Chapter 8: Starry Night

I was roaming in the garden and watching the stars. They look so beautiful from human world. I tried to locate the area where that silver pond was. Who knows if I could spot Lopez or Lilith? I tried to zoom in the sky view but unfortunately, I didn't find anything. I heaved in disappointment and continued looking at the full yet empty sky.

"Finding me?" I heard a male voice which I recognised immediately.

"Lilith!!" I quickly got up and plunged myself over the blond Orcasian. He giggled and returned the hug back.

"What are you doing here? Where is lopez? Is she here too? How did king ivory sent you here? How -" I continued throwing random questions at him but he grew tired of listening as he put a palm on his ears and screamed.

"QUiet!! For a holy second quiet Lucas." I shut my mouth that instant. He removed his palms that were covering his ears and sighed loudly.

" See.. your questions are valid but I am here to tell you something very important and king Ivory has sent me to enlighten you with that piece of knowledge that he forgot to mention. " Lilith explained. I quietly nodded as he continued.

" Lucas, nothing comes on the house. Everything has a price. And most costly is living. Since you're living again, you need to equal up your living days with the deaths."

I didn't understand what he wants from me. King ivory told me it was the wish and I could wish anything but he is asking me to balance life and deaths!?? Like what the heck??

" What are you trying to say!? I can't understand a penny!!?" I ruffled my hair in confusion. He smacked his head from front and shrugged his head in a 'no' motion clearly indicating that I am hopeless!

He sat on the ground and pulled my wrist downward for me to sit beside him. I sat beside him and he took a deep breath. Then he started.

"Lucas. There are people who are watching you. People who you are interacting with. There are people whose life are influenced by your presence. It might disturb the time zone as you have died years ago." I nodded at his statement.

" If you have to continue with living, you need to kill people. This way the number of lives will stay balanced. You will live in place of others."

I grew shock. How can he say that simply? Killing ain't our business. It's demon's and dark spirit's job. I can't do that.

" What are you saying Lilith! I can't kill. I would rather prefer going back to Orcas than to kill people for three whole months!!" I practically screamed at him now. He closed his eyes shut to endure my high pitched rants as his face showed painful expression. When I was done, he looked at me with expressionless face.

"First of all! STOP SCREAMING!!!" He shouted as I crawled in a ball.

"Second...it's not my decision but the king's. You can't disappear from earth now. Not when you got people who know you. Timelines have changed and now you are in them, but certain people are not. They are gonna die in a day or two, and a day or two won't effect much. They'll reside in Orcas for a day and leave."

I listened carefully. So I have to kill the dying people. That's it. Fine, it's not gonna be a tough job.

" But how would I know who is dying and who ain't!?" I asked. He smiled as he twirled his fingers. A light blue hue of glitters twirled on his fingers as he chanted something. A white paper roll appeared in his hands. He handed that to me.

" What's this?" I asked holding the rolled paper.

" Read" he simply replied.

I opened the roll and found a list of names. I joined the lines to understand that these are the people who are dying. I smiled at him and hugged him again. He hugged back and wished me the best. He is such a life saver.

"Now I need to leave. These are in order and when you'll tap on the name, you'll know their current location. I have East wing to look after for my duty. I better hurry." With that he walked some distance and vanished.

I looked through the list and selected the first person with name Carlos Winston. I tapped the person's name and it showed he is in some distance within  a kilometre. I decided to get ready and be a demon for the night.

I dressed up in full black attire to blend with the night, not forgetting to hide my face by putting a black mask and pulling on the cap of my black hoodie for hiding my blonde.

I walked through the snow loaded streets as they gleamed along the direction which only I can see. I continued walking, chasing the silver line until it stopped in front of a shop.

It was an old dusty shop of pharmaceuticals. There was only one person working there. He was old and his wrinkles were evident on his face. His face glowed with contentment of the happy life he was living in. From the open shutter of the shop, I could watch a photo frame at the back wall. It was him and his wife in their younger selves holding two babies.

I smiled at the beautiful picture but a pang in my heart made me bizzare. I was filled with guilt just by the thought of what I am gonna do. I slowly moved ahead and entered the shop with my head hung low.

I won't be killing him myself. It's gonna be tough and living with that guilt forever will be tougher. So I decided to make him delusional. Make him surrounded by misery and sorrow. If I manage to snatch his hope and positivity, he might suicide. With that thought in mind, I approached the counter.

"Ohh..hello son. I was going to close this shop so please hurry up with what you want." He politely asked making me feel more guilty than before. I wanted to lift this stone from my heart and get it done as soon as possible. I snapped my head up.

My eyes turned void as he watched in them. He soon began to loose his consciousness. His eyes became draping and he finally lost his senses to me. Now I was the one controlling his mind. I started with a simple vision.

Soon the man saw darkness as he followed to the middle of void. The man felt dizzy. He looked around himself. Pitch black. There was no source of light. Suddenly it sounded like switches flickered. Lights were on. He found himself in a glass case.

Adjacent to it was another case in which his family was trapped. He called for them but they didn't listen. It was like, he is there to just watch. His voice was suppressed in the thickness of glass walls but he was clearly able to see and hear his family. His wife and two kids. Girl about fifteen and boy about ten. They were screaming for help. Their legs were chained.

The roof of their container opened and there was a rain of snakes in the box. His wife and children were screaming and begging for help. He being locked in his cage, was not able to help. He was crying and calling for them, but his voice never reached them. His biggest fear...snakes and losing his family...were right across his vision.

Soon a giant snake engulfed his son. He was crying and banging the glass walls..but no use. Two snakes bite in his wife's ankles, causing her instant death. His daughter was only left. She was in the middle of the cage. She screamed from there

"This is all because of you. We all died because of you. You were never a good father. You caused this. I hate you!! "

Soon all the snakes from every corner of the cage lunged on her, engulfing her. Her scream was the last he heard. He was crying badly. His third and biggest fear..." To not be a good father".

He was crying in front of me. His eyes shining silver as I played the whole script I prepared for him. I feel bad. But he was gonna die in a day or two. Lilith will handle it. I silently walked back and hide behind an electric pole. I snapped my fingers as he came back to reality.

He looked drenched and drained of life. The earlier bright and cheerful side was replaced by remorse and sorrow. He turned around and shuffled through the shelves. He found a small bottle and slowly opened the seal.

He drank from the bottle and by the time he finished the bottle, his hands were shaking. His whole body was quivering. White foam appeared from his mouth as he collapsed lifeless.

I gave him a last glance and left. Tonight would be dreadful. Every night would be dreadful. I hate this. If I knew meeting her would be this painful and costly, I would have never asked for it.

Tears whelmed up in my eyes as I ran towards my home. The whole surrounding appeared red to me. I remember his dead face as I got a glitch of my own frozen memory where I lied dead in my father's lap. The same way, but this time, I am the killer. I silently cried and prayed

Forgive me mom. Forgive me dad. I haven't been a good son. I am not an angel anymore. For I have turned into a demon.