Until Death Do We Part

Chapter Two

I woke up to my arm burning. I winced, pulling back my sleeve to reveal my next client.
"Nora Williums, 19, Terminal." Was etched into my arm, the heat burning red on my skin. My heart sank at her age, being so young. In mortal years, I was 20. Here in the Silent Realm, I was 4,000, one of the younger Reapers in practice. I sighed, standing up. I needed to get ready, or the pain in my arm was only going to increase. I walked over to my mirror, looking at myself, waiting for an appearance prompt.
Whenever someone's time is running out, they'll claim to see glimpses of their loved ones, lurking around corners, or sitting on the edge of their beds. They're not entirely wrong, because they are seeing their loved one, it's just not actually them. It's us, the Reapers. We can modify and change our appearance with the help of our mirrors, with the prompts they present us. I waited, my arm starting to flare up again. But nothing happened, all I saw was my own form, my jet black hair resting on my cloak. I reached out, tapping my reflection. Maybe it was broken? Nothing changed. I had this happen once before, in my ten years of practice. The man was hard of hearing, and couldn't see anything. I stared harder, trying to conjure up an image. The only thing looking back was my own eyes, little dark pits of death. I shrugged, throwing my hood on. She's probably blind.
My arm had begun to feel like flames were trapped under my skin, it was time to go.
I closed my eyes, focusing on my breath. My surroundings began to swirl, and the smell of bleach filled my nostrils, making me gag. I furrowed my brow in confusion, but kept my eyes closed. I need to focus. Sounds of monitors surrounded me, along with a faint twing.
I had arrived.

I opened my eyes, taking in my surroundings. The bright lights hurt my eyes, I squinted trying to adjust. The scent of bleach had grown, however now it was competing with the smell of flowers. I blinked, my eyes finally adjusting.
I was in a hospital room, the overhead lights reflecting off the cream colored walls. The floor was a dull white, the tiles all scraped and chipped. There were hardly any decorations, besides the mountain of cards and decaying flowers near the windowsill.
What a sad place to die.
The beeps of the monitors shook me from my thoughts, and I glanced around, looking for my client. She wasn't in the room, meaning that I would have to wait here until she arrived. I groaned, walking to the windowsill, and found myself looking over the gifts. The smell of the decaying flowers almost covered the bleach scent, both making my head pound. How could she breathe in here? The flowers were all mostly dead, their petals pooling onto the ground. It was apparent my client hadn't opened most of the cards, the flowers she had stacked in piles, only a few where actually in a vase. I moved my attention to the cards, there had to be around 40. She must be popular, I thought as I picked one up. It was dented, and the handwriting was hard to read.
"Hey Nora," They wrote, the ink was red, an interesting choice. "I just wanted to send my condolences, I heard the news." She must be referencing her terminal illness I thought. I continued to read the scribbled words. "Me and your mother are so sorry, what's happening must be so rough. Unfortunately, we won't be able to visit this month, with us being in Washington. We both love you so much. Hang in there, we hope to visit before its time." I shook my head in disappointment and dismay. Her own parents.
From what I understood, parents were important to the mortals, being their primary caretakers until their early twenties. I didn't have any parents myself, being an immortal being. My heart broke for her, knowing how distant everyone was. She was surrounded by people, but left all alone.
The soft sound of a door closing jolted me from my nosing around. I hastily placed the card down, not wanting to be seen. Reapers are invisible to the naked eye, and can only be seen when willed. I glanced around, and locked eyes with my client. I froze.