The Silver Lining

Chapter Seven: Warning

At first there was an absolute silence, the erect and patient disposition of the man standing a few feet from the door was poised and stationary. He neglected to breathe in his effort to remain obedient. Before him sat a man impeccably dressed in the most extraordinary, debonair suit the world could offer, adorned in the finest of jewels and expensive attire. He, too, remained largely silent, his hands met at the fingertips to create a small temple that defied gravity, the smirk of his thin lips suggesting that he was rather defiant himself. He took his time addressing the matter at hand, visibly apathetic as he waited for his servant to speak. 

"The females have shown no sign of inheritance. Shall we terminate them?" Said the indifferent voice of his assistant, Domovoi. He kept his information just as his master wanted it delivered, succinct. 

And in seconds the man's humor abruptly changed. The callous, collected demeanor of what appeared to be a sophisticated human altered and became something grotesque. The man cloaked by the shadows roared his dismay and his hands curled into lethal claws, the urge to tear something apart at this failure consuming him. His expression stormed over and took on a  presumably demonic characteristic, his bared teeth elongating impossibly in a vicious snarl. Another second later and he was as unperturbed as he had been walking into the room, the only indication of his boundless disappointment a small, civil frown. 

"This was to be expected." He murmured, his voice dangerously mild, as if he was speaking only to himself, not unlike a madman. "Only males inherit the capabilities at an early age. As useless as their mother."

"My Lord?" Asked his assistant, requiring an answer to his previous request. 

"Leave them be, perhaps in time they shall display the gene. If not, then I shall be the one to dispose of them in a manner of my choosing. No one may know of their existence, or their lineage. I trust myself only to see to their demise, a simple mistake to be erased." He said, moving towards the door silently, waving a careless hand. "For now, simply monitor them."

"As you wish, my Lord." Bowed Domovoi. 

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From that day forward I did little else, exhausting my resources daily to gain any information on the rumored Thanatos. I made it my responsibility each night to comb the blackest of alleys and the shadiest areas of the city for the elusive God of Death, as they so modestly proclaimed themselves. But they proved to be a worthy adversary, leaving little evidence of their trace among the scum they fraternized with. 

For weeks this fruitless search went on, and each day I grew notably angrier and more anxious. As I searched, they disappeared further, leading my family into a tenuous, false sense of peace. I didn't trust this sudden silence, and my inability to remedy it nearly drove me mad. 

Regardless, I attended school with my nerves taut as piano strings. As I dropped off Bree that particular morning, and a number of the mornings previous, she sensed my torment, and endeavored to comfort me in subtle ways. She would often hug me rather randomly or extend adorable gestures of kindness my way, whether they be drawings or candy or things that she deserved more than I did. I largely refused them, but appreciated her desire to make me happy. 

"Have fun at school Bree, I'll be back in a few hours to pick you up." I smiled tiredly, laughing when she tackled me in a hug before rushing inside, the cold growing as the weeks had passed. 

Frowning thoughtfully I continued down the sidewalk on the way to my own school, satisfied when the only sounds that could be heard were my own and that of the bustling crowds nearby. As I walked I shivered noticeably in the cold, my only sweatshirt doing little to provide shelter from the nearly arctic winds. It didn't take long for much of my body to grow numb, the cold settling into my bones. Ignoring my chattering teeth I tried, for the hundredth time, to figure out Thanatos's motives, and if, or when, they were going to strike next.