The Grim Reaper’s Mate

Readying to Flee

David

I stepped outside her tent and groaned softly. The cool night air blew against my hot face. That was the most awkward and embarrassing encounter I've ever had! I got propositioned. Then I refused. Then I kissed my victim. Then I actually asked her to come and live with me! What are you thinking, David?! I honestly don't think she'll ever proposition me again. I hadn't worked for her family long, but I know from her attitude and demeanor that she is reserved and modest. The terror of the moment prompted her to behave the way she did, but if she did ask again, could I refuse? And on top of that bringing her to live with me...I would never leave my bed to go to work, or anywhere, for that matter. She has got to be the most enthralling creature I’ve ever seen. I'm glad we didn't do anything foolish. Now we can escape here without being caught naked or in the act like two idiots when the police get here. If they get here. These people chose to camp way off the main road in the middle of nowhere. It will probably be days before this place is found. But I can’t risk it if they stumble across it sooner. We need to flee immediately. I stepped away from the tent. The strong scent of spilled blood was bringing me back to my senses.

“Um, David?” Her voice was now quiet, shy, and gentle from inside the tent. I found this sexier than the bold girl. I’m a virgin, too, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that she spooked me a bit. I’ve killed plenty of people, but being with a woman? Yeah. That’s an area I know nothing about. It kind of intimidates me.

“Yeah, Christine?” I like the way her name sounds to me. I like the way my name sounds when she says it. Is this fate or something?

“I don’t want to see my father’s body, but he keeps a huge amount of cash on him at all times. It’s always stashed in his mattress under his head. Would you go and get it all? His wallet should also be full of cash from his pants he wore today. We’ll need the money, I’m sure.” She called softly.

“Sure. I’ll go get it, but don’t run away, okay? I’m not the most dangerous person in this part of the country,” I warned her. I stepped around the body of one of the guards and glanced around. Easily 15 security guards lay dead or seriously injured. I didn’t kill them all. I’m not heartless. Just the ones I had observed the last few days being jerks were dead. They spent the night hours bragging to each other about their many illegal activities, sins, and misdeeds. And the way they talked about this girl...I wonder if her father knew? Did he care? I dragged the body right in front of her tent away so she wouldn't have to step over him.

First, I checked the pockets of the deceased and found plenty of cash in their various wallets. This might work in my favor. If I picked everyone’s pockets, the police would assume that this group was unfortunate enough to run into a gang of petty thieves instead of being targeted by a trained assassin. I easily amassed hundreds of dollars in cash, but I left the guys who are still alive alone. I don’t have the heart to steal from them. I didn't leave them so injured that they couldn't find help once they revived. I did make sure to take the guys out first that I planned to leave alive, though. None of them even knew what hit them, and I'm hoping they will all have a foggy memory at best of the whole night.

I headed to the main tent then, checking my surroundings first, and sneaked inside. I had killed Maxwell Rivers expertly, with a perfect slice along his jugular. He had died instantly. A monster like him deserved a more painful death, but I’m not the type that can inflict torture on a dying person. From what I know about death, the torture is yet to come. I should know. I’m technically dead. This is my second chance at living. My dying moments were mental torture for the bad choices I’d made in life and anguish over what I could have done to prevent it. When I was granted a second chance, I gladly took it and vowed to spend my remaining days dealing out justice on behalf of the innocent and getting revenge on my killer. That’s why I couldn’t kill Christine despite my orders. That's why I hesitated long enough to startle her awake. I know she’s an innocent, just like the woman I couldn't protect the day I died.

I left some more wounds on Maxwell’s unfeeling corpse so it looked more like an attack instead of an assassination and then headed for the cash stashes. Christine was right. Good grief! Did this man carry around a million dollars in cash?! There's a ton of money here! I grabbed one of his bags and dumped out the clothes in order to replace them with the cash. Something hard fell out, and the sound of glass breaking disturbed the stillness of the man’s tomb. I glanced down to see an old, cheap picture frame facing downwards. The glass on the front had broken, but I picked it up out of curiosity. I frowned as I stared at the smiling faces in the picture. A beautiful woman with long platinum blonde, almost white hair. A handsome younger version of Maxwell with jet black hair with his arm around the woman. A little girl who could only be Christine with long, white hair pulled into pigtails and sparkling blue eyes. She was holding a tattered doll. They all looked so...happy.

Heartless Maxwell Rivers kept this photo in his traveling bag? How strange. I carefully brushed and picked all the remaining glass off the frame and placed it in the traveling bag with the money. Christine will want this someday. I know she will. I found the man’s wallet and just took the whole thing. I spotted a small safe in the corner of the room and walked over to it. Maxwell had not sealed it before I had gotten to him. It was slightly ajar. I looked inside curiously, but it was too dark in the room to clearly see the contents. I quickly scraped everything into the bag with the cash. Nothing else seemed worth touching. Except maybe just one piece of the man’s clothing. If I put it in an air-tight bag, Christine would be able to open it some day and still smell her father’s scent. Nothing is more comforting than the scent of a parent, even if that parent turned out to be an evil murderer. He's still her father. I would give anything to hug my mother again and smell her comforting scent. I'll never see her again, though. I took a deep, sad breath. My life would be such a disappointment to my dear mother. I’m glad she isn’t here to see me picking the pockets of the dead. I stepped out of Maxwell’s tent and immediately felt a threat.

“Well, well, well, David. Pushing your luck a bit, aren’t you?”