Chapter Five: The Punishment

Selina Grace Bennett

September 2nd. 00:45 hrs. Flushing Ave. and Broadway, Brooklyn. Hit and run.

Current location: Williamsburg Bridge

The view of Flushing Avenue flashed into my head. I noticed a junction under the bridge, with a tattoo shop sign on one side and a sporting goods sign on the other. A woman was crossing the street when a blue hatchback ran a red light and hit her. My ears were filled with the sound of tires squealing. Her body flew away a few meters. She was attempting to move. Her legs twitched as she gasped for air.

I was shocked, and my hands trembled. I just witnessed a car accident then realized that it was only in my head. It hadn't happened yet.

"August, I received a name." I couldn't recognize my own voice at first because it was so dry. "August."

August heard and returned to me. He examined the information on the piece of paper.

"Do you know where it is?"

"That place just popped into my head. I've never been there before. And I saw this woman got hit by a car. Do you see that every time you get the name?"

"You'll get used to it."

I wondered what he saw when my name came up. What was his reaction? His feeling? How could he remain calm after witnessing those horrors when I was trembling as if I were the one who had been hit?

"If you don't know where it is, you can come here and look it up."

The other side of the wooden map board featured a global map with a magnifying glass icon in the lower right corner.

"Wait! It's a touchscreen?"

August gave me the side eye and went back to looking for the exact location of Flushing Avenue and Broadway. On the screen, I saw the identical intersection I saw in my head.

"Is this what you saw?" I nodded. August continued. "Let's go."

He took me to the precise site where I foresaw Selina Bennett's death. The street was quiet. Since it was beyond midnight, all of the stores were closed.

"We have to wait."

While I waited, I reflected on what had occurred the day before, when my body was discovered.

What evidence did Detective Carhart discover on my body? Would there be any traces of that man that could lead police to the murderer? Will they apprehend him? Will he receive punishment? I wanted to know the answers to so many unsolved questions, but I couldn't. I wished I could walk away from this scene and joined the investigation. I hoped I had the ability to locate that monster right now. I remembered his car and saw the license plate; if I could convey that information to the detective, he'd be apprehended. Actually, if August hadn't intervened, he could have been apprehended. The work of the Grim Reaper was always in my way. I needed to figure out how to track down the killer while collecting souls because it was the only time I could be on the living side.

"You think you're immortal? You think they can't hurt you?"

What did August mean? Who were they?

"Focus. Is that her?"

A woman in her twenties, with brunette hair and blonde highlights through the mid-lengths, was walking down Flushing Avenue in a black jumpsuit. She was talking on the phone. The way she held her smartphone and waved to the camera suggested it was a video call.

I was following her because an accident was about to occur.

"Hi, mom. Sorry I didn't take your call earlier. I'm on my way home."

Her mother was on the screen, and she appeared to be about the same age as my mother.

"You always go home late. You've to take care of yourself. Shouldn't you buy a car or move?"

"It would cause a lot. I can't afford a car or a new place, yet. Don't worry, mom. I'll call you every night."

Salina made me think of myself. Her mother was concerned about her, but Salina smiled since everything was well. She had no idea what would happen. Her chat with her mother reminded me of how much I miss my family.

I had no idea what had gotten into me. I had no idea why I had done what I had done. I ran between them and pushed the woman aside when I spotted a car going to hit her at the pedestrian crossing. The car swerved, leaped the curb, and collided with a column pier. Salina sat on the sidewalk, stunned by the accident. From her perspective, she was being pushed by something she couldn't see. From my perspective, I knew I could make contact with humans. I was focused on my hands. August became enraged and grabbed my hand.

"What did you do? Do you know how serious it is?"

My lips trembled as I searched for the appropriate words to respond.

"You mess with the Order. You're going to regret it."

As August proceeded approached the car, two figures appeared next to each other. Salina was still alive, but the driver and passenger were not. The passenger was expecting a child.

Salina dialed 9-1-1. She remained on the floor, trying to describe the accident as best she could. She kept saying 'I don't know what happened.' and 'Please hurry.'

I just stood in the middle of the road, unable to move or speak. I saved one life, but two...no, three were lost.

August brought me back to Jericho. He has not spoken since the incident.

"The Order will be here. Congratulations." He'd never spoken to me in such a sarcastic tone. "Notice anything?"

I looked around and noticed the difference. There were no LED lights, no screaming, and no laughing from the rides. Everything was closed, as if this property had been abandoned. "Lilibeth Mary Langdon," In front of me, a massive silhouette appeared. It was difficult to see what he looked like beneath the black-hooded robe. "Would you mind follow me?"

"Good luck." August simply left me there.

I followed this mysterious man past the carousel and went left; I'd never been to this part of Jericho before. Along the way, grim reapers were watching me, their joy gone. They were terrified of the man in the black-hooded robe.

"Where are we going?"

"Do you know why we have grim reapers?" He sounded like an ancient sage teaching his apprentice. "A human's soul will be lost in the living side if there are no grim reapers. When they are left for too long, they transform into vengeful spirits, causing an imbalance between the living and the dead."

The amusement park was behind us as we traveled into the wasteland where the trail had no end.

"Do you know why Death gives us names?" He was going to tell me whether I answered or not, so I kept my mouth shut. "Because it is their time to depart from the living side."

"Now," he paused, peering at me through the hood, though I couldn't see his eyes. "Do you know what will happen if someone interferes?"

I already knew the answer.

"The driver and his wife and their…" I couldn't finish my sentence.

"You were there when August reaped their souls, you know the answer," he added. "The woman was about to give birth to a boy who would live and died at the age of fifty."

The news shocked me than I already was.

"…what's going to happen to Salina?"

"She'll live."

The answer was so straightforward. I felt burdened in some way.

"I'm not here to punish you, Miss Langdon, even though most of them think I am.

His statements made me feel no better. I was aware that every action had a consequence. Death had told me about the rules and the punishments.

"So, what's going to happen to me?"

"Nothing. I'm here to deliver the message." I didn't ask because I knew it was from Death. "Lilibeth Mary Langdon, you will not be punished; the consequence is the punishment itself."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, Miss Langdon. I'm just a messenger."

I looked at him but couldn't make out any of his features. He reminded me of a movie's medieval sorcerer.

"August talked about the Order. You are the Order."

The 'they' August was talking about.

"One of them," he said as he came to a halt. "You know your way back to Jericho, right?"

I looked back; Jericho was a long distance away.

"I hope we won't see each other again, Miss Langdon, but I have a feeling that we will. Be cautious in whatever you do."

He vanished in front of me before I could ask his name or for more information.

When I returned to the amusement park, all of the LED lights switched on, indicating that the attractions were operational. Jericho's bustling vibe has returned.

I ran into Mandy at the lake. She was aware of the visitor.

"You met Jed."

"Jed?"

"Yes, Jed. Short from Jedidiah. He's the kindest one among them."

"How many are they?"

"Four, I guess. They work for Death just like us, but at a higher position. They keep an eye on every grim reaper to ensure we're all following the rules. You are not the only one who has violated the rules. Most of us attempted to save lives."

I smiled because Mandy was trying to cheer me up even if it was futile.

"What's the punishment? How many of them?"

Her eyes widened as I finished my question.

"Didn't you just receive one? I guess not since it's too fast. The minimum should be 24 hours," she said. "They've many ways to punish us. The most common one is the void; a place where time and space don't exist. It's the bridge between the living and the dead."

Those sentences seemed like a slogan because they were exactly what August told me.

"You'll be left in the void," Mandy continued. "24 hours are the minimum for saving life and causing the change of nature. I don't know the maximum. I've heard that before my time, there was a grim reaper who spent a week in the void. It corrupted and changed him. He'd never be the same again. Small mistakes, such as being late at the scene to collect souls, will result in you being banned from entering Jericho. You have to spend your time in the wasteland, which is boring and frustrating because you can hear the joy of others in Jericho."

"The latter doesn't sound so bad."

"Well, they all sound good compared to the greatest one."

"The greatest one?"

"The punishment for killing a human."

Suddenly, every muscle in my body stiffened. I clenched my fists and tried not to show any emotion.

"As you know we're grim reapers, we reap their souls, but we're not the one who cause their death. We cannot do harm to humans. We definitely cannot kill them. If you do, you'll perish."

"Perish? Aren't we already dead?"

"It means you'll be relieved of your duties, imprisoned in the void for eternity, and everyone on the living side will forget about your existence, as if you never existed."

"They'll forget about me." The words kept repeating in my thoughts.

"Isn't it sad?" Mandy stared up at the sky. "It's okay if it's about me. But I can't bear the thought of everyone forgetting about me. What's the point of living if no one knows who you are or shares your memories?"

My family meant everything to me. The mere thought of them forgetting about me made my chest throb, and I felt numb all over my body.

"The most difficult part of this job is when your target is murdered. You see it coming, but you can't stop it or help. You want to do something, you want to be the one to kill the murderer, but you can't. The consequence is intolerable. It's one thing to be locked up in the void for eternity, but to be forgotten by everyone… that's cruelest punishment they could inflict on us."

Mandy stood up, opened her palm, and a piece of paper floated above it.

"Well, talking about murder, Death always knows his cue. I'll see you later, Lilith." Mandy disappeared.

I just sat there deep in thought, during the civil twilight, in a world no human knew existed.