With the sound of an alarm clock blaring, the eyes of Audrey Baines opened too. While he was reluctant, he took in a deep breath in order to try and wake himself up more before lazily reaching out to turn off the loud device. After a few moments, he forced himself to clumsily move before his body relaxed too much, grabbing his glasses and getting out of bed.
Awkwardly, he shuffled into the bathroom, occasionally pausing to gather his balance. Audrey's brain was still not awake enough to really be up and about, but he was afraid of falling back asleep if he didn't try. Sighing, he started his routine, first by relieving himself and then putting in his contacts after washing his hands. Blinking, he made a face as he looked over his image.
"Pube beard..." he mumbled to himself in disgust, rubbing the sparse strands of hair with his fingertips. "Razor… razor… did I pack a razor? Shit..."
That was one more purchase he needed to make. It was probably for the best, however. He had been slacking and not being active as of late, which would most likely result in poor performance at his job upon his return. Walking around would do Audrey some good, especially since the large house he stayed in was beginning to feel more cramped with each passing day.
It was lonely, despite talking with Miranda almost every other day over the phone. He called his friends, too, but he was still alone in the house, which made him uneasy. Now he wondered what on earth he was thinking when he decided to go out there and live on his own with no human contact. It no longer made sense.
"Well, it works in anime..." Audrey said to himself as he put on clothes. Lately, he had taken to talking aloud to himself to fill the silence. It was a common habit for people to have, but given the situation, it caused even himself some concern.
"If they have problems, they just go away for a bit and train on their own. How was I supposed to know it was bullshit? It's not obvious like blimp-boobs..."
His skin felt like it was being burned by the cold air while he made his way to the nearby town and nothing could shield him from it. As he walked, he tried turning up the collar of his jacket and pulling down his hat to cover his ears, but he needed something more. He thought he might buy himself a scarf while he was out, but inevitably forgot until he was walking back to the house. Gloves did cover his hands now, allowing him to carry his bags better. At least he remembered to buy those. Either way, the more he walked, the more he cursed himself for not using his car instead.
This wish was only amplified as he got closer to the beach, reaching the edge of the cliffs that overlooked it. As he trekked down the path that led to the house, he noticed something along the shore where the ocean met land. The blackened shape caused the man to squint as he tried to make out what it was. Audrey could see what essentially looked like a trashbag that had been illegally dumped on the beach, but as he got closer and his angle changed, he thought that he could make out a pair of legs. Suddenly, his eyes widened and the cold didn't matter to him anymore.
Quickly, he ran down the path as fast as he could, slipping and sliding on occasion due to gravel, but maintaining his balance enough to not fall. Once he was at the bottom, he debated on what to do with his bags, starting one way before changing his mind. He alternated between the two for a second before deciding to run toward the house and toss his purchases in the doorway. Then, Audrey's legs carried him toward the beach, running at first before slowing his pace.
A second figure had joined the first, only the new one was crouched over the body. The half-reaper's pace stopped altogether as light poured out from the corpse in streams that flapped in the wind. Immediately, Audrey knew what it was. He felt like he should have walked away, but knew he couldn't.
Cinematic records swirled in the sky before vanishing. When his vision turned back to the figure, Audrey moved again, noting the black suit the man wore and his slicked back blond hair. As the full-blooded reaper stood up, he tucked a pair of oversized garden shears under his arm as he scribbled a few things down on his clipboard.
"Hey." Audrey felt compelled to call out, prompting the reaper to jump. Slowly, the other man turned his head and looked over his shoulder.
"Relax, I'm not a human- not a full one, anyway." Baines continued swiping his bangs out of his eyes and pointing at them. "See?"
"Are you a deserter?" asked the professional reaper, causing the other to be taken aback in confusion. It took Audrey a moment to remember what that meant.
"Wha? Oh, no. I've never been like, a grim reaper, grim reaper…" Audrey feebly tried to explain. "I was born into a family of humans. My dad was a reaper, but he left before I was born. I never met him."
Turning around, the other revealed his face. It was familiar, but Audrey couldn't remember his name. It was familiar. Audrey knew that he met the man and knew where, but he couldn't place the name.
"Oh! You're, uh… uh..." scratching his head, Baines thought. "Damn… I'm so sorry… We've met before. At Krampus' castle, right?"
"I was captured there." the full reaper stated. "You look familiar as well… Oh! You're the half-reaper that was allying with my comrades!"
"Yeah!" the half-human answered with a snap of his fingers. "I'm Audrey Baines."
When Audrey held out his hand, the other shook it. "Maxwell. Maxwell Goddard."
A/N: This is a very short and downright wimpy chapter, I know, but I wanted you guys to at least have SOMETHING today. Please forgive me.
I have other news, but I dunno how to talk about it without carrying on like I did on Tumblr... Long story short, they did some tests on me and it turns out that all of the chemical imbalances responsible for my depression and anxiety is a result of a thyroid gland that doesn't work right. So, now that that's being treated, I feel great! I have energy to do things and I don't feel anxious! Feats that were previously impossible, like going and ordering fast food in a crowded store by myself are now possible! (That's what I did today. I am proud of myself you don't even know.) Is this what normal people feel like? I want to cry, but in a good way.
I cannot be stopped.
Ask me questions. Any question. Bring it on.
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
