Reaper By Night

She never knew what to expect when night fell. Some evenings brought a simple letter written in blood-red ink on parchment—well, she hoped it was ink. Other times, he would materialize on her doorstep like a ghostly apparition, his silent presence daunting. Today, he appeared out of thin air in her kitchen while she was unpacking groceries. Startled, she let out a squeak, dropping the carton of eggs, which shattered on the tiled floor. “Really? Breaking and entering now? Can’t I have any privacy?” Frustrated, she ran her fingers through her hair, pulling out loose brown strands tangled in her fingers. “I still have an hour until nightfall!”

He seemed unperturbed, as he always was. Standing in the center of the room, hands in his pockets, he scanned the surroundings. His dark hair was impeccably groomed, his suit perfectly tailored (probably worth more than her entire apartment), and his expression void of emotion. Yet, his mere presence made her uneasy, her anxiety mounting. Grym, the Grim Reaper himself—her new boss.

Of course, she wasn’t too keen on admitting this to anyone. To the rest of the world, she was the same Geni she had always been. Genevieve Cole, a twenty-six-year-old struggling to make ends meet as a server and hostess at the local diner. She didn’t need much; she cherished her quiet life, her small group of friends, and her evening classes at the nearby college. Yes, she was stuck in a routine, but she was gradually figuring things out, finding her path. But, working for the Grim Reaper? That had never been on her list of aspirations.

“Well, I need you to start early today. We have a case,” he gruffly declared, as he always did. His voice carried a ruggedness, as if he weren’t accustomed to speaking and had to struggle to remember the right sounds. Deep, gruff, and accompanied by an exotic accent that seemed to predate the modern world. Emotionless, almost robotic. “Finish up quickly so we can leave.”

No pleasantries, no inquiry about her availability. He simply popped into her home and demanded that she start her night duties an hour early. “We need to establish boundaries, Grym. Don’t you have any other unsuspecting minions working for you?” She turned her back on him, stepping over the mess of eggs to grab a few paper towels from the counter. “I can’t just hurry around here. I haven’t even had dinner yet. You promised my duties wouldn’t begin before nightfall.” Tearing off a few sheets, she reached for the cord of the window blinds above the sink, yanking it to raise them. “Look, it’s still daylight outside!” Turning back toward him, she noticed his gaze briefly shifting to the sky, which was starting to display hues of the setting sun.

She waited for his response, knowing he must have one—he always did. But she needed to clean up the broken eggs first, setting the carton upright and tossing the cracked ones into the trash, salvaging the few remaining eggs. Less than half a carton left, and her next payday was still a week away... which meant cereal and milk for most mornings until then. Just perfect. “Yes, but I need you to start early today. And it was understood that your hours were subject to change based on the demands of the job. I don’t control when restless spirits act up.” Her head snapped up, surprised by the slightly annoyed tone. She had grown accustomed to his gruff, monotone way of speaking over the past month.

“Well, you’ll have to wait until I’m done here,” Geni retorted, sighing and motioning towards the small table and chairs against the far wall of the kitchen. “You might as well take a seat. I need to finish cleaning up this mess.” And she had to figure out what she could grab to eat along the way; she didn’t think he would be forgiving enough to allow her a proper meal.

Grym slowly sat down, eyeing the table cautiously as if it might bite him. He crossed one leg over the other and folded his arms, appearing uncomfortable and rigid, sitting bolt upright in the chair. His attention returned to her, and Geni couldn’t help but tighten her jaw slightly as she turned away from him once again, placing the egg carton in the fridge before returning to wipe away the splattered eggs from the floor. It was a quick cleanup, but she still felt as though she were being timed by the insufferable man. She had heard stories from her friends about overbearing bosses, but she was certain that none of them could hold a candle to Grym.

Finally, she finished putting away her groceries before grabbing a burrito from the freezer. “Let me just heat this up, and I can eat on the way.” Her words seemed to appease him as he nodded, rising to his feet and turning toward the front door.

“Good. We’ve wasted enough time already. We have three spirits that have escaped from Abaddon.” Her head shot up in surprise. Their usual cases involved souls trying to avoid the afterlife, and he nodded, noticing he had captured her attention. “Yes... I am most displeased by the events that led to their escape.” There was a story there, even Geni could sense it. The tightness of his jaw, the hardening of his eyes. As subtle as it was, it was emotion, something Grym had never shown around her before.

“Okay... so?” Her voice trailed off, slowly sounding out each vowel. “What does that mean for this job? What do escaped spirits do? Are they dangerous? I know the souls we usually go after aren’t too dangerous, but-”

“They’re all dangerous, Genevieve. You’ve had less challenging assignments, but never forget that all spirits pose a threat.” His voice took on a sharper, clearer tone, causing her to jump. With just one glance at him, it was impossible to ignore the fact that he was the Grim Reaper. The shadows seemed to writhe around him, his eyes flashing darkly. She slowly nodded, earning a slight relaxation in his stance. “Normally, I wouldn’t assign you to the more difficult tasks until you’ve had more training. However, time is of the essence. One of the spirits has a talent for possession, and if the wrong person, someone affiliated with Abaddon, were to be possessed... I assume you understand the grave concern for the Dayworld?”

The term “Dayworld” still bothered her. It served as a reminder that things were truly different after dark. Monsters really did go bump in the night. Ghouls, demons, vampires, and ghosts... and she was working for the Grim Reaper. All because of a drunken conversation and her agreement to help him with something she had initially thought was about catching a misbehaving animal. Now, a month later, she was going after escaped spirits from the underworld.

“I’m sure you’ll fill me in,” Grym glanced at her again, and she noticed that the emotional display was almost completely void once more. His expression remained impassive, his gaze piercing and unyielding. She always felt like an ant under a magnifying glass when he looked at her that way. “Okay, so what do you recommend we do first then? Do you know their whereabouts? What prompted their escape? What might they be trying to accomplish? How did they even manage to escape?”

That look, she noticed, had returned, startling her. “They had assistance,” he hissed the words low, and Geni couldn’t help but blink in confusion. “It appears... I have some disloyal ‘minions,’ as you so eloquently put it.”

She wasn’t sure if it was the ding of the air fryer or his revelation that made her jump, but she welcomed the distraction as she tried to gather her thoughts to inquire about the situation. “Are... some of the Reapers working for someone else? Or?” She wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to ask; her knowledge of this nighttime realm was still limited. But she had a sense that he was hinting at something grave.

His hand rested on her shoulder, and she let go of the burrito, allowing it to fall back into the fryer basket as he spun her around. “I don’t know,” he admitted, his face contorting into a deep frown that furrowed his brows. “But something is seriously wrong within my organization. That’s why I’m personally handling this situation and why I’m calling upon your assistance. You’re my only reaper from the Dayworld.” Confusion filled her expression, prompting him to provide further explanation. “Whoever is working against me, you’re the only Reaper they wouldn’t know about or be able to reach. Right now, you’re the only one I can trust.”

Well, wasn’t that something special. “Does that mean I can expect a raise?” The question slipped out before she could stop herself, catching him off guard. For a moment, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth formed a brief, crooked smile. Geni realized that if he weren’t utterly terrifying, he could be considered attractive in a tall, dark, and dangerous way. However, the fact that he was the Grim Reaper was a definite dealbreaker. “Sorry, back to the matter at hand... Why do I have a feeling that this situation is more serious than just a few escaped spirits?”

He nodded approvingly at her question. “Because it is... Someone is stirring up trouble in the underworld. Based on whispers I’ve heard on the streets, their objective seems to be claiming the Dayworld for themselves. These spirits may be just the beginning, paving the way for our emergence from the darkness.”

Genevieve found that sentence to be the most terrifying thing she had ever heard. With an urgent nod, she couldn’t help but agree that they needed to swiftly capture these spirits. And while they were at it... there was a much larger puzzle to unravel. Who was behind all of this? And what else was Grym not telling her? Throughout his explanation, he hadn’t once looked directly at her. It meant that something far more serious was at play.