Far From Home

Blood

     "I am Death."    

     Seth would have snorted had he not been terrified out of his skin. Still, he forced some words out of his mouth. "Death, huh? Where's your scythe then? Shouldn't you have one? At least that's how they picture you in every history book in the world. But don't worry. You have the dead people smell and black robe so you're already ⅔ of the way there."

     Death growled and Seth's heart sank again. He leaned even closer and Seth made out fur and big teeth underneath the hood and had to use every ounce of willpower not to turn away.                   

     "You're scared, Seth Sorenson. Don't try to act otherwise. There is no fooling me. Now..." Death stood back up, and Seth felt the claws slicing his wrists in the movement. Blood slid down the sides of his wrists, slowly. Death lifted his claws to his hood and Seth heard a licking noise. "You blood has a strong taste, Seth Sorenson. It is not pure, but it is not dark either. Not something you would expect from a Shadow Charmer. You have a good heart. That makes you weak. Which means you break easily. So I'll make what little time I have with you worth my while."

     A blur of brown flashed in front of Seth's eyes and his head snapped to the right. It took a moment for the stinging to set in. It started out dull, like a paper cut. But then the pain intensified. Blood slid down his face, into his eyes and mouth, and off of his chin onto his shirt. Seth gasped as Death flicked his other hand, sending Seth's head in the other direction, slicing his cheek open. He then grabbed Seth's shoulders and pushed him against the back of the chair, digging his claws into the teenager's shoulders. Seth cried out as the claws shredded his muscle and blood poured out of the wounds. He fought against his restraints, but they stayed put, locking him in place. 

     If only he knew how to use his powers! Hadn't the Sphinx once said that he might be able to open locks with his mind if he trained hard enough? That would have been very useful right then.      Death reared back, retracting his claws from the boy's shoulders, before clawing him right across the chest. Within moments, his shirt was in tatters, soaked with blood. Seth had known pain before. 

     He had felt pain when the Revenant had chocked him. He had known pain when Graulas threw him against the cave wall, breaking all his bones. He had known pain when Graulas had clawed him and poisoned him. But his was different.

     Death wasn't trying to kill him. He was torturing him. Seth threw head back and screamed as Death moved onto his legs. HIs tight muscles were cut open, wounds going down to the bone. His torturer dragged his claws down the soft flesh of the boy, a delighted snarl echoing from his throat.

      For what seemed like hours, but what was only a few minutes, Death stepped back and looked at his handiwork. Seth sat, whimpering in the chair, blood pouring from his wounds. His skin was already pale from the blood loss and he was just about as close to oblivion as anyone could be.

      He was dying, and Death knew it. Slowly, Death moved forward again. Seth closed his eyes, waiting for more pain, but his eyes flew open as Death's rough tongue began licking his wounds. He fought against the creature, but red eyes shot up to his furiously.

      "Unless you want to bleed to death, I suggest you let me do this." 

     So Seth sat still, not daring to move in fear of the pain getting worse. Slowly but surely, the blood flow stopped, clogged by Death's saliva, but the wounds still remained. He would live to see another day. And that was a decision would haunt him for the rest of his life.