Eryn Cutler: The Life Taker

Chapter 5- Conversing With Death

“How terrible this darkness was, how bewildering, and yet mysteriously beautiful!” 

 -Stefan Zweig, The Burning Secret and other stories.

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A silver wisp of light penetrates my dark vision and I find myself sprawled on the floor, on the warboots of my old friend. I look around and find that I am in a Sanctuary complete with walls to block out any noise and an Altar flowing with blood.

“Eryn Cutler, you’ve come to make an offering again?”, a refined and groomed voice resonated around the empty halls.

I picked myself up from the marble floor and casually brushed the dirt off my roquelaire. Death had no face. He looked like a ring wraith from Lord of the Rings, with only a hood to make the shape of his oval face. His fingers were gnarled limbs like dying twigs of a willow tree. I swear I could feel my hairs on my skin go up as a cool mist enveloped me.

“Death, what a pleasure it is to meet you again. I have another arrangement from a client. I trust that you’ve heard everything about the poor lover”, I grinned, glancing at my black shoes.

He chuckled as if he shared a private joke to himself. Destiny has been writing to me correspondence letters about that lover boy. He knows of many things I cannot tell you right now. To spill his secrets would mean a reduction of my powers. As you know I’ve gained so much prestige and fame by politics and hardwork of course. Ms Cutler, are you sure you want to pursue this? I see dark things in your future or at least, Destiny does”

So many thoughts whirled around my head. “Why is He so hesitant in helping me? Did I do something wrong? Was I a catalyst for Life?”, I asked myself as I started to panic. I think Death felt my heartbeat as his hood pricked to the familiar lub dub sounds it vibrated.

“I am just asking you a simple question”, he impatiently declared.

I sighed. I am used to taking risks anyway, everytime I ask him for a favor. The price would not be that great anyway. He liked my card collection of basketball players so I resolved to giving him a card per transaction. I still have two hundred five cards left.

“Y-Yes. I want to pursue this. Which card would you want this time?”

“Eryn”, he said with sternness in his voice. I immediately stood up straighter and was more conscious of the scent of lemon sauce on my sleeve. “Killing this man does not feel right, not even to me. I see no reason why you should pursue this. It doesn’t feel.…..human”

Now I am weirded out. Most of the time, he’d be willing to go out on a limb for me. I guess today he didn’t feel like it, with all the deaths of others because of that unknown Plague. Human? I’ve never even thought he’d have a heart. No offense to him but he’s the least likely person to ever think of others. “Human? You can’t be serious. I thought you had a stone cold heart”

He grunted. “I don’t feel like helping you out here”

“But you must at least give me some advice!”, I cried out exasperated, like a child begging his mother for his confiscated toy.

“The man you’re going to kill is connected to you. Both of your lifeforces are intertwined. If you sever his connection, you’ll be destroying your connections to the world and to anyone else in the spirit world”, he said, urgently as a hazy fog started wafting around the Sanctuary.

I frowned. What was this talk about this man being connected with me?

“Alright then. If you opt not to help me, then I ought to do this myself. Thank you though for your advice”, I gritted my teeth as I turned back. What the Hell was wrong with Him today?

“Eryn”, he called out as the gray walls of the Sanctuary were fading away, distorting my vision to kaleidoscope-like colors. Fuschia and scarlet red burned by eyelids as I squinted to see his silhouette. “I can only give you this message; do not falter when you see his face. Stab him through his heart, not the center of his lifeforce. Good luck. I shall be seeing you soon?”

“The sooner, the better”, I grinned. Perhaps he was just in a sulky and crappy mood right now. I started to miss his insanity and crazy jokes about his counterpart Life, whom I strictly avoided. Life was very handsome and good looking, with a pure angel-like face but he can manipulate you if you’re not careful.