Playing Death |ONC 2021 Longlister

Chapter 18

"This is good," Jay said, closing his eyes and savoring the food. They were having waffles at a cafe after having a full course meal at the boy's house that James devoured. The boy's mother had invited James for a meal on a Sunday. Jay was enthralled about it and agreed much to the boy's dismay who just wanted to escape his overbearing family.

"I know, I chose the place," the boy said as he cut a piece with his fork and shoved it in his mouth, relishing the taste and licking the remnant away.

I vaguely wondered what it would be like to relish something so purely.

"It's not as good as Belgian waffles," chuckled Jay as he mouthed another forkful and scraped the fork against the caramel.

"Well, your face isn't either yet I'm stuck with you no," the boy said, exasperated, and turned away to glance outside the window.

"Ooh, a comeback," Jay laughed aloud. "Are we fully friends then, Vansh?"

Vansh looked at him, and then looked away. "We are getting there I suppose."

"Frenemies then now?" he tilted his head, frowning.

Vansh threw up his hands. "Why do you want to put a name on this? Are you not enjoying eh?"

"I am," he laughed again. "I am just messing with you."

"Okay," Vansh said, scooping more waffles into his mouth, as he waved on a waiter.

"Okay," echoed Jay with a reminiscence etched on his face, a faraway look as he snapped back and smiled at Vansh, one hand resting on his chin.

I remembered our deal suddenly. Layla said she would set everything up after we picked a time and her jobs with Lucifer were done. Apparently that involved an information dump on the mass population and set up twitter storms that may or may not blow into something else. Layla liked killing. But not murder of bodies. She felt it was so immaterial. But breaking souls? That was what she lived for.

How many naivetes did I collect? Two hundred? Three hundred? I counted all of them after the incident. Two hundred and thirty three. I found most of them almost on the brink of death and it was easier with the situation getting out of hand. Most of the casualties were babies or older people and I found it lucky for me.

I still needed lots more and I knew I had to murder some. I decided to involve the boy only a few more times.

Should I involve him until his spirit breaks and he becomes immune? What was there to lose anyway? Perhaps he would become numb to me.

Maybe that is better than pain. I felt pain once that day which was uncommon but not rare. It happened once every thousand years and I would forget how it even felt like.

As Jay filtered out after they settled the bills the boy walked over to me. "Don't you want to try anything from here?"

I shrugged. "What for? It's not like I can remotely feel the taste."

The boy's eyes widened. "Uh. Okay, makes sense. What do you eat then to live? Souls, I bet."

He smirked but I sensed an underlying disgust and I shook my head. "Whether I do or not what does it matter? The souls are not for me."

"Then who?" he inquired, leaning against the counter and pulling me away slightly so we were away from everyone's gaze and he lowered his voice. "Jay's gonna come looking for me soon. Don't I deserve to know some answers at least?"

I pondered over it. "It's for someone I work for. That is all you need to know for now."

He bit his lip and gazed for a long time at me with cold eyes, darkening. "I suppose it's some dark secret meant to be."

He walked out and I waited a beat before following them and then deciding to collect some souls as I phoned Layla. I switched on the GPS and looked for the biggest hospitals to get maximum souls. I opened Layla's phone number on the other side and was interrupted with an incoming call.

"Hello, sweetie." My finger hovered over the red button as I felt a dire need to end the call. "Don't even think of cutting the call."

I sighed. "WHat do you want? Statistics? I collected some two hundred souls so stop calling me."

"Now now, do you think if you talk like that you will get what you want?" she cackled to life as I turned down the volume to not hear her hideous voice. "Good job, but not enough."

"Well, it'll be done sooner before you know it."

"Good, very good," she drawled.

"Anything else?" I gritted my teeth.

"Nope!" she piped and cut the call. I looked at the phone and wondered if she just wanted to hang up on me and have the upper hand but nothing mattered.

I swiped right and called Layla. "Hey."

"Hey! So, I'm a bit busy luring someone and uh-" she paused, midway.

"I get it," I felt myself stifle a small laugh. "Okay so, should I phone you later?"

"Yeap! In about 10 minutes!" she laughed as I cut the call before I could hear anything disastrous. She phoned me back as the GPS navigated me and I briefed her on what happened and inquired when she would be done soon.

"Soon! Do you have any idea about whether I should get off work soon or anything?" she sounded slightly tired, her voice low.

"I doubt it. I'll let you know. And Layla?"

"Yes?" she piped back.

"Nothing just get some sleep after you tiresome sex," I bellowed out another laugh as I ended the call and walked into the hospitals, feeling a million colours as I filtered them out and inhaled deeply.

***

I followed the tracker after I collected even more souls and I found them leaning towards each other and laughing.

I never knew he was such a good actor.

They seemed to enjoy it and I wondered if I should give them privacy but I was curious. How did someone who seemed to detest each other so much became so close just because it was a simple plan that we concocted.

"This doesn't seem mean we are as before okay?" the boy said but it came out like a tentative question.

Jay cocked his head to his side. "Well." He paused and reconsidered something. "Whatever you want."