The In-Between (Book 1 - Death, Demons and Mere Mortals)

Chapter ELEVEN - Clattering Bones

She gasped, her throat dry and ripped from the shriek that tore from her mouth. Tears welled in her eyes, panting for breath as a hand pressed to her chest. Relief washed over as her heartbeat started to correct itself. She hunched over, feeling both nauseous and faint.

'Apologies.' The being before her grumbled, the deep sound bringing unwanted comfort to Emma. She stood straight once her head had stopped spinning and sent a furious glare. Grim towered before her, blending into the shadows around him. His scythe glowed in the light and Emma caught sight of her reflection, ripping her gaze away and sighing at how disgusting she looked.

'Really?' She growled in a tone much higher than his boom. She burned holes into his coral blue eyes, similar in colour to the ball of light between them. She blinked and shook her head when she also managed to catch sight of herself within his eyes. 'What are you doing here?' She hissed, dropping her hand and breathing as naturally as she could.

He wasn't looking at her. His head was high, and Emma was close, looking up at his throat to where his Adam's apple bobbed in thought. His eyes were full of focus, his pale skin almost see-through from the light below him. 'That way.' He stated, nodding to the path behind her.

Emma turned on her heel, the ball of light following the movement of her hand. The path was dark and never-ending. Emma pushed her hand forward and the light swam speedily down the hall. A pit opened up in her stomach as her mind flashed a series of images from the creature from the depths of the Gulf of Mexico.

She shuffled forward, swallowing the lump in her throat as she followed the light. The cool air that clung to Grim made her feel safe and she relished the chill that fought the sweltering heat. The cold from Grim tickled her spin, making her shiver every so often. The narrow hall seemed infinite and Emma felt uneasy with Grim following her, she could feel his body looming over her with every stride he took.

She cast her eyes up both walls, entranced by the hieroglyphics that were carved into the stone. Without thinking, she spoke. 'God, they're beautiful.' She whispered in awe, fighting the urge to lift her hand and trace them. She tensed her body, waiting to see if her words would earn a response. He said nothing, the cold air tickling her ankles.

They kept moving and Emma continued to talk since she felt as though she was speaking with herself. 'I wish I knew what they said.' She raised her hand as they walked, letting her fingertips glide over the engravings. Her pace slowed as she tried to take in every single small shape on both walls. The ball of light was floating gently ahead, still making its way through the darkness.

'From the one's that I could understand, they're saying prayers to their Gods, for those that are buried in here.' Grim explained with ease, his voice rumbling against the close brick walls. Emma stopped in her place and spun like lightening, her eyes burning into his with shock and misunderstanding.

'You can understand them?' She asked with disbelief, her voice echoing as she listened to it fade away, bouncing against the walls. He nodded, his eyes looking to the symbols around her.

'Some of them.' His eyes narrowed as they looked upon something above Emma's head. He nodded forward, encouraging her to turn around. Emma hesitantly twisted her body, her feet the last to follow. Her mind drifted and she thought about how much of Grim she didn't know. What Blake had told her came as a shock, he didn't seem all that scary most of the time. She formed questions about his life, if he was anyone before he was the Grim Reaper.

She bit her gums, keeping the questions inside. The hall had finally come to an end. The ball had stopped in the air as if it had sensed that something was wrong. On each wall were two burning fires lighting up a small room at the end of the hall. Emma felt a shiver crawl down her spine, her body feeling the heat that she hadn't been paying attention to, her top clinging to her skin for dear life.