Reaper - The Curse

|Thirty|

June 15th, 2015
Fair Lane
Fairview, Pennsylvania

Leonard watched in his side-view mirror as Neil got into his car and drove away. He puffed rings of smoke onto the dash of his car and thought of the times he had spent with Daniel Morrison. Leo was only ten years old when he met Daniel. He was in the home to visit his grandparents but was drawn toward the man who sat alone in the corner.

Mr. Morrison was stoic. His wrinkled features made him seem mad, but he never spoke over a whisper. The worry carved itself into his skin, marking him forever. Daniel warned Leo that they should keep at a distance, he said it wasn't safe to interact.

Daniel confessed one day that he was cursed, the young boy thought it was only a fable. He had put it to the side of his mind until five years later when he received a call from Daniel.

His deep voice was breathy, "I need a favour, boy. Don't tell a soul until the time is right. There is a way to stop The Reapers game. An angel is coming, and she will know what to do. Please tell my family."

"Why can't you tell them?"

There was a muffled noise, and then the line went dead.

Leonard flicked the ashes out the window. He watched them float along the ground in a scattered manner as the wind twirled through the street. He tossed the cigar, end out the window and closed it. He breathed deeply through his nose.

The stench of burned flesh filled his lungs. He coughed on the vile odour and tried to roll the window down again. His limbs were unresponsive. His chest felt tight.

The passenger door opened, and the car jostled beneath the weight of another person.

"That stuff will kill you."

The words made Leonard's hairs stand on end. He tried to move his head to see who was sitting next to him but couldn't. His airways seemed to allow less oxygen to pass every time he decided to take a breath.

"I'm sure you're wondering who I am."

The breath of the person next to him smelled like fish that washed up on the beach and cooked in the hot sun for days. Leonard felt a panicked struggle to breathe clean air.

"My name is Jed, and I'm here to kill you, Leonard Carter."

He felt a pop in his head. Globes of light sparkled in his vision. He felt a hand upon his shoulder.

"Tell the devil, Jed says hello."

Leonard took one last gulp of air when everything started to spin. The panic he felt inside escalated for a moment but was quieted when his heartbeat for the last time. This was it, the end.