Three days later.
“There she is,” I hear a familiar voice ring through the room.
I tense up before rearing my head around the large back of my chair opposite the sorting stage. I didn’t think I could be distracted today. I have a particularly long list of rapists to torture and punish, much to my delight. But that single sentence has me breathless.
“Harley!” I scramble off the chair ungracefully with a squeak. My long, blood-red dress that Death designed for me catches on the skulls protruding from the marble floor as I desperately race across the dark room. I must look like a baby deer on new legs as I stumble towards blackness, searching for that familiar voice. However, before I can get much further, a pair of open arms pull me into a warm embrace. That smoky smell wafts up into my lungs as soon as I’m close to him and it fills me with an immediate sense of relief.
“Oh gosh! You’re okay!”
“Well, not really,” he chuckles, never letting me go. “I am dead.”
Frantically, I pull away from him to get a better look but it’s futile. I’m no longer under the blaring spotlight hitting the stage and we are secluded by shadows. With a light tug, I yank him towards the stage, but something stops him from getting any closer. As though I’ve pulled him into a wall, he grunts and falls flat against something invisible.
I squeak. “What?”
“Death said I can’t enter his Realm. There is a curse to keep creatures out, including me.” I hear Harley sigh and it makes my heart constrict. Before the despair can sink in any further, he continues talking. “But he did mention loopholes. I can be on this side of the room to visit you. It’s one of the borders between Realms.”
“I can’t see you though!”
As though hearing my complaints, the room suddenly explodes bright red, casting a torch over us, and Harley is instantly revealed.
“Oh fuck!” I cry out in shock. I fall backwards and land on my ass ungracefully.
The man in front of me is nothing like before. The man I once knew had his whole body stained with red-raw burns and scars, but now, his tan skin is smooth and without any imperfections. He holds himself more confidently too, head high, chin jutted out, and his smile actually curls the way it should. What takes my breath away, however, is the paleness of his fluffy hair. It falls into his face, and he must keep blowing at it to be able to see, revealing the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen.
I can’t help but see the resemblance now to Carolina in his psychological trial and my heart constricts painfully at his boyish charm that was snatched by fire and suicide. He goes to reach out to help me up but some invisible forcefield pushes him gently away. If he’s offended by my complete overreaction, he doesn’t show it.
“It’s all gone,” he says proudly, twisting around to give me a better look. “I look just how I did before my first death.”
I am utterly speechless as he yet again makes light of a dark situation. Even in a new physical form, his dry humour stands firm.
“Go on,” his cheeky smile returns, “tell me how handsome I am.”
A short pause sifts between us, but he taps his foot against the ground impatiently to fill the void. “I’m waiting.”
His lightness seems to snap me out of my shock, and I push myself onto my feet with a smirk. “Can’t. It’s a sin to lie!”
He snorts unattractively. “You’re in Hell. I think you’re allowed to sin.”
I can’t help the smile that tugs my lips at the playful banter. I’ve never been quick-witted or one for humour, so I do what I do best and send a cheeky jab into his ribs. He tries to fight back, but I quickly move.
“And here I thought you’d get faster once you hit immortality.” I mock him, jumping back into his side of the room to give him more of a chance. I poke him again in the stomach. Pathetically, he holds it with a pout.
“Ow! Not my belly fat. That’s not kind.”
“What? You’re still afraid to fight me?” I tease him. “Afraid you’ll lose again?”
He grabs his chest and feigns that he’s taken offence. “Not my fault your owner killed me!”
“Survival of the fittest, I guess.”
It’s fucking insane how our dark humour keeps our sanity intact, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Tell me, Death’s New Pet,” his smile turns twisted. “Did you get your revenge?”
The dark shimmer in my eyes does all the talking for me.
Harley smiles brighter. “Fantastic.”
Before I can say anything else, I feel another presence flash into the room with us. Death doesn’t waste a moment before pulling my body into his large embrace. I instantly melt into his touch and get drunk off his musky scent.
“There. We are even now.” He says the words as though he has delivered on a burden, but the tone of his voice screams an ulterior motive.
“Thank you,” I whisper. I feel Death’s hot breath against my cheek, and I nuzzle into him. A slight rumble slips from his lips as though he is groaning in approval. It makes my body burn deliciously.
“I would also like to thank you,” Harley speaks up. My head snaps in his direction and I frown. Death seizes up behind me.
“Don’t—” he starts but Harley doesn’t back down.
“I am really grateful that you let me say goodbye to my family before I was sorted. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. Just that one last conversation to apologise.”
He quickly dismisses the act of kindness. “Whatever. It was just to stop you both bitching.”
My heart lurches from my chest. I try to turn back around to face Death, but his claws lock onto my hips and he forces me forward. He refuses to let me see the blush which most likely stains his cheeks. He will never let me see him do anything nice or kind or sweet for anybody.
Of course not. And I’m almost thrilled to play ignorant.
We are creatures of the night; banished to the darkest Realm of Hell for all of eternity; bound together by a fucked-up deal with the Devil.
There is no such thing as goodness down here.
But maybe, just maybe, there might be something called love. If love includes the deranged, fucked-up promises we carve into each other’s souls.
