Death is a Girl

Chapter 94 - Death March

“Thank you, Nyx,” Alice said. With a final caw, the voidling flapped its wings and took off from Alice’s forearm, vanishing back into the dark night sky. “Now, then…”

“Hang on! You can’t!” Morrigan quickly interjected, holding out a hand pleadingly. With Alice’s blade so close to Pepper’s throat, she didn’t dare make any sudden movements. Alice didn’t even need to cut deeply; a simple touch would be enough to end Pepper’s life.

“Oh?” Alice asked with a smirk that made Morrigan want to punch her. “And what exactly can’t I do?”

“You can’t reap her! It’s not time yet!”

“Oh, I’m sure it would be fine. It’s only a little over an hour early. I doubt whether I kill a little orphan girl here or across town will make much difference to fate.”

Morrigan clenched her fists, the cold amusement in Alice’s eyes fueling her anger. Why was she doing this? Just for some vendetta against Death? Why did Pepper have to suffer for that?

“Please…” Morrigan said slowly, thinking of the girl in the diary who had met such a horrible end. That girl was angry and hurt, but Morrigan didn’t think she was cruel. She certainly never imagined her like this. “Please just stop. You don’t have to do this.”

“Oh, but I do. She’s on my list.”

“But it’s too soon!” Morrigan insisted.

“Why do you care so much about when exactly it happens?” Alice’s head tilted slightly. “Whether it’s now or an hour from now, what’s the difference? Either way, this girl’s life ends tonight. Why don’t you go finish your list, and I’ll likewise finish my work here?”

Morrigan glanced at Noir, who sat there with his tail flicking, not moving a single whisker to help. “Please… please just stop. She’s only out here because I brought her.”

“Irrelevant. Her fate is decided,” said Alice.

“But it’s because of me! I brought her out here! She wouldn’t be marked to die tonight otherwise, so let her go home!”

“I see. So, are you saying you wish to alter her fate?” Alice shook her head, her scarred lips curving into a cruel smile. “Tsk, tsk, apprentice. Don’t you know that violates your duties? As a reaper, you’re meant to protect order.”

Morrigan’s eyes narrowed as she began to understand the game Alice was playing. Alice had revealed herself early so that Morrigan would have the opportunity to interfere, earning marks against her on whatever reaper report Alice was apparently filing. If Alice hadn’t clued her in about Pepper being on her list, Pepper would have likely died in a way Morrigan wasn’t prepared for. But now, Morrigan had a decision to make, and one of those choices—the one she wanted to make—would involve interfering with fate and providing Alice with all the evidence she needed.

“Uh… e-excuse me,” Pepper quietly chimed in. “Am I really supposed to die tonight?”

Alice’s predatory gaze shifted to the girl she had caged against the wall with her scythe. “Yes, and I’ll be sending you to the afterlife shortly.”

“Um… please… can I just…”

“My condolences, but unfortunately, there are rules,” Alice continued, her tone cold and impatient. “Think of us reapers as enforcers who ensure people die and their spirits pass on when they’re supposed to. Unfortunately, your friend Morrigan here hasn’t had the most stellar performance, and—”

Alice’s words cut off as Pepper suddenly started vehemently shaking her head in her usual fashion. Alice quickly moved the scythe to avoid Pepper accidentally shaking her head right into its blade. “That can’t be true!” Pepper exclaimed. “Morrigan’s good!”

“Hey, careful there,” Alice hissed at her.

Morrigan’s eyes narrowed further. Alice’s action at that moment confirmed a theory Morrigan had about why she was here now. Alice didn’t actually plan to reap Pepper early. This was all just one big show. If that were true, maybe… it was possible Alice was lying about it altogether.

“Quit fucking around,” Morrigan said. “Is Pepper even actually on your list?”

“Of course she is,” Alice replied dryly.

“Then show me! Don’t just have your voidling announce it. You could have told it to say anything!”

“Nyx doesn’t lie,” Alice said matter-of-factly.

“But you’re the one giving it orders,” Morrigan countered, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her. “If you’re so confident, show me the list. Prove that Pepper’s name is really there.”

Alice’s smirk faded slightly, her eyes narrowing as she regarded Morrigan. Finally, she sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said, with a dismissive wave of her hand that pulled the scythe away from Pepper entirely. “You want proof? Here.” She reached into the folds of her dark cloak and produced a small, leather-bound book. She flipped it open, her fingers deftly turning the pages as she held her scythe in the crook of her arm. When she found the page she was looking for, she held it out for Morrigan to see.

Morrigan stepped closer, wary of approaching the other reaper, but as she leaned in and scanned the page, her eyes soon found Pepper’s name written in elegant script. Next to it was the time and place of her death: 01:32 AM, 765 Airport Road.

Her heart sank. It was true.

But Morrigan noticed something else. Alice’s thumb was covering the very last part, and it clicked in Morrigan’s mind. Alice was hiding how Pepper would die. Nyx hadn’t revealed that part either, which was probably why Alice had her voidling announce it in the first place.

Morrigan tensed, quickly weighing the option of snatching the book. However, Alice snapped it closed and returned it to the folds of her cloak.

“There. Satisfied?” Alice asked, her tone dripping with condescension.

Morrigan bit her lip, trying to think of something—anything.

Pepper spoke first, her head lowering freely now that the scythe no longer threatened her, though the blindfold still covered her eyes. “Um… it’s okay, Morrigan. If I’m supposed to die, then I don’t mind.”

“But Pepper!”

“Um, just one thing, Miss Reaper,” Pepper continued, turning towards Alice. “Can I please see my sister first? Th-that’s not against the… rules… is it?”

“Juniper Hawthorne is a hollow,” Alice stated. “She died many years ago, and by now, little will remain of her. You’re likely hoping for some last words with her, but I assure you, it’s pointless.”

Pepper then spoke more confidently than Morrigan had ever heard from her. “I don’t care if it’s pointless! I still have to try! I want to at least know I tried, and… honestly… I think it’s only right that I die there with her.”

“Pepper?” Morrigan asked.

Her sightless gaze remained low. “That car accident killed my entire family, and I think it should have killed me too. I think that’s why my sister didn’t pass on. I think she didn’t want to leave me behind. She’s been waiting for me this whole time. So… if I’m going to die, I want to be with her, and we can pass on together.”

“No…” Morrigan uttered involuntarily, her voice barely above a whisper. She felt a sinking in the pit of her stomach. She knew fate couldn’t be argued with, especially not while Alice was assigned to reap Pepper’s spirit. But something still didn’t sit right with her about all of this. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was more to this.

She thought understood why Alice had shown up with no real intention of reaping Pepper early. It was a way to test her, or perhaps, with a less charitable read on Alice’s character, a way to mock Morrigan and watch her squirm.

But that wasn’t all… there was something else. Morrigan didn’t know what it was, but she felt that something wasn’t right.

“Fine,” Alice sighed. “Have it your way. If you want to shout some meaningless words at that monster before you both pass on, then so be it.”

“She’s not a monster!” Pepper shouted instantly. “She’s my sister! Sh-she was a good person, and she always protected me!”

Morrigan expected Alice to chuckle in response or mock the notion. Instead, she saw a somber expression on Alice’s face as she tossed her scythe away. “Like I said, have it your way. But I warned you.”

Then, as Alice turned to leave, Morrigan took a step after her. “Wait! Where are you going?”

“Oh, I won’t be far. I’ll let you two finish what you came out here to do; then I’ll be by to collect my client’s spirit at the appropriate time.”

“Hang on!” Morrigan yelled after her. “Why the hell did you show up early then?”

“Well, that’s simple.” Alice stopped, looking back just enough for Morrigan to see her smile and the one red eye glowing from under her hood. “I thought it’d be fun. Well, other than that, it will also make my job easy. If you try to alter your friend’s fate, then I’ll have all the evidence I need to close this case and have a successful first mission as an arbiter.”

“You’re the only monster here,” Morrigan spat.

“Of course. We’re all monsters. Now, I suggest you watch your mouth before you piss me off and I change my mind.”

“Screw you! This is somebody’s life, and you’re playing with it like it’s all some game! You have no right to be a reaper! Why the hell would they put someone like you in any position of authority?”

She felt the changeling bubbling across her back, it was a low simmer until this moment, but now it was beginning to react to what Morrigan really wanted: to attack this other reaper and beat the crap out of her. What she learned from the last demon she fought was that this is the feeling the changeling reacted to most. It was like a bloodlust—when it felt Morrigan preparing to fight with everything she had, it wanted to join in. But she tried to keep it down, holding herself back. If she let it get too agitated, it would start tearing into her, demanding to be free, and if she unleashed the seal, she would have no control over it.

“I swear, you’re going to pay for this!” Morrigan said.

“Morrigan, it’s okay. Really,” Pepper tried to console her.

“No, it’s not!”

Pepper shook her head. “I don’t really understand all of this, but like I said, it makes sense. If I die today and pass on with my sister, then I think that’ll be okay. I-I don’t want to die, and I know Juniper wouldn’t want this either, but… is it really true there’s no other way?”

“Yes,” Alice answered, looking away once again. “Now get going. If you’re not on Airport Road before the proper time, then I’ll reap you wherever you stand.” Then, leaving no more room for argument, Alice took a step forward and dissolved into the darkness of the night, a blur of movement along the shadows of a nearby building taking her away.

Morrigan’s hands were still shaking, but the changeling calmed down somewhat. “No…” she whispered. “This… this is my fault. I never should have brought you out here.”

Then Noir spoke. “Not necessarily. It is not a simple thing to assume what affects fate. It could be that she would have died at a similar time but in a completely different way. There is no need to blame yourself, Morrigan.”

“A-and, I’m the one who wanted to come,” Pepper said. “Seeing my sister one last time was my decision, and you respected my choice. So… don’t feel bad.”

Morrigan locked eyes with Noir. The black cat stared back at her, his face impossible to read, but something else was gnawing at her about this entire situation. Why would Alice be assigned to reap Pepper, and why now? It could be that Pepper’s fate had already been decided, but something else was peculiar, and now that she was staring at the voidling who had been her guide through many reapings over the summer, it hit her.

“Noir… why didn’t you try to stop me from taking Pepper?”

He only stared back.

She felt her anger boiling over once again. It was so obvious now. Normally, he would have tried to stop her, but he hadn’t said a word of complaint the entire night. “You knew! You—” Morrigan’s voice trembled, her fists clenched. “You knew all along, didn’t you? That she was going to die tonight?”

Noir’s unblinking gaze remained fixed on her, his tail flicking lazily behind him. “I am your guide, Morrigan, not your keeper. My role is to ensure you fulfill your duties as a reaper, not to interfere with fate.”

“Bullshit!” Morrigan snapped, her voice echoing down the empty alleyway. “You could have said something! You could have warned me before we even left!”

“No, I could not have. I am bound to my contracts. Having direct knowledge of a certain outcome limits my ability to interfere with it. Therefore—”

“You fucking asshole!” Morrigan screamed at him. “Normally, you would try to stop me and—”

“Enough!” Noir roared back, his unnatural shadows expanding in a pool around him momentarily. “The fact Pepper was on that list in the first place proves the alternative course of events you are currently grasping at would have ended the same way. Had I not known prior, I would have more strongly advised against it, and you would not have listened to me anyway, just as is typical for you. Then we would be exactly where we are now.”

“But you did know! That means you still could have done something!”

“No. I could not. Hypothetically, even if I had done something to prevent Pepper from coming tonight, that wouldn’t have guaranteed her safety. We’ve been through this before, have we not? As I told you early on, fate has its way. One way or another, fate has its way.”

She remembered the boy from her second day as a reaper, the one who was killed by the demon with the tombstone teeth. Indeed, that was one of the first lessons Noir had taught her—he explained that even preventing that boy’s death that day might not have saved him for long.

“What about Death? Where is he?” she asked quietly, finding it odd he hadn’t shown himself tonight. “Did he know this was going to happen too?”

Noir’s tail flicked, the shadows returning to him as his voice became more subdued. “I’m afraid so, but please don’t blame him. He likewise has no choice, but I know this situation pains him greatly. When Alice learned of Pepper’s impending doom, she saw it as an opportunity to test you. She likely had Nyx relay her idea to her superiors and requested that she be assigned to reap Pepper. Her position as an arbiter and Master’s position as your mentor meant that she had the authority to command him to limit contact with you until her investigation concluded.” His ears folded back. “Morrigan… Master is furious. He never thought Alice would take things this far, but there is nothing he can do. He must stand back and watch until this is done. But please understand, Pepper would die either way. It’s nobody’s fault—not even Alice is to blame for that truth, and neither are you.”

“No… it is my fault,” Morrigan said quietly. “Whatever else is attached to this whole thing, it comes back to that, doesn’t it? Even in an alternate timeline where Alice had nothing to do with this, I still would have insisted on bringing Pepper along, and her fate still would have been sealed. Is that right?”

“That is correct enough that I can not argue with it,” Noir confirmed. “But I would advise you not to blame yourself. Imagining alternate courses of events is a meaningless practice. Nobody can possibly determine the outcome of alternate events; it’s simply not the way of the world.”

“Morrigan,” Pepper spoke up. “I know this is going to be hard for you, but please don’t blame yourself. I’m grateful to you, I really am.”

“Grateful? But I—”

“You’re giving me a chance to see my sister one last time! And besides that, I know we haven’t known each other long, but you were a good friend to me. Now… I think we should go. I don’t know how much time we have, but I really do want to see my sister before it’s too late.”

“Pepper…” Morrigan felt tears stinging her eyes.

“Noir,” Pepper continued. “Can you go away now so I can take the blindfold off? I’ll finish guiding Morrigan to the right place, and… I guess I’d like to see what I can of the world while I still have a chance.”

“Very well,” Noir said, and in a moment, he disappeared into the shadows once again.

Pepper took off the blindfold and smiled at Morrigan as they made eye contact. It was a somber smile, with a depth in her eyes Morrigan couldn’t possibly understand. It communicated that she didn’t blame Morrigan, and she truly was grateful, even if Morrigan blamed herself. “Come on, let’s go,” the small girl said one last time, then moved ahead with a confidence that Morrigan imagined was rare for her.

Slowly, Morrigan followed, her mind racing, but something new was beginning to creep into her heart. She supposed it was acceptance, but she hated using that word to describe it. It was a cold, deep, and crippling thing that she wanted to deny. She wanted to refute it, because this just felt wrong. Everything about this felt so wrong, and she didn’t want to accept it. She wanted to fight against it and deny fate.

There has to be another way, she thought. There just has to be!

But for now, there was nothing she could do. She followed Pepper through the dark city streets. The fragile young girl, typically nervous and uncertain of herself, now moved with a sense of purpose. She was on death row, knowing she was marching toward her execution, but she did it with grace, and Morrigan couldn’t help but admire her for it.

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