Grim Reaper on Speed Dial

Two Seconds in No Time

I wake up before my eyes are ready to open. I feign sleep for as long as I can, but I know by the change of Faolan's breathing somewhere near me he knows I'm awake. I breathe in deeply, hoping with all my heart that I've been dreaming, and when I exhale I open my eyes. I'm in the infirmary, and my neck feels like it's on fire. It hurts, but I look to my left, and I see Faolan sitting in a chair by my little medical bed. Tears rise to my eyes and to my annoyance, I can't raise my hands to wipe them. Faolan sees my momentary struggle and wipes them with a small tissue from a box sitting on the table next to him. I test my limbs, they work, theoretically, I think, but I feel leather over them. I've been restrained.

"You've been out for three days, Da is too busy to be here. It's just us" Faolan tells me in a strained voice, he's losing it. As If he's been crying. I continue to stare at him, taking in his features. I'm not sure why. He's got the same dirty golden blonde hair that falls in slight waves around his face. Arctic blue eyes, gentle facial features though they are set in stress. Something about the way he's looking at me worries me, it looks like he's memorizing my features too. He must notice my sudden worry because he cups the back of my neck, then rests his forehead on mine. "you have to get out of here" he whispers.

"I know, I have to start work soon-" I start but Faolan cuts me off.

"No Will, you have to get out of here" he whispers urgently.

"I don't understand," I mumble petulantly.

"Yes you do" he hisses in response. "I will not watch you waste away here. Dying on your knees above ground will still be better than being buried alive here. The only way out is through the Reaper Guardian sector. I don't care how, but you have to get out of here"

"what about you?" I say finally making eye contact with him, there is a ferocity in his eyes now that scares me. His other hand grips my shoulder and he backs away from my face. A smile splits his face that doesn't reach his eyes.

"someones got to look after Da now haven't they? Besides, there'd be no time for art while running for my life. That and you're faster than me. " He retorts.

"But your handicaps, who will take care of you when Da is working?"

"aye you annoying s**t, I'll be fine, but you won't be if you waste away here. Get out and don't come back" Faolan practically snarls now.

"but-"

"go" He snaps. I flinch from his tone. His smile returns for a split second, then he removes the little boot on his wheel and rolls out of here. That wheelchair has many memories. So many times it's broken down and Faolan and I made a game of fixing it with parts Osin got us. Suddenly a veil comes off, and I wonder how long she'd been stealing for us. A nurse comes in to check on me. She smiles when I'm awake.

"You'll have some nasty bruises, but think you can behave now? You're lucky you're not in the pit for an outburst like that. Your emotions were so high I'm surprised we're not under siege already, but the heads have granted you leniency so long as you can back it up" She tells me a million miles an hour, almost to fast for my sluggish half awake, half scrambled brain.

"Mnf" Is my elegant response. The ladies smile gets a little wider. I read her name tag, Sam. Popular name. Sam starts undoing my restraints, then hands me a clipboard. I look up at her in confusion.

"The heads reassigned your work," she tells me. I've been a nurse for ten years now and I stare at the paper in shock when I read "Winnifred Jade Grace___Soldier___"

"Soldier?!" I exclaim outraged. She raises an eyebrow threatening my tone. I fight for control of my facial features in order to appear calm. I look back down at the paper, hoping to glean more information, but that's literally all it says. I drop it in disgust and return my glare to Sam. "Could you please explain why?" I ask in a strained tone, my anger begging to be released. Curse my self-control.

"Nope, I'm just your replacement," She says matter of factly. I see red. I get up, my movements mechanical and jerky. I wave her away viciously and when the curtain closes I look around. The space is made small by stupid blue curtains, there is a small table by my tiny bed that has a box of tissues, and some bottles of cleaner and antiseptics. The table has two drawers under it I assume are filled with similar things. I look to the floor at the foot of my bed then and see a pile of clothes. Grey T-shirt and worn jeans, a pair of underwear, socks a bra and... I drop to my knees and throw the other clothes to the side. Osin's jacket. I bring it up to my nose and breathe it in. It still smells like her, a little tang of soot, dirt, and sweat make a little after smell, but overall it brings tears to my eyes. I sag down to the floor and the bed and hold the jacket close. 30 seconds. 30 human seconds. That's how long Osin taught me you can be emotional before your collar corrects you. I count them down in my head then I pick myself up, and change out of the thin hospital gown quickly, putting on Osin's jacket last. Something weighs down my right pocket, I pull out Faolan's favorite pencil. So he was responsible for getting this for me. Damn him, now I have to do as he says. I give the room one last sweep, I never wanted to be a soldier anyway. I take the clipboard and start towards the soldier sector, it's right next to the Reaper Guardian sector, the door is on the other side of the stage in the main hall. Both Faolan and Osin taught me to lie, it's all about confidence and purpose. I remember this as despite the fact that a few morning janitor crews mile around the room. I walk straight into the Reaper Guardian door with my head held high and holding my clipboard paper facing me as if it's extremely important. I don't rush, but I certainly don't take my time. I hope Osin would be proud of her little felon. I try the large knob on the door, locked.

"Well f**k" I mutter under my breath, but then the door swings inward, and all I see are rows and rows of doors. They've got their own miny city the turds. When I don't see any Reapers right at first I rush in and the door shuts behind me. All of a sudden my breathing feels too loud and the silence feels heavy. I start walking straight down the hall, way in over my head. Um, why couldn't I have scavenged for a map first? I shake the thought out of my head, 'don't be ridiculous' I tell myself mentally, only a Reaper'd know where all their crap is, I didn't even know most of this existed. Instead of dull grey like all the walls are in my sector, these walls are black, and yet they don't feel dark even though only a few lights adorn the ceiling as I walk. This place creeps me the hell out. I am forced to make a left down one hallway as it's the only way to go then two more rights down, I see another huge door, and no other small ones like those that had been in every other hall. That has to lead to something important. I walk towards it, speed starting to enter my pace and my breathing along with fear. Just as I raise my hand to open the door someone appears right in front of me and shoves me back so viciously I go flying. I land with a thump a few feet away and I nurse new bruises already forming all down my shoulders and left arm. The Reaper stalks toward me menacingly and I cower down, knowing it'll send me to the abyss or the pit and while I'm deciding which is worse, another Reaper collides with the first one in a leap over me. They smash into each other and the sound is like what Da described thunder to sound like. A booming crash.

"Run" The second one hisses in a voice that chills me to my bones, I've never heard a Reaper talk before and I never want to again. I don't need to be told twice, and per Faolan's instructions I race around the two battling Reaper Guardians and shake the door. It opens and I flee, the door shutting behind me. The light is blinding and I trip face first into soft brown stuff with green lines poking out of it everywhere. Grass, dirt. My geology lessons come to me and identify them sluggishly. I put a hand over my eyes and assess the scene before me. I look back at the door, it's enclosed in a huge boulder, and many others dot the field around it before turning into even larger ones that are bigger than anything I've ever seen before. I don't know if they're big enough to be mountains though. There is a crashing that makes me fear that more Reapers are fighting just to my left, but instead, when I run over to where the ground seems to just end suddenly, at least a couple miles down I see ocean waves warring with cliffs down there. I turn around and see trees. A huge forest as far as I can see pinning the rocks against the cliffside. I stare at it in awe, some of the trees rival the height of the huge rocks.

As if I'd been nose blind before, the smell hits me like a wall. I walk towards the woods half in a daze. That smell. Osin's jacket is only a faded version, this smell is alive. Every breath I take reminds me of her. I fall to my knees at the first tree I find and fight the urge to curl up to it forever. With one last glance at the door to my cage, I start running into the forest, afraid that any moment Reaper Guardians or anything else for that matter will find me. My collar beeps yellow and I lurch behind a tree and fight the clasps. To take off your collar for any amount of time in Cicadia was an instant pit sentence, but I'm not in Cicadia anymore I remind myself and claw at the clasps behind my head. I feel the little spines of the back exhuming themselves from my neck and uncoiling from my own spine and then I fling the thing away from me. It's like a weight has been lifted off of me. Da told me that adult collars had active emotion repressing chemicals released almost all the time, and now I feel overwhelmed. I scream out, tears falling down my face, then I start laughing. I laugh so hard I double over, and then short of breath and high on fear I pass out once more, but this time into forgiving soil and plants, the knee and waist high vegetation consuming me, and turning my world a beautiful mottled array of colors I've never seen before. One last giggle escapes me before my vision finally goes black.