The Reapers Act

Chapter One: Simple Life

One morning in early September; a family of five lived in a small town off the coast of South Carolina. The Forest family consisted of Mary, her husband John, their eight-year-old daughter; Harley, their twelve-year-old nephew; Cole, and their son; Payton; who just turned nineteen last month. The exterior of their home was painted pure white with roses sitting on the front porch and a black Corvette in the back. The roof was torn and a bit rotten looking due to rain, but you could still see dark gray wood peeking through. It was surrounded by grass and many houses on either side, along with a stone walkway up to their front door. The house looked very small and quaint compared to the rest of the street. The interior was much more interesting, however; when you open the front you are met with stairs that lead to the attic. The right side of the stairs is a small living room and hallway which consists of three rooms; Harley and Cole's room is on the far left, Mary and John's room on the far right, and between both was the bathroom. The left side of the stairs was the kitchen which also led to the back of the house where the Corvette was.

Payton was sleeping soundly in his black-violet covered sheets. The bed was right across from his dresser that had a full body length mirror next to it. There were a bunch of boxes in the corner of his room filled with old pictures, family heirlooms, and some toys. The closet was on the left side of his bed, but it wasn't very big. Above the head of the bed was a window overlooking the front yard. The entire attic was covered head to toe in wood with beams supporting the ceiling. "Nnngh." He groaned. The sun shined through his window and into his eyes as he rubbed them.

The kitchen was a mix of rustic and modern; the muffins were baking in an old fashioned oven. Payton walked in to see Harley playing with Cole and his dad reading the paper at the table. Harley ran from her seat and hugged her brother from behind. "Morning Pay pay!" A smile came across the small child as her brother lifted her to his face.

"Well, good morning Riley. How's my sister doing, hm?"

"Awesome!" He laughed and sat her back in her seat. Payton sat down next to her and watched as his cousin and sister played.

"You alright? You look tired, Payt." John asked.

"I slept fine, dad. Don't worry." Payton's eyes were dark brown but looked very dull. So, he was pretty used to the sleep comment by now.

Beep, beep, beep!

Mary pulled out the muffins and plated them onto the table. "Alright! Everybody dig in!" She yelled as she sat down. Everyone grabbed a muffin and started to eat; the muffins were very puffy and had melted blueberries on the inside, along with cinnamon sprinkled on top. Payton got up from his chair and went over to the coffee machine; he always made a black coffee with hazelnut.

"Hey mom, mind if I take the Vette?" He asked as he drank his coffee.

"Sure honey."

Payton walked with his sister and cousin to the bathroom. "Make sure they brush their teeth!" His dad shouted.

"Yeah, alright!"

The bathroom sink was the first thing you would see; along with the bath on the left wall. The toilet was on the back wall and the bathroom door was on the right.

"Do I have too, big brother?" Harley said, kind of annoyed.

"Yes, now brush." Payton looked over his shoulder; Cole was almost outside the door.

"You too, mister."

"Crap.." Cole pouted. Payton looked surprised.

"Where did you learn that?"

"Uncle." Payton scoffed; then smiled as he brushed his teeth.

Payton ran up to his room and pulled a black shirt out of his closet; along with denim jeans, dark red sneakers, and his belt. He combed his dark black-brown hair in front of the mirror and grabbed his phone; then left for the car. The caucasian man slid down the railing of the stairs. He opened the back door and walked out to the car. The car was as black as midnight; it had a very ominous feeling too. This didn't bother Payton though because he enjoyed scary and creepy things more than his family. He drove to the nearest laundromat to pick up his laundry. The place was old; paint cracks on the walls, damp floor, and a few holes with leaking water.

"Hello, Payton." She greeted the boy with a smile.

"Hey, Mrs. Avery."

"Your clothes are in the back; just sit down and I'll go grab them."

"Alright, thank you."

Payton sat in a dark blue cushioned chair. The smell of detergent was all around the room. One of the walls had three rows of six washers and the wall next to it had three rows of six dryers. The counter was in the middle, along with the backroom; where all the clean clothes were prepped. The phobophile played on his phone as he waited for Mrs. Avery to return. Mrs. Avery was a kind and gentle woman with blonde hair and purple-ish eyes. She was somewhere in her twenties or thirties. The blonde returned with clothes and sat them on the counter.

"So, how's the family?" She asked.

"Good. If you count Cole still being an ass." He said, getting up from the chair.

"Haha, don't let your mom hear you say that."

"Sure, as if she'd know."

"Anyway, here's all of it." Mrs. Avery said, addressing the pile.

"Thanks." He put the clothes in the back and drove around for a while.

Payton would often go for a drive after he got his laundry; it relaxed him. He relaxed at the park for a bit; his phone vibrated. It was his mom.

Payton, where are you?

I'm at the park, why?

I got worried and you weren't answering your phone.

Oh, sorry.

It's fine. Come home soon; Dad is making chicken.

Alright, I love you, mom.

I love you too honey.

Jesus, mom can be such a worrywart sometimes; He thought. He put his phone back in his pocket and drove home.

"Riley, Cole! Guess what I got!" Payton shouted coming through the kitchen. Riley came in blazing and Cole was close behind.

"MC DONALD'S! MC DONALD'S!" She erupted with excitement. Riley's brother smiled from amusement.

"Haha, well aren't you smart. Go sit." Mary came in; surprised.

"You didn't have to buy lunch."

"It's fine mom, I'd thought I'd leave less work for you two."

"Thank you."

"Mhm. Now, come on! I bought something for everybody." Everyone sat down to eat lunch.

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Author's Note

Hey everyone! You finished the first chapter, congrats! I'll be adding more soon; just be patient with me! I hope you'll enjoy what's to come! Laters!

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