Daughter of Death

Dinner is an awkward affair, it always is. Its the one meal we all eat together, Father, Mother, and my thrity-seven older siblings. Or older brothers, rather. I have very few older sisters. Mother's the epitome of woman. I'm one of the men. Mother gave up on trying to make me into a girl a while ago, sticking with her other daughters.

Father isn't skeletal, like you'd imagine the Grim Reaper would be. He's a huge guy, with bone-white skin, red eyes, midnight-black hair, and a permanently expressionless face. He set the standard for looks in the Underworld.

"How did you enjoy judging, Belial?" He asks monotonously while we all pick at our food.

Careful not to give anything away, I say, "It was alright. I liked it better than anything else I've tried so far."

"How come she gets a choice?" Says one of my older siblings, Forcus. His complaint goes unanswered, though.

Time for the kill. "Can I try reaping?"

The table turns to look at me as a collective whole. I glance at my plate self-consciously. "Its like, one of the only things I haven't done, Father."

"Why not?"

If I had had a beating heart, it would have stopped. I look up at him incredulously, as does everyone else. "Really?" I ask, cocking an eyebrow and not letting my excitement grow.

He shrugs. "Imamiah can take you with him tomorrow."

"Oh that is no fair!" Objects Mastema.

I'd nearly always gotten my way with Father. I think he'd decided to spoil one of his children, and me being the baby, he chose me to dote upon. I suppose even Death has a soft spot.

"Great," I say, pulling apart my bread with my fingers. "Thank you, Father."

"Of course," he says.

"May I be excused?" I ask, I'm only halfway done, but I'm to excited to eat anymore.

"Going to go stalk down Reagon?" Azael smirks.

"Yes," I answer snipishly, getting up and leaving.

I track down Reagon quickly. He's cleaning one of the lower corridors with another servant. Even if he is my best friend, he still has chores to do. I slide over to him on the wet floor, pick up an extra mop and join in the cleaning. Reagon doesn't question it. He gave up a long time ago trying to question me.

"I'm going reaping tomorrow," I announce.

"What?" Reagon asks, startled.

"I asked Father, and he said I could! Imamiah is taking me."

Reagon stares at me in shock. "Belial, what...?" He trails off and shakes his head, returning to mopping.

I throw my arms around him in a hug. "Its to bad you can't come too, Reagon."

"I'll stay in the Underworld, thanks, freak."

"Oh shut up." I shove him off of me and run off.
~
In the morning I'm buzzing with excitement, more than I have ever felt, and its wierd. I'm careful to act normal, though. I'm waiting for Imamiah to show up, and he eventually does. "Come on, little sis, you're in for a treat." He holds out his hand to me. I take it and suddenly I'm hit with more sensations than I can get used to,

The first one is bless it: warmth. I know its heat, and from that moment on I'm in love with it. I lift my face up withot opening my eyes and the air is brushing against my face. Wind. There is no wind in the Underworld. Then the smells. All sorts of assaults, but its just as amazing. Then its the light, burning through my shut eyelids. I open them, and the sun is right there, burning my eyes. I shield them and look down, but I saw the sky. A blue sky. I'd trade it anyday for the black cieling of the cavern I lived in.

"I know, its a lot to get used to at once," Imamiah says sympathetically.

I'm still squinting, unable to adjust to all the light.

"Belial, can you adjust?"

"Yes!" I gasp, in case he's thinking of taking me back to the Underworld. "Just... Give me some time."

"Were on a schedule, the boy is already dying."

So I suck it up and look around some more.

Were on the edge of a road, two cars smashed to the side, blood dripping from them. I've only ever seen cars in pictures, and I never would've known they were cars had I not been as human obsessed as I was.

Imamiah glides forward, his dark wings only half folded. He looks into the cars and pulls a boy out by the hand, but I know its just a soul. So young... Imamiah goes on to pull three others out, one a woman, and a man. The boy has floated over to me, staring mournfully as all souls do. I would too, in their place, to loose life so young...

I hold out my hand and he takes it. It makes him glow, as it does with all souls. Imamiah distributes coins among the others and they vanish just as a live car screeches to a halt in the middle of the road. a living human stumbles out. "Holy shit!" He screams, and I'm mesemrized. I've never seen something alive. Never a living human.

"Belial, come."

The human is freaking out, but the scene vanishes.

And its dark. Very dark. There's a rushing noise in the background that must be traffic. We're in what can only be described as an alleyway, and a twitching body is in the alleyway and is mumbling in a language, not English, but I understand it all the same.

"Momma I don't want to die... Momma... Momma..." He whimpers.

"Here, Belial, come," Imamiah instructs. "I will show you how to pull the souls."

I move to stand beside him. "What do I do."

The glazed eyes of the human can see me. "Not ready to die... Please... Don't take me... Don't take me... I don't want to go... Momma."

"Be at peace," I answer him. "I will end your suffering."

"Now pull him out," Imamiah instructs.

"No, no, please don't take me!" He groans with energy he doesn't have. Heedless of his begging, I reach forward and my hand goes through his chest, and I feel something more solid. I pull back, and his soul follows.

All life ends.