Death’s New Pet: Love after Life

My breathing hitches in my throat as I feel the hard ground beneath my feet and smell that familiar tinge of bleach wafting from my prison opposite me. It feels as though my heart has finally given up as I stare numbly at the house. This is the first time in my life that anger replaces fear in the face of my trauma. Death appears next to me and as soon as he appears, the world turns several shades darker. A cold chill sweeps across the forest, making the trees howl in fear. Below him, the green grass withers away.

His eyebrow cocks up as he watches the world around him slowly decay. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to Earth.” He says out loud but it’s not clear whether he is talking to me or himself.

The lump in my throat bobs as I advance closer to the house. Death is hot on my heels but slightly behind me, as though to let me lead. I feel the world around us darken and shrivel away and there is an immense sense of power running through my veins.

“I want to burn this place to the ground,” I hiss.

Death chuckles darkly behind me. “Your wish is my command.”

Suddenly, he creates a fireball in the palm of his hand. It burns bright blue and flickers of scarlet spit from the flames. I feel the warmth up against my body.

“Come here,” he instructs before holding his hand out to me. Nervously, I obey him.

“Touch the flames.”

“What? It’ll burn me.”

He bares his teeth at me. It’s a silent display of his authority. “Don’t make me repeat myself, little mortal.”

My heart races in my chest as I slowly reach forward. The flames lick my skin and I feel the heat singe the hairs on the back of my fingers. I flinch and pull away.

A low growl escapes his lips. “Now, little mortal.”

“Okay! I thrust my hand into the flame, squeezing my eyes shut, anticipating the pain which is about to burn through me. However, no pain arrives. A warm sensation coats my hand like it being dipped into water. Wide-eyed, I stare down at my mortal hand burning in the flames of Death’s fireball.

“What? How?”

“It will not burn you,” he grits his teeth as he stares down at the flames. It licks at his skin, slowly peeling away at his body until it’s red raw. I gasp.

“It’s burning you!”

“Well, of course, little mortal. I kill everything, including myself.” His poignant words have me tripping over my thoughts.

I kill everything, including myself, but not you. Not just yet. My mind seems to add to his sentence and my stomach twists deliciously.

“Now that you know it won’t burn you,” he grabs the burning hand and clasps my fingers around his wrist. It seems to burn him, and his jaw tightens. “Throw my hand at the house. Set that prison alight and let’s dance in the flames.”

His eyes twinkle maliciously, matching my own. Any inkling of doubt instantly disappears as the devious hunger grows in my chest. With a deep breath, I turn to face my prison and a smile licks my lips.

“Goodbye, prison.” It’s barely a whisper, meant only for my ears, but I don’t miss the way Death freezes up. He’s so fucking tense beside me, and a dark mist seeps out of him again. I grab his wrist and do as I’m told, thrusting his hand forward.

Suddenly, the fireball hurls into my prison and the most deafening boom ripples through the world. The ground visibly trembles, and I stumble. Before I can fall over, Death’s arms snap around me.

“You are only allowed to fall to your knees for me.” His growl caresses my mind most sinfully. My stomach twists and the hairs on the back of my neck leap to attention. I feel his arms snake around my waist as he brings his fangs to my neck, scraping the sensitive skin.

“Go get your revenge, little mortal.”

He releases me and I instantly spring into action. With a newfound hunger in my chest, I kick down the front door alight in flames. I step into the house, and I’m shocked by the ferocity of the fire. The paint has already peeled back, and wooden beams start to collapse in on themselves from the impact of the fireball.

Shrieks and cries from men in the rooms of the house fill my head like a sweet melody. I want to go and witness every single fiery death, but I’m here for one person in particular. The rest can meet me at the sorting stage.

My head rears left, up the stairs, and before I can hesitate, I find myself taking the stairs in two. Death is close behind me. It feels as though he’s my shadow rather than this omnipotent presence which controls life and ruin.

The breath in my lungs hitches the closer I get to my husband. He’s so close that I can feel the old tears burning in my mind. Horrific memories flash in the back of my mind, more violent and vicious than I could ever anticipate. I force myself to take a steady breath, but it doesn’t seem to work. My whole body shakes, and the bile rises in the back of my throat.

No! You can’t do this! Turn back! Run away! The self-doubt shrieks for me to escape again. Involuntarily, I stumble backwards but Death’s hard body forces me to keep going.

One strangled, frightened shriek ripples through the hallway — or what’s left of it anyways. It’s like my predator senses have been alerted and I race towards the beautiful sound. However, the ceiling has partially collapsed and trapped him inside the room. Death’s gentle touch strokes past my hip as he slides past to remove the damage for me. He lifts the whole thing with such ease before throwing it behind us. It creates a horrific crashing noise as the floor gives way below the weight of the broken ceiling.

We are trapped. There’s no going back now.

Despite the anxious thoughts, my body does not shake in fear. I feel perfectly alert and aware of what’s going to happen. An evilness soaks through me. I pull all the rage, fear, and agony that beast of a man inflicted on me in twenty-two years to the surface. Now it’s my turn to be the monster.

Death holds his hand out and helps me jump across a missing part of the floorboards. My dress floats out stunningly, in all its violent glory as I land. As soon as I cross the threshold, I scan the room for the dead man walking. When I spot the cowering man in the corner of the room, trapped under the cupboard which has fallen from its position. It crushes his legs. I lick my lips.

The monster has found its injured prey.

“What? What the— who are?” he stumbles over his words, not able to make out the two shadows on the other side of the room. Behind me, I hear a large gust of wind as Death forces a hole through the roof of the building. The moon’s gaze tears into the room, revealing my furious face to my infamous husband.

Horrified, he desperately tries to wriggle from under the cupboard to free himself. It’s fucking pathetic and he barely moves an inch.

“Scarlet!” It’s a gasp and a cry all in one. “What the fuck? What are you doing here? How are you—”

With a malicious grin, I stalk closer to him. “It’s my turn to speak, husband.”

“Get away from me!” Panic floods him. Again, he frantically smashes at the cupboard, but the solid oak has been untouched by the fire. I send a little smile over to Death who groans at my delight. I can’t see him, hiding in the shadows, but I feel his hard gaze attached to my body. He soaks up every movement, every reaction, every utterance. I perform for him, and he fucking loves it.

“Oh, my dear,” I hear the sarcasm laced in my voice as I snatch Maximo by the chin and tilt his face around. I soak up the anxiety in his ugly appearance and it brings me a ridiculous amount of joy. “If only that phrase actually worked. I would know, wouldn’t I?”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Just get away from me—” he must sense the newfound power oozing through my veins because he melts instantly. Twenty-two years of pure horror and agony in this man’s hands, and he breaks like a fucking twig when confronted with true power.

Behind us, the fire roars louder and the shrieks of dying men plague my dirty thoughts. My fingernails sink into his chin until he winces but it’s not enough.

Malicious instinct takes over and I pull two nails from my dress and bring them to his cheeks. He tries to scramble away from me, but I slam my foot down on the cupboard and the added weight has him howling in pain. I hear the way it snaps. His fists shoot out and he narrowly misses me. Even with all the adrenaline pacing through his body, the pain blinds his reaction times.

“You’re right, torturing is fun,” I chuckle darkly. My voice doesn’t sound like my own. It feels like I’m living out some fucked up fantasy dream and yet I am totally grounded. With a glisten in my eyes, I press the nails into his cheeks violently until the skin splits open for me.

Maximo tries to shake his head to escape me, but it simply rips the flesh, causing much more damage. A delighted noise falls from my lips.

“Make that noise again!”

“You’re fucking insane! Leave me alone! You fucking bitch!” He tries to swing for me again but I’m much faster and I dodge the attack.

I tut. “Now, now, be a good sport, husband.”

Blood drips down his face, and I’m momentarily infatuated by the oozing scarlet colour. A real sense of completion fills me. I almost want to cry at the realisation that I’m finally doing what I promised I’d do for twenty-two years. My fingers itch to scoop it from his cheek and taste it. I’m not sure what type of animalistic instinct consumes me but it’s very fucking powerful.

Suddenly, a whoosh of air knocks me to the side and without warning, Death appears in front of me. His fists clamp around Maximo’s fist which tried to strike me. Instantly, the bones explode, and mangled nerves and tendons leap out of the bundle of mush. Maximo howls in agony and he desperately tries to pull away from the death grip but it’s no use.

“You dare touch what is mine?” Black mist oozes from him more freely now. Under the moonlight, I can see the way his tattoos swim faster than they ever have before. I resist the temptation to reach out and feel their anger.

“What the fuck are you? Ah—fuck! It hurts! Let go! Fuck—”

“Apologise to her,” Death growls. “You better fucking plead for forgiveness and maybe, just maybe, we will go easy on you.”

The breath catches in my throat when Maximo’s eyes jump to me. They turn wide, and pleading and a long string of begs fall from his lips. “Scarlet! I am so sorry! I’m a vicious, wicked man and I should never have hurt you or kidnapped you or Hell, I shouldn’t have done anything to you! I am so sorry!”

His head snaps back to Death almost expectantly. The dribbling snot mixes with his streaming tears. He has never looked so fucking pathetic and weak in his life. “Please! Go easy on me!”

“I lied. We will never go easy on scum like you,” Death growls before his fist slams into Maximo’s chest. The word ‘we’ rings around my mind beautifully until I feel my heart swell with some unknown feeling. Love? Most definitely not. Pride? Perhaps. Anticipation? Abso-fucking-lutely.

Death breaks every rib, shattering the cage which protects his vital organs. When he turns back to me, I can see the beast threaten to escape like it did before. His eyes bleed down his face and I can see his muscles threatening to burst through the armour. It flexes unnaturally as his body tries to force through.

I expect the fear to shake through my body, but it never comes. Instead, absolute admiration and awe consume me. I want to beg him to torture my ex-husband in front of me. I want to see Maximo squirm under the touch of a more powerful being. Everything within my broken soul needs the beast to be unleashed, and yet, Death holds onto his sanity.

He gently offers me a hand and pulls me closer to my ex-husband.

“Do it,” his voice is hard and cold, no slither of sympathy laced in the tone. “Fucking ruin him before I do.”

It fills me with such excitement. Without hesitation, I leap onto Maximo, and I plunge my hand into his broken ribcage. He howls and shrieks, trying to strike me but Death effortlessly holds his wrists in a single fist.

My sharp fingernails find his heart and I squeeze hard. The muscle contracts in my fingers, fighting back. However, with a single tug, it frees itself from his body, and my husband cries out for the last time. His breathing is snatched from his body, and he instantly dies under my fingers.

However, I don’t move. The muscle burns in my fingers and it feels so fucking heavy. A lifetime of constant suffering, over in a single moment.

“How does it feel?” Death’s voice startles me. It’s full of lust and desire. I feel his arms snake around my waist, and I know I should shy away from him. I should be on the floor, screaming in anger and misery. The last thing I need is to be near someone so malicious. I shouldn’t be in the arms of yet another dominant, controlling man. And yet, my body throbs when my back presses against him.

“Tell me,”

“Good,” the single word is breathless.

“Only good?”

A sharp breath slips from my lips as the realisation slowly settles. “I’m free.”

“Not quite,” I feel him smile against my neck after he pushes my hair to the slide. “Do you know how sexy you look, drenched in blood and in a dress which pierces skin?”

My whole body is alight with desire from a single question. Around us, the house falls apart and the fire roars louder and louder. It’s almost hard to hear him, but each word pierces through my mind deliciously. His hands roam all over my body until I’m trembling for him.

“Now that you got your end of the deal, little mortal.” he growls. “It’s my turn to claim my new Pet.”