Chapter Fourteen: Death

Holly followed Death but as they traveled their surroundings blurred around them. Holly stopped but was tugged along by his grip on her. "What is this?" she whispered. Every step was taking them away from her friends, the only ones who might be able to save her from this awful choice of hers.

"You didn't think that I lived in that old shack, did you? I live wherever I want, and right now I'm taking you straight to my throne so we can talk." Death smirked. "I hope you don't give me what I want though, it's more fun when I hear screams and begs."

"Throne?" Holly frowned. "I don't understand. Why would you have a throne? You're one of the four horsemen," she looked around. "Without a horse."

"Nah, I've got a ride but have no reason to pull my baby out right now. You came to me willingly enough, so I let that escort of yours live. If you had denied me, you'd be drenched in his blood right now."

Holly swallowed. "I don't understand any of this."

"I don't care if you do or not. All I care about is getting what I deserve. You have power, I want it. You're going to give it to me," he replied with another shrug before their surroundings turned black.

Dark rocks were scattered everywhere and standing in the middle of it all was a throne made of bone-white fragments. "Yes, it's made of people that annoyed me," he answered with a smirk. "I'll add your bones to it if you even irritate me."

"I don't have any power. I mean I might, but we haven't been able to discover it. I might as well be powerless." Holly swallowed as she looked away. "I'm sorry."

Death dropped her hand as if she had turned into filth. "Sorry?" he parroted as he smirked at her. "Sorry?" he shook his head. "I don't take sorry. Have a seat, we're going to have a little chat. If you still think you can get away with a sorry after, I'll break every bone in your hand." he grinned. "Sound fun?"

Holly bit back a retort. It wouldn't do to make this guy upset at her, at least until she figured out if all of his talk was just to scare her, or if he was indeed as dangerous as he seemed. "I just don't think I can help you."

"Here's the thing, your soul as it is, is like catnip to demons, gods, devils, etc. You burn as bright as a sun. That's why it was so easy for my underlings to track you down. That and the fact you're the only human alive in this place. You've got two choices."

He grabbed her arm again and went to his throne, taking a seat and forcing her to sit on his lap as he stared down at her.

"I can sit on the ground," Holly whispered. Despite just ordinary brown eyes, she couldn't bring herself to stare into them for any length of time.

"You will stay where you're at," Death replied. "Now, tell me you want to hear your choices, Holly," he demanded.

She shivered at the timbre in his voice. She would normally have been weak for the biker types, but he had a bit too much of the danger in him for her to attract. "I want to hear my choices," she whispered. There was a stifling cloud around her, she knew denying him would be the wrong move.

"Good, I was worried you might try to fight me." He smiled at her, and for once she didn't take it as one of where he wanted to devour her. "Your soul is too bright, I can either put it out now and end all this, or you can willingly taint it."

"My choices are to die, or let this soul go dark?" she whispered. Hearing that made her stomach cramp as nausea swelled over her.

"Go dark? That's a bit too nice of a way to say what's going to happen. I'm going to take all the power out of you." He smirked. "And have fun doing it."

"But I don't know what it is. We've tried so many things, please, don't do this."

Death laughed. "Please, don't hurt me. Don't kill me, don't take that off, I need that to live!" Death's mocking laughter filled the area and he clapped his hands. "You're good for a laugh at least. I don't believe that you're ignorant of your own powers."

Shadows gathered just out of reach of the dying flame's light, waiting to be acknowledged. Their eyes were pits of fire and as they stared at Holly, she tensed as she prepared for pain.

"You like them?" Death questioned as he gestured one closer.

The man was ravishing, dark brown hair that trailed down to his hips, and model-perfect features, except for those eyes. "Master," he whispered as he bowed low. "What would you wish of your servant?"

"This girl tells me that she doesn't know what her power is. Let me see if that's true."

He grinned at Holly. "Last chance, if you want this to stop, you better tell me now. Because once he gets started, it can be hard to stop him, even for me."

Holly clenched her eyes shut. "Can't you just take the magic without me knowing what it is?" she begged. She didn't want that strange man to come anywhere near her. Everything inside screamed a warning about him.

A warm hand caressed her cheek. "It's not as fun if you don't know. I want to enjoy it when you give up every last piece of power you have. Your soul will go black by the time I'm finished with you. My brother will never get a chance to use your power."

Holly cracked her eyes open as she stared at him. There was no warmth in those eyes, no small smile on his lips. He truly meant to make her suffer, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. Her chin dropped to her chest. "I don't know how to use my power, or what it even is."

"That's too bad," he replied with a shake of his head. "Then again, I like to hear screams. I wonder. Will you try to bottle them inside? Or will you be the type to start as soon as he touches you."

"Master?" the servant was still doubled over.

"Let's see, she's new and so fragile. Let's start at a beginner level for her. Just the tips, understand?"

"As you wish."

Holly had hit her limit. Seeing a large stone table appear from under the ground was too much for her. She jolted off of Death's lap to make a run for it. Where would she go? She had no idea, but she wasn't about to just submit without fighting back.

Death stopped her flight with a single movement. He grabbed her hair and wrapped it around his fist and tugged back so hard her head snapped back. "They always try to run. Get on the table yourself, or I'll let him be rough with you."

Holly stared at the ancient furniture. It was stained with red all over, and she knew it wasn't paint. "You're going to kill me," she whispered.

The servant giggled but Death glared at him. "No, you will not die from some light torture. It will merely help jog your memory. Though as time goes on I might lose my patience, and when that happens I like to be entertained. I'd suggest you scream for me loud and clear as long as you can so I don't get bored."

Holly moved like a wooden puppet. Did Krim know she would suffer like this? Did any of the reapers know what their boss was like? She crawled onto the cold stone and Death let go of her hair.

The servant motioned for her to put her arms up and as she did so he wrapped worn soft leather around them as he smiled at her and then motioned to her legs.

Why hadn't those dream guys showed up yet? Weren't they supposed to protect her? Holly bit her lip so hard she punctured it as she moved as the servant demanded. As he buckled in her ankles, he returned to her head and smiled down at her.

"My Master loves screams, please, give him his fill." He brought his hand up for her inspection.

Holly was mesmerized by the dark red polish that shone on every long hooked nail.

No, not polish.

Blood.

He smiled again as he brought that hand of his down and the tip of a nail pressed into her soft yielding flesh. "Let's start." He pressed down until blood welled and Holly screamed as the burning pain shot through her.

Through her haze of fear and tears, she watched as Death and his servant laughed as she writhed in entangled agony.

If this was the beginner level, she would never survive what they would do to her next.