A Dance With Death

|| Chapter 14 - Undead ||

                     

Fear is something I am familiar with, really familiar. I felt fear when I got caught for scribbling on the walls when I was young, fearing my mother's scolding. I felt fear when I gave a test at school. I felt fear when I was about to get scolded by my parents. I felt fear when I applied for the X Factor. I felt fear when I was about to go for my first concert. I felt fear when Niall died.

Fear is something we despise, but in true sense, it's something essential for our survival. Whatever we do in this world, we do it in fear of something. We do it if we fear failure, if we fear loss, if we fear loneliness, if we fear the consequences of our actions. Fear is not an emotion. Fear is a substance. A substance that we cannot avoid; that we do not like and without which we cannot live.

Even after facing my fears so many times, I am, however, quite unused to it. Even after all this time, I cannot handle it. Tension grows inside of me each time I feel scared. I'm confronted by my fears in my daily lives.

I felt fear as I read that note.

A chill goes down my spine. My legs are trembling. C? As in Caius? I pick the note up and re-read it. Zayn. It clearly says 'Zayn'. The message is for me. What could he possibly want from me? As if my coma wasn't enough.

Another emotion takes over me. Anger. Somehow, I feel angry and impatient. Whether for answers or whether to live again, I don't know.

The three reapers in front of me are really tensed. The air around us is filled with nervousness and bewilderment. Althea is walking around in the room, facing the floor. She's murmuring something that I can't hear. Griffith, on the other hand, looks calm as he leans against the wall but tension is clearly visible on his face. The wrinkles on Ektor's forehead are deeper as he tries to think hard.

Althea's murmuring grows louder with frustration and she raises her voice. "I don't understand. He has something planned. What does he want with Zayn?"

"Apparently, he's 'dying' to meet me," I add.

"It's probably just to show us that he's here after all," Ektor says. "Maybe his intention is to warn everyone about what he's going to do. Maybe he wants to scare us."

"But then he could've easily sent the message to us," Griffith says. "Why Zayn?"

Maybe because we have history.

"He may have killed Niall," I speak softly. "He wants to kill me."

"That can't be it," Althea says.

"That can't be it?" I glare at her. "Killing my friend wasn't enough?"

Althea swallows. "I didn't mean it like that. Sorry."

I stay quiet.

"Maybe he doesn't want to kill you," Ektor says to me. "Maybe he just wants to taunt us. Show us how powerful he has become."

Griffith nods. "Maybe he wants to get back at Death."

"There are lots of maybe's," Althea says. "Whatever Caius is doing, it's killing innocent people. Whatever he's trying to prove, it's bad."

"He has to be stopped," I say. "I can't handle all this. I have you guys to guide me. What about the other unnatural dying souls? What must they be going through right now?"

"What are we supposed to do? Just whine and complain. We have to do something," Griffith sighs.

"You may have forgotten," Ektor speaks up, "but we're talking about a reaper who has defied Death and his Order."