Sam Walker and the Grim Reaper Services (ONC 2021)

4 - Death v. Walker

The strange female voice cut through the fog holding his mind hostage. Sam whipped around, mouth dropping as he saw the girl standing on the other side of his bed, grinning casually at him. He promptly proceeded to fall off the bed.

A light tapping followed Sam's fall and he very slowly poked his head over the top of the bed to see the girl still standing there, tapping her foot and lifting an eyebrow at him.

She stood in a relaxed posture, black hair drawn back into a loose braid. Strands of the black hair were dyed a bright blue, weaving in and out of her braid, and miniature black scythes dangled from her earlobes. A black ring pierced through her upper ear. The girl had angular features, with eyes so blue they were black, a strong shade of blue eyeliner covering her eyelids, the same color blue splashed across her nails, and she had a strong but slender build. Despite her pleasant expression, Sam had no doubt she could kill him if she wanted to.

That feeling was no doubt helped by the sword strapped to her back.

Dressed in a long-sleeved blue shirt with a black leather vest layered over it, her jeans black and ripped tastefully, the girl wore black combat boots with silver laces to complete the look, several silver bracelets looped gracefully around her wrists. A black chain necklace hung around her pale neck, lacking a pendant or ornament.

"Sam Walker, I presume?" she asked.

"Who are you?" Sam asked, a little freaked out at her sudden appearance in his bedroom. "And what are you doing in my room?"

"It's Thursday," the girl stated. "October 24. You were due in court half an hour ago."

Sam's eyes widened. The Grim Reaper Services! That was today? Dammit!

If you miss this court date, your life will be terminated immediately.

"You're lucky my brother opted not to kill you immediately," the girl continued conversationally, like they were talking about the weather and not about life or death. "I was sent to bring you in. If you refuse to cooperate, then you shall be terminated, effective immediately."

"I'm not refusing," Sam said, lifting his hands as if in surrender. "I'll come, no trouble."

"Good," the girl said, gesturing for him to stand up. Sam did, still keeping his hands where she could see them. He was giving her no excuse to unsheathe that sword on her back.

"So, are you the Grim Reaper?" he asked, for the sake of saying something.

She shook her head. "Nope. That would be my brother. I'm Cate."

Sam waited. "Cate...?"

Cate raised her other eyebrow at him. "I suppose you could call me Cate Reaper, but in all honesty, I'm just Cate. Unlike my famous brother, I don't really have a moniker in this culture."

"Infamous, more like," Sam muttered.

Cate shook her head vigorously, eyes darkening momentarily. "No, he's famous. You don't want to see infamous in the death community. Anyway, Pete's not bad, he's just doing his job."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Sam had to work to stifle a laugh. "Pete?"

"My brother," Cate answered. "The Grim Reaper, otherwise known as Death?"

"His name is Pete?"

"Well, he's been called many names over the centuries, but Pete is his name now, in your culture."

Sam snorted, still trying his best not to laugh. "What kind of name is Pete for the Grim Reaper? Isn't his name just supposed to be Death, or the Reaper?"