Death's Hunt

Chapter 14

I anxiously paced back and forth as I waited for Chiyoko to return. As I did so, I felt both Anga and Vlagor’s eyes follow my movements.
“If you keep doing that Kakrix, you’re going to end up making a hole in the ground,” Anga blurted out. “I mean, come on, you’ve been walking the same path for so long, you’ve already started stomping out a trench.”
“Don’t exaggerate Anga,” I mumbled at her poor attempt at a joke.
“I told you he wouldn’t find it funny,” Vlagor mentioned to Anga.
“Oh, shut up! That was hilarious!”
“No Anga, it wasn’t,” I retorted as I agreed with Vlagor.
“As if you could do any better!” she said exasperated.
I simply ignored her and began to think back on the events that had brought us here. After we returned from the first event, our team managed to reach fourth place, while Sheri’s team came in fifth. Of course, she was livid with that result, and to no one’s surpise, Anga enjoyed rubbing it in her face. With the orange team eliminated, there were now five groups left. While everyone else was resting, I took the time to familiarize myself with the next challenge:
“Next event – scare a mortal to death. Cannot physically harm mortal in any way. Choose one of your teammates for this challenge. No other team member may intervene in the affairs of the participants…” I mumbled to myself. “At least this one has more defined rules.” I then felt someone tapping my shoulder. When I turned around, there was Alger. “What do you want?” I asked.
“Hey… Kakrix… can we talk for a few minutes?”
“I don’t have a choice in the matter, do I?”
“Okay, great! So… follow me,” Alger said completely ignoring my sarcasm.
As we walked away from the other deaths, Alger began explaining to me his ‘little idea’.
“All right, so first off, I want to congratulate you on the great show you managed to give. Really good work, you know. Although I am surprised your team came in fourth place, considering they had you… and you know, you’re one of the best deaths out there… and…”
“Stop trying to butter me up and get to the point!” I hissed. Whatever Alger wanted, I was pretty sure I wasn’t going like it.
“Okay, okay, okay. So, you probably already know about the next event, right?”
“Scaring a mortal to death. Yes. I am aware.”
“Good. So, I wanted to… ask you a favour. You see most of the excitement in the last round was brought about because of you, you know?”
“I barely did anything. Anga, Vlagor and Chinoka did most of the work.”
“Yah, but they’re kind of secondary characters, wouldn’t you agree?”
In a blur, I grabbed Alger by the collar and pinned him against a large boulder. “You listen to me Alger! You are this close to getting yourself thrown into a swamp. Now, don’t you ever say that again, or else…”
Alger put his hands up to his face defensively. It wasn’t like I could hurt him, but the clear aggression had probably scared him and he had just instinctively done that.
“All right Kakrix, all right! But listen to me. You know how I was hoping that Chinoka would bring more of an audience?”
“He better not say what I think he’s going to say,” I thought to myself.
“Well… why not have her be the one who does the next round?” he finished with a nervous grin.
I dropped him on the ground and glared at him. I wasn’t sure what to say. I really wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine, but I knew that if Anga found out, she would give me one heck of an earful. So, despite the temptation to sock Alger in the mouth right then and there, I held it in and walked away. When I got back to the others, I sat down.
“Hello Kakrix,” Chiyoko stated sweetly. “Where were you?”
“I… just… I just had to go do something.”
“What was it?”
“It was nothing Chiyoko. Don’t worry.”
“My friend, you may be one of the best deaths out there. You really know how to collect souls and get the job done. However, you are not a very good liar. It is very clear something is bothering you,” Vlagor told me as he approached us.
“Really, Vlagor… it’s nothing.”
“You know the more you deny it, the more chance there is that we are right,” Anga said as she looked toward me.
“All right. Fine. I’ll tell you. It’s about Alger.”
“Let me guess. He wishes for you to participate in the next challenge of the tournament,” Vlagor said.
“No. He wants Chiyoko.” Hearing that, the little death leaned back in surprise and fell off the log she was sitting on. As I got up to help her, she blurted out, “WHAT?”
“It’s okay, Chiyoko. You don’t have to do it,” I reassured her while helping her to her feet.
“Kakrix? Can I talk to you? In private,” Anga asked while pointing to a secluded tree with her eyes.
When we got out of hearing range, I quickly stated, “I didn’t say yes or no to him,” guessing what she had been planning to say.
“Well then, if you’re smart, you will consider doing what he asked,” she answered.
“Anga! Are you insane?” I hissed.
“Come on! She can do something like that. She doesn’t even have to hurt anyone.”
“Anga! There is no guarantee that she can handle it.”
“Don’t be so overprotective!”
“I am not overprotective! And the only reason I’m not sure if I should let her do it is because of the bet you made! If she looses, you loose!”
“Did you every think that Alger could just disqualify us for not doing as he says? Huh?”
“You don’t even act like you care about the outcome! You are so impulsive!”
“And what about you? Huh? The last round your plan almost cost us the victory!”
“Fourth place is not a victory!”
“It was higher than Sheri!”
“Just barely!”
Suddenly, Vlagor grabbed the both of us and pulled us apart, “ENOUGH! Both of you!” I was shocked by the burly death’s outburst. In fact, I believe this was the first time I had ever seen him get this angry without being insulted. “The only thing you two are succeeding in doing right now is tearing this team apart! And by the way, everyone could hear you!” He then took a deep breath before speaking again, “Listen. The both of you are right and wrong. Anga, you must control your anger. I know you and Sheri absolutely hate each other, and I know that you being very impulsive is only your way of showing your dominance, but just try to think before you act or say something. And Kakrix. I know you are just trying to do what is best for your friends. You want to play it safe. You want to make sure everyone is happy. I know you will never admit it out loud, but I can see it in you – you do care. You must know that even though you really don’t want to take the risk, sometimes it is necessary. You cannot always just shoot down an idea without considering it first.”
I sat back down as I thought over the words Vlagor had just spoken. What can I say? He was right… or… almost right. I still don’t care about anyone. But everything else he said was correct. Right? I sighed and spoke, “Chiyoko, I’m sorry I lost my temper.” But when I looked to where she had been, I noticed that she was gone. “Chiyoko? Where is she?”
“Bloody hell! Where did that girl run off to?” Anga spat out from behind her mask.
“She must have left while we were arguing,” Vlagor yelled out.
“Quick everybody! Find her! She can’t have gone too far.”
As the three of us separated to search for Chiyoko, I began mentally berating myself, “Kakrix, you idiot! Why did you let yourself get this angry? Now Chiyoko will never trust you again!” I flew in search for her, full of worry, until I heard something or rather someone. As I landed, I noticed Chiyoko crying slightly behind a tree stump. Before I approached her, I sent out one of my friends to find Vlagor and Anga so they could join us.
“Chiyoko?” I calmly called out.
She suddenly turned to look at me. Her eyes red from all the tears that had been pouring out. I looked down and started to speak, but she cut me off. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being such a burden to everyone.”
I walked up to her, “Chiyoko, you aren’t a burden.”
“Yes, I am. Everything I ever do… I… I just screw everything up! I mess things up here. I even messed things up when I was alive.”
I held Chiyoko in my arms, “Shh… It’s okay…”
“No! It’s not! The only reason I’m here in the first place is because I screwed up. I made everyone miserable… Mom… Dad… everyone in my family. They would all have been better off if I had never been born.”
“Chiyoko! Do not say that about yourself!” I interjected.
“But they would! It’s because of my medical bills that they are now living somewhere under a bridge. It’s because of me getting angry. I threw that stone. I… I… didn’t mean to break the window. I didn’t mean to do that.”
“Chiyoko, I don’t want you to blame yourself,” I told her.
“It’s because of me that we got into that crash. If I hadn’t broken the window, we would never have had to go replace it. If we hadn’t gone to replace it, I would not have gotten hit. And if we hadn’t gotten hit, then my parents wouldn’t have had to use all their money to save me. I mean, we were already having financial problems and… and… even if… even if most of my medical bills were being paid for by others, it was still too much. And now, even here, because of me you’re all angry with each other. I’m… I’m the worst thing ever!”
By now she was crying so hard she was soaking my shirt and trench coat. It broke my heart seeing her like this. I held her as tight as possible. “Chiyoko… please… you must listen to me. This was not your fault. Back then, you didn’t know any better. It was an accident. You don’t have to beat yourself up about this. I know you’re upset. I’ve had these exact same feelings, but there’s one thing that you have that I never did.”
As Chiyoko sniffled, she looked up at me with those teary eyes, “What?”
“You have us. I promise that what happened today was not your fault at all. If anyone should be blamed, it’s Alger. Huh! Maybe the real one to be blamed is me. I mean, I was the one who mentioned it in the first place.”
“It’s… it’s not your fault,” Chiyoko stammered.
“She’s right you know,” a deep yet friendly voice said with its Russian accent. I looked up to see Vlagor and Anga standing close to us.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, and you know what? Screw Alger! If you say that it’s insane for us to do as he says, then you’re right. We’re doing this our own way!” Anga yelled while crossing her arms. Yet this time, she sounded more determined than angry.
“She’s right you know. None of us could have foreseen what happened today. If we make a decision, then we shall make it together,” Vlagor said.
“How… how long have you been there?” Chiyoko asked while fumbling with her words.
“Long enough to hear what happened,” Anga stated gently as she sat down next to us. She then wrapped her arms around Chiyoko. “It’s okay. You don’t have to blame yourself for our actions.”
Vlagor then joined in, “Really, no one is to blame here. Everyone gets angry at some point, even myself, but it does not mean that we do not love each other.”
“Don’t you think that word’s a little strong?” Anga whispered to me. I replied by giving her a glare, letting her know that she needed to keep quiet for now.
“Th…Thank you… for e… every… thing,” Chiyoko managed to say.