Chasing Death

Chapter 4

"Death may be an alluring choice but don't cheat on life."

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"You said you never had a woman here with you before I came," I asked.

We were walking side by side along the narrow passageway that was supposed to lead me to Death's office. It was a nerve-wracking mixture of excitement and fear, and I had to pick up something to talk to Mrithun to relieve my tension.

"Yes, you're right. The only women in this place are the three Fates, and they're the worst possible female exposure for a male to have," he admitted.

"So, you've brought mortals here before too?"

"Yes, sometimes. In the earlier centuries, some mortals used to worship Death to please him and I had to go bring them to this realm."

"So, how did you find me?" I asked as we took another turn through the winding passages.

"I was strolling through the streets. The Book of Death has an inbuilt tracking system now, owing to technological advancements. It catches thoughts related to Death. Though I don't usually respond to stray thoughts of unknown mortals, somehow you seemed to be near in my radar. Also, your thoughts weren't clear. So I decided to just turn up and give a warning," he mused.

"And who knew I'd be missing from Fate's system altogether," I giggled.

"That proves that the Fates aren't as perfect as they seem to be."

"Are you like some kind of Death's apprentice?" I asked as he led me through another doorway.

The ceiling was arched low, and the walls were made of something like terracotta. The whole place appeared more modern and sophisticated than I had expected it to be. Strange lights glowed in their holders along the walls. They weren't flames, but they twisted and turned inside their own crystal globes. The atmosphere had a reddish glow to it.

But before he could reply, something shot out of the dark and hit him at full speed. It collided against his chest and dropped to the ground with a small grunt. He bent down and picked it up in his palms.

A little creature with skinny black wings and a red body shook its head and whimpered, "Ouch, you broke my nose."

"You broke it yourself." He narrowed his eyes, glowering at it. "How many times have I told you to slow down?"

"Yes, boss. Sorry, boss," it spluttered. "I was coming to find you. There is trouble."

"What happened?" he asked, his brows frowning in concentration.

The tiny creature spun towards me, its beady eyes shining like glass balls. It bared its little white fangs and made a low growling sound at the back of its throat.

Mrithun cast a look at me, "It's okay. She's with me. You can say."

The little fellow wasn't convinced. Nonetheless, it turned to Mrithun, "They're here. The Fates."

For the first time, Mrithun's forehead had a crease.

"When you say here, you mean..."

"In the office, Sir," the creature muttered.

"No way!" He started walking faster.

Before I could realise, he was ten feet ahead of me. I had to walk quickly to catch up. He took long strides as he swished through the passages. I almost ran so that I wouldn't be left behind in the dark. I tried to read his face. His jaws were taut. Some kind of black fire was flickering in his eyes. It was pure rage. I knew it wasn't the best time to talk, so I kept my big mouth shut.

In front of us was a gigantic polished ebony door, with silver doorknobs. It had a big sign with ruby red letters embossed on a sleek silver plate.

It said, "Do not enter unless you want to — well die." And the sentence ended with a little upside-down face, giving a playfully sarcastic look to the entire statement. I absolutely detested that emoji. Mrithun opened the door without knocking and stormed in as if he owned the place.

I followed but stopped still at the entrance, keeping myself hidden. Three exquisitely gorgeous women were lounging atop a huge black-wood table. They giggled among themselves and dangled their perfect mahogany legs from the edge of the table.

All of them wore honey gold stilettoes, which matched their flowing sunset dresses. The cloth draped across their shoulders was woven with what looked like liquid gold. They were a mix between a traditional saree wrap and a modern gown, and the yarns were almost melting into their gorgeous skins. No need for knots or tucking in. With their raven black hair and their plump espresso lips, they seemed flawless and effortless. All three of them glanced up together. Contempt was dancing on their diaphanous eyelids.

I realised that the three of them looked identical — identically beautiful, identically cruel and identically ruthless.

"What a pleasant surprise having the reverend Fates in here," Mrithun hissed.

One of them jumped down from the table and started advancing towards him. Her lips curled into a vicious smile. If Death was beautiful, then they were the perfect epitomes of it.

"No time for pleasantries," another chirped from her position, still perched on the edge of the desk.

"What do you want?" Mrithun's voice was as cool as ice.

"Your job." The first one flashed a row of splendid white teeth. She looked vicious and gracefully deadly.

"You're fired," the third and the calmest of them remarked gravely.

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A/N: I'm overwhelmed at the amount of love that you all are showing for this book! Keep on loving and keep on recommending to your friends! Love you all! ~Shreya