Chapter 8- The Reaper, the Pest, and the Group That Won't Rest

Silly Dreams

Damien Gerdo

I dream silly dreams. Dreams of dark labyrinths filled with disgusting beasts. Of ghosts seeable merely through your phone camera. But, most of all, I dream of men, beautiful, with flowing capes and unseen power, speaking to me their truth.

That I am death.

That I shall judge the souls of many, those close and far.

That I am death.

Am I just going too far? Is this truly dreams? Is it just a reality ignored?

...do I really dream silly things?

P.P.F re

Chapter 8: The Reaper, the Pest, and the Group Who Won't Rest

February 20th, 2012

I close my laptop, allowing Damien Gerdo to have his recognition, if any. "Took long enough." I'd spent nearly a week to write next to nothing, but next to nothing is still something, right? I stretch my arms, looking over to my window. It stopped snowing. Finally. It had been constantly falling down on us since yesterday afternoon. I'm sure the plow guy was happy about that. "Hmm, looks nice, yeah? Almost forgot how nice snow looked. Oh, right, I haven't because of your lazy ass." The man chastises me with a glare. Over the past days he's been here, never sleeping or eating, only pestering me about what he needs. Despite all the badgering, I still don't know his name. He insists on being called god, and hey, wouldn't be the most shocking thing I've seen. Or it might be. Not sure. Too numb at the moment. "We doing this again? Cause we can, you should just know you're not gonna win. I'm justified in locking myself in a tiny, boring box, and you're clearly not using your brain if you think otherwise." He grit his teeth with terrifying ferocity. I whistle before picking up the book laying next to me. "Still haven't finished that?" The library book Chloe gave me still has the bookmark in the same position I'd left it Saturday in the early morning. "Yeah, well, I've been pretty busy sulking and whining, so cut me some slack." I answer before returning to my page. "We're mere days away from disaster and here you are, being ignorant. It's disgusting." I nod. "Yeah." He throws a notebook at me. It was at this point I just couldn't take it anymore. "When will you just leave me alone?! I'm just a random loser, what the hell could I possibly do to help you? Go bother Chris, Talia, somebody useful!" The man sighs, sitting on my desk. "Yeah, death could have chosen anybody else. You certainly aren't the best choice. But, you were chosen, so deal with it." I grab a chunk of my hair, trying not to elevate the situation any more than I already had. His logic was sound, anyway. Can't really refute that. The man seemed to let out a sigh. "Please, listen to me. If it wasn't important, than I'd have left you a long time ago. I may not be able to explain much, but-" "I. Don't. Want. To. Help. You. Screw. Off." the man looked, for the first time, defeated. It was the most depressing thing I think I've seen in my life. I hold back a grin of satisfaction. Finally, I showed this little- "Have you ever thought about it?" The man asked, his voice low.

"Thought about what exactly?" The man continues. "I do know that you've thought ALL about how you're the master of life and death, that you decide who dies, when, and how, knowing or unaware, etc. You may even think that you are the reason your loved ones were, erm, sent to the boxes. Correct?" I felt a heat growing in my belly. "Where is this going, exactly?" The man points at me with finger guns. "Do you know how much power you really have?" I groan in my head. "I don't care about power." God tut-tuts at me. "You could kill anybody, whoever you want, whenever you want. You can see the DEAD, the souls of the living as well. You are practically...a god." The word strangely has no effect on we me. Maybe there's a reason I didn't wanna think that way, or I probably would have killed half the population by now. How many people should I kill? Wait, would...right? Aw, dammit! "With all this power, maybe you can finally keep your promise." What promise? Just stop talking. "She really is still alive. You can make it up to her. Earn forgiveness for letting her suffer." That's it. I lunged at the man slamming a fist into his cheek. "Shut up!" I yelled with all my pent up annoyance  and anger. sHe looked surprised and his comedic, threatening stance had disappeared, replaced by surprise, fear, and disappointment. I retracted my fist, staring at it. "I-I'm sor-GACK!" The man grabbed my neck, picking me up off the floor. I tried scratching at his wrists, pulling at his hand, but nothing. His hand was practically a wall, incapable of feeling pain. I saw something like glowing dust flowing around him. "You know, I can't kill you just by myself, but I'm more than capable of making you suf-"

"Ring, ring, ring!" we both turned and looked at my phone, ringing on my nightstand. Thean let go of me, walking over to it. After a couple greedy gulps of air, the man coughs. "Your friend's calling." I glare at him, picking myself up, walking over to my nightstand. "Chloe" reads across my screen. 'Just ignore it.' I think, but the prospect of more of his whining compels me to answer. "Hello?" I begin, annoyed

"Oh, uh, hey!" She sounded surprised I actually answered. "How've ya been, bud? Haven't seen you in a minute." It's only been five days, don't think that counts as awhile.

"Fine." I answer

"Hah! Same…" I sensed an awkwardness through the phone. Maybe being an ass isn't a good idea. "Sure you're doing alright?" I give her reassurance that I'm okay. "Well, alright-ah, hey!" I heard some scuffling from the other side of the phone. I sensed an evil presence before she even started talking.

"Yo, loser." The sound of Talia's voice already annoys me.

"Hey, Talia. How are you?" I hear snickering from the otherside of the line.

"A little birdie tells me you haven't left your room in almost a week, so, clearly, I'm in a superior state of existence." I HATE you.

"Geez, clearly if you're talking to me you want something. Get on with it."

"Well, how about a coffee?" Coffee? C-coffee? I felt my face starting to burn up.

"W-what?"

"Yeah. You sort of just left us hanging!" I sighed.

"Sorry, but I'm very busy writing and pitying myself."

"Chris won't tell us what happened, so you're our best bet. What was it, a nasty ghost?"

"Not...a ghost."

"We'll be there soon. Right, Chloe?" "Hmm?" "See you soon." A beep and then they were gone. "...what? What?!" I yell, horrified. "Aw god, what do I wear, aw, I smell like shit, DAMMIT TALIA, I HATE YOU!" I yell to the ceiling as the man behind me seems pleased with himself. "You planned this, didn't you?!" The man shrugs his shoulders. "Oh, what's that smell? Don't tell me-" "Yes, it is me. I'm going to take a shower. Now, kindly remove yourself from my room before I start my reaping with you!" The man rolls his eyes, snapping his fingers, disappearing. Gone. He was actually gone. "Finally!" I yell with relief that the living pest was gone. I decided on a pair of pants and a shirt before running for the first floor, slamming my face into the door at the bottom of the stairs.

…

"Wow, you look great!" Chloe tried to mask her confusion with excitement. Her aqua hair was hanging down over her shoulders, neatly combed, sitting on a warm looking sweater, and her pants were a pair of khakis, probably from school. "You look like an eagle laid eggs in your hair." Talia added. Her hair was tied in a braid, and her goggles covered her eyes. She wore an orange t-shirt and a pair of red shorts. Yeah, she's right. I guess that's what happens when you do a hack job of drying yourself off. Still, "You can't judge somebody when you're wearing shorts in 16 degree weather." I grunt proudly, folding my arms. My uncle arrives at our table, placing down two mugs in front of the girls before leaving, giving me a warning glare. I unfold my arms. "Mmm, forgot how great this tastes." Chloe fondles her cup with a strange smile on her face. "You were just here yesterday. Calm down." Yesterday? Are you kidding me?! "Yeah, she was under you this whole time. Feel bad yet?" I do, but I can't let her know that. "So, why isn't Chris talking about the mission with you guys?" Talia shrugs. "Don't know. He's been silent in general whenever we meet up. That's why I'm bothering you. So, spit it out." I suck in some air through my teeth. "What's in it for me?" Talia rolls her eyes. Help us this last time, and we never bother you again." "Deal." My response was fast enough to almost be considered disrespectful. "So, start talking." I tell them most of what happened. From first seeing the beast to feeling it's teeth sinking into my face, and everything else...I leave to the wayside. "Ah crap." Talia says after a moment of thought. "So, it sounds like you entered an 'Interpretation.' It replicates someones soul and turns it into an area that other souls can enter. Did you ever feel weird during our walk to the shed?" I nod my head. "That was your soul leaving your body." I took that info in surprisingly easily. "Yeah, okay. Makes about as much sense as every other strange thing that's happened." Chloe awkwardly chuckles, trying to disappear into her seat. "Yeah, well, glad you're taking it in so well. Terry was...challenging, let's say." I laughed at that, imagining Terry, usually looking detached, screaming like a child. Ha, I'm such a horrible person. "Okay, I can except all that. Would that make the monster the same thing?" Talia nods. "We've seen a few cases like this during some of our exorcisms, and, from what it sounds, this thing appears to be pretty normal. Easy enough to deal with." I shake my head. "What does it represent though? I think it's too simple to just say they think they're a monster. I cut into it too easily." Chloe spits out her coffee. "You CUT it?! That big monster bear thing? How?" I catch my breath in my throat as I begin to feel a cold sense of 'oh god, I'm screwed.' "There was a bed with a broken leg. I was able to cut it before it did the whole face biting thing." I prayed they believed my bullcrap, and they seemed to not question it. "We think that it isn't coincidental that this happened while following your friend's notebook. So, we think, that this is Sarah's interpretation." Hearing that made me a little upset, yet, it also put me at ease. "So, she really is dead?"

Talia and Chloe both shook their heads. "No, idiot, it doesn't mean that. It could mean a lot of things, but because Chris has met with, and confirmed, her state of being, we can assume a piece of her soul has attached itself to that shack. Which makes sense, if that was where she suffered a traumatic experience." Talia explains with an agitated tone. "So, what does she want, if not for us to exorcise her? H-how is she even alive to begin with? She had a bullet THROUGH. THE. HEAD. Does that not mean you're donzo?" "I don't know everything, dammit!" Talia flicks my unprepared forehead. "If we were to infer something, there could be the possibility that she possessed someone who looks like her, but those chances are so low I can probably trash that one. But, you know what, what's most important right nown is how do we help her?" At this point, I think all my resistance has run out. I just...want this to be over. Alive or not, I don't care. "Okay, what do we do?" Talia, satisfied, simply asks, "Did she possibly have any unfinished business? Did something happen that led to her acting strangely?" Did she? God, I thought I knew her so well. Guess not. They won't leave me alone unless I say something. Wait… "Maybe, it has something to do with her mom." They looked intrigued. Whatever, if it'll get them to leave me alone.

"It was January 3rd when her mother disappeared."