Karma

Victim 23

I spotted Phoenix before he spotted me. He was slightly slouched in his standing position and his eyebrows were furrowed together like he was thinking about something. Instead of scaring him like I was planning too, I walked over to him with a knowing grin on my face.

"Hey," I said. A strangled sound escaped his lips and he jumped back, his clipboard coming up and covering his face. I chuckled slightly. "God, I've missed you."

I sat down on the roof in my usual position and he joined me, not even bothering to reply to my comment. "H-h-how m-many de-deaths?" He asked and, this time, it was my turn to furrow my eyebrows.

"You're stuttering more than usual. What's bothering you?" I said, trying to sound as caring as possible. I scrutinised his face, searching for anything. But he held his emotions captive and the only things that were actually different about him was that his blonde hair was a tad longer and his eyes were a darker shade of red - both natural. After a while, the colour in a Newborn's eyes fades and they just become someone that could float in crowds without anyone knowing they were there.

They became deaths puppets, so to speak.

He scrunched up his nose and I realised that it hadn't sounded as caring as I'd expected. A sigh escaped my lips as rested my elbow on my knee and my head on my palm.

The clouds were clearing by now and the sun was poking through the clouds. It was going to be warm day, by the looks of things. I could hear cars in the distance and I was suddenly glad that I didn't have to go to work today.

I laughed mentally. Suckers.

And as my thought train progressed, I finally got on to thinking that maybe they should've just all... died. They had a fifty fifty percent chance of either going to heaven or going to hell and, sure hell was bad, but heaven was great - I'd been told. I guessed it was worth the shot. No, that was morbid. Then I wouldn't have anyone to kill.

Realisation of the day - I did not want the human race to die on me. I mentally hoped that everyone didn't drop dead on me right now because: a) that would be tragic and b) Devan would eat my ass for his lunch. And then he'd make me his own bitch. He was supposed to be my bitch and I couldn't be his bitch if he was my bitch and, plus, I'd have no butt. That'd be weird, and not just for me.

I almost forgot I was sitting with Phoenix until his tiny voice said, "I've met someone."

I wouldn't of heard if it hadn't been for the wind blowing. At this my head perked up and a grin threatened to split my face in half. "Who's the lucky lady?" I asked.

His cheeks turned a deep red and he narrowed his eyes to the ground. "U-uh, n-n-not lady. M-m-man. L-lucky m-man." He said and I noticed that even the tips of his ears were pink.

My eyes threatened to tear up. "Oh my god, that's so cute." I didn't know what he expected me to say, but his head snapped up at this and his eyes widened slightly before a small smile was on his face and he visibly relaxed. "What's his name?" I said, winking in his direction.

He groaned under his breath and put his forehead to the ground. "T-t-that's t-the thing! I-I don't k-know. I-I freeze w-whenever I s-see him. Y-yesterday he was c-c-coming down the s-same path a-as m-me and I-I threw myself i-into a b-b-bush. A bush! I-I have a-a bruise t-t-to show it." And at that he lifted up his white shirt to reveal a dark purple bruise.

I was partly shocked, because Id never heard Phoenix speak so much and slightly at awe because it was just so cute. But I hid those emotions with an eyeroll, leaned forwards and grabbed his cheeks between my plams and made us look at each other in the eyes. "You are a strong and powerful man and you can do this. Stop stuttering. Pull up your trousers. Grow some balls. You got this."