Have you read Red Reaper Part Four - Envy?
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Sloth
Noun
- Reluctance to work or make an effort.
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She’d lost track of how long she’d been staring at the ceiling. It had been too long though because her mouth was feeling sticky, and her head was starting to spin. She needed another drink. Stretching awkwardly, she just managed to grab the neck of the wine bottle lying next to her. She tipped it upside down, not caring if wine went all over her. Luckily, or unluckily, there was none left. With a huff she rolled the bottle off the bed. It clinked as it hit the other bottles littering her bedroom floor.
As she continued to stare at the ceiling, contemplating whether she was going to make an effort to get another bottle of wine, she heard footsteps down the hall. They stopped outside her room. Tap, tap, tap.
“Kyle?” Claire’s voice called through the door.
Guilt churned in her stomach. The others had been good to let her stay, and she knew she was taking the piss, but she was reluctant to leave her room for anything other than wine and cheese. Truth was, she was hiding. She couldn’t let herself think about- No! Stop. Images of a crushed and bloody body, a hunched figure howling, a desperate tear-stained face, flashed across her mind. Damn, it definitely had been too long since her last drink.
“Yes,” she called half-heartedly, pushing herself up onto an elbow and blowing a stray piece of black hair from her face.
The door opened a crack, and a pretty blonde poked her head around the door. Her eyes immediately went to the bottles on the floor. Kyle’s eyes followed Claire’s gaze. Crap, there had to be like twenty bottles down there.
Claire turned her bright hazel eyes back to Kyle. “Do you, er, need anything?” she asked.
“Don’t s’pose you got wine?” Kyle slurred. A hiccup shook her.
Claire’s face stretched into a mischievous grin. “We’re going full glutton, are we?”
“Guilty,” Kyle smiled with another hiccup.
Giving Kyle a salute, Claire disappeared, closing the door with a click. The smile dropped off Kyle’s face as she flopped back into the soft blankets to resume staring at the ceiling. Who knew death would feel this crappy? And she’d only been dead a few days. She wanted to go home so badly. She wished she could see her sister and Piglet again.
“Someone said more wine?” Flynn shouted, opening her bedroom door with a bang. “I didn’t know if you wanted chardonnay, rosé, or pinot noir, so I brought them all.” She heard the bottles clink on the side table, but didn’t move. Flynn’s footsteps came around the side of the bed. “I also bought you a new friend, a plushie Grim!” As he sat down next to her the bed shifted, rolling her to the side so a tear slid down her temple. “Kyle? Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, concern creasing his brow.
She turned her head away. She’d managed to avoid Flynn since her embarrassing breakdown two days ago. Well, it hadn’t been hard, he’d been rostered to help set up the bar for this weekend’s Induction Dinner. She didn’t want him to see her like this.
A soft hand gently stroked the hair from her face. “Kyle, tell me what’s going on. Is this about-“
“No!” She wasn’t going to think about it. His hand jerked away at her shout. She squeezed her eyes shut. He’s just trying to help. She took a deep breath, turned her head back to him and opened her eyes. His brows were pulled upwards in the middle, his blue eyes pinning hers. “I… I miss my family,” she said finally.
He gave her a small smile. “I know what that’s like. Do you wanna talk about it?”
She took a shaky breath, pushing the urge to cry deep down inside her.
“Over a bottle of rosé?” he tempted.
She gave him a small smile. He smiled back, jumping up and grabbing the bottle from the side table as she pushed herself up. He sat cross legged opposite her, unscrewed the wine, and handed her the bottle. She took a swig. Warmth bloomed through her as the alcohol slid down her throat.
She took another swig, a deep breath, and handed the bottle to Flynn who lifted it to his lips. “I miss them so much. I lived with my sister Jordan. I’ve also got two older brothers, Morgan and Shannon.” A different warmth from the wine’s bloomed through her as she said their names. “I’m the youngest by ten years but it didn’t matter, they were always there for me. Especially…” she paused to swallow. Flynn passed her the bottle, and she took another swig. “Especially when my parents split up. It was ugly. Jordan took me with her when she moved out. I was eight.” She took a deep breath. “I wonder what they’re doing up there. And Piglet. I’d do anything for one last cuddle with that fluffy pain in the ass. They must be so upset that I’m dead.”
She felt her stomach clench as tears tried to push their way into her eyes. She took another swig of wine, passed the bottle back and buried her face in her hands.
“My brother was my best friend,” Flynn said after a pause. She heard him swig from the bottle again. “He’s a couple years older than me. We did everything together.”
She swallowed and looked up. Her heart clenched when she saw the silver lining Flynn’s eyes. “Do you ever wonder what he’s doing up there?” she asked.
Flynn gave her a sad smile. “We were together when we died.”
Her eyes widened. “So, he’s in the Grim city with us?! Why doesn’t he live with you?”
His face fell. “He’s not here. He’s… he’s not a Grim.” A single tear slid down his cheek.
If he wasn’t here, then where in Hell was he? She really wanted to know but Flynn looked so upset. Instead, she shuffled next to him, grabbed the now empty wine bottle and threw it on the floor where it clinked against the others. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. He placed his head on her shoulder. His vanilla and wine scent surrounded her.
What was the point in all this? She was so reluctant to work or make an effort. Why not just give up? Why not just stay in this room, drinking wine and staring at the ceiling?
They sat holding each other for a long time. Slowly their bodies relaxed into each other. She let out a shuddering breath. Flynn’s hand gently trailed down her spine, leaving a tingle along her skin in its wake. She pressed her face harder into his neck and breathed deeply. He ran his hand down her back again. God it felt so good when he touched her.
After a while Flynn pulled away and looked at her. “But that’s not what this is really about, is it?”
Yes, and no. Maybe she should get it out. Maybe, just maybe, she could talk to him about it. Maybe it would help. She took a deep breath. “It was awful up there, Flynn,” she said, tears threatening to escape. “There was an-“
Gasping, she clawed at her throat. It had closed.
“Kyle!” Flynn shouted, eyes going wide as he reached for her.
Just as quickly as it happened, it was over. “What the hell was that?” Kyle gasped, massaging her throat.
Flynn looked at the wine bottles on the floor, confused. “Did you have an allergic reaction?”
“I don’t think so.” Holding her throat, Kyle tried again. “We went through the tunnels and at the end was a door. It led into-“ She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Flynn cocked his head, raising an eyebrow. “Er, maybe it’s Satan’s Will and you can’t speak about what happened up there?”
She huffed out an angry breath. “Maybe. Wouldn’t you know about this kind of thing?”
He shrugged, running his long fingers through his black and white hair. “I don’t know any other Reapers. They mostly keep to themselves. Taylor didn’t explain this to you?” Flynn asked.
Bloody Jett. “No, he barely explained anything, the prick,” she said through her clenched jaw. “I’ve had enough of his shit, I’m going to get some answers out of him.” Anger pulsed through her, propelling her off the bed. She marched to the wardrobe and started rummaging. Vicki had supplied her with a few outfits from her latest trade.
Flynn watched her nervously. “Be careful Kyle, he’s… dangerous.”
“What’s he gonna do?” Kyle scoffed over her shoulder. “Kill me?”
Flynn flinched. “Well, I suppose not. He’s got a serious temper though.”
“A temper? No way,” she said, picking up a pair of sneakers to inspect them. “I can barely get two words out of him. He wouldn’t be able to string enough words together to have an argument.” She placed the shoes back on the rack, changing her mind.
Flynn looked at her uncertainly.
“Oh stop worrying about me,” she said, grabbing a red dress, fishnet stockings, and chunky boots from the wardrobe.
“Of course I’m going to worry about you, Kyle,” he said.
Her heart squeezed. She smiled at him. “What would I do without you?”
“Get into a whole load of trouble probably,” he smiled back.
She laughed. “Good luck trying to keep me out of trouble. Jordan’s tried to all my life and look where I ended up.”
He laughed as he jumped off her bed and opened her door. “Fill me in when you get back?”
“Of course,” she smiled.
He slid out the door and pulled it softly closed behind him.
The smile slid off her face again. She scrubbed a hand over her weary face. What if Jett was the only person Satan’s Will would let her talk about it with? She cringed. She’d rather deal with it alone. Actually, she’d probably have no choice since Jett barely said more than was necessary to her.
Jordan and Piglet would have listened to her. They always did. Her throat tightened as her eyes blurred. She wanted to go home, she wanted to see them so badly. A warm tear trickled down her cheek. She’d been Above, she’d been so close, and Jett had shut the door in her face. The hollowness in her chest flared as she thought of it. It filled her, searing hot, burning for release. She’d never felt such overwhelming anger in her life.
It was time she gave that asshole a piece of her mind.
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Read Red Reaper Part Six - Death, out 11 May!