Death Rose/Aretha Tesla: Evil Snow Globe of Doom

Death had ordered me to stay put, then left the room with Ian. I think he was relieved to be away from me for a while- not that I blamed him for it. If I was him, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near me. I wasn't sure why they had called up Ren Clairvoyant... Maybe he had some ability that I hadn't learned about yet, but as far as I knew he was just another sensetive. Ian practically went insane just from being in the same room as me, so I had no idea what good two of them would do...

I breifly contemplated trying to kill myself again, but quickly decided it wouldn't do any good. Mevolent wouldn't let me, and even if he couldn't, Death would stop me. For the first time in my life, I wished I didn't have any friends. Oh well. This Ren person would probably come up and freak out, and all of them can just sit around trying to think of something until Mevolent dreams up another task for me. This was going to be a long night...

Death bit her lip as she stood outside her bedroom door, alone. Ian and Ren were stuck in an argument with some little mousy man about visitors. Ian and Ren seemed to have the upper hand because they could hear the argument before it was spoken out loud.

 

Death raised her hand and knocked quietly, waiting for permission to enter.

 

"Come in," Aretha called out and she stepped inside her room. Aretha was lying on her bed and looking at the white and gold ceiling. She didn't seem interested in anything up there, there was just no where else to look.

 

"Ari, Ren is here," she informed her, bouncing on the mattress as she sat down. "And he's going to help."

 

"No one can help me now," she said in that dead voice she had gotten used to. Death hated it.

 

"Okay, you might say that, but I think I know what he is going to do!" She grinned as she produced a small snow globe from one of her many pockets in her jacket.

 

"How is a snow globe going to help?" Ari asked and it took all Death's self-control not to slap her.

 

"It's not a bloody snow globe!" She laughed. "It's a Soul Catcher!"

 

Something actually flickered across her face. Did her eyes tighten and anger twist her lips? "Why are you pointing a Snow Catcher in my face?"

 

"Because we are going to-"

 

"Take out your soul and fix your body," Ren interrupted as he strode through the door with Ian at his heels.

 

"Thanks guys," Death said sarcastically with a frown plastered on her face. "You just ruined my mojo for the day... You owe me big!"

 

Ren laughed, "like hell!"

 

Ian must have seen that that conversation was going no where so he took the reins. "We, well, Ren is going to take out your soul and put it in the funny little snow globe that Death stole from some angry Necromancers then we are going to go yappity yap-yap!"

 

Death bit her lip again and looked at her friend. This would have to work... Right?

 

A soul catcher. Well, that might actually work... Of course Mevolent didn't want that. So the first thing I did was mentally re-live all the most horrid events that had transpired over the past few days, starting with being strapped to that table for hours that felt like forever, and the end when Mevolent carved that fatalistic symbol into my neck, and I heard Death scream.

 

 I was practically screaming inside my mind, revealing everything that had made me become so insane all at once. And I was never quite sane to begin with, but... At the moment, at least, I was sure my mental instability would be far too much for a sensetive to brush off, especially if I was projecting like this. That should deal with them...

 

To Death, I simply turned and said, "No."

 

Then I leaped up from the bed, ran across the room and, crossing my arms in front of my face at the last minute, flung myself at the window. I felt the glass break upon impact and gravity dragged me towards the ground in a slight arc.

 

I used the air to soften my descent in the last few feet, flipped myself so my shoulder touched the ground first, and rolled another few feet so slow my momentum. Picking a few shards of glass out of my jacket, I looked back to see if the others would follow me.

 

Death and Ian ran from the stone castle, though the gloomy forest, holding each other's hand tightly. Death could not believe Aretha had gone through what she did and then jumped out the window. Mevolent's men were after the two like hunting dogs after wild rabbits, she guessed that they thought they were escaping prisoners.

Guns started to fire and they started to zig-zag to avoid the projectiles.

"Holy crap!" Death yelled as one flew inches past her head and embedded itself in a nearby tree. It made a satisfying thunk as it stopped.

"God, do I know it!" Ian shouted back as he ducked to avoid a bullet.

Death stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Ian with a quizzical expression. He stopped too and stared back at her.

The hunters turned and walked back towards the stone castle, ignoring their prey. Why did they do that?

Death put a hand to her stomach and felt warm liquid cover her hand. She looked at it and saw how the red colour of her blood shone in the overcast day.

Ian's eyes widened and he raced over to her, lowering her to the wet ground gently. "It's okay, we'll get you out of this." He promised in a scared whisper. He maneuvered his body so her head rested on his lap.

"Pish posh golly wash," she said and waved her hand dismissively. "You know I'm a goner now. I know it too." She said and coughed up a mouthful of metallic-tasting blood. "Go after Ari."

"No you're not. You're going to make this and Ari can go kill herself for all I care."

She sighed heavily, her stomach was starting to feel kinda sore. "I'm pretty much dead anyway. Gimme a few minutes then I'll be out of your life. You'll be happier than l you have ever been before." She promised. "All I've done in my life is for my own benefit, I'm a selfish God damn bastard."

Ian's voice broke. "Death, no you're not! You're wrong!" He sucked in a sharp breath, how she envied his ability to breathe so easily, and continued.

"A life without you is a life not worth living." He said earnestly and tears started to fill his sapphire blue eyes.

"You don't mean that." She scoffed.

"Yes, I do." He brushed a stand of golden hair away from her face. "For years I've been walking the planet, thinking I was whole, complete. I thought I was happy and that nothing could break my spirit, that was, until I meet you.

"You came into my life and turned it upside-down. You showed me what it was like to be whole, actually whole. Back then, I was a shell of nothing." He paused to take a deep, shaking breath. "Now I feel as if something is eating me from the inside out, like the hollowness is reclaiming my soul. Death Rose," he said, looking directly into her eyes. "I love you."

Tears filled her own ice blue eyes and she smiled softly. "I love you too Ian Heartbreak," she said weakly. Using the last ounce of strength left in her body, she reached up with her right hand to pull his face down to hers. Their lips touched briefly before Death's hand fell away and her body became limp.