CHAPTER 9
Death's Duty
At first Dinah didn't recognize the complete lack of colour in her surroundings. Grey buildings, pale streets, diversely shaded cars... Only when she spotted a potted marigold in a ground floor window did she realize that she was in May's mind.
A thick, dark, smoke-like fog reduced Dinah's visibility to only a few feet all around. It made her body feel weak, heavy, and unsupportive, and seemed almost metallic in a way.
Well, this is new…
"What… how?" May stuttered from a windowsill, where she was perched.
"I'm here to help you." Dinah tried to smile, but the corners of her mouth seemed to be made of metal. "Nice, um… place you've got here."
"Just go. I don't know how or why you're here, but you've gotta go now. Before it's too late," May said, glaring at the blonde youth as though she was trying to banish her by sight alone. Dinah could see that she was too weak to get up.
"I came here to help you, and-" she stopped abruptly and caught May, who had tried to lower herself off the ledge. "And I will find a way. There's a way for you to save yourself. I just don't have any idea how that would be."
"You think I know? It's not like either of us is a superhero with superpowers or anything."
"Think again. Now, I know that if you think hard, try to remember or something…"
If May could have raised her eyebrows, Dinah was sure she would have.
"Wait a minute. Are you saying…"
"It's better than homework," she replied, smiling. "Now, let's start with this place. Why is it all foggy?"
"How am I supposed to know- I'm dying, remember? This is so weird, talking to you like this…"
Dinah waved the remark away. "Never mind. Okay, you've got a bullet lodged in your head. If I take the bullet out, you might bleed to death. You've already lost a lot of blood…"
May grimaced. "I really don't need the details."
"Are you thinking?"
Dinah hoisted May back into the windowsill, where she sat muttering to herself. "Are you thinking? How can you think when you're going to die?"
Dinah, meanwhile, slid down the wall to a sitting position and started thinking. Hard.
Awaken the power within. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Should I search the streets around here or something?
The two teenagers, lost deeply in their own thoughts, didn't notice the shape bearing down on them through the fog.
A menacing, hunched, figure, cloaked and bearing a razor sharp scythe slipped through the fog, growing ever closer to the two preoccupied teens…
"D-Dinah? What's that?" May said, pointing with a trembling finger. Dinah turned around, aware of a large presence behind her.
SWISH! The scythe whistled through the air, and May screamed. Dinah jumped to her feet from where she had reflexively dropped flat, thereby saving her life. She waved her hand and the blade was knocked from the Reaper's hands, slicing part of its heavy cloak as it spun away.
"If you're looking for Scrooge, he's a couple of minds over."
The Reaper gazed intently- not at Dinah, but at May. Neither girl bothered to ask why.
"My duty is here," it said in a wrung, monotonous, yet powerful voice, "None shall stand in the way of my sacred duty." It was a statement, not a threat. Its eyes didn't leave May as gleaming metal talons reached out from the folds of the cloak, and the scythe rematerialized. Gripping it tightly, the Grim Reaper stepped forward.
"You want to live. You are young, strong. Your life was stolen away from you needlessly. I give you one chance to fight for your life. You may choose one to fight for you, if you feel it is best."
Dinah turned to May. "You don't have to…"
"I want to. You can't fight, I can." May nodded, and Dinah turned to face her adversary.
"We bow to each other, in respect." The Reaper bowed low, whereas Dinah nodded her head. "Now we begin." Without a second thought it flew at her, swiping with the scythe at her form. She raised a hand and stopped the headlong rush, using her abilities to throw the Reaper against a wall. It immediately rose and disappeared, only to appear a second later at Dinah's side. She threw her opponent backwards a second before the deadly scythe swished through the air, causing it to miss her head. Even so, a long, deep scratch appeared along the inside of her wrist.
Dinah didn't notice the blood that was rising from below her skin- the Reaper's blade was a sharp as a vampire bat's fangs. It was probably lucky, because even a second's inattentiveness would have resulted in death.
Again the Reaper disappeared and reappeared by Dinah's side, but this time she was ready and threw the blade behind its head. She ducked and levelled a jab at its stomach. Her fist came out the other side and the area where she had punched vaporized, leaving a hole. As Dinah drew her fist out, the hole filled in and her hand up to the elbow felt cold and clammy.
Okay, not the best idea. Should have expected something like this.
She rolled sideways just in time to avoid razor talons, landing on her knees and jumping to her feet again. Once on her feet momentum sent her stumbling sideways. As she steadied herself, Dinah saw a flash of gold to her side. It was a huge clump of hair, sunny blonde. She used her hands to feel for her hair, spinning around at the same time in case the Reaper tried for the fatal stroke again. This time she heard the piercing whistle of the scythe at the same time as her hand touched her now chin-length hair. A bigger clump of hair fell to the ground at her feet on the other side.
"Okay, that's it! You do NOT… mess… with… the… hair!"
*******
An aura of blue-silver light surrounded the Reaper, and it stopped dead in its tracks. The scythe flew into the wall of a nearby building. The only thing moving was Dinah. May watched as she stepped up to her rival and levelled a finger at it. She could barely hear her friend- Dinah was speaking in a low and surprisingly calm voice, despite her heavy breathing.
"We're going now. Got it? And you aren't going to bug May until she's good and ready to die. That goes for me too!" Dinah walked over to May, and she could see the radiant silvery-blue glow of her irises. As her friend helped haul her to her feet, she found that standing was less tiring than before. The fog was still swirling away into small, far-off wisps as the world began swirling into an all-encompassing palette of shades and then fading into darkness.
Death's Duty
At first Dinah didn't recognize the complete lack of colour in her surroundings. Grey buildings, pale streets, diversely shaded cars... Only when she spotted a potted marigold in a ground floor window did she realize that she was in May's mind.
A thick, dark, smoke-like fog reduced Dinah's visibility to only a few feet all around. It made her body feel weak, heavy, and unsupportive, and seemed almost metallic in a way.
Well, this is new…
"What… how?" May stuttered from a windowsill, where she was perched.
"I'm here to help you." Dinah tried to smile, but the corners of her mouth seemed to be made of metal. "Nice, um… place you've got here."
"Just go. I don't know how or why you're here, but you've gotta go now. Before it's too late," May said, glaring at the blonde youth as though she was trying to banish her by sight alone. Dinah could see that she was too weak to get up.
"I came here to help you, and-" she stopped abruptly and caught May, who had tried to lower herself off the ledge. "And I will find a way. There's a way for you to save yourself. I just don't have any idea how that would be."
"You think I know? It's not like either of us is a superhero with superpowers or anything."
"Think again. Now, I know that if you think hard, try to remember or something…"
If May could have raised her eyebrows, Dinah was sure she would have.
"Wait a minute. Are you saying…"
"It's better than homework," she replied, smiling. "Now, let's start with this place. Why is it all foggy?"
"How am I supposed to know- I'm dying, remember? This is so weird, talking to you like this…"
Dinah waved the remark away. "Never mind. Okay, you've got a bullet lodged in your head. If I take the bullet out, you might bleed to death. You've already lost a lot of blood…"
May grimaced. "I really don't need the details."
"Are you thinking?"
Dinah hoisted May back into the windowsill, where she sat muttering to herself. "Are you thinking? How can you think when you're going to die?"
Dinah, meanwhile, slid down the wall to a sitting position and started thinking. Hard.
Awaken the power within. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Should I search the streets around here or something?
The two teenagers, lost deeply in their own thoughts, didn't notice the shape bearing down on them through the fog.
A menacing, hunched, figure, cloaked and bearing a razor sharp scythe slipped through the fog, growing ever closer to the two preoccupied teens…
"D-Dinah? What's that?" May said, pointing with a trembling finger. Dinah turned around, aware of a large presence behind her.
SWISH! The scythe whistled through the air, and May screamed. Dinah jumped to her feet from where she had reflexively dropped flat, thereby saving her life. She waved her hand and the blade was knocked from the Reaper's hands, slicing part of its heavy cloak as it spun away.
"If you're looking for Scrooge, he's a couple of minds over."
The Reaper gazed intently- not at Dinah, but at May. Neither girl bothered to ask why.
"My duty is here," it said in a wrung, monotonous, yet powerful voice, "None shall stand in the way of my sacred duty." It was a statement, not a threat. Its eyes didn't leave May as gleaming metal talons reached out from the folds of the cloak, and the scythe rematerialized. Gripping it tightly, the Grim Reaper stepped forward.
"You want to live. You are young, strong. Your life was stolen away from you needlessly. I give you one chance to fight for your life. You may choose one to fight for you, if you feel it is best."
Dinah turned to May. "You don't have to…"
"I want to. You can't fight, I can." May nodded, and Dinah turned to face her adversary.
"We bow to each other, in respect." The Reaper bowed low, whereas Dinah nodded her head. "Now we begin." Without a second thought it flew at her, swiping with the scythe at her form. She raised a hand and stopped the headlong rush, using her abilities to throw the Reaper against a wall. It immediately rose and disappeared, only to appear a second later at Dinah's side. She threw her opponent backwards a second before the deadly scythe swished through the air, causing it to miss her head. Even so, a long, deep scratch appeared along the inside of her wrist.
Dinah didn't notice the blood that was rising from below her skin- the Reaper's blade was a sharp as a vampire bat's fangs. It was probably lucky, because even a second's inattentiveness would have resulted in death.
Again the Reaper disappeared and reappeared by Dinah's side, but this time she was ready and threw the blade behind its head. She ducked and levelled a jab at its stomach. Her fist came out the other side and the area where she had punched vaporized, leaving a hole. As Dinah drew her fist out, the hole filled in and her hand up to the elbow felt cold and clammy.
Okay, not the best idea. Should have expected something like this.
She rolled sideways just in time to avoid razor talons, landing on her knees and jumping to her feet again. Once on her feet momentum sent her stumbling sideways. As she steadied herself, Dinah saw a flash of gold to her side. It was a huge clump of hair, sunny blonde. She used her hands to feel for her hair, spinning around at the same time in case the Reaper tried for the fatal stroke again. This time she heard the piercing whistle of the scythe at the same time as her hand touched her now chin-length hair. A bigger clump of hair fell to the ground at her feet on the other side.
"Okay, that's it! You do NOT… mess… with… the… hair!"
*******
An aura of blue-silver light surrounded the Reaper, and it stopped dead in its tracks. The scythe flew into the wall of a nearby building. The only thing moving was Dinah. May watched as she stepped up to her rival and levelled a finger at it. She could barely hear her friend- Dinah was speaking in a low and surprisingly calm voice, despite her heavy breathing.
"We're going now. Got it? And you aren't going to bug May until she's good and ready to die. That goes for me too!" Dinah walked over to May, and she could see the radiant silvery-blue glow of her irises. As her friend helped haul her to her feet, she found that standing was less tiring than before. The fog was still swirling away into small, far-off wisps as the world began swirling into an all-encompassing palette of shades and then fading into darkness.