They call me Grim (COMPLETED)

Chapter 28: Luck

Grim's eyes snapped open in surprise. She turned and looked beside her in shock.

A number of things had happened in those few brief seconds she closed her eyes.

The first and most important was Norma stood up. The dead woman had been forgotten about because, well . . . she was dead. Yet, they had all forgotten the original reason Grim had come back. Death had stopped. People weren't dying anymore. The only thing that kept the humans from realising what was happening was that Reapers had adapted, covering the bodies in a black powder of some sort, which sent them into a deep death like sleep. A reaper should have come and done the same for Norma, but this didn't happen.

When Grim and Blake were trying to find Mary, and walked through the dead, she'd thought it odd that there had been no reapers around. There should have been at least one going around. Yet, there hadn't been a single one. Grim thought back to that circle Clara had cast around the bridge, which made it impossible to leave, it wouldn't have been hard to do that around the town, but this time it would keep the reapers out.

Clara formed a barrier which locked out all the reapers. When Clara was shot she'd dropped all magic. Norma had died and by all accounts a reaper should have collected her soul or covered her in dust to stop her from getting up. Yet, Grim and Vex were both reapers. When there was a reaper already there then there was no need for another one. The other reapers had assumed Grim would have collected Norma's soul. But she hadn't because she was about to die.

So, Norma stood up  due to a number of factors.

The next important thing that happened was she picked up Grim's scythe. Vex had thrown it out of the way, not carrying what happened to it as long as it was out of Grim's hands. It had landed in the puddle of blood around Norma. All she had to do was pick it up, and that was easy seeing as it was right in front of her.

By all accounts someone should have seen her, but again, a number of factors influenced this. Mary was still huddled over, whimpering slightly. Blake was passed out. Grim's eyes were closed. Then there were Vex and Clara who were standing with their backs to the formerly dead woman. Clara was keeping watch on Blake and Vex was preparing to behead her.

No one saw Norma grip the scythe and swing it. The retired reaper still knew how to handle the blade. The scythe hit Vex with a thud, right through his head, the blade jutting out through his eye socket. It happened to this just as he himself had swung his own scythe.

The blade protruding from his faace sent his aim off and the scythe missed Grim's head. Instead it found another target. It found the person standing next to him. His black scythe soared through the air and nearly did a complete circle, but was stopped by the small figure.

Clara let out a sharp gasp as the blade struck her abdomen with a squelch. Vex eyes widened and he choked out a, "NO!" even as blood poured from his mouth. That was the last word he said as his last remaining eye rolled into the back of his head and he fell to the concrete, not moving again. Clara looked down at the scythe embedded deep in her abdomen and let out a short gasp before falling backwards. She gasped and gurgled. Grim tore her gaze away and stood to her feet.

She gasped for breath, not believing that she had just escaped with her life. Clutching her chest and trying to regain her ragged breathing Grim had the oddest urge to burst out laughing.

All those times she complained that she had the worst luck. She complained that nothing ever went her way. She complained everything that could go wrong did. Well, it turns out that the universe was simply collecting all her luck and waiting for the perfect moment to use it. The more she thought about it the more she realised that if even one thing had gone different she'd be dead.

She turned to Norma who looking bemusedly down at the gaping hole going through her chest, and grinned. "I am the luckiest reaper to have ever not lived."

.

Mary watched the gasping necromancer before turning her gaze to the demon reaper. He lay in a puddle of black goo and didn't move. Long black veins were extending over his milk white skin. He was undoubtedly dead and her necromancer was dying. She turned and looked at Blake, lying there.

She shuddered at the pain that she'd just experienced. It still echoed in her bones. It was nothing compared to soul shifting, it was a hundred times worse because the necromancer hadn't been ripping the soul away, she been scratching at it. The pain made Mary weak, even in this form.

But over that pain was another emotion. Anger. She was becoming absolutely furious. She was practically shaking with rage and could feel her chest heating up and knew soon her hair would alight.

A despairing thought struck her.

She'd lost.

What an odd thought. Mary didn't lose. It just wasn't possible. She always got her way. Yet, here she lay with her two most powerful allies dead or dying, no pack to use or soulshifters. She didn't even have her assistant Adele to help her. It was over.

Ten years of planning, or maybe even a hundred if you count all those other bodies. She had no faith in the rest of her soulshifters and wondered if they were dead. What did it matter, even if they weren't they were useless. Mary had no more moves left.

Wait, yes she did.

While there was certainly no way she would gain control of the world, she could still make Anya Royce hurt. She could still win in a way. She knew it would hurt her also, but sacrifices must be made.

Anya was speaking to the woman Mary was sure had been dead seconds ago, her hand was still slick with her blood. They didn't see her stand and stride over to Blake. She grabbed him and jerked him to his feet. His eyes flew open, glassy and still watery from pain. Mary offered him a smile with her black teeth and then stabbed her talons into him.

Blake cried out. Mary's abdomen burned but she didn't care. Without mercy she slowly dragged her sharp claws up along his chest, tearing his organs to shreds and ripping open skin. She let him drop to the ground. Just as she heard Anya scream. She opened her mouth and roared. Blue flames flicked out and her entire body erupted in pain, but it was nothing to what Blake felt. She was wrenched away and she stopped breathing fire. Anya had her hand around her throat, gripping it tightly as she looked in horror at the smoking Blake.

Unfortunately his skin wasn't seared black like Adele's, simply deeply burned red and pink. It would kill him though, that was for sure.

Anya stared down at Mary in contempt and Mary grinned up at her even though she was in agony. Then Anya smashed her head into the pavement.

Before darkness enveloped Mary, she saw Anya run over to Blake, hands flapping around and tears streaming down her cheeks.

The last thing she thought before she passed out was, I win.