Reapers

Chapter Twenty-Three: Darcie's Foster Father

Darcie stood in an alleyway; it was dark, most likely the late hours of night or early hours of morning.  She felt a cold wind sweep down into the alleyway, she smelt days old garbage rotting on the street.  She looked behind her to see the outline of a hospital, the hospital David was in.  Black smoke rose into the sky from a small corner on the first floor, the same area where David laid recovering from Kali’s attack.  

Darcie felt her heart stop, she fell to her knees and felt tears go down her cheeks.  She didn’t know what this was, what was playing out around her; a dream, a vision, or a nightmare.  She didn’t know.

She looked down at the ground and cried, she watched as her tears hit the ground.  “Why...they...no...” she managed through sobs.

Darcie’s head jerked up as a figure came into view at the entrance of the alleyway.  From what she could tell it was a tall man.  He walked toward her, limping while clutching his side.  Every step caused him pain as he inhaled sharply with each motion of a step.  

Darcie saw blood drip from his side onto the ground, he leaned against the side of the alleyway.  She could hear his breathing, the jagged breaths he took in and out as if not able to get enough air.  

Darcie got up from the ground and walked toward him.  She felt her legs shake as she got closer as if this were real, as if the possible danger in front of her was real; though she knew she was asleep in Alex’s guest bedroom, she knew that she had passed out from exhaustion when Thane had asked her to wait but a tad bit longer.  She was an idiot for thinking she could wait and not drift to sleep.

She continued toward the man, each step making her heart beat faster.  She felt adrenaline go through her veins ready to help her run if she needed to.  Instead she felt herself freeze as she came close enough to the man to see him, to see what he really looked like.

He was indeed tall with short dark hair, from the light of the streetlight Darcie could see his eyes were a light, ocean blue.  He was David.

Dacie fell to her knees in front of him, he looked almost exactly the same as the day before.  The day that he had taken a knife to the chest because Kali was after her.  

She watched as he looked behind him then in front as if expecting someone to jump out and attack.  Darcie couldn’t imagine why he’d be on edge, but then again, she couldn’t imagine why he was out of the hospital bleeding to death in an alleyway or why she was being forced to witness his agony.

David pushed off the wall; he winced but soon hid his pain behind a serious face, a face Darcie was not use to.  He turned toward the hospital, his back to Darcie.  She stood and noticed that he was dressed in a baggy black T-shirt and jeans while he now had wounds that had not been present last time she had seen him.  The one on his side was the worst as blood went through his fingers and dripped onto the ground, several burns were also present on his arms as well as a single burn on his neck.

“She tricked you, didn’t she.” a girl said.

Darcie turned around and saw a blond haired teenager who wore a Peter’s Pizza uniform.  Darcie stood stunned as she realized it was the girl who had taken their order at Peter’s Pizza two days ago when she had first met the Demi-Reapers.

“I was not tricked.” David said sternly, “I just didn’t expect it to be her.”

“You were to be aware of your surroundings in protecting her.” the girl said, “That mistake could ruin us.”

“And you had no part in this mistake?  I thought you were to keep an eye on her outside of my vision.” David murmured.

The girl rolled her eyes, “I am limited.”