Undead
The wind howled like a wolf calling out its last dying breath. This night had a cold feeling to it, like a hand reaching up inside of you, gripping your heart tightly, freezing your very breath in your throat. A night so cold that it felt like death itself had risen from the grave and brought with him a winter which killed babies in their cots, that froze old women in their bed, and had driven all the life from me. It was a night like this that I had fallen down on the frozen ground, my hands leaving prints on the frost, my blood stain the pure white snow that fell beside me. I can remember his eyes, deep burning eyes that drove all life from me, that struck fear into my heart, and the skeleton face with two sharp canines bearing at me. It was I night like this that ended me.
I stayed low and crouching on a roof top, my toes gripping into my boot as I stayed balanced, the moon looming over me casting my shadow on to the nearby street. Passers by avoiding it as if it would jump up and attack them. My loyal friend stood beside me, a naive boy of only 21 his hands clasped behind his head, and the goofy smile, that I wanted to wipe of him, on his face. I growled, the low rumbling rasping in my throat. He had heard my unsatisfaction to his smile and laughed as he looked down at me.
"You know Shin, you're quite a funny character, you don't smile, and I've never heard you laugh, nor have I even seen you be happy." I stood up, my long pitch black jacket dancing in the wind, I gazed down at the street were people were laughing and having fun, but not once did that fill me with warmth.
"Tell me Kira how I can be happy, I am but a wonder soul, there is nothing left on me just an empty shell. I lost who I was when death came to collect me and plus, I have no need to smile." I said with remorse, deep down I knew I longed to be happy, but lying was easier and less painful.
"Who are you trying to fool, me or yourself?" Kira sighed deeply, then looked up at the sky, a slight smile creeping across his face. "You know, being a Grim Reaper ain't all bad, you just look at it the wrong way, you think you were bound for ever to have stick up your ass, but maybe you should think about removing it." I turned my head slowly to face him, my eyes turning a deep red colour. Kira gave a slight terrified giggle. "Just kidding bud, but you do act up tight and a bit on edge." Looking back on the street, I realised, he was right. I looked back at him, his goofy smile high on his face.
"Wipe that ridiculous grin of your face and get over here." The smile slipping from his face, as he began to take small steps over to me, trying his best to balance on the roof. As he approached he looked over my shoulder as we balanced on the top of the roof. "Who we looking for again?" I said looking over my right should to meet his green emerald eyes. Pulling out a black book he flicked through it until he stop at a page that had deep red writing on it.
"An Akuma, seems this one has started feeding on humans, looks like fear isn't enough for this one any more." I laughed under my breath, not the laugh Kira longed to hear tumble over my lips, but a deep cruel laugh that made him shudder.
Akuma are demons more or less, a wondering soul that has lost its way, when you die you have two options, one stay a lost soul and become an Akuma, that to begin with uses noise to scare people then feeds of their fear, but soon fear isn't enough to feed you, you start first by killing loved ones, and soon you then you go on to kill civilians. The second option is you become a Grim Reaper, a servant of death, if you are lucky enough to be chosen by death, and killed by him you automatically become a Grim Reaper. Sadly I don't feel so lucky. Our job as grim reapers was to hunt these Akuma and exorcise them, if they were still a human soul we sent them to the after life, if they were a demon, we freed the human soul and the demon soul was sent to hell. It wasn't the most glamours of jobs.
My thoughts were interrupted by Kira as he lost his footing on the roof, as he went to fall he grabbed my jacket and pulled both of us from the roof. Sliding of the roof we went crashing to the ground. We lay there moaning and groaning, his whole weight on top of me.
"Well the good news is I landed on something soft." He smirked, in an instant I stood up flinging him of my back.
"Yeah me you idiot, what were you think?" He stood up and dusted himself of, slight laughter to his voice.
"Aww come on Shin, we're Grim Reapers no one can see us." I snarled at him, and dusted myself off. I looked down the now empty street as the light began to fade, I turned to look at Kira who stood looking up at the roof from where we had fallen. "You know if we were alive, that fall would have killed us." I turned my head sharply away from him and started walking. "Hey Shin wait up!" Kira darted after me and soon Kira and his goofy smile were back by my side. "By the way Shin I forgot to ask, why do you not like this job?" I stop and started at the ground, I bit my bottom lip tightly trying to stop myself from swearing at him.
"A kid like you wouldn't understand." Kira placing his hands tightly on his hips and gazed at me forcing me to make eye contact.
"Try me old timer." I tried to glance away but his eye burning like hot coal had fixed my gaze.
"Fine but you're not going to like it." We continued to walk, flutters of snow now falling down on us. "When Death took me as a teenage boy, my little sister of only 15 went mad with grief, shortly after my death, she hung herself." I look to see horror on his face, but I continued as he asked. "She became an Akuma, as her soul was turning into that monster, I took my Scythe, and in her final words she said I love you big brother, just at that I slit her throat, I couldn't hold her in my arms, for I am a Grim Reaper remember, I am a ghost. We're taught not to feel things like, regret or remorse, emotions have no place in this business, you take it too lightly and with too much of a spring in your step. The organization know I feel pain, regret, guilt and they hate me for it. Its dirty work Kira and apparently someone has to do it." Kira fell to his knees, tears rolling down his face. I sighed and grabbed tightly under his arm to heave him of the ground. "Get up boy! We have work to do."