💀Death's Apprentice💀

Chapter One: The Murder of Rose Delaney

The Apprentice

I materialized in a cloud of black smoke into a dark office building. I peered into the shadows of what looked like one of the many employee offices. Marble covered the floor, and veins of gold ran through the rock. Detailed paintings in gold frames hung from the walls.
I tilted my head as I regarded a vase of delicate red roses. An employee may have been the case, but one that wasn't favored was certainly not the case. At least on the surface. I held out my hand, and with a sound like mist hitting window a folder appeared. I casually flipped through it as I walked around a heavy wooden desk.
There she was. A young woman lay sprawled on the floor, holding her her collar bone in pain. I knelt next to her, but her eyes were squeezed too tightly in pain to notice my quiet steps. I gave her a closer look.
Whoever had stabbed her had missed; she had clearly moved, but not fast enough to avoid the blade. I glanced inside the folder. My eyebrows jumped as I read over her situation. I looked back to her as she took a deep breath. It wasn't the wound that was killing her; it was the blood loss.
Apparently, her boss had stabbed her after she found out he was funneling business funds into his own account. When she denied his attempts to romance her he had decided to get rid of her. My eyes traveled to the roses again. I shivered.
"Rose Delaney." I breathed. Her eyes shot open in alarm. With a wave of my hand the folder evaporated, and in its place I felt a dark wooden handle. The shadow of a scythe's blade fell over Rose's face.

          She watched me in fear, but I made no movement. On the inside I pitied her. On the outside I was calm and cold. As I was supposed to be, of course. There were three things one needed to always remember in order to be Death.

          1.) Never show sympathy to the dying. Their judgements will be fair, I promise you.

          2.) Never underestimate the dying. You would be surprised at how much of a fight they can put up.

          3.) Never lose the Scythe. The events following the loss would be absolutely catastrophic.

I walked around to stand next to her as I raised the scythe. Her eyes pleaded for me to stop. For a moment I did. Then I began to swing. Until I felt a sharp pain on the back of my knee.
I let out a yelp of pain as I fell to the ground. She had kicked me! The Scythe clattered to the ground and I scrambled to get up. It was too late. With wide eyes I shot up on my elbows to watch as the young woman snatched up the weapon and stood on shaky legs. The dark mist thickened until it shrouded her. Then it settled. Her eyes were glowing with an eerie blue light-although she didn't seem to notice.
"No!" I cried as I stood as well. This was bad. This was very bad. Without the Scythe I couldn't complete the ritual, and without the ritual I couldn't send not just this woman but anyone to the afterlife!
I took a step forward, but the woman simply leveled the blade at my throat. I opened my mouth to speak, but she beat me to it. She gestured wildly with the Scythe as she spoke. I held my hands up in submission.

"Stay back! Just stay back!" She yelled at me.

"But I just wanted to-" I opened my mouth again.

"Oh, I know exactly what you wanted. You were going to kick me while I was down! You were going to kill me!!!" She screamed. Her eyes flowed even brighter as her anger intensified. I took a cautious step back. My hands were still raised in defense.
           "K-kill is a strong word. I wasn't going to kill you, I was just...going to send you to the afterlife." I sputtered. She paused for a moment or two as she regarded me. I could have sworn an eye twitched. Good gods I think I broke her. She took a swing at me, but I ducked just in time. Blood flow was beginning to slow down from her wound. It still trickled down her black blazer.
          "That's the same thing, you idiot!" She screeched.
          "No it's not!" I cowered. "Technically your boss killed you. I was just going to send you somewhere better!" She froze again, and this time I cringed. Now I had done it. Rose's hands crackled with energy.
          "Yes...my boss killed me." The angry woman looked down at the scythe in her hands. She soon pushed past me and made her way into the hall. I scrambled after her.
          "Where are you going?! Rose! I need that back!" I called.
          "My boss killed me," She simply repeated as she stomped away, "and now I'm going to kill him back." I gaped in horror as she strode down the halls with a vengeance. I shook my head in both panic and disbelief. This simply could not be happening.
          "I am in so much trouble." I whispered.