Death.
The mere sound of this word sends chills and shivers down to human's spines. What a powerful word to cause such horror. How could it not be though? It brings pain, suffering, solitude, and depression - everything a mortal man would trade a limb not to have. Even sheer intuition can tell that there is one thing a person will be able to feel should they encounter death. Fear. All get scared.
Actually, not everybody at all. Some basically embraces it in defeat and acceptance, some others even asks for it: but eventually, every living creature is headed to one same turning point - darkness and sorrow.
Not in my case though. Death had given me the exception from all of these. I've lived my entire existence watching other people fade away. Literally. I've dealt with all - natural death, people killing other people, people killing themselves, brutality, fatality - things that human race could not dare even to imagine.
But it doesn’t bother me and I' m so numb to even care. Because someone considerably evil like me, the Angel of Death, is not afraid of anything.
***
A long slender figure of a woman leaning on a trunk of a huge tree was silhouetted on a wall of a motel across a street. Her shadow shows her arm folded on her chest, her feet somewhat in one o'clock position and by the looks of it, seems like she had been waiting there for quite some time now. It has been a chilly night so far.
A moment later, two circular rays of light emanated from the not so far away parking area of the inn - a sign of a car departing.
"Finally." she murmured to herself.
The car started to stroll, kept on an average speed by a man not more than 35 years old. The woman started to walk around the tree just as the moving car passes her spot. But before she made a full round, the woman suddenly vanished, leaving black haze behind. And within that split second, she reappeared sitting in the backseat of the moving car, right leg crossed over the other. The driver, still oblivious of the woman who had just materialized inside the car, felt the sudden change of atmosphere and reached to lessen the air-conditioning. He, then, involuntarily, peeked on the rearview mirror and got startled on what he saw. Totally surprised, the man misses the division of the road and almost run over the gutter. Good thing he quickly got a grip of himself, grabbed the steering wheel, and pulled the car back on the road.
There was no light in the backseat; the dim light coming from the sole source in the front only shows a form of a woman, her hair is curly, falling all the way down to her shoulder - her face is masked by darkness. The only thing his naked eye allows him to see is that she was wearing a tight fitting black leather suit covering her neck all the way down till it disappear inside knee-high black boots.
"I am here to take you." the woman began, her voice cold and emotionless.
"Who are you and how did you get in here?" the man, already surprised and frightened, said in response, his voice hoarse and shaky.
"You need not to know who I am. I'm here to deliver you something. Something only those chosen receives."
"What are you talking about? And why the hell are you inside my car?" the man asked, "Aha! Then you maybe the one my wife had sent. A spy." he added, more of an accusation than a question because of the certainty in his voice.
The man laughed that boomed inside the car but despite of it, the woman remained silent.
"I never thought her suspicion had grown to this extent. A really, really wicked lady. If not for her money I would have disposed her long time ago." the man said, half-turning to face the woman. "I am not scared of that woman nor do I care, but you girl…" he grinned flashing his teeth, brows colliding in a wrinkle above his nose. "You gave me quite a scare there you know, sneaking like that in my car. The nerve of you to show up!" he continued almost shouting the words.
The woman shifted the position of her legs but did not say a thing. Her movement made her face caught by the dim light showing her narrow eyes, dark brown in color with a golden slit in the pupil: just like a cat's.
"Well I think you should be making up for that. Since you’ve been bad, I'll treat you just the same." the man said, still driving, his voice edged and taunting.
At the moment, the car is approaching towards a sharp curve. A wooden fence stood high at both side of the road leading to the curve separating it from the steep cliff over it. Big trees below the cliff seems small from the view on the road.
"I wonder what you look like. Why don’t you show your face?" the man muttered as he reaches for the break. He grabbed it, pulled it, but the car didn’t stop.
"Damn this car." he mumbled angrily.
The woman, still silent, grinned.
"What are you smiling at?" he said as he scrambled for the brake once more, but this time around, instead of coming to a halt, the car sped up. Panic struck the man.
"Whu-at is hap-pening?" the man stuttered, his crabbiness suddenly replaced by horror.
"You don’t get it, do you?" the mysterious woman finally had spoken. "I believe I've already told you that I'm here to deliver you something, that I'm here to take you. That is exactly what I'm putting into action right now." she continued, her voice calm amidst the turmoil in the car.
The car continued to accelerate until it exceeded the maximum speed limit.
"We're going straight to the cliff! Do something to stop this car or we are both going to die!" the man screamed reaching for her.
The woman placed her hand in front of her. Black smoke gathered in her palm forming a black swirling sphere. She blew it and the sphere started to fly towards the terrified man. It hit him at the center of his back.
A new horror sprouted inside him. He felt chills spread throughout his body before totally feeling numb. The swirling sphere paralyzed his entire body.
"What are you?" he managed to choke out.
"The flame of your life is almost extinguished. I came to deliver you to your end. Death is upon you. You are going to die." The woman said, giving emphasis in each word, "But me, I'm not going to perish here, because I am the Bringer of Death, the Death Angel myself!" The temperature inside the car plummeted as the words were spoken.
The man, eyes wide in terror, stared at the woman, all of his hope gone.
Loud screeches followed as the tires shoved itself in the road. The car is still heading steadfast to the cliff.
"Please… I beg you… Stop it! I'm not ready to die…" the man pleaded, tears now flowing in his cheeks.
"The decision has been made. It is your time."
Black smoke filled the car as the woman suddenly vanishes, exiting the moving car and leaving the man alone behind. He tried to scream but nothing came in to sound.
The car continued its straightforward movement then crashed into the wooden fence, knocking it down and flying directly into the slope. The man inside closed his eyes and let the upcoming darkness swallow him completely. The car fell down and a huge explosion awakens the sleeping city.
