Shadows and Dust
Chapter 10


Reaper sat next to Widowmaker's body under the moonlight, he had not moved since his failure, and neither did he feel like moving.

The man was enraged yet extremely sorrowful, his furious lament consuming his insides like a ceaseless flame that devours a forest.

"Huh..." a deep sigh was heard, then Reaper turned to Widowmaker, "I... don't want to leave you..." he murmured, thinking someone was going to find her- or worse, she was going to become a meal for whatever beasts still lived around.

The man stood up and looked at the moon.

"If there's anything in my power I could do." Reaper said to himself, "I would bring her back." he looked at Widowmaker, "Amelie, I will bring you back." he said and his arm started to become gaseous.

Perhaps if he could turn his full energy and concentration into being the agent of Death, he could travel to the wherever the dead are.

One by one, each of his body parts started to become paranormal, and like a phantom, Reaper floated daintily over the air.

Reaper used all of his energy in order to fuel this supernatural form.
"I don't have enough power..." he growled angrily, but then remembered...
There was still one soul he could use to help him.

Suddenly, the wraith shook violently, pulsing in energy until something started to pop out of it, like a child being born.

Gabriel's body fell out of the entity and landed on the sand next to Widowmaker, completely lifeless.

Reaper yelled in pain as he dissipated into thin air.

Then, silence.
The man heard nothing but felt something, as if he was walking straight forward.

"Reaper here..." Reaper growled as he set down on dry crusty ground, which appeared to be gray sand that was devoid of nourishment.

It was shocking, where the man ended up looked like a vast, empty desert, except that everything was eerily quiet and had a monochrome coloration to it.

"Santo Dios, where the hell am I?" Reaper looked around and saw absolutely nothing, until he took his first steps and noticed the surroundings shifted into another state.

Now the ground has pitch black, and the sky was a deep blue.

Suddenly, Widowmaker appeared in front of him, bringing great relief to Reaper as he ran towards her, only to suddenly stop.

"You're here..." the woman said as she looked at him, "How did you- oh no, don't tell me you didn't." she started to tear up, "You killed yourself for me..."

"No." Reaper responded and ran to her, only to be shocked that when he tried to hug her, he went right through her. This caused the man to be upset and troubled, "What the hell?!" he reached for her, only for his arm to go through, then tried with both hands, same futility.

"No!"
"No!"
"NO!" Reaper tried his hardest to get even a feel of Widowmaker, only to do so in vain.

Widowmaker felt terrible as she saw the man try his hardest, yet still fail, "Gabriel."

"Goddamit!" Reaper yelled and pointed at her, "I will get you back, Amelie! I swear I will bring you back to the land of the living and together we will make everyone pay!" he clenched his fist.

Widowmaker smiled and placed her hand near his chest, "Don't worry about me, Gabriel, live your own life and let the dead stay dea-"

"No. Not again." Reaper said in defiance, "Not this time. I will drag you back with all my might if I have to!" he reached for her again, "We still have much to do in life! Kill! Destroy! And maybe..." he sighed and calmed down, his zeal to murder diminishing rapidly, "Even go to Zihuatanejo." he muttered and looked back at her in a humble manner.

Amelie was touched to her soul, then looked behind her and started to fade away.

"No!" Reaper yelled as he tried desperately to grab her again, this time more frantically and erratically as in a last gamble to save her.

And once again, Amelie left him.

Reaper stood alone, "However far you are, Amelie! I will not cease to find you!" he yelled into the empty land, then looked around in anger.

Suddenly, a figure walked towards him.
A small figure that appeared to be hovering over the ground.

The man's back tingled as he saw this newcomer, not knowing if it was a friend or a foe- or neither. Reaper walked towards the figure, which he readily recognized was an Omnic-
But not just any omnic, it was one he had seen many times on the news.

"Peace be upon you." the omnic raised his fingers in a 'V' formation.

"What the hell?" Reaper grumbled as he saw the small robot, "Who are you?" he glared with his fierce red eyes.

"I can help you reach your loved one." the Omnic told the man, who raised his posture in attention, "I can help you find Amelie."

"You- Can?" Reaper said dubiously, "What help can I get from a tin can?" he inspected this so called ally.

"I will guide you to your inner peace." the Omnic responded, "I am the Omnic wiseman Zenyatta, and I am at your service."

Reaper scoffed a bit, still thinking this puny robot was joking, however after some time he started to ponder long and hard about it.

If this scrap heap knew where Amelie was, why shouldn't he take his help- it's not like he knew where she was.
Hell, in this place, he would be glad to take some help.

"Alright. Now just first tell me where we are and we can kick our step." the man spoke and crossed his arms as he looked at the desolate monochrome wasteland around them.

"You are the agent of Death and not know what this place is?" Zenyatta said a bit tauntingly, "Well, if you do need the wisdom, I shall share it with you." the Omnic hovered next to Reaper, "You are in Inframundo."

"The what?"

"Inframundo" Zenyatta repeated, "The realm of the Dead. Not trying to say much but you sent your fair share down here." he mumbled and hovered forward, forcing Reaper to keep up with him.

"El Inframundo, hmph." Reaper rolled his red eyes as he walked next to his Omnic guide, then paused a bit when he noticed the landscape was shifting as they traversed the empty desert.

"This part of the Inframundo is called the Animundo." Zenyatta spoke as the two walked in the desert, "This is the place where all the dead non humans reside." he informed as they walked past a lion.

"Non Humans..." Reaper looked around and saw the large bounty of animals just suddenly appear, albeit each and everyone of them was a monochrome version of their living counterparts and appeared to be surrounded by a faint glow.

"Yes, all non humans." Zenyatta spoke, "I reside here as well." he commented, "Though not in this sullen desert." he mumbled as he looked ahead and saw a small fortress.

"You're telling me Omnics count as a life?" Reaper growled, "Impossible, you tin cans never amounted more than computer chips and screws."

"That's where you are mistaken, Death's Agent." Zenyatta shook his head, "Well, you are partly right so I must give you that credit." he raised his index finger, "The only omnics found here are those that have superseded the simple algorithms of the war models, as in, you will not find any Bastion units or other military omnics here."

"Thank heavens." Reaper murmured as he recollected his not so great encounters with such units, "Hope they are all burning in flames back home." he looked and saw a most peculiar sight, a fortress- which Zenyatta had noted before.

"That's where all the Omnics found here reside, as do I." Zenyatta spoke, "And that is where we must go in order to continue your search." he said and picked up his hover pace.

"Christ, you move so fast." Reaper growled as he had to speed up to a jog in order to keep up to him, "You hover plates are usually damn slow back there." he commented as he caught up.

"Well, I am a wandering soul now." Zenyatta answered, "My physical limitations are no more." he chuckled a bit, but then stopped when they reached a small gate.

Reaper growled, upset by their sudden pause, "What's going on?" he looked around, then saw a gorilla enter in. "Oh... the monkey..." he growled in anger as he saw a very familiar ape standing there.

"Hello there." the gorilla waved, then grumbled as he saw Reaper, "So, it's you..." he took off his glasses and pointed at him, "I'd knew I'd see you around here."

"Oh no, you're mistaken." Reaper chuckled, "I'm not here to stay... I'm here to bring newcomers." he cackled eerily, "And I think I did well with you." the man taunted.

"Winston, please ignore him." Zenyatta sighed, "We just want to get to the fort." he told the ape, "Nothing more, nothing less."

"And why should I help him?" Winston crossed his arms and looked at Reaper, "He tried to kill Tracer and I many times."

"He is on a mission." Zenyatta spoke, "And I think it would be best for him to finish quickly and get out of here than have him stay, don't you think so?" he asked a bit matter-of-factly.

Winston calculated the cons and the pros of the matter, then, after much thought, decided to open the gate for the two quite reluctantly.

"Come on in..." he grumbled as Reaper laughed the whole way.

"Say hello to Harambe for me, Monkey." the man taunted the ape and left him very cross.

00000000

Reaper was shocked when he entered the fortress and found himself surrounded by Omnics just like Zenyatta, all hovering and speaking to each other like it was some kind of conference.

"If you do not speak, they will not notice you." Zenyatta informed as they started to wade through the crowds, "All they do around here is either hear or tell something new." he said.

Reaper heard the conversations, ranging from the topic of Omnic Equality all the way to why Omnics had no noses, the last bit made his chuckle a bit.

Zenyatta touched Reaper's shoulder and then pointed to a door at the opposite side of the fortress, "That is our next destination and it will take you closer to your Amelie." he informed.

"Goodness gracious." Reaper let out a sigh of relief and spoke... but a bit too loudly.

Instantly, all the Omnics inside turned to the man, who felt very bothered by the probing gazes.

"Who is this?"
"I've never seen him before."
"I wonder what he knows."
"Maybe this stranger has something to say."

"Huh..." Zenyatta exhaled deeply, "Next time listen to me..." he grabbed Reaper's arm, "This time... Run!" he said and dragged the man.

The mass of Omnics then started to converge on the two like a herd of gnu, all targeting Reaper and his possible new things to say.

"Tell us!"
"What do you have to say, stranger?"

"Get off!" Reaper kicked an omnic who got a little too close for comfort, "RAH!" he punched another, "Zen! Are we almost there!?" he growled as he avoided being grabbed by the mob.

Zenyatta grabbed the large doors and opened them, then threw Reaper inside.

The horde was nearing him, and then the Omnic shut the doors on their faces, turning around to look at the rising Reaper.

Reaper looked around and saw that the atmosphere was very gloomy, with large clouds hovering over them like a storm was brewing.

"We are getting deeper in the Inframundo." Zenyatta spoke as he continued hovering nonchalantly, "Perhaps your lover in this area... perhaps she is in the next... or perhaps she is in the last." he spoke and then turned around ominously, "What are you waiting for? Are you not willing to save her?"

Reaper looked around, then nodded and walked up to him, "Now where the hell are we?"

"Inframundo proper." Zenyatta said, "Where all the souls of the dead come..." he murmured as they ventured deeper.

Reaper followed suit and pulled out his Hellfires.