Death's Embrace

"Where are we going?" I asked as Death dragged me along the road.

"I'm taking you home." he said, not turning to look at me.

"No! I can't go home!" I whispered in agony. I pulled my hand out of his grasp. He turned back to me, his eyes glinting dangerously in the moonlight. A chilly wind whipped about us. My face felt numb in the harsh cold.

"Where else would I take you?" he asked, a steel edge to his voice. His face displayed a mix of emotions; hate, rage, sorrow, and surprisingly enough, tenderness. He grabbed my arm and yanked me roughly down the road. I didn't know why he seemed so angry all of a sudden.

"Have I done something?" I asked. He didn't answer. For the millionth time, I found myself praying for death.

Death stopped, turned slowly, and grinned wryly, "You've got him, can't you think of anything else?" he touched my cheek with his cold hand. His face took on a new softness, then hardened instantly as he drew his hand back. "Walk in front of me! I don't want to touch you!" he shoved me in front of him. Apparently Death was bipolar...

I stumbled through the dark toward my house; a sense of dread rose within me. Not this forsaken place again! I was so close to being free! So close! Now Death was keeping me from dying! How ironic...

"Well? Unlock the door!" he snapped harshly, arms crossed as he leaned against the brick entrance at the side of the door.

"My keys are in my ca-" I blinked as he held out his hand. A swishing noise just like the wind was quickly followed by the reappearance of my keys- in his hand. Handy!

"Here!" he threw them at my feet.

"Thanks." I muttered, just pushing down my own anger. I bent to pick up the keys and tried to open the door. Tried...

"Can't you open a door?!" he hissed.

"I'm trying! I think she changed the locks!" I struggled to pull the key back out of the lock.

"Humans!" he shoved me out of the way. He bent to examine the lock, "Like I said, humans! Like this could keep anyone out!" he touched the lock and it melted- melted!- off the door! "There!" he pushed it; the door swung open easily. Death continued to stand there.

"Excuse me." I said, he didn't move. I rolled my eyes and squeezed past him. My stomach twisted in those cold knots again. Suddenly, I found myself pinned against the doorframe with lips crushing mine. Death had seized me by the shoulders and was pressing himself harder against me. I felt like I couldn't breath, but it felt strangely wonderful.

"LEA!" I jumped at the shout, or as much as I could with Death pressed against me. A light flickered on and Death was gone! Talk about creepy...

"Mother I-"

"Listen you horrible little slut, I want you out of my house! I don't have to take care of you now that you're eighteen!" she hissed. I looked at her dark circles, pasty face, and bleary eyes. She had been doping again.

"Mother let me explain-"

"Out, and what the hell have you done to my door? Who was that you were all over in the doorway? The neighbors better not have seen!" she threatened.

"Mom, look, you need to calm down!" I walked over to her and tried to lead her back into her room. She didn't know what she was saying, but it still hurt me.

"Don't touch me!" she sobbed and sank to the floor. "You'll be my death!" I flinched at her words.

"Come on, Mom." I pulled her to her feet and threw her arm over my shoulder.

"No! No! You wretched thing! Get off me!" she screamed.

"I'm right here. Everything is going to be alright." I soothed.

"Where is Naomi? I want to see my lovely daughter!" she tried to stomp her foot, but nearly brought us both down to the ground.

"Naomi isn't here anymore. She has her own place, and a little boy and everything!"

"Naomi?" my mother squinted at me.

I sighed, "Yes Mom, it's me. It's Naomi." I pretended to be my older sister.

"I'm so glad you came for me!" she threw her arms about my neck and sobbed. "Naomi, you're the only one I can count on!" she cried. I felt like I had been stabbed through the heart by her words.

"Yes, Mom." I choked back the tears. I helped her back into her bed. "Good night, Mother." I closed the door as she drifted off to sleep.

I leaned against the white wash door in the darkness of the hall. The light from the full moon cast a blue glow through the window a little ways from me. I walked past the window and back into the living room, tears pouring freely down my face now. The door was still open; I walked out onto the porch and sat on the steps listening to the night noises I had found so soothing in my youthful days as a child.

No. Nothing was wrong with my life...

A surge of anger and disgust at my mother broiled up inside me. I jumped to my feet and walked angrily down the driveway and onto the road. I swore to myself I would do it this time. I was too angry not to. God help me, I was so enraged!

I found myself walking through a stretch of no-man's-land. The trees on either side of the road towered over me, whispering sinister messages to each other in the gloom. I whirled around at that sense of being watched again. I held my breath, but there was nothing there. I turned back as the dark trees watched.

"Hello, sweets!" a scraggly man stood before me. He was at least a foot taller than me, and he looked pretty strong. Crap. Naomi always warned me about walking by myself late at night. I never thought anything could happen. I always felt so safe in the dark.

"Get away from me!" I stepped back and glared at him impressively- or at least what I thought was.

"A fiesty one tonight, hmm. I'll break you of that." he reached out a filthy hand. I danced backwards, just out of his reach. "You think I can't catch you?" he asked dangerously. I desperately hoped I knew the answer to that question.

I turned and ran all of ten feet before he yanked me back by my hair. A knife was pressed against my throat as the man kissed my ear, "Lets go for a walk, sweets." he pushed me roughly into the woods. "Now," he pressed the knife further into my skin until I winced, "Strip down."

"W-what!?"

"You heard me!" he hissed, drawing blood now. I began to take off my jacket when I heard another voice.

"Let her go." whoever it was was behind us. The man shoved me roughly to the ground and turned to face the stranger. How come everyone seemed to be shoving me around tonight!?

I pushed myself to my knees and rolled over so I sat on the ground. Against the moonlight filtering through the trees I saw just another man. Great, who was this unknown hero? Maybe I could sneak off without either of them noticing...

"Who are you!?" the first man demanded.

"Death." the newcomer just looked at him. Wings suddenly erupted from his back.

"Well, get out of here!" the man brandished his knife. Death laughed with pleasure and drew his sword.

"You sure that is your weapon of choice?" he called softly.

The would-be rapist glanced down at his knife, at the sword, back at the knife, and ran the other way.

"I love it when they run." Death whispered, almost to himself. I vaulted to my feet and ran after Death- probably going against my better judgement but oh well.

I heard a sickly gasp and a thud on the ground. I stopped by a tree and waited. Death appeared, black wings blending with the darkness behind him. He passed under a ray of moonlight; I shivered at the look of satisfaction on his face before it was shrouded in darkness again.

Death stopped before me, hand flexing around his sword hilt. "I could just do it, you know."

"Then go ahead." I replied, waiting for a sign of what he was planning to do. He raised the sword slightly, then lowered it.

"Damn." he hissed. "I was so sure-"

"What? You came to see if you could kill me this time?"

"What if I said yes." he shifted; patches of moonlight now played across his handsome face.

"Then I would say thanks." I turned to walk away.

"Why can't I?" an iron grip wrapped around my upper arm. Death yanked me around to face him. "Why can't I kill you?"

"I don't know, but I wish you could figure it out soon!"

His lips brushed mine, "No! No!" he stepped back shaking his head. "Why do you affect me so?" he whispered in a terrified voice. He gave me one last look that made my stomach turn to ice, then disappeared with a gush of wind that shook the trees above angrily.

I sighed and walked out of the forest, continuing down my road from earlier...