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Chapter 49
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2021-04-15 23:31:51Ru arrived at school early the next morning having never gone back to sleep after she awoke at 4:30 in the morning. There had been no blue orbs, nothing unusual about the electricity or lights, but she did feel overwhelmed, as if she had actually spoken to Nat, which she supposed, if what Cutter had told her was accurate, she had. And now she was left wondering whether good guys always wore white, and bad guys always wore black, or if things were never that simple.
She was sitting behind her desk grading some papers when she heard a small knock on her open door and looked up to see Cutter standing there. “Good morning,” he said, once he had her attention. “Do you have a minute?”
“Sure,” she replied, setting down her pen and turning to face him. He was dressed in khakis and a red button-down shirt beneath a light brown sport coat. He looked handsome, as always, if not a little more tired than usual. Sh
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Ivy wandered through a dream full of creepy clowns, feeling her way through on residual emotion only. She knew a Reaper had gone this way, had sensed him, but she wasn’t exactly sure which way he’d gone. It was like stalking a wild animal, and while they could be unpredictable, one of her talents was tracking, and Ivy had a feeling she was closing in on this one.As she neared the edge of reality, she made another leap, fairly certain this one would do the trick, and found herself standing in a bedroom. Across the room, near the door, a tall shadow filled the expanse, reaching almost to the ceiling fan. He was dressed all in black and carried his scythe, clearly here on a mission. A young man slept in the bed between them.The second he realized she was there, his eyes grew large. Ivy recognized him even with his hood up, but when he pushed it back to gain a better look at her, she saw the jagged scar that marked his right c
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Cutter lay wide awake in bed, even though it was well past midnight, and he knew he’d need plenty of rest for school the next day. Being a teacher was taking a toll on him, and he was seriously considering finding his own replacement and bowing out before he even secured Ru. Now that he knew where she was, it seemed logical to do so, but that would mean he wouldn’t get to see her every day, and he wasn’t willing to give that up, not yet at least.. Perhaps if she revealed she was in a relationship with this grocery store guy, he’d rethink it.She was the one keeping him up now, anyway. Try as he might, he just couldn’t seem to get her out of his mind. The idea that she would rather spend her time with some guy who’d picked her up in the produce section, or wherever, made him nauseated.The sound of footsteps in the hall gained his attention. It sounded like at least one of the girls was back from their
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The warmth from Kyle’s hand radiated throughout her entire body, sending little shock waves and tingles that enveloped her. Even though she’d only known him a week and usually didn’t have so much trouble controlling her own emotions, as Ru sat in the passenger seat of his BMW, she couldn’t keep her mind from wondering what it might feel like if those hands were placed elsewhere.She’d sat through an entire movie and had no idea what the plot was about and probably wouldn’t have even noticed it was over if the lights hadn’t come up. So absorbed was she with the man who sat next to her, she couldn’t even remember who the lead actors were, and for her, that was saying something. Normally, she was very engrossed in any movie she watched, regardless of genre. She thought this one had been some sort of an action movie, but she couldn’t remember a single chase scene.Dinner had been another
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“You’re awfully quiet,” Lyric surmised as she drove Cutter’s truck toward Angel Grove. “You haven’t said more than a couple of words since you got in.”Pulling her eyes off of the trees in the distance, which littered the ground with the fleeting remains of what had once been autumn revelry, Ru said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I was just thinking about… something.” It had been so hard for her to get Kyle off of her mind. Even though she’d spoken to him just a few hours ago, she wanted to see him again. Instead, she was being hurried off to a meeting at a place that gave her the heebie-jeebies with a group of people she was pretty sure might be certifiably insane.“It’s okay,” Lyric shrugged. “I don’t mind just listening to the music. I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”One of Ru’s favorite songs, “Revelations” by Audioslave, was playing
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The welcoming committee met them on the porch. Rider and Cutter were both out the door before they even reached the steps. “Hey, there!” Rider called. “Long time no see.” He spread his arms, and Ru dutifully stepped into a hug, not exactly sure why they would normally be so friendly. They’d only met each other once. Of course, in his mind, she was the Holy Grail.“Nice to see you,” she said as he released her.Cutter was not quite as enthusiastic, timidly hanging back a bit. “Hi, Ru,” he said, a cautious smile on his face. He didn’t hug her, but he did pat her on the shoulder. “Doin’ all right?”“Just great,” she said, trying to be as friendly as possible.“That’s good to hear.” He walked alongside her until they reached the door and then he pushed it open for her to go through before allowing Lyric in and following, Rider in the rear. “Ivy is
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Dinner was punctuated with lively conversation, mostly from Rider with the rest of them finding a way to add a word or two when he paused to shovel lasagna into his mouth. Ivy really was an excellent cook, and Ru finished the entire piece she’d been given, despite the fact that it was pretty large. She also had a couple of pieces of Cutter’s exceptionally buttered garlic bread.“I made tiramisu for dessert!” Ivy called, a large smile on her face.“That sounds delicious,” Ru said, setting her napkin aside, “but I might have to wait a while. I don’t think I have anywhere to put it.”“Why don’t we go chat for a little while, and then we’ll see about dessert?” Cutter offered.Ru wasn’t sure who “we” was, but she knew she wasn’t going to be able to eat one more bite, so she nodded. He stood, and so did she, following him out of the room. When no one else got u
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Ru inhaled deeply. It was easy to forget all of this when she was at school or at her own home. When she’d been with Kyle, she didn’t even think about being a Keeper or fighting to save souls. Talking to Thanatos had confused her, and Cutter’s explanations weren’t helping any. She ran a hand through her hair, wondering if any of it would ever make sense.“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Cutter said, quietly. “Maybe that’s enough for now. But Ru… Nat still has his eyes on you. He’s not done, and he won’t be until he gets what he wants. I know you’re hoping this will all go away, but I’m sad to say that it won’t. And not only have they been hunting you this whole time, they’re hunting her, too. Sera’s been in hiding for many years. Who knows how much longer she can stay hidden.”“How have I stayed hidden for so long?” Ru asked, turning to meet his eyes.
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Most of the way back to her house, they were silent. Ru had no idea what to say to him, and he seemed to be giving her some space. Once they reached town, Cutter said, “I hope we didn’t overwhelm you.”Ru guffawed. “How could you avoid it? There’s so much to think about.”“I know. And I wish we had more time to feed it to you slowly. But the Reapers are even more agitated now that we’ve taken Zu. We’ll likely all go out tonight to try to see if we can capture any more of them.”“How many do you think there are in the area?” Ru asked, assuming they needed to be close by in order for the Keepers to track them.“We’re not sure, but usually Nat has at least a couple dozen with him. Sometimes more.”Ru was surprised. “Why aren’t there more dead then?”Even in the dim light, she could see him shrug. “He’s had them searching for y
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Reaper's Hollow Chapter 158: Epilogue
One year later… “All right, boys and girls. That is enough for today. We will pick up with Ramona’s story tomorrow afternoon. For now, go ahead and get your backpacks on, and let’s line up at the door.” Groans filled the air as twenty-two fourth graders followed their teacher’s directions despite wanting to hear what happened next in the story. They stood and walked to the cubbies where their backpacks were hung and politely took turns getting their belongings before making an orderly line at the door. Ru took a deep breath and looked lovingly at her students. Even though she’d made the same prediction every year since she started teaching, she had had a feeling about this group of kids from the very beginning. And she was right. They were the best group of fourth graders she’d ever taught. The bell rang and she wished them all a good weekend, gathering up the four students who went to daycare and walking with th
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“I need to face him,” Cutter said. “And you need to get to the portal.” Ru craned her neck around the tree. While there were still some Reapers near the entryway, for the most part, the Keepers were able to set up a perimeter around the portal. If she was going to go, now was the time. “Okay. Be careful,” she said. Realizing that Cutter was about to take on one of her assignments made Ru feel uncomfortable, particularly since she knew what the end result would be, and despite the bargain she’d almost just made with the devil, she still didn’t want to see Nat destroyed. But she had to push those thoughts out of her head. She quickly kissed Cutter’s cheek and scurried off to the next tree closest to the portal. Nat saw her now, and he began to move in her direction, using his scythe to cut down an attacking Keeper as if he were nothing. Ru swallowed hard and steeled herself, looking for the next place to hide. If she used her powers on Nat, there was a chance she would
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 156
A Reaper stepped through the portal opening. Tall, with ebony hair, he wore the long black cloak she expected to see, a scythe in his hand. The man quickly ran to the left of the portal, and then another Reaper appeared on his heels. Dressed identically, with the same weapon, he ran to the right. Then, another sprang forth, and another. Ru watched, her eyes wide as the Reapers continued to pour out of the portal, as if Hell had spilled an inkwell and the thick, black substance was covering the entire earth. “Holy Hell.” It was hard to pull her eyes off of the sight, but she turned to see Cutter standing next to her. “We’ll never be able to take all of them.” It was Ivy, and Ru glimpsed a look of defeat on her face as she came to a stop behind Cutter. “We have to try,” he said. Ru could see the resolve in his face and noticed his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Ivy and I will hold them off while you concentrate on the portal.” There ha
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The demons were up again, too, and the battles picked up where they had left off. Everyone else was engaged, which left Ru to face this Goliath all by herself. “Kill it! Kill it!” Rider shouted at her as streaks of blue wrapped around the snake’s midsection. He seemed to be closing in on his prey, and Ru tried not to let the sight distract her. He was right. It would be best to take out the giant before he was fully formed. With a deep breath, Ru drew upon all of the strength she had inside of her and aimed her blue light at the giant. It was difficult to figure out where to aim since he was only out of the portal up to his shins. Still, she hoped it would be enough. Perhaps it was because of his size, but she felt the need to shout even louder this time as she recited the incantation almost word for word along with Rider who was also sending the snake into oblivion. “Infernus et perdere faciam te in nomine Domini!” This time, Ru didn’t feel as confi
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There it was, right in front of her, the portal. The final one. And all she had to do was raise her hands and say the incantation. All of this would be over. If Thanatos wasn’t here, she couldn’t kill him. Surely, Raphael would understand that. She’d just close the portal and sneak away, leaving that confrontation for another day. Except she knew it wasn’t that easy. Just because she didn’t see him didn’t mean he wasn’t there. And even before she could raise her hands, the pull from inside of her became overwhelming, causing Ru to double over. The air between the edges of the portal continued to ripple and wave, and Ru recognized the sensation from both of the previous portals. Something was coming. She looked at Cutter and for the first time she could remember, she saw fear in his eyes. “They’re coming,” she whispered. He opened his mouth to say something, but before anything came out, a rush of heat shot out of the portal opening. Both of them instinctively
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 153
“Well, that doesn’t even make sense.” Lyric rolled her eyes. “If you’re in charge, then why do you have to do what someone else told you?” Flint launched into a defense of his decision, but Ru shouted over him. “Flint! Look, the reason their numbers were so low at the beginning of the battle is obvious, isn’t it? It’s not because this portal doesn’t mean anything to them—it’s because it means everything to them. They’re not on the battlefield yet. They will come through the portal!” She had him by the shoulders, which caused him to jump backward, shaking himself free, and once Ru finished her statement she took a step back as well. “What? No,” Flint argued. “They’re not going to send them through the portal. That would be suicide. They’d have to come through a small opening into enemy controlled territory.” “Yeah, into a stream of five whole enemy fighters who cannot possibly hold them all off,” Rider reminded him. “You have to close in behind us.” Ru
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Aokigahara sprawled in front of her like the untamed wild it was, trees encroaching into the neighboring farmlands and open spaces as if the forest insisted on reclaiming what used to be hers. From this direction, it was difficult to tell where the forest began and civilization ended, though Ru thought for certain she’d know when she crossed the line. She stifled a yawn and kept moving forward, one boot at a time, toward what might be her very last mission, if she had her way. Though she had fallen asleep for a few hours, for the most part, she’d gotten her wish and was able to stay up most of the night, with Cutter’s help, and the activity he’d chosen to occupy her certainly didn’t make her feel less worn out. The few hours she had spent in oblivion had been dreamless, as far as she knew. At least, if there had been dreams, they had been unmemorable. Her friends surrounded her as they made their way into the forest. Cutter was in front of her, Rider b
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 151
Navigating airports was hard enough for Ru when she was in countries where most everyone spoke English. Flying to Japan would’ve been completely overwhelming if Ivy wasn’t fluent in Japanese and Mandarin, especially when they had to switch planes in Shanghai. Luckily, the gentle-natured Keeper had managed to keep all of them in line and they’d made their way to Shizuoka Airport with little incident, though Rider complained about the lack of legroom on the commuter jet nearly the whole flight. Thank goodness for headphones, Ru had thought to herself. The entire van ride from the airport to their hotel, a place Ru hadn’t even attempted to try to pronounce for fear she’d embarrass herself, her eyes were glued out the window. From the buildings, to the natural surroundings off in the distance, to the smiling faces of those they passed along the streets, Ru was fascinated. By the looks she was getting, so were the people staring back at her. Five tall blondes with blue e
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 150
Cutter squeezed her leg, and Ru realized it must be apparent she wasn’t paying attention. She tuned back in to hear Sky say, “Now, the team we are meant to protect so that they can get in and close the portal will be given the code name Alfred. This will allow us to be briefer in our communications about the team.” Sky continued to talk, and she knew it was important that she listen, since Ru would be involved in whatever the blue-haired Keeper was discussing presently, but curiosity got the better of her. “Why Alfred?” she whispered to Cutter. Without turning his head, he replied, “Alfred Nobel.” “Huh?” Ru was still confused. “The inventor of dynamite.” “Oh.” Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to Sky, who was giving her the same look Ru might give a student who wasn’t paying attention. Ru swallowed hard and made herself concentrate. “Alfred will be dispatched from here, a break in the forest away from the typical entrance
