Angry Bird

Lucy was driving back home and slowed to a stop when the traffic light above became red and people started walking back and forth across the road. She lowered the music to a comfortable volume and leaned back in her seat with a sigh. A lot was going on in her mind.

How could you do that to something you made? Lucy still couldn't wrap her head around that thought and it's starting to give her a headache.

Lucy was drumming her fingers on the steering wheel waiting when her eyes fell on a slightly-pissed Death storming down the sidewalk by her right. She had to sit up and strain her neck a little to be sure he was the angry bird on the streets.

"What could have happened to make him frown so much?" Lucy mumbled with concern. She was lucky to have the light above blinked green before he disappeared from her sight and she started after him. At first, she was following him at a distance until she got closer pulled her car beside the curb, and ran towards him on her heels.

Death turned around the moment someone touched him and relaxed when it was just Lucy.

How did she find me?

He saw her eyes and observed him with worry before asking softly, "What happened? Who made you this upset?"

**

It irritated Death.

Everything around him began to irritate him and he just had this urge to punch a wall or make one of the many stars in the night sky fall.

Lucy spoke softly to a properly dressed waiter and after some time, the same waiter bent a bit to serve them each a flute of something sparkly and fancy. Death eyed the poor drink and gave Lucy a questioning stare.

"It's alright, trust me. It's something I take any time I am feeling a bit down or having a bad day," Lucy said. But Death remained unmoved.

"I know you don't like the things on this earth but it is okay to loosen up a bit. Drink with me." Lucy encouraged and took a small sip.

When Death still refused to touch anything on his side of the table, Lucy decided it was best to know what befell him to bring this silent, angry/pained side of him out.

"Did something bad happen? Because I can't seem to get used to the look on your face. What's wrong?"

Death looked away briefly before opening up to Lucy. He told her everything that happened to him while he went after the Dream Killer tonight and she stiffened when he mentioned Life. The one responsible for so many people's misery and cruel enough to turn what she made into a bloody monster as punishment. She reached out for her drink and took a long sip this time when Death finished.

The restaurant was wide, spacious, and beaming with light from every corner became so small, tight, and dimmed when she recalled him mentioning the dominating bitch of a goddess suggesting they lock up the Dream Killer once again after everything she's done to him. Her throat tightened at the thought of Death even going after the Dream Killer to destroy him for good.

"Why must it die or be locked up?" Lucy croaked out and quickly avoided Death's confused stares.

"What do you mean?" Lucy hurriedly reached out for her drink again and drowned everything in one gulp the moment she heard him say. She couldn't deny the sickening feeling she felt of having to defend a monster before a righteous God. But it couldn't be helped after seeing what she saw about the monster. It wasn't even a mistake in the beginning like the other monsters. He was human and lovely in every way.

"I mean," Lucy began, determined to draw him to her point of view. "It wasn't a monster to start with..."

"Lucy," Death said softly, knowing where she was heading but the devil was not having any of it.

"...He was made a monster after being abused both physically and emotionally." She continued never backing down.

Death closed his eyes and, "Lucy." tried to make her stop.

"He was happier writing than playing some damn flute! Should pleasing a Goddess blindly come before your happiness?"

Death resigned to let her speak when he couldn't get a hold of her. He did not fail to notice how her voice shook and the emotions he sensed from her. And he wondered why she was taking it personally.

"Isn't that very selfish and wicked? Controlling and toxic?"

"Wait. Don't tell me you are siding with this monster?" Death asked while trying his best not to sound angry.

"And what if I am?"

Wow.

Death from back in shock and in complete disbelief. He shook his head several times at her to show his displeasure.

"But it is not being nice. Spreading panic and terror among my children. Making them suffer just like the rest of them. What should a good father do in this situation? That monster is responsible for several lives to be in a situation I am finding hard to understand. Putting them in a state I can't free them from. How does that sound fair to them if I did nothing? Remember that I was not the God who caused him to be that way and It is not my responsibility!"

If Lucy was angry, she refused to show it but it crawled like ants under her skin.

"Yes, he went through hell before being turned into a monster, and should that be an excuse for not punishing him for what he's done and still doing?"

His words frightened Lucy. It brought a shiver down her spine and she couldn't help but wonder why. An image of Death beheading the monster with his sword or the monster being dragged helplessly to a tree to be imprisoned also terrified her. The satisfying smirk on Life's face when that happens.

"It was maddening when she dared threaten me to only imprison the monster and not end its life. But it is concerning hearing you say to do nothing."

No! Now he is misinterpreting her words and intentions.

"No, please, don't get me wrong. I will never tell you to do anything. I was just trying to say..."

Death closed his eyes that he was not interested in hearing. Lucy watched him stay like that for a long time before sighing deeply and letting his eyes fall on her once more.

Lucy backed down with a small sigh of her own when she saw a mirror of what he was going through.

"Don't push me to the point where I would be angry at you because of a monster. Stay out of this." Death warned, gathered himself, and began to leave. Lucy quickly got up to run after him but by the time she arrived at the front of the restaurant, he was already gone.