Death's Feather

Chapter 4: The Maniac

After Death gave that big inspirational speech, he flew away spreading his long wings and disappeared into the dark sky. A new path opened right where he was; new tall walls and more darkness to go through.
Loony Boy turned back to him, his head tilted and his smile wide, and he said:

"¿Do you know what this means?"

Ignacio was afraid to ask. Loony Boy didn't wait for him to answer back.

"It means we passed. ¡We passed the fucking test! Well, tests. I passed his fucking tests!" He seemed so freakishly excited, Ignacio didn't said a word; no one did. They just started to walk away and vanish through the new path.

"¡Up top!" His hand waited up so long Ignacio finally highed-five him while seeing from the corner of his eye the wild hair girl walking away with the others.
Loony Boy let out a hysterical laugh and, after deciding he had enough, Ignacio started to walk away.

"¡Wait!" Loony Boy yelled. "You need me."

"¿What?" He answered in a high pitched voice. That only happened when he was at the edge of hysteria. "¿What the fuck do you mean?"

Loony Boy looked at him with a weird, superiority smile. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and started to talk:

"My reaper not only showed me some fabulous tricks, she also told me what was going to happen at the final trial." He paused with a dramatic effect. Ignacio almost stormed off from frustration.

"I need you, so I can pass that trial; otherwise I'll die. And you need me in order to pass the ones before that or you'll die; simple as that."

Ignacio's twitching eye returned.
¿What the holy hell was that psycho talking about? ¿Why would they need each other to win the tournament, when Death said only one will win? That sounded wrong...
Maybe Loony Boy was lying to him. Maybe he was planning on using his help and then killing him. That sounded more right.
But, ¿why him? ¿Was he planning on killing Ignacio first and then hunt down the rest of the competitors?
He shook his head.

"You're lying to me." Loony Boy's smile faded and he pressed his lips for a moment.

"I swear I'm not. Look, truth is, I need you more than you need me. I've only survived by pure luck and because that maniac hasn't find me yet. Or you, I guess..."

"¿What maniac?"

Loony Boy frowned.

"The one murdering competitors and leaving their bodies behind. ¿You haven't stumbled on any of them?"

"No; and that sounds more like you."

Loony Boy rolled his eyes.

"Look, I only said that to intimidate everyone else. After all, this is a "to the death competition." Ignacio still didn't seemed convinced so he added: "¿You want to know what I was doing after I died? I was working by day at a freaking Starbucks and stealing from my father's safe by night. I was also a junkie, and I was smoking a lot of weed the night I broke into his house for more cash. He was waiting for me, with a shotgun. He thought I was some random thief...
He fired before he could see me. Three shots and I was down."

Ignacio didn't answer. He didn't expect something like that. When he first saw him, his first impression was that he'd probably escaped a madhouse while stabbing everyone else on his way out. This was...unexpected. He continued:

"It wasn't fast, ¿you know? I remember it all; my father yelling at me, crying and asking for my forgiveness after I was the one who practically made him do it. The blood, my blurry vision and... the pain." He swallowed uncomfortably. "The pain was unbearable and I couldn't do anything. I couldn't talk, I couldn't scream... I was just begging God for it to be over. And then, it was."