KILL ON SIGHT | dystopian

The Grim Reaper is no longer able to claim the lives of humans directly. Instead, when your time is up, a mark appears on your body and it’s the duty to kill that individual on sight. Many who get the mark hide it under their clothing or cover it up, but with the Reaper’s Purgers going around, the deaths in communities rose everyday.

It’s been nineteen days since my mark appeared. The mark on my left wrist felt like it burned against my skin, but I knew that wasn’t the case. It was the anxiety; the knowledge that my death could be around any corner.

The world I lived in was nothing out of the ordinary. I was born into the destruction and chaos. The past generations of my family worked closely with the Grim Reaper and enforced the guidelines to kill those with the death marks on their skin. But, now that my family was gone…

I shook my head to make the memory of that night go away, not wanting to see the empty eyes of my siblings and parents. I couldn’t dwell on that right now. All that mattered was surviving.

I walked passed the Black House, the stench of death being blown into my face by the crisp fall breeze. Inside were the horrors of the victims of the Reaper’s purgers. I covered my nose with my scarf, my stomach turning sour.

No, I’m not puking because of this. I’ve experienced worse and I wasn’t going to let my sensitive stomach make me feel this way.

I continued down the street, eyeing the people cowering behind their blinds and the homeless eyeing me like a piece of meat. No one trusted each other, and I didn’t blame them. Anyone could kill. All they needed was to see the black mark on someone’s skin and they could add another soul onto the Reaper’s list. Seeing these people stare in fear or intrigue to know if I had a marking made me pull on my sleeves more. I tried to make it subtle, but it seemed to catch the attention of a group of homeless people.

The man approached me, his eyes holding a bloodthirsty hunger in them. I stepped away, glancing around to see if anyone would help me. Instead, they all hid in their homes; in their rundown shops; behind the trash cans. No one was saving me if this homeless man decided to kill me.

He spoke in a sluggish manner, his chapped, blood-crusted lips asking something. I remained silent, not knowing what to say or respond with. I knew he wouldn’t understand me anyway even if I did reply. He wouldn’t know ASL, and I have no idea what he just said since he didn’t enunciate his words.

“…kill you.” Is all I got from reading his lips.

I shook my head, hoping to any god listening that that was the right response. He kept advancing and I was beginning to panic. I couldn’t die now. I made a promise to my parents I would survive.

In this moment, I searched his exposed skin for a black marking. He continued to speak to me and didn’t seem to notice that I was looking for the one thing he could be killed by.

Finally, I caught sight of it on his neck when he grabbed a hold of my arms and inspected me to find my mark. His was a marking in the shape of a line with three black dots on one end. I immediately knew what the symbol meant.

Impalement.

Without much thought except to survive, I pushed the man away from me and sprinted down the street. I threw a glance over my shoulder and saw him, along with two others, chasing me down. Their mouths were open and they tried throwing objects at me.

They were signaling the purgers of my presence, and I had minutes to get away.

I threw open the door to an old apartment building which was basically falling apart. I ran up the stairs, jumping over gaping holes or the remnants of decaying limbs. My lungs burned from the lack of oxygen and the cold air stinging them. I couldn’t let these people get me. I promised…I promised!

My hand found the heart-shaped locket which hung around my neck, the metal cold against my warm palm. I pictured what was inside it—my mother’s smiling face; my dad’s laugh caught in the picture; my older brother accidentally elbowing my oldest brother in the stomach when a bee got too close; my baby sister who was only two at the time.

Was this how I was going? Would I be killed before I could get to the B-sector which was located beyond the walls of this prison I called home?

In my distracted state, I didn’t see the giant hole where three stairs collapsed. My foot slipped and I fell, my body plummeting down the four stories I ran up. I reached out to grab onto the railing of one the stairs, my fingers curling around the splintered wood. It immediately broke and I landed on my right leg. Agonizing pain shot through it and a scream ripped itself from my throat as I fell back and tried moving my leg.

A gruff hand grabbed my hair and yanked my head back. I fought back, screaming and flailing to get away. The man who started this whole thing stepped in front of me and took off my scarf. He said something to his friends before tossing it aside. The one holding my hair grabbed my left wrist and pulled my sleeve down. A sadistic smirk spread across the chapped lips of the man in front of me as he pulled out a knife from his tattered jacket’s pocket. The blade gleamed in the dim light which shined through the dirty windows as he raised it above his head.

I wasn’t going down without a fight, even if I was injured.

I used my uninjured leg to kick his shin then swung my arm to take out the other man’s knees. I tried crawling away but the one I kicked stomped on my injured leg. Another scream came from me as tears streamed down my cheeks. Fear paralyzed me when the two men rolled me onto my back and the one with the knife got on top of me.

I couldn’t breathe as I sobbed uncontrollably beneath him. The cold metal of his knife ran across my cheek before he cut it.

“Please…” I rasped out, not knowing if it even sounded like a word. Tears and blood clouded my vision as I tried to get my arms unpinned.

Just as the man raised the knife, he was tackled off of me and was impaled by a splintered bannister. The masked newcomer pulled out a silenced pistol and shot the other man point blank in the head before turning his attention to me. My eyes widened as I scrambled away, my right leg burning with pain. He approached swiftly and I covered my head with my arms. I brought my left leg up to my chest to offer some sort of cover as I sobbed uncontrollably.

I felt his gloved hand grab my wrist to examine my mark. By this point, I was trembling and fearing for my life. What if this is a trick? A way to get me to trust him then kill me with whatever knife he chooses?!

When I felt him let go, I opened my eyes to see him grabbing wooden planks and my discarded scarf. He approached again, but this time he raised his hands to show he meant no harm. I couldn’t tell if he was speaking since his face was covered, but I remained silent as he knelt down and began to make a splint for my leg.

‘why?’ I signed to him, hoping he would get the idea of me being deaf. He seemed to get the motion since he removed his mask. A bearded face and blue eyes met mine as he began to sign back.

‘i help people like you. And if it makes you feel better, my name is Steven.’ he replied as he wrapped up my leg with my scarf and helped me stand. I looked at the impaled man, gulping and clutching my wrist to my chest.

Steven gestured for me to wrap my arm around his waist then helped me walk to the exit. He stopped in his tracks, eyes wide as he threw me over his shoulder and ran for a different exit. When he did that, my locket got caught on his jacket’s zipper and broke, the golden chain and locket falling into the rubble of the building. I struggled to get out of the man’s grip, but he kept running.

Soon, we were back on the streets and running passed the Black House. I looked up from laying my head on Steven's backpack and saw why we were running in the first place.

Purgers were behind us, and the worst part is that I recognized them.

Cal… I gazed at the soulless eyes of my older brother who was now under the reaper’s control. The two beside him were old friends of my father, Ian and Dallas. All of them were shouting and shooting at us. I covered my head with my arms and ducked the best I could.

Steven ran into another apartment building, slamming the door and blocking it with rubble. He ran up a few flights of stairs before entering another floor. That was when he set me down and leaned onto his knees to catch his breath.

‘they wanted you.’ He signed. ‘why?’

I shook my head, not wanting to explain the reason why since it was a long story. Steven scowled but dismissed the subject as he helped me walk down the hall to a room I assumed was his. He opened the door to his apartment and I stumbled around the door frame to get inside, only to be held back by him.

In front of us stood the Reaper himself, dressed in his pure white suit which contrasted deeply with his obsidian colored skin and hair. He sent me a spine-chilling smile as he beckoned us forward. Without much thought, the two of us walked forward.

“How nice to see you again, Eve. Where are those weapons plans?” His voice spoke to me in my head.

I shook my head, stumbling back into Steven. The man held me steady, my knee screaming at me.

“Where are they, Evelyn?” The Reaper demanded out loud.

Purgers came in from behind and ripped Steven away from me. I panicked as the Reaper approached him and looked at his mark on his collarbone. I couldn’t see what it was or hear what he said. But when all guns turned to me, my heart rate picked up. The Reaper grabbed my wrist and looked at my mark as well.

He scoffed at me, his amber eyes staring into mine for a moment before he patted my cut cheek. Steven’s lips moved as he shouted for me, but it was too late.

It was almost like slow motion. His obsidian blade was embedded in my chest and my body collapsed onto the ground. Steven was escorted out, and I was left to die alone in silence.

Soon, darkness began to surround me as my soul started to leave me.

No…I promised…I promised I would find a way to kill the Reaper…

I PROMISED! I screamed into the void. GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE!

Find Samael. My mother had said. Find him...

“Wake up, Evelyn.”

My eyes opened, my body shoot up from the bloody floor.

“Find Samael.” I spoke out loud, unable to hear my words. And I would find him. Even if I lose my soul trying…