A Life Already Lived

K

Kamichan

Guest
Original poster
"So you have heard all of these little stories about the Grim Reaper, huh? Maybe watched a show, movie, whatever, based on the concept? Not exactly true. It's more like... population control. You know? Karma fanatics. Yes, there is an "S" after that, it is plural. Not just one of them exist. But, of course, no one can see them until it's too late. How do I know? Well, I don't know, maybe it's the look they have as they feel a scythe rip the head from their soul. Maybe they've looked me in the eyes a couple of times. Well. There was once that someone saw me, plain as day. Grabbed me by the shirt, wanted to know who I was. Special one, he was, I think. Well this job is troublesome enough, not dealing with those people who say they can see ghosts. Pff. Not that this job hasn't been going on for so long I've forgotten the start of it. I mean, to put the idea out there and be plainly blunt, I am quite dead. Though, when you kill someone, they kind of share their flashbacks with a.. What did I call it- or, myself? Population control? I'll just call it Control, yeah? Yeah.
Now the last thing I want is to be made out to be a monster, you understand? We do more than that. We don't kill everyone. We only get rid of those that put others in harms way. Killers, rapists, abusers, anyone that no one can be around. And for the ones who die without our consent, such as accident victims, those who were murdered, Controls help them come to peace with it. We're not miracle workers, no one has ever restored someone to life, sadly. Of course.. those memories are stored with us too. It's quite a pain. I can't tell what I'm thinking sometimes. Oh, there was this really bad one recently. Poor kid was locked in her basement by her own father. Beat, tortured, really, and then... Wait.. no, that was someone else, I think... Or... Maybe...?
...
Oh please don't look at me like that, kid.. If you have a question, you can go ahead and ask."

A girl sat upon a grave, a young boy on the one next to her. He looked utterly confused, disturbed, and fearful. But he was quiet, letting these things sink in. Of course, he was dead now, too. Just a ghost, waiting for something to set him free. "S-so, I don't have to... I mean.. I can pass on without becoming a.. Control?"
"Yeah, yeah. Really, I haven't seen anyone I've helped move on choose to do all of this. I don't blame you. If I could remember why I did this in the first place.. Or, if I could go back in time and slap that idiot, I would. Of course, even in all this time, I've not seen one of those. I really don't know if they would work on someone with no matter, anyways." She sighed. "You know, I swear I helped your parents go. Short woman, curly hair. Rather large, but pleasant man. They were in the same car as you, right?"
He sat up straight, nodding. "That's them!"
"Alright! So, is that good for you? You ready to leave?"
"Mmhm. If they're really waiting for me."
"I'm sure they are. Now, close your eyes."
He did as she asked, and the girl crouched in front of him, taking him by the hands and shutting her own eyes.
"Miserere nobis." From her lips, the faint phrase was uttered, and instantly, the world around them had lit up with gold. Light in the form of flowers flew up from the ground. They even grew on their hands, even covering his body.
"Farewell."
Every last flower took off into different directions, mainly into the sky, before disappearing. Along with the boy, who would never have to come back to Earth again. She bent, examining something that had been left in his place. A small toy. Cheaply made, dirtied, but obviously a small bear. A sigh was let out as she picked it up, murmuring about finding a remaining family member to give it to.
 
A brooding cloud of iridescent shadows, unseen to the mortal life, swirled and twisted above the tranquil scene below. Virus sneered, her pearly fangs glinting in the pale moonlight. Her gaze was set on the Control below, the sniveling angel of death who had robbed her of her nightly meal. An unearthly wail was torn from her chest, and the galaxy of blackness swirled about her like a cloak. The rippled, tattered folds twisted around her slender, tall form, and the witch disappeared into the night.

The damned creature appeared a distance away, standing straight and tall in the middle of a rain-slicked city street. The yellow glow of streetlights reflected a thousand times in the mirrored surface of the road, and the hue lent Virus a sickly pallor. Convulsing wisps of blackness danced around her ankles, and she grunted a curse or two to herself. She peered about with her inky black orbs, hunting for the next gullible soul to fall prey to her claws.

Even though most mortals could never catch a glimpse of the Witch, Virus enjoyed pricking their supernatural senses with frightening, subtle touches. It reminded them that not all is explainable, and soon every soul would pass on from their world of stability. As she trailed down the sidewalk, a bony finger would tap the shoulder of a bundled figure, or an umbrella would be violently tugged away by a sudden burst of wind. Even as delightful as it was to bring fear into mortals' hearts, Virus knew she would not last long in this form without sustenance. She leaned her head back, her nostrils flaring as she breathed deeply. She searched for the tang of panic, the sickly sweet of adrenaline; the smells of an accident and fragile lives.

Her form would be invisible to any mortal gaze . Unfortunately, the dead would be able to look upon the face of their destroyer, at least for a time. At first glance, Virus would seem an angel. Her features and slender form are of the utmost elegant beauty. Her large, almost eyes are framed in dark lashes, and her plump lips are gently parted, as if to grant you a kiss to sleep. Her long, scarlet and black braids are woven with seething shadows, coalescing with the churning cloud at her feet. Suddenly, her jaw would pull back farther then one would think is possible, revealing an endless void of black, ringed with pointed little fangs. She would lean over the soul's gasping face, and breathe deeply in, sucking the entire victim inside, where its soul would writhe in eternal agony.

What was a Witch, really? A corrupted Control, possessed with a treachorous spirit. A Witch was a virtual window into Hell, considering they were cursed with an unsatisfied hunger for souls. They were greatly feared, and extremely rare. Virus had never met another one of her kind in the eternity of her existence. Perhaps they were just the inevitable negative consequence of Population Control.

Ahh, a new scent, Virus thought. She grinned, and hovered through the darkened streets to her prize. She only hoped that bothersome Control would leave her alone to her dinner.
 
She suddenly got to her feet, facing the direction of the spot where she had heard a sound. A wail, like that of a siren, perhaps. No, that's not something that exists, even in the afterlife. She shook her head, glancing back to the small toy she held in her hand. She couldn't sense anything nearby that would be of any danger. Maybe the thing that made the sound was out of her reach at the moment.
"Ah. Screw it."
She shoved the doll into the pocket of her cardigan, and wiped dirt from the monotone grey skirt she wore, before kicking off of the grass that hadn't kept her grounded for a long time. She took to a rooftop after liftoff, sensing out the rendezvous point. Like an arrow that shot through her head, she found it, full-speed through the night sky, she was, the wind causing her dark, straight pigtails to flutter about without much restraint. She came to an extremely sudden halt, as she reached a high-up window, to what looked to be an apartment. Inside, a stocky, elderly woman slowly made her way out of the room. As soon as she did, the girl pushed the window open, and pulled out a few objects, setting them neatly on the small table in front of the window; A family photo, including that boy and his parents, that she had gotten when they passed, and a small toy bear. As soon as this was done, she shut the window, and took off in a hurry.

Inside, the woman returned, stopping to stare at the objects that were not there before. After a second, she put a hand over her mouth, brimming with tears as she took the photo into her opposite hand. She game a reminiscent smile, before tears spilt forth, glad to have the photo of her lost family members back.

She stopped suddenly, feeling that something was going on somewhere nearby. Her head swiveled, and she sensed something or someone strange. It was the witch. Strange, she hadn't seen one of those in forever. Of course, that would explain the lack of work lately. She held a hand out to the side, which suddenly was wrapped in a gold vine, which held within her hand a scythe, glowing, with her own sets of light-made flowers and the like. She sighed, "Hope I didn't stall for too long," before pinpointing where she estimated the evil creature to be, and making haste to that spot.