Death is a Girl

Chapter 24: Death Drive

That night Morrigan had a dream of taking Emma along on a day in the life of a reaper. In the dream, Morrigan never quite got around to reaping her client and it was more spent talking to Emma casually as she walked with her scythe out. Emma didn’t act like anything was out of the ordinary as they gossiped and discussed lunch plans. Dreams could be weird like that.

When Morrigan woke, she felt a pull of disappointment, wishing the dream actually was real. There was a certain return to normalcy that crushed the anxiety she’d been feeling. Now that she was awake, it was back in full force. On the bright side, at least there was a sign it could go away. Glass half full.

Stretching out the remnants of sleep, Morrigan made her way out of her room. As she stepped into the living area, her eyes landed on an unexpected sight. Perched nonchalantly on the coffee table, was Noir—his sleek black fur absorbing the morning light that found its way in through a window.

“Oh, morning Noir,” Morrigan said. “Um… so how did the investigation go?”

“Thus far I have seen no evidence of a demon immediately around the graveyard. If a demon had made the graveyard its home, then I would expect to have found its prey. It’s been three days, after all, and normally, when first summoning, such creatures want to search for sustenance right away.” Noir hopped off the table and followed her to the kitchen.

She grabbed a box of Pop-Tarts from the cabinet and ripped it open. “So, false alarm?” she asked as she took a bite without even toasting it.

“In a sense,” Noir agreed. “Though, something certainly came from the ritual, as a gate had been left open for over twenty four hours. It is unlikely no entities escaped. Now, whatever did crawl out, it’s possible they failed to sustain themselves and died already. Or, are too weak in any case to be a real concern.”

“Hmmm, what about the other demon? The one who’s actually a big deal?”

“My master is out investigating that one right now,” Noir explained. “Therefore, I will be returning to my duties as your guide.”

Morrigan nodded, taking another bite of her pop tart. “What about my mom? Are you sure she’s safe?”

“Yes, I particularly investigated the area around your house and found nothing amiss. If there was ever anything there at all, it is certainly gone now.”

“Cool,” Morrigan said, feeling some relief at that news. She then started walking back to her room, eating the last bits of Pop-Tart.

“You’ve expressed animosity towards your mother, yet you seem to worry for her. Why is this?” Noir asked as he followed.

“I don’t want anything bad to happen to her, of course. But, like, I think it’s probably best that I just disappear.”

“You do not plan to return?”

“Return to what? Not like I can just continue with my old life either way.” When Noir didn’t respond she added, “Mom’ll probably be happier that way anyway.”

“Do you truly believe that?”

Morrigan shrugged. “You saw. I say I’m leaving for a few days with no explanation, and she acts like it’s no big deal. I bet she’ll be happy that I’m gone. It’ll be one less responsibility for her.”

Noir paused as he seemed to ponder this. “It’s to my understanding it is rare for a human parent to regard their offspring with such indifference.”

“Yeah, my point exactly.”

“No, Morrigan. What I mean is, I think you’ve misinterpreted her actions. And did she not gift you a non-inconsequential amount of money to help with the job-hunting endeavors she believed you to be on?”

“Yeah… that was way out of character…” She had barely touched the money outside of the few things in the kitchen. “Probably had a big night and was in the mood to throw money around. I don’t know… she does that sometimes.” Morrigan sighed. “If she can manage to act like a proper mom five percent of the time she can pretend the other ninety-five percent don’t count. It’s always been that way.”

Inside her room, Morrigan picked out some clothes for the day, then turned to Noir and made a shooing gesture. He turned his head, then reversed his direction and walked out. Morrigan shut the door behind him and said, “Good boy.”

As she got changed she called through the door. “So we’re in the middle of nowhere. How am I supposed to go about reaping souls?”

“Do you know how to drive?”

“Nope.”

“Then I suppose I will have to teach you. The truck is around back.”

Morrigan paused halfway through changing her shirt and laughed. “You say that like it’s simple.”

“It should be. There is only one road that leads back into town. There is barely even a stop sign along the way. Then you can park the truck and continue on foot.”

“What if I get pulled over?” she asked, now dressed and looking in the mirror as she pulled the black hood over her head.

“I would say try not to. If you do, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

***

It was a warm summer morning when Morrigan stepped out of the cabin and approached the black pick-up truck. It was small and only had two seats. Getting a better look at it by daylight, she saw it was a Ford Ranger with the paint job dusty and dulled from age. It certainly fell short of the impeccable shape Death kept his classic in.

“Keys are on the dashboard,” Noir said as he walked alongside her. She opened the door, and he jumped in, promptly perching himself on the passenger seat, then looking back at Morrigan expectantly.

She hesitated for a moment before climbing into the driver’s seat. The interior of the truck was well-worn, with a stale smell of leather and dust. Her legs came a bit short of reaching the pedals, so she reached down and adjusted the seat, then picked up the keys from the dashboard. Turning to Noir, she asked, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

His tail flicked with amusement. “You’ll never know until you try. Besides, I’m here to guide you.”

Taking a deep breath, Morrigan inserted the key into the ignition and turned it. The truck roared to life, its engine a deep, rumbling purr. “Alright… so I put it into drive…”

“Don’t forget to adjust your mirrors first. You should be able to see clearly out the back window through the rearview mirror, and your side mirrors should barely be able to see the door handle in the corner.”

“Never thought a cat would be my driving instructor…” Morrigan smirked as she adjusted the mirrors as instructed.

“Now, hold your foot on the break as you put it in drive.”

She did as he said and fumbled with the lever alongside the steering wheel until she got the gauge to slide from P to D. When she pressed the accelerator, the truck jerked forward, and she quickly slammed the break again.

“Focus, Morrigan. This isn’t difficult.”

“Yeah, yeah, easy for you to say,” she spat and tried again.

This time, Morrigan eased onto the accelerator with more caution, and the truck began to move forward. She spun the wheel to turn the truck around in the large gravel driveway. Upon approaching the road she hit the break a little too hard and the truck lurched again.

“Don’t worry,” Noir consoled her. “You’ll get the feel for it. Do not treat the petals like buttons, and instead apply pressure smoothly.”

“Thanks…” she exhaled

After all the anxiety that came with being a reaper she thought something like this would be simple, but despite herself she still felt nervous as she looked both ways up and down the empty road. “Okay, here we go…” she said under her breath and pulled the car onto the roadway.

“Pick up your speed,” Noir said as she slowly crept along. “The speed limit is fifty on this road, so you should go at least that fast.”

The accelerator made her a bit nervous, but Morrigan gently pressed down on it, gradually increasing the truck’s speed. The landscape whizzed by as she reached the speed limit, the road stretching out before her in a long, curving line.

As she drove, Morrigan’s confidence only took a few minutes to grow. The initial awkwardness of handling the truck faded. The road was indeed quiet, with only the occasional vehicle passing by in the opposite direction.

Noir watched her with a calm, observant gaze. “Check your mirrors regularly, Morrigan, even if you think nothing is there. Remember, the key to driving is anticipation and awareness. Always be aware of your surroundings and plan your actions ahead of time.”

She glanced at Noir, who sat regally on the passenger seat, and despite herself, a smile cracked on her lips. The demonic cat instructed her with the same calm, slightly condescending demeanor he used when guiding her through reaping souls. It was all too absurd. Now she wished more than ever she could tell Emma the true story of where she’d been the last three days.

A chuckle escaped her, and as she failed to suppress it, it grew into full laughter.

“Focus, Morrigan! What is so funny?” Noir scolded her.

“Oh, nothing—hehe—nothing at all!” she said with a big smile and a roll of her eyes.