Death is a he.

I loved the cemetery. It was quiet and tranquil. It was the only place I could get a break from the vulnerable people in our town. People, places, voices- I loathed it. However much I tried to get the thought out of my head, Death passed right over our shoulders everyday, was at the end of our streets; people underestimated how close he was. He was everywhere. I witnessed Death everyday. I knew where he was hiding. But a cemetery was already dead.

The cemetery was desolate and silent- the hush almost expectant. Autumn’s orange fingers touched the cemetery. It was so strange that autumn was so beautiful even though everything was dying. Dry leaves fell from the nearby oak tree. A light mist dewed the grass. The cemetery was my sense of comfort; I spent most of my time here. Isolated and free. I sounded obsessed with death. I wasn’t. It was inevitable that people would die. The subject was avoided, believed not to be true so our loved ones could live forever. As you know, they are wrong.

 It was out of my control that I was so closely tied with Death. He was my soulmate, partner in crime, some would say. My life tied so intrinsically to his it could be argued we were fated to work together. The fact I was not in control of my own life made me livid. I had the ability to take a life when someone was destined to die. Fate was inevitable, predetermined. I hated that. And why me? All I could say to that was fuck fate.

The ground was damp, my black boots sunk into the ground as I walked through the cemetery.  My perfectly white shirt was now stained with tiny speckles of mud and dying twigs. Headstones; big, small, intricate, plain dominated the grounds, the names of citizens written upon them. Everyone despised of the word death. Ignored it.  I could not ignore him. To me, Death was not an endgame. He was a he and he would never leave me alone. Like an irritating coworker,  but our work was our life not just a nine to five job.

I was curious to know if a person’s headstone reflected the life they lived. Big, fancy- were they loved by many? Or were they lonely but rich? Did the small plain ones show they lived a solitary life? I never wanted to learn about who a person was when their time had come. It would be too much of a burden to bear if I knew the person over the soul.

 Huge, black-spiked gates enclosed around the cemetery, somehow, making me feel protected. The deafening howl of the wind made the leaves whirlwind furiously around my head. I could feel my vison blurring at the edges. The cemetery was possessed with shadows and dark corners. Fuck. I knew this feeling all too well. It was an indicator that I was being dragged into a dream state. This was a time suspended between the present and the near future- a purgatory for the ‘Predetermined’ as we were called. We were the lucky few who aided Death in his work. Me- I was his favourite- so I had no rest. I was hazy. I blinked away the dizziness but only for a second. The last glimpse I saw was the grim reaper standing majestically in front of the cemetery gates before I slipped away into a state of unconsciousness.

I could hear the sounds of the waves lapping against the coastline and crashing against the rocks. My dry salty mouth cautioned me that I had to drink. I must have been left here for a couple of hours at the most. He usually kept me waiting. Death had all the time in the world. Whispers filled inside my head. Screaming…crying. The air was hot and filled with moisture. This was not our usual meeting place, but I guess I have seen creepier. The sky darkened to a pitch black, the clouds hung ominously low. He was close.

Within seconds, a jet of lightening pierced across the midnight sky, illuminating the clouds. Thunder followed with a crash that rattled the nearby outposts. A dark hooded figure sauntered towards me. Great. From the amateur dramatics display and his speed at which he moved, he was not in a good mood.  Rain pelted down, wetting the sand in my hair. Another burst of lightening brightened the sky; a sizzle of electricity ran through me as it hit a powerline sending luminous sparks into the air. The nearby lights flickered to nothing.

I stood with my head held high as he crossed the last couple of metres between us. I knew he was angry. I had felt that from him since the moment I woke up. That’s the problem with having your life tied to another’s, you never get a moments peace. Although his hood remained over his head, I knew he was looking at me. Not my appearance but inside at my soul. Twisted I know. But that was how this whole work arrangement worked. I never saw this face. I don’t think I would ever want to. But his eyes. They were something terrifying and otherworldly all together. I have witnessed them in full force on multiple occasions and I do not want to be on the wrong side of those today. The amber intensity of them signalled danger but it was the swirling inferno of pure malice sitting within them which still sent shivers down my spine.

“Someone’s woken up on the wrong side of the bed today,” I announced across the couple of metres distance between us. I knew I should not provoke him but I couldn’t help myself.

“Your lack of respect will get you killed one day,” Death answered back, his voice monotone and somewhat bored.

“Hopefully,” I reply. “What do you need? I thought we were not meeting until the next quarter. I really am busy and had a list of jobs to do and- “

“You work for me and me alone. When you’re summoned you come, no questions asked,” he interrupted. “You know the deal we made 5 years ago. Your life is tied to mine as long as you are of use to me, and you know what you get in return. I am not getting into the specifics of that arrangement now. I’m bored of this conversation already.”

I knew the rules of our arrangement. I tied my life to his, retrieving the souls he needed at any given time, for my soul to be left untouched when my time came. I knew how the lost souls were treated after being handed to Death. I was not going to suffer that fate too.

“What have you got for me?” I was ready to leave this place.

“This transaction is different. The soul in question has not reached the end of its timeline. Although this is against protocol, keeping this individual alive would ruin our little agreement which would be a great inconvenience for me.” He stood motionless, the hood over his head unwavering in the wind.

“I don’t understand…” I whispered, trying to make sense of what he was asking from me.

“Do I really have to spell everything out for you? It’s simple. The soul you have to take is the one that is supposed to end your life. I cannot tell you when or how but all you need to know is to keep you alive, and our arrangement in place, you must take this soul early, before its time.” Death stated very matter of fact.

“We both know that this is not the way we do things. It’s not how to system works otherwise we would go around taking the souls of whoever we wanted. If someone found out or news got…” I trailed off, lost in thought.

“Then don’t get caught.” Simple. With that he turned around, exiting in the direction he came from.

“Wait you haven’t told me who it is!” I called after him, annoyance building within me. He brought me all this way, gave me some foreboding news and just left.

“You’ll know!” He whipped back at me, without a single glance back in my direction like I was his greatest annoyance.

My anger was palpable and as soon as I could tell he had gone, an ear-piercing scream ripped from my throat. I was left with no information to go off and no incline as to how I would go against every rule we were taught.

I glanced down at my hands, they were shaking. Not out of fear but out of anger. I had no idea what I was going to do, how I was going to kill a man predetermined to kill me before I got to him first.  He had the upper hand.

I had to work against fate.