, Reggie paced the kitchen while unwrapping a
Twinkie.  Dylan-creature sat near the island counter and patiently waited.  She
tossed the Twinkie to him.  He caught the Twinkie in his mouth and waited for
another.

“I wish you
could explain how this happened.”  She removed another Twinkie from the crushed
box and opened it.  “This is just too X-Files for me,” she said.  “Maybe we can
reverse it somehow.”

She tossed the
Twinkie to him.  He caught it in his mouth, swallowed it, and waited for
another.

“We certainly
can’t tell anyone.  They’ll lock me up for sure,” she muttered then looked at
the creature.  “Think of some way to tell me what happened to you.”

Dylan-creature
tapped his tail to the Twinkie box on the counter.

“All gone,” she
informed him.

He made a sound
similar to a horrified gasp.

“I’ll get more
tomorrow,” she insisted.

The creature
moved toward the Twinkie box and pushed it around with its tail while
attempting to peek inside.

†

D
ylan’s bedroom had been
cleaned after the incident but otherwise remained untouched.  His bed was made
and the room had been preserved as it was prior to the attack.  Dylan-creature
scurried into the room and leaped onto the bed.  Reggie followed him into the
room and was surprised to see him already on the bed.  She was having a tough
time keeping track of his fast movements.

“Something in
here might tell me what happened to you.  I need you to help--”

Reggie looked
toward the bed.  Dylan-creature burrowed his way beneath the covers, circled
beneath the sheets, and then poked his head out enough to rest on the pillow. 
He took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and immediately fell asleep.  Reggie
stared a moment longer then smiled.

“Well, maybe it
is getting late.”

As she watched,
Dylan-creature twitched and took several, labored breaths, as if indicating he
had been through hell the last couple of weeks.  Reggie stared a moment longer,
fought her tears, and then offered a smile to the sleeping creature.

“Good night,
Dylan.”

The following
morning, Reggie entered Dylan’s bedroom and approached the peacefully sleeping
creature still beneath the sheets.

“Come on,
Dylan.  Time to get up,” she informed him.  “We have answers to find.”

The creature
opened one eye, glared at her, and snarled.  His long tail appeared and flipped
the pillow over his head.  Reggie stared with some surprise then laughed.

“Well, I see
some things never change,” she scoffed.  “I’ll give you another hour.”

Dylan-creature
was still fast asleep when Reggie returned that evening.  She stood over the
bed and watched the sleeping creature.

“You must have
been be exhausted,” she said sadly.  “Come on, Dylan.  Time to get up.”  Reggie
revealed a plate of Twinkies.  “I have Twinkies.”

Dylan-creature
suddenly opened his eyes, looked at the plate of Twinkies, and leaped out from
under the covers.  Reggie set the plate on the bed.  He immediately devoured
the Twinkies.  She approached the closet door and opened it.

“As good a
place as any to start.”

Reggie routed
through the closet and dresser drawers over the next hour.  Boxes lie scattered
across the floor.  Dylan-creature lie on the bed with his head hanging over the
side and watched her while she routed through items.  His tail occasionally
poked her in the side just for laughs.  She cried out each time and batted at
his tail.  Reggie tossed the last box aside and groaned with disgust.

“This is
hopeless.”  She looked at the creature.  “We’ve played charades before.  Isn’t
there any way for you to communicate what happened that night?”

Dylan-creature
rolled playfully onto his back with all four legs in the air and swished his
tail.  He appeared to be playing dead.  Reggie groaned lowly.

“You’re
absolutely no help, Dylan.”

He turned his
head to look at her and playfully snarled with his teeth bared.  Reggie frowned
and shook her head.  She straightened her legs and kicked something just
beneath the bed.  She pulled her legs back, reached under the bed, and removed
an old leather-bound book.  Dylan-creature suddenly sprang to his feet and
whipped the book from her hands with his tail.  The book flew across the room
and struck the opposing wall near the closet.  Reggie stared at him with
surprise.

“That certainly
struck a nerve.”

She stood and
headed across the room.  Dylan-creature leaped from the bed, scurried past her,
and picked the book up in his mouth.  He attempted to crawl up the wall to
escape with it.  Reggie grabbed the book and tried to pull it from him.  He
snarled and pulled on the book with his teeth while hanging from the wall. 
Reggie pulled back with all her weight.  Dylan-creature whipped his tail and
knocked her feet out from under her.  She fell onto her backside.  He scurried
along the ceiling with the book in his mouth.

“Dylan, come back
here with that!”

He scurried
along the ceiling for the open bedroom door.  Reggie slid across the floor and
kicked the door shut.  Dylan-creature struck the closed door, appeared dazed,
and fell from the ceiling with a thud.  She grabbed the book and backed away
from him.

“I’m trying to
help you.  What’s the matter with you?” she demanded then reconsidered.  “Well,
besides the obvious.”

Dylan-creature
flipped over and onto his feet, stared at her, and snarled.  His tail pivoted
over his body in what appeared to be an attack stance.  He whipped his tail for
the book.  Reggie cried out with surprise and leaped out of its path.

“Stop this!”

Reggie opened
the book.  A brilliant flash of light flew out of the book.  She cried out and
dropped it.  Dylan-creature wailed and darted under the bed.  Reggie was
slightly stunned, hesitated, and then looked across the room.  A handsome,
well-dressed man, Kahn, stood only a few feet from the book.  His attire
suggested great wealth, possibly royalty, and nothing from this world.  She
stared at him with surprise.  He shared her surprise then smiled.

“Well now, this
is a pleasant surprise,” Kahn said.

Reggie kept her
distance and continued to stare at him.  “Who are you?” she demanded.  “How did
you get in here?”

Kahn maintained
his charming smile and casually paced the room.  “My name is Kahn, and I’m a
Rottiwelt.”

“A what?”

He chuckled. 
“A sorcerer of sorts.”

Reggie
continued to stare at him and remained uncertain.  “A sorcerer?” she
questioned.  “Why are you here?”

“You invited
me.”

“I don’t think
so,” she protested.  “I just opened that book.”

“Same
difference.”

Kahn
uncertainly looked around the room, appeared curious, and then waved a finger
toward the bed.  The bed suddenly slid across the floor to the opposing wall
and exposed Dylan-creature hiding beneath it.  Dylan-creature squealed and
scurried back toward the bed.  Kahn pointed his finger at the creature.

“Not so fast.”

Dylan-creature
was captured in an invisible bubble.  He attempted to claw his way out of the
bubble then finally gave up.

Kahn shook his
head with a look of disappointment.  “How did you manage to get away?”  He
waved his finger and the creature vanished.

Reggie suddenly
gasped and took a step forward.  She stopped and looked at him.  “What have you
done with my brother?”

“That was your
brother?”  His grin mocked her.  “I can’t say I noticed any family
resemblance.”

Her expression
turned hostile.  “What did you do with him?”

Kahn appeared
humored by her hostility and aggression.  “He decided to join my society.”

“You sent him
away against his will,” she snapped.  “I don’t think he had much of a choice in
the matter.”

Kahn maintained
his charming smile and casually approached her.  Reggie stood her ground,
despite her fear.  He paused before her.

“Your brother
contracted my services,” he informed her.  “I granted his wish, but he was
unable to repay me.  In accordance with our contract, he’s legally bound to
serve me in my world.  It’s quite cut-and-dry.”

“Contract? 
Show me this contract.”

“Sorry, the
details of a contract are confidential,” he replied.  “Business ethics.”

“How
convenient,” Reggie scoffed.

Kahn studied
her with some surprise then appeared humored.  “Oh, you are a feisty one,” he
announced.  “Obviously you’re not satisfied with the end result of my contract
with your brother.”

“No shit.”

“I could return
him to his former state, but that would involve you entering into a contract
with me as well,” he remarked.

“What sort of
contract?” she asked suspiciously.

“I’ll restore
your brother to his mortal state if you complete the simple task he failed to
complete,” he replied.

“If it was that
simple, my brother wouldn’t be a seven-foot tall lizard.”

Kahn chuckled
softly and paced before her.  “Nothing is ever as easy as it first sounds, but
I doubt you’d have much trouble completing the task.  Your brother simply
lacked passion.”

“What’s the
task?” she demanded.

“You travel to
my world where you’re then sent off on a little treasure hunt.  You bring the
specified object back to me in the allotted time, and your brother will be
returned to his mortal state.  If you fail, you join your brother as one of my
subjects.”  Kahn flicked his hand and a contract appeared in it.  “All you have
to do is sign the contract--”  He hesitated and gasped softly.  “Oh--”  He
again flicked his hand and a pen appeared between his fingers.

Reggie eyed the
paper in his hand then looked back into his sinister eyes.  “I’d like to read
through it first, naturally.”

Kahn handed her
the contract.  “Be my guest.  I’ll give you one hour.”