Reaper [Original]

Pain & Promises

"Okami Aiello," Kylie says as she takes a seat beside me.

Half an hour after Okami had left, Lisa came into my shop. Kylie was with her and they found me unconscious on the floor near the door. I was currently sitting on a stool with only one foot.

"Thank you," I say to Lisa as she hands me a cup of water.

"He has quite some history," I hear Kylie say as I look at the tablet screen.

Apparently he had been an assassin for the Zodiac. He was known as "Wolfe" among the others and he had a partner who went by the name "Scythe". They both worked under the Zodiac for five years until an accident had occurred three years ago. Scythe died in the line of duty and Wolfe was relieved of duty, stripping him of his status.

"Can you find any information on the partner," I ask before taking a sip of my water.

Kylie shakes her head, "His files and records went missing after he became deceased."

"I still don't understand why he ran," Lisa takes a seat beside Kylie.

"The only explanation could be that the Zodiac put him back on duty, but what doesn't add up is why he stuck around with Reaper," Kylie glances at me.

"What was their last mission?" I lean forward on the counter, avoiding her eyes.

"Apparently Wolfe and Scythe had been sent to this location," she pulls up a picture of a chemical plant. "They were supposed to check the area for any suspicious activity that had been occurring." Another picture pops up, showing the inside.

My vision flashes white and I hear screams.

"Jack!" A hand reaching out to grab me appears in my vision.

"They were both ambushed by the guards," Casey's voice pulls me out of the vision.

"When did you get here," Lisa asks.

"It got boring waiting outside so I let myself in." She stands beside Kylie, reaching over her shoulder to tap on the tablet screen.

Video footage pops up on the screen. It shows the inside of the chemical plant, two small shadows just barely visible on one of the bridges.

"That's Wolfe," she points at the taller shadow. "His partner fell over the railing when they were ambushed."

There's suddenly more people filing in from both sides, surrounding the two. All I can hear are the shouts from the guards and the sounds of shots being fired. I watch as Okami's partner takes a bullet, stumbling into the railing. Everything after that happens so quickly. Okami is running towards him to grab him but Scythe falls back into the chemicals.

"Jack," a voice shrieks.

I flinch at the sound, my vision going black. It's suddenly quiet, my shallow breathing the only sound audible. Then, my body begins to feel like it's on fire. I try to move but I can't, as if I were paralyzed. I open my mouth but no sound comes out.

"Jack," there's a voice full of static. "No, Jack!"

My body gives a jerk and I let out a scream, pain filling my mind.

"Please, Jack you promised. You can't leave yet!"

Red fills my vision, all sound returning. I can hear Lisa and Kylie talking in panicked voices, Casey's footsteps hurried as she leaves the room. Then there's the constant beeping that has begun to get on my nerves. My body was literally overheating now, a warning from myself that I need to fix. I manage to get up, still unable to see as I stumble towards where the bathroom should be.

"Reaper," Kylie and Lisa shout.

I manage to get the cold water running in the shower. There's a small sizzle as I stand under the showerhead. My clothes get wet and my vision slowly returns. The fire is gone and now I'm freezing. I lean against the shower wall, trembling.

A sense of nausea comes over me and I suddenly feel weak. Their voices are muffled on the other side of the door, heavy footsteps getting farther away from the door.

What is happening to me?

"Promise me we'll stay together," he says quietly as we sit side by side.

"I promise," I murmur, plucking a flower bud from the ground.

"If you break that promise, I won't hesitate to hunt you down and force you into marrying me," he says teasingly before taking the flower from me.

"Why wouldn't I keep a promise?"

"Hey," he nudges me. "You never know what could happen to us."

I lean over and brush the hair away from his face before kissing his temple.

"I promise we'll stay together."

Short update