A short chapter, but very important nonetheless. I apologize for the delay and apologize in advance for the inevitable delay of future chapters, for I am a college student and am thus very busy (also lazy, but I promise I'm not always like that).
Asphalt pounded beneath their feet as they fled. Death was itching to fight but, once again, he had the girl to worry about. If they were overcome, the swarm would tear her to pieces within seconds. He was almost tempted to leave her, let the horde of undead rip the aggravating girl to shreds so he could go about his business unhindered but… no. As much as she tweaked at his nerves Death could not allow her to die, not as long as her existence proved his brother's innocence. And so they ran.
The swarm was persistence however, dogging their steps and coming ever closer. The girl's sides were heaving; how much longer could she keep up this pace?
Claws rent the air at Death's back and he felt his reserve snap. Without much more thought, he grabbed onto the back of the girl's jacket, physically threw her through the nearest open door and whirled to meet the swarm just as it collided into him. They threw themselves upon him with all the fury of a school of piranha, all trying to take a chunk out of the rider. Death never gave them a chance, shredding flesh and bone alike with savage sweeps of his scythes, never moving from his station before the door.
Somewhere from up above there was the loud crack of a gun and the pained scream of a fallen receiving a bullet to the head. Death glanced up long enough to see the girl and his crow crouched on a balcony two stories up, sighting down the barrel of her antique hunting rifle with teeth gritted in a determined sneer. The gun sounded again and the girl flinched as another corpse went down in a spray of blood. Between lead and steel the swarm began to shrink until finally the roar of a Suffering drew the stragglers away.
"What the hell were you thinking, you asshole?!" the girl shouted angrily down at him from her lofty perch in the ensuing quiet. Icy eyes glared at him between the bars of the balcony. Even Dust, from the safe haven of the girl's shoulders, shot him a dirty look.
"It was either fight or let them rip you into small pieces girl!" he shot back, "They very nearly caught up to us. Honestly, I'm surprised you've survived in this place for as long as you have given how careless you are!"
"You're the one who literally threw me into a building you prick!" she cried, "And I never had those corpses come after me as hard as that before! Makes me think that I'm not the one they're after!"
Death closed his eyes, the shafts of the scythes creaking beneath his tightening grip as he fought down the anger blooming in his chest. She's even more impudent than Strife, he thought bitterly. His younger brother was normally the only one who could irritate him so. "Listen here girl," he growled, eyes blazing, "death in a place like this is an inevitability. You are nothing more than a tasty morsel to the demons. Perhaps I should allow them to do as they please with you rather than waste my time protecting you!"
"Well maybe you should!" the girl practically screamed, springing to her feet and upsetting Dust from her shoulder, "There's not really any point in me staying alive is there?! Everyone I know is already dead, right?!" tears were streaming thick and fast down her grime covered cheeks. "Maybe I should just throw myself to the horde! At least then I wouldn't be stuck here, seeing the faces of my friends and families in every undead I kill and being TOTALLY ALONE!" Her voice cracked, the fury draining out of her as she slumped back against the wall and burying her head in her arms, body shaking as she let out one wet sob after another.
Death was silent. His fingers had strayed to the shards of crystal embedded in his chest at the girl's words. He had disciplined himself to push the angry, anguished voices of his slain brethren to the back of his mind, but now they came flooding to the forefront of his thoughts. Murderer, they whispered in sibilant voices, Kinslayer. This burden is yours alone, Betrayer! Something heavy settled in his chest, and for the first time since the souls of his fellow nephilim began to haunt him, Death felt guilt.
Slowly, he climbed the rotting stairs to the second story balcony where the girl sat, curled into herself as she cried. He made no attempt to comfort her but simply sat beside her, waiting for as long as it took for her sobs to quiet to hiccups.
"I understand your pain more than you might think, little one," he said softly, though she made no indication that she had heard him. "I too, am alone. My own people are long dead," his fingers grazed the crystal fragments, "There are only four of us now, and one awaits judgment before a corrupt council. But," he looked down at the girl, "you can help me save him, and in return, I can save your people."
This made her look up, slowly and unsurely with red-rimmed eyes.
"That had been my goal from the beginning: My brother War was accused of triggering the apocalypse and the extinction of your race. If I could erase his crime and resurrect the souls of humanity, then he would be appeased. You, of course," he smiled tightly down at her, though he knew she couldn't see it, "change things. The fact that you live is proof that my brother was not responsible. To that end, I will do what I must to protect you, even if you are incredibly irritating at times." Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly and Death couldn't help but smirk. Even through the tear streaks marking her face she still had the capacity to look angry.
"I will still do as I originally planned however," he continued, "your people can still be saved. It was not yet their time."
The girl sniffed in reply, scrubbing the sleeve of her jacket across her face and only succeeding in smearing the dirt around. She set her chin on her knees, contemplation in her expression as she took in the view of her shattered city around her. Her pain weighed heavily on her shoulders, compounded by fear and uncertainty and nightmares.
"I understand if you don't believe me," he said, and with a chuckle he added, "and to be honest if I were in your situation I probably wouldn't. You've only the word of a stranger to go on, after all."
"You're making a horrible case for yourself," she mumbled at last, though her voice was still thick and croaky.
"Yes, well I'd hardly call diplomacy my strong suit," he retorted, "I've been told I'm too sarcastic for it, though I can hardly imagine why." The edge of the girl's lip twitched, but just a tiny bit.
"I did not mean what I said before," he continued, genuinely trying to sound like he meant it, as unused to such delicate conversations as he was. He had to once again remind himself that the girl was only human, lost in a world where things only wanted to harm her and without the strength to fight back. "I won't allow the demons to hurt you, but to that end you must listen to me and do as I say when I say it. That is, if you're still willing to accompany me."
She was silent for a long while, looking everywhere but him, picking at the dirt under her fingernails or watching Dust as he wheeled by overhead. Eventually she heaved an enormous sigh, turning bloodshot blue eyes on him. For a moment, he almost feared she'd say no, that she would choose the knowledge of inevitable death over the slight possibility of survival.
"M'kay," came her quiet answer, and Death gave in internal sigh of relief. Standing up, he offered her a hand, one she looked at dubiously before reluctantly taking it and allowing him to haul her to her feet.
The girl remained silent until they reached the street, where Dust's shrill cries announced his return. Much to Death's surprise as well as the girl's, the crow alighted upon the human's small shoulder and nuzzled his head against her cheek.
"Well, at least someone's happy you're still here," Death commented, watching the girl raise a tentative finger to stroke the feathers of Dust's neck, "What Dust, is my shoulder not good enough anymore?"
The bird croaked and took a few more moments to indulge in the girl's affections before fluttering back to his customary perch on his master's shoulder.
"I don't get why he's suddenly decided that he likes me so much," she said softly, voice still not quite recovered from her outburst, "when we first met he looked like he was ready to peck my eyes out."
"As you said before, you're his back-up shoulder. He was just glad that there was somewhere comfortable to sit while I do all the work. Where would he go if you decided to leave?" Dust gave an irritable hiss and took off again, leaving Death to sigh and say, "My, so sensitive." The twitch of the girl's lip stayed a little longer this time.