Phoenix

Chapter Thirteen

The sense of dread that hung in the air was the equivalent to the feeling of trying to move through molasses. The air felt heavy, as if it were weighted, and I could only go into full panic mode as I tried to articulate just what the hell happened.

I was pulled into the main office by some douche who wanted a little more than money...then I was able to knock him unconscious and run out of the room. Then...then I saw a reaper, and a gunshot went off. Who was hurt? Was it merely a warning shot meant to scare the whimpering patrons? But...why the hell would I have seen a reaper meandering through the aisles?

Whatever the case, I would have to figure it out.

And with that in mind, I took a deep breath and began to slowly make my way to the front of the store, my heart hammering loudly in my chest as I silently prayed that no one was hurt. All these innocent people in here...all they wanted to do was just buy food for their families. They didn't deserve to be in such a serious situation, with police who were taking their ever-loving sweet fucking time. And if someone got hurt...even if I weren't involved directly, I still had the power to stop all of this. I would feel guilty if someone was hurt because I was too much of a coward to expose the world of the supernatural.

Gosh I would probably never let myself hear the end of it.

Once I finally made it in a position to where I could see the main area, I peeked around the corner and looked at all the innocent people on the floor, scanning for anyone who was hurt, or...or dead. And when I saw no blood and no one whimpering in pain, I let out a breath I didn't even know I had been holding and pulled back to drag a hand down my face, relief flooding through me as I tried to think of a decent plan.

Wait, hold on...if no one was hurt, why the hell did I see that reaper?

I peeked back around the edge and let my eyes scan for the being in question, my gaze narrowing when I saw just the barest little bit of them, hiding around a corner. Of course, from this distance, I couldn't exactly make out any features, only the heavy shroud of darkness that covered them. But there was one thing I did know, and that was the fact that the reaper wouldn't even be here, unless there was a soul that needed to be ferried to their intended destination.

So if no one was shot, why the hell were they here?

I had half a mind to teleport over there to corner them and demand them to tell me why they were here, however, I noticed movement from the corner of my eyes and turned my attention to one of the gunmen, who was looking quite antsy and looking in the direction their friend had taken me.

"God, Jeb's taking a hell of a long time getting that cash," they spoke, their voice unidentifiable as a male's or female's. "Should we go check on him?"

The gunman nearest to the doors looked towards them, seeming to think for a moment before they tightened their hold on the gun and began walking towards the direction of the office. "I'll check on that dumbass, you three keep an eye on the hostages, and if any of you see any damn cops...well, start picking off the people."

I felt anger rise within me at this bastard's nonchalance towards the prospect of an innocent life being taken, and it took all my willpower to not blow my cover and teach that dick a thing or two. But I stayed in place and looked back towards where the reaper had been hiding, only...they were no longer there. Great. Where the fuck did they go now?

Whatever. I couldn't deal with that right now, not when there were innocent human lives on the line.

"Son of a bitch!" I heard the gunman that had gone in towards the office exclaim, jogging into the main room. "We have a little slippery bitch running around here. Jeb's been knocked unconscious."

The gunman by one of the registers bristled. "Wait, are you fucking serious? That tiny little twink got the best of him? Ha! I'm so never letting him live it down!"

Then the gunman by her then spoke, shaking their head. "Minni, I don't know what the hell you saw, but that guy wasn't tiny. Skinny, sure, but he's got to be like what...six foot four?"

"Can you two morons focus? We need to find that bastard before he tries anything. I hate people who think they can play hero." They shook their head, and I could guess that they were rolling their eyes. "Just one little person taking on four others with guns. Damn guy's either got a hero complex, or a death wish." They then began pointing around, instructing their little...minions? Friends? Who the hell was even in charge here?

"Minni, X, you two go to the left of the store. Jo, go to the right, and if any of you see that bastard, shoot him."

I watched as Tara gasped, her eyes growing watery as she attempted to muffle any noise with her hands. My heart grew heavy over my friend's worry, and when I noticed the Jo guy making his way in my direction, I cursed and started moving back, trying my damned best to make sure I didn't make any noise.

Shit, shit, shit! Ugh, this was becoming too damn complicated for me. At this rate, I was going to be forced to use my abilities. Either that, or just let them kill me, but I really was so damn tired of waking up in morgues, and besides, once they "killed" me, whose to say they wouldn't turn their wrath on everyone else in here? I couldn't have that many deaths on my conscience.

So, with a deep breath, I looked up at the ceiling to make sure I wasn't in sight of any cameras, and willed myself to cloak my appearance, making my body vanish from human eyes. I was practically functioning on pure adrenaline at this point, my body basically vibrating as I kept low to the ground and watched this "Jo" guy pass me, their eyes scanning the aisle for any sign of me.

I slipped in behind him, matching his steps before he paused and raised his gun, the individual moving lower to the ground before he whipped around the end of the aisle, sighing once he saw that it was clear. Then, without much warning, I tackled him and slammed his head against the floor; a nasty crack ringing out before his body fell limp. I made sure to check his pulse before I moved on, and when I determined that he was still alive, I blew out a breath and began making my way to the other two meandering around, my eyes still peeled for the wondering reaper.

It was unnerving me that I didn't know where said reaper went, and thanks to my adhd brain, I ended up bumping into something, causing it to fall down and slam against the floor. My heart hammering in my chest, I listened to the quickened footfalls of the two gunmen, Minni and X come hammering in my direction, and before I could even do anything, I was suddenly yanked back as bullets pierced into the floor next to me.

"Did you get 'im, Minni?" Gunman X called, jogging up to the smaller individual as she scratched the back of her neck, confused.

"I dunno, I didn't see anyone. Hey, X? Do you think this place is haunted, or something?"

"Don't be ridiculous. That shit ain't real."

As their footsteps fell further away from me, I turned my attention to the individual who had pulled me out of the range of the bullets, my heart-rate quickening when I saw the cloaked figure of the reaper from earlier. Thanks to their hood, I couldn't even see their face, but I was more concerned over the fact that this reaper...saved me. They didn't have to pull me out of the spray of bullets since I was immortal, and that would have only put me out of commission for a few hours...yet they still pulled me behind cover.

Why? What purpose did they have in saving me?

"Who are you?" I wondered, watching as the reaper let go of my biceps and took a step back. "Why did you save me?"

Of course, the damned reaper said nothing, only stared at me through the dark shroud of their cloak before they tilted their head and vanished from in front of me, leaving me with even more damn questions than answers.