Emily opened her eyes and saw what she had done.

  Time slowed instantly to a crawl… Second that passed by a second that was split between an hour. The flames of the carriage flicked back and forth in an infinitesimally slow rhythmic dance.

  The man called David was still coming for her, but he now looked comical in his approach. His face was strained and his eyes were wide. Sweat poured off him. His hands outstretched to grab her.

  The Husks were all moving slowly as well. But not the Shoals or Donn. No. They were not affected.

  “I did… I did it. I did it!” she cried out, happy for the first time in a long while. “Donn!”

  She looked to see Donn push himself away from the frozen Husk. He started quickly towards the children.

  Theo wrenched himself free from the other Husk and dove for his sister.

  “Jessie! Are you alright?”

  Jessie groggily stood up and rubbed the back of her head. “Ow… I’m ok. But…Ow….” She drew away her hand and sighed with relief. There was no blood.

  Theo looked around, having finally noticed the change in the surroundings.

  “What the-? What is this? What just happened?” He turned to Donn and Emily, who were not sharing his reaction. He nodded. “This has something to do with you. Right?”

  Donn and Emily looked at one another. Emily’s face was pleading. Donn’s was irritation.

  “They have absolutely nothing to do with us.” he uttered.

  “What the-?! Of course they do!” Emily pressed back. “Their-” She stopped herself from saying that their parents were dead, but Donn understood.

  Donn rolled his eyes. “It does not matter. They will get in the way. They will put themselves in danger.”

  “As if they aren't in enough danger already?”

  “Emily…” Donn sighed wearily. For him, it had been a long day. “I am very tired. You are somewhat hurt.” He pointed at Emily’s face.

  Emily touched it and found that her nose was bleeding and stung badly.

  Donn continued. “We have no mode of transport either. If we are to complete this, without being harmed again by these ‘Husks’, we have to be fast on our feet. Those two will only slow us down.”

  “Hey!” Theo barked. He stalked towards Donn.

  Both Emily and Donn turned to him. “What?” Donn asked.

  “Don’t talk about us as if we don’t exist here. I asked you a question. In fact, I asked you a series of questions. We want answers. Now.”

  Jessie laid a hand on Theo’s arm. “Theo, leave it. We should-”

  Theo wrenched his arm away and glared at Jessie. And his chest ached the sight of her.

  Jessie’s eyes were wet with frightened tears and she was covered in dirt and grime from the running and fighting. She was a mess. He could only assumed how he looked. They were in no shape to move. But they had to. And Emily seemed to be the only person he could rely on, despite his deep suspicions of the pair. They were in danger. Their parents were-

  Theo choked in his throat and swallowed his sobbing. There will be time for that… I- Can’t let Jessie down. I have to be strong for her. I have to be. Oh God. Mum. Dad. Oh fucking hell. I feel sick. I- No! No. Come on, Theo. Get it together…. Just push it down. Down. Down.

  What could he do to persuade Donn and Emily to take them along? What could they offer?

  His eyes were drawn to the flaming pyre that was the train that Donn had mentioned on their way there. His mode of transport. Well, if that was buggered, then maybe…

  "I'm sorry, Jessie." he said, giving her a quick hug which she reciprocated. He looked back at Emily. “Hey. My dad has-… had a car.” He stumbled over the correction. It was going to hard to accept that reality. Oh Jesus Christ. The blood. The screaming… Mum screaming. No, don’t go there. Not yet. Don’t freak out.

  “If you need to get out of Brighton and away from here, that would be the best bet.” he finished saying.

  Jessie joined her brother and smiled somewhat innocently, though her pain and fear had fractured her expression. “It’s a fast car. Lots of room, good engine and good air-con.”

  “It’s either that,” Theo concluded. “Or you go ahead and try stealing one. See how far that gets you.”

  He let that hang in the air for a moment and watched the pair think it over. It was a risky gamble. But that was what he was taught to do by his dad during their regular board game sessions.

  Assess the situation, he would tell Theo. Find an angle. Be smart, but sincere. Let the opponent make the decision for you which not only benefits them, but greatly benefits you. No one likes to lose. Everyone loves to win. Dad was smart that way… Dad. Oh god…

  Emily stepped to one side to allow the slow-motioned David pass her by. She winced as she noticed that he was headed face-first into the tree that she was standing in front of. Poor bugger.

  Then she nodded. “Well, Donn. I’d say that the best we can do. I’m not hitching and I’m not taking public transport in the state we are in now…”

  Donn twitched his mouth, thinking of his destroyed train carriage. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with public transport.”

  “Well, with a car, we can control where to go. We can drive there. And I do like road trips.”

  “Emily. Once again… this is not a damn holiday.”

  Emily crossed her arms and squarely looked at Donn in the eyes. “Well, I’d say we make it one. Don’t worry. We’ll follow your lead on where to go. But how we get there, I’d say I should decide that. We’re a team, Donn. So let’s act like one.”

  Donn reached to the bridge of his nose and squeezed hard. “I am as old as the world and I am being ordered around by a gaggle of know-it-all brats.”

  Emily smirked. “Yes. But we are know-it-all brats with some guts. So!” Emily turned to Theo and walked up to him. “Lead the way, Theo.” She offered him her hand.

  Theo nodded and shook her hand, with some apprehension. “Ok. But first thing first, you are telling us everything. Why you’re here, who you are, everything. Right?”

  “Right.”

  “And no lying. Right?”

  Emily thought of Charlotte. Her face, frozen in that honest-to-god-horrible expression of fear. The ice lolly that she slipped on. Her ice lolly. “Right.” she answered.

  “Good.”

  Jessie raised her hand. “Excuse me.” She pointed at all the Husks and David. “What about them? Are they… Aren’t they coming after us?”

  Emily rubbed her head. “I don’t think so. I mean, I have them locked down for now.”

  “And how long can you keep that up exactly?” Donn asked.

  He stepped up to Emily and fixed her with his classic stare.

  How in Creation did this child slow down Time in the way that she has done? Not once, but twice now. Like me. Like the others. How? …… Death. Death knows more than I was told. And these Husks… I could smell it on them. Their souls are gone. But they certainly act as if they are alive. Like zombies. Like occult-

  A lightning bolt struck his mind. A theory. A notion. A fear confirmed.

  No… No… Surely not. It cannot be him. I am certain of it. But maybe.

  Donn nodded. I must think on that. But when I am able to. When Emily is safe.

  He resumed his question. “I ask this. Because we have a long walk back to Brighton. Can you hold up your strength? I have warned you of this…”

  Emily rubbed her head again. Another throbbing headache had returned, just like Donn had just said. But that was not going to stop her. “I’ll do my damnedest.” she replied with a self-assured grin.

  Thankfully, Theo and Jessie’s home was not too far. Taking only thirty or so minutes to reach the house, they arrived as night fully came to the city. The sirens of police cars and ambulances echoed and sang across the night air, no doubt caused by the chaos on the beach. The sounds of the sirens gave Emily a faint nostalgic feeling of London. The sounds made her think of her house in Hackney, of her life. But that was done and she needed to stay awake.

  Keeping up the power of the coin took more from her than she realised. Halfway through their hurried walk, Emily stumbled and fell to her knees as they entered the borders of the city. Two dribbles of blood spurted from her nostrils. She had lasted only sixteen minutes. Unable to walk, Donn lifted Emily and carried her gently as he could. Emily could barely speak as they moved on.

  “Where to?” Donn asked as he lifted Emily. Jessie and Theo were silent and did not reply.

  “Where to!?” Donn snapped. He was getting impatient with the siblings’ mourning. They needed to hurry.

  Jessie began to whimper at the harshness of Donn’s tone and Theo rounded on Donn with tear-filled but raging eyes. “Hey! Watch it!”

  Emily raised a hand and waved at Jessie. “Don’t cry, Jessie… It’s going to be.. okay…”

  Jessie sniffed loudly and then put on a brave smile for Emily. Emily gave Jessie a faltering thumbs up and asked Theo where to go next.

  Theo pointed and Donn followed the siblings.

  Donn was thankful that Emily had some control over these emotional humans. He didn't understand the need for such outbursts for those who are not alive to receive them. It was pointless to cry or shout at him. He wasn't their parents. He wasn't the one responsible for what happened. And yet somehow he was made to be responsible.

  My life was so simple and easy to navigate. I had no concerns for anyone save for me and my kin. Why is this happening to me? Why do I care this much when I really shouldn’t? Why?

  The Shoals led the group through the streets, being ever so careful to not be seen by police or civilians. With their parents murdered, it wouldn’t be long before the Shoals children would be declared missing and a city-wide search would begin soon. With that in mind, they had to leave the city that very night.

  Their house was like the other houses in Brighton, packed together as British suburbs would be in the Brighton borough of Woodingdean. Built in the the 40s and refurbished in the 80s, the blue pastel colours of the Shoals’ home called to Jessie like a siren.

  Jessie swallowed a lump in her throat. How did everything change so quickly and so violently?

  She had woken up that morning to the smell of scrambled eggs and toast and tea. She joined her family for breakfast, made plans for the day and talked about school. She had booked tickets to see a late night film with her friends at the local Odeon cinema that overlooked the beach. Man, she was happy. She was settled and now look what happened.

  They reached the front door and upon realising that neither of them had keys, Theo looked to Donn. “You have any way to get in?” he asked.

  “Yes.” Donn replied. He allowed Emily stand on her feet and lean against Theo’s shoulder. Donn headed for the door.

  It was wooden with four small panes of glass that were placed in the centre of the door. Closing his fist, Donn jutted out his fist and broke through a window pane.

  His hand came away bloody, but he made no noise of pain. After flexing and picking the glass shards from his knuckles, he reached inside and unlocked the door from within. He pushed the door open and they were inside.

  Theo and Jessie stared at Donn.

  He looked back. “What?”

  “…Doesn’t that hurt?” Jessie asked, her eyes locked upon the cuts on his hand.

  “No.” Don replied and flexing his hand.

  Before their eyes, the wounds vanished and his hand was back to normal. Seeing that now was not the time to ask the hundred questions on their minds, Jessie helped Theo carry Emily inside.

  The house was still warm to the siblings.

  The smells of breakfast still hung in the air. The smells of a life they loved still remained. Theo sighed with a shudder that he couldn't be bothered to hide. “Come on, let’s-…. let’s sit her down on the sofa.”

  “Keep the lights off.” Donn advised. “We cannot let anyone know that this house is being used.”

  They moved Emily to the living room, which was adjacent to the hallway and the kitchen and stay her down. Theo quickly left the room.

  Theo turned a corner from the living room, sighed with a greater shudder and hurried upstairs. He stumbled and tripped in the darkness. But he clambered up all the same.

  He had to get away.

  He had his hand over his mouth.

  He had to get out of there before- before he- He was- he was going to-

  He broke into his bedroom at the end of the landing, yanked the bin out from under his work desk and vomited hard into the plastic bag.

  He could feel his stomach clench.

  His throat burned as bile and stomach acid jumped out of the red hole on his throat.

  He felt his heart beat with irregularity and his mind whirred with adrenaline and pain.

  Oh christ! Oh christ! My parents are dead. Our parents are dead! Killed! MURDERED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!

  Theo dropped the bin, wiped his mouth with a tissue on his desk, grabbed his pillow from his unmade bed and howled, screamed and cried onto the fabric that clung onto the acidic scent of digested foods.

  While Theo was gone, Donn had remained with Jessie and Emily.

  Emily had her eyes closed and was resting. She seemed to loll back and forth from a sense of lucidity to downright stupor. To the others, it seemed best for her to be undisturbed.

  Jessie looked at Donn. “What are you?”

  Donn crossed his arms. “Donn.”

  “That’s your name. So what are you?”

  Donn remained silent. There was no way he wanted these children to be involved with their mission. He just wanted them to be blissfully unaware. To be away from any danger. But once again, Fate seemed to disagree with him. It seemed that his choice in the matter was never in the cards for him…

  For when he stared at them that afternoon, upon the stone steps as they fled from the man who killed their parents, he could not see their death dates. Not on Jessica. Not on Theodore.

  They had remained blurred, robbing him of any knowledge of when they would die. This gave Donn a sense of vexation that drummed up within him. What was going on here?

  Emily could control the Memento Mori Coin.

  The Shoals children had no definitive deaths Scheduled.

  There were undead beings that he knew that should not have been.

  And the undead had the handiwork of a man that Donn knew and believed to be banished to Hell.

  These three children were connected somehow.

  They, and he himself, had roles to play that he had no knowledge of.

  Donn nodded. If they were to be involved, if he truly could not shake them away, then he would have to explain to them of what he knew.

  He spoke. “I will tell you all. Once Theo has returned and that I have attain answers for myself.” He made a mental thought within his mind and sent it away, out of the door and towards the one person

  Jessie nodded sceptically. “Sure.”

  After a few minutes, Theo then returned. He had washed his face and removed all evidence of his emotional breakage. He carried two rucksacks over his shoulder and holding a ring of keys in his hand.

  “These bags are for us, sis.” he said as she crossed the room and handed it to Jessie. He then handed the keys to Donn. “These are the car keys. Car’s in the garage.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “Right. Wake up Emily. We need to talk.”

  Theo lightly tapped Emily’s face. “Emily, wake up.”

  Emily did wake up, but she was truly exhausted. The coin had sucked so much energy from her. She wasn't even sure she could stand.

  She leant back against the sofa and looked at Donn. “What’s going on?” she wearily asked.

  Donn nodded. “I need to tell you a few things. In fact, there are a lot of things you need to know.”

  Theo sat down next to Jessie, who sat between him and Emily. “All right.” he said. “Out with it.”

  Donn clasped his hands behind his back, paced around the room and started talking.

  He explained his role as a Reaper.

  He explained the world of the Deathlands.

  He explained the existence of the other Reapers, Death and the Elementals. He also delved into detail on how he met Emily.

  Emily interjected at points to place her opinions at certain points in the story and then went on telling the Shoals about the mission to find her missing family members.

  It was only then, when three teas were made for the children while Donn drank from a simple glass of water, that Theo interrupted the retelling.

  The Shoals had said nothing throughout until then. They had remained quiet and listened intently. But no more. Now it was their turn to talk.

  “And what happened to Charlotte?” Theo asked. “Why did she die? How?”

  Emily turned to him. “She saw me speaking to my Grandma. To her, it would’ve looked like I was talking to thin air. So she would've thought I was crazy. She turned away to tell you, to ‘warn you’ as she put it, but she slipped and fell down the steps.”

  Donn sighed.

  “Theodore. Her death had nothing to do with Emily. She was simply there at the time preordained for her by Fate. You may venture then to ruminate that had she waited for Emily to return or explain herself, then things would have been different. Maybe… Maybe not, you'd think. But that would be wishful thinking, so I would advise against such thoughts. Fate wanted her there. That was not Emily’s doing…”

  Emily looked at Donn.

  She knew he was lying. She knew that Charlotte’s death was due to the ice lolly Emily had dropped. Emily stayed silent. It was a stupid reason. An ice lolly. But Theo wouldn't see it that way. He would only blame it on her. Emily didn't want to face that right now.

  Theo stared into his tea. “Why us? Why did you talk to us? We have nothing to do with this. Any of this!”

  Donn shook his head. “It does. Because of what I saw. I saw your death dates. When you will die. All humans have one. Charlotte had one. She died when it was her time. But yours were different. Both you and Jessica.”

  “…How? When do we…?” Theo couldn't bring himself to finish his question. The notion of asking when he and Jessie would die was… incredulous. Unbelievable. But all too real.

  “That is the very thing in question… I do not know. I could not read them. Much like Emily, there is no discernible way I can ascertain when your death comes.”

  The three children stared at Donn. “What does that mean?” Emily probed.

  “It means that the Shoals are connected to this, Emily. Like you, their deaths have been postponed or eradicated. That is problematic.”

  Jessie looked up with a semblance of hope. “But isn't that a good thing? We aren’t in danger of dying now.”

  Donn shook his head. “Yes, you are.”

  A silence fell upon the group.

  “You have to understand,” he continued, “a perk of being a Reaper is the knowing of your eventual death. That way, I can plan and be prepared for the fateful time for any human. But now, I have no idea when a prediction of a danger may or may not come. From this day, your lives will be in constant peril. Any type of mortal danger could be around the corner. You could die tomorrow and I would not know. You are now in greater danger than ever before.”

  That left a great pit of dread in the three children. It was a few minutes of silence that Donn had to allow them to process. So much had happened.

  They had not the chance to even grieve for their losses and to understand their positions in the situation that they were now in. All Jessie could do was reach over and grab Theo’s hand as tight as she could. She needed something that resembled comfort in that moment… Theo reached over and held his sister. She was shivering but she wasn’t cold.

  Emily looked up to ask a question. But that was silenced by a knocking upon the front door.

  All stiffened to the sound.

  Donn whipped his head to the door. “All of you. Down on the floor. Stay out of sight.”

  Theo and Jessie slid off the sofa and dropped down to the floor instantly. Emily took a second to regard Donn.

  He quickly moved into the hallway and out of their sight. Emily considered following him. But she realised that disobeying him at that point was foolish, so she hunkered down with the siblings.

  Staying quiet, they listened as Donn’s footsteps creaked along the floorboards. The steps stopped and the metal clicking of a lock sounded, followed by the subtle creak of the front door.

  “Ah.” Donn’s voice sounded. “It’s you, Hel.”

  “Yes.” she replied.

  “All clear, kids.”

  Donn returned with Hel. Garmr stayed by the doorway to the living room as the two Reapers entered the living room. The Shoals and Emily stood back up and stay down on the sofa.

  “Theodore, Jessica. This is Hel. She is a Reaper like me.”

  “What’s she doing here?” Emily asked.

  Donn looked to Hel, with the same question written on his face.

  Hel stayed still with her hands clasped behind her straightened back. Theo stared at the tall woman. She had a sense of power that unnerved Theo. He couldn’t help but shift under her unwavering stare.

  Hel switched her eyes towards Donn. “You’re in trouble.”

  “No. I don’t think so.” Donn replied cooly.

  “Do you realise how many people have died today?” she asked. And after a second to allow the group to comprehend her question, she answered it. “Twelve people. All of them died, murdered by these ‘Husks’ on yours in their rampage this afternoon.”

  Jessie froze. The image of her parents dead upon the beach flashed in her mind like a lightning bolt. She started to sob. Theo wrapped his arms around her to hush her and comfort her. Emily casted worried glances to Jessie as Hel continued unperturbed.

  Emily gaped. Twelve people? She was only aware of Charlotte and the parents. But nine more died. Nine? What the hell happened?

  Hel skewed her mouth in a perturbed fashion. “I have gone after the souls, collected them but I have yet to leave for the Deathlands. They are all corrupted. Damaged. And all were well before their time of deaths. The universal balance is shifting dangerously. Which damages and threatens us all. Resulting in me having a message for you. From our leader.”

  Donn crossed his arms. “All right. Let’s hear it.”

  Hel extended her closed hand and opened it. A small ball of light, no more the size of a firefly, flickered and floated over Hel’s palm. It hummed with a far off voice that was only Death’s. The voice gently reverberated around the room like a featherweight rubber ball.

  Donn… I hope that this message finds you safe and well. I can only imagine that you have made some headway into the assignment. But there have been recent developments in the Deathlands. I have received visitations. From beings of great power who have expressed concern with the situation. If the situation is not resolved, they have made it very clear that they will take over and we will all be made obsolete. I have been able to assuage them of their worries, but we are running out of time. I ask you to continue your job with the young human child, her new friends - yes I know of them - and get this done with doubly haste. Our existence is now on the line and in your hands.

  The ball of light faded and Hel nodded. “There. Now you see what I mean. And with that done, I shall take my leave.”

  Hel turned on her heel, much like she did on the beach and headed away.

  “Wait!” Emily barked. “Wait a second there.”

  That stopped Hel in her tracks. “Excuse me?”

  Donn stared at Emily. “What are you doing?” he hissed.

  Emily stood up shakily and took a step forward. “What of the Shoals? Arthur and Jane? They died.”

  Hel turned around to face Emily, and seeing her for the first time, smiled patronisingly. “Ah, Davidson. I had forgotten you were here… Yes, they were amongst the first to die. I have their souls here.”

  Hel pulled back her robe to reveal a golden belt looped around the shrouds of her inner clothing, which were made of cobwebs and dust. Latched upon her golden belt was a silver scabbard with no sword. And light emanated from within the darkness of the supposedly empty scabbard. “Donn has his cigarette case. I have my scabbard. Each of us have our own little quirks. But the Shoals’ souls are on my possession and they shall be deposited forthwith in the Deathlands.”

  “Hold on there.”

  Hel blinked. “Excuse me?”

  Emily took another step forward. Garmr growled under his breath.

  “I have a question. What did you just say about the souls when you collected them today? You said that they were well before their time. All of them. So does that mean that they were not supposed to have died today?”

  Theo looked at Emily. What is she driving at?

  Donn continued his stare at Emily. What is she doing? He was willing to protect Emily from Husks and danger. But was he willing to fight a fellow Reaper? Emily, stand down.

  Hel curled her lip in slight irritation. “I do not see how that makes any difference. They died. I have reaped them. That is all.”

  “When were they supposed to have died?” Emily demanded. “If there were no Husks, if none of this happened, if Donn and I had not been here…” She stopped herself for a second.

  Yes, she was to blame too. Wait… Was she? Why did she feel responsible as well? She hadn’t killed them. She hadn’t any reason to think why the Husks… But the Husks were looking for her. Even that man called David was after her.

  But why? Why was she involved? What did she do? What did she- She blinked off the hesitation. Honestly, there was a time and a place to think this through. Christ, she could do it in the car later. She returned to her question.

  “When were their actual death dates calculated for?”

  Hel sucked in the air through her teeth and sighed out the air through her nose.

  “Arthur Shoals was supposed to die as a result of a biking accident to a grocery at the age of 89. A car crash strikes him, putting him into a vegetative state. They decide to put him down that evening at Jane's request. Jane Shoals stays with her husband at the hospital that night and dies in her sleep of a broken heart next morning at the age of 87.”

  “That’s forty years later!” Theo exploded, leaping to his feet. “You mean to tell me that our parents should still be alive?!”

  The grief that held down Theo was suddenly banished. The pain alleviated by the prospect of… hope. Of a chance to… what? Bring them back? It seemed impossible, but didn't stop Theo from hoping that it was the case.

  Jessie stood up with her brother. Though she did not say anything, her eyes - which were once broken with sadness and tears - were also filled with the light of hope.

  Hel bristled as she returned her glare upon Emily.

  Her eyes blackened and the air grew cold.

  Garmr was suddenly by her side. Her lips, like Garmr’s, were curled up in a snarl. And her teeth, like Garmr’s, were long and yellow and marled. They shone in the light of the room. I see what you are driving at… You better not be, you little worm.

  Emily did not back down from the intimidating sight. She pressed her advantage.

  “So, they were supposed to have died four decades later and you take them now. Just because they died now? That doesn't sound efficient, does it? So here’s what I would do, if I were you: hold onto the souls. Don’t send them on. Keep them with you. And I bet you this: if we find out what the hell is going on here, we can fix all of this and everything can go back to normal. The Shoals come back and you guys get back to your jobs and your weird Schedule doesn’t get fucked. What do you say?”

  Hel didn't say anything.

  She just cracked her neck. And sprang forth at Emily like a bird-eating tarantula.

  Hel leapt across the room in a heartbeat, closing the gap between herself and Emily.

  Using her left forearm, she swiped Theo and Jessie aside like rag-dolls. They slammed into the sofa and lay there winded. With her right hand, she latched it on Emily’s neck and drove her back against the wall.

  Donn made a move to intervene, but Garmr blocked his path.

  His fangs had grown large and his hair was blacker, his eyes were larger and barbed horns protruded all along his head and spine. He was a demonic looking monster now. No sense of orderly creation could have dreamt up such a being.

  Donn looked on desperately at Emily who was struggling against the iron grip of Hel.

  Hel’s face was inches from her as she hissed at Emily.

  “You little speck. You insignificant piece of mud. You…you… You dare lecture me of my affairs. You dare presume to know of the intricacies of souls. You dare to know what the Schedule demands? You dare say such things with the presumptuous attitude born of you actually believing that you will live past this night?!”

  Emily said nothing.

  She knew that she should have been scared. Terrified. She really knew that.

  But she was not.

  She wasn't scared facing her father and his knife.

  She wasn't scared when speaking with Death.

  She wasn't scared of the Husks.

  And she wasn’t scared of Hel. Where did this fearlessness come from? It was something in her. Something that had been there since the day she was born, driving her to speak louder than others and push farther than limits allowed. What was this drive? Well, whatever it was, it drove her fear down and swelled her recklessness.

  Emily gritted her teeth and placed her hands on Hel’s wrist, to try and ease off the strain on her throat. She breathed through her nose. And opened her mouth to reply.

  “That’s because I know I’m right. And you know that too.”

  Hel searched Emily’s eyes.

  She searched and searched for an answer. And when she had found it, she hissed and let go of Emily, allowing her to lean against the wall.

  Emily rubbed her neck as Hel turned away and headed for the hallway. Garmr fell into step with her. Without looking over her shoulder, she spoke to the group. She hardly even looked to Donn as she passed him by.

  “I will hold onto the parents’ souls.” she spoke to none of them in particular. “As I will hold onto the souls of those who have lost them to the Husks this day. But I will not do this forever. I will send them on if nothing changes. I will do my duty as a Reaper. Do I have all your understanding?”

  Emily coughed. “Yeah, sure.”

  “Very well….”

  Hel turned as she reached the hallway.

  She eyed down Emily, as did Garmr. Hel focused upon Emily’s eyes like an archer singing up a shot.

  “Emily Davidson. You are meddling with forces beyond your comprehension. You best watch your footing, least you lose it and fall into a place where there can be no salvation for your mind, body and soul.”

  And with that, Hel left with Garmr and the coldness in the air departed with them.

  Everyone breathed a sudden and collective sigh of relief. Donn started for Emily.

  “What the hell were you thinking? Pushing her like that? Do you understand what she could have done to you?”

  “No idea.” Emily uttered, then quickly coughed out a laugh. “But I know her type. Domineering, stern and astute. Just like my teachers at school. Just use their own logic against them and make them agree with your line of thinking.”

  Donn rubbed the back of his neck. “Sometimes… you surprise me.”

  Emily rubbed her neck. “I aim to please.”

  Theo shook his head. “You’re all bloody mad.”

  Jessie picked up the car keys from the floor and jangled them loudly. “Excuse me! Can we go now? Whoa! Hey!” For Donn suddenly jutted out a hand and latched his fingers across the keys, enclosing her small fingers in his palm. Theo grabbed Donn’s wrist.

  “The hell are you playing at?! Let go of her!”

  Donn stared down Jessie, with such a fearful intensity that it unnerved Emily and the Shoals. He didn't have this fear in his eyes when Hel appeared. This was a fear for something far worse.

  “Don’t ever do that again.” he told Jessie. “Not that. Ever.”

  “What are you talking about now??” Jessie moaned. “What, I’m going to bring on the end of world or something if I jangle my keys?”

  “Something on those lines, yes. I’d rather not be here, especially now that you’ve done that. Where’s the car, Theo?”

  Theo pointed to the front door. “Garage.”

  Donn released Jessie’s hand, but took the keys into his. “Good, do we have all we need? Fine, Emily, grab your rucksack. The two of you, take your things. We’re out of this house and in the car in twenty seconds. Move it!” There was a fear in his eyes that demanded no discussion or retort.

  Eighteen seconds later, they were all piled into the car.

  The garage’s door rose slowly as they settled themselves in. It was roomy, like Theo had sold to them. A five seater Jeep, with a black paint job but in an urgent need of a carwash. A thin layer of muck and dust lay coated the exterior of the car. But appearance was nothing to them. Performance mattered.

  Donn, sitting in the driver’s seat, jammed the keys into the ignition. The car lights inside lit up the interior, the dashboard, the sat-nav and the gauges. The fuel gauge was reading as full. Theo, sitting in the back with Jessie, and Emily, sitting in the front passenger seat, all looked at Donn gently caressing the steering wheel.

  “Uh, anytime now.” Emily pressed. “We do have a timer now.”

  “Sorry, it’s, uh, been a while since I’ve been in one of these things. It feels…nostalgic.”

  Theo leant forward, putting himself in between them. “Hey!”

  “Donn!” Emily barked.

  Donn nodded. “Yes… Seat belts on, please. Next stop, London.” Donn put the car into its first gear and drove out into the night not bothering to close the garage door on their way out.

  No more than six minutes and sixty-six seconds after Jessie rang the keys, the Shoals house was visited by another. The man, wearing a suit made from the silk manes of black bicorns and shoes made from the dyed hides of Komodo dragons, stepped through the front door, wood and all. The man dusted off the soot and shards of ice from the cuffs and sleeves of his jacket.

  He strode straight into the living room and presented himself with his arms wide.

  “WHO HAST THOU SUMMONED ME?” he called out in a booming bellow that shook the plastered walls.

  He stood there and waited for a response. When none came after a minute of awkward waiting, he coughed in his throat and started again.

  “Ahem- WHO HAST THOU SUMMONED ME?” he repeated in a slightly toned down bellow.

  Again, after a minute, no response. He was alone.

  He looked around and his look of pride quickly became a look of irritation. He gestured around with a disappointment bitterly weighing down his performance.

  “Who hast thou summoned me?” he asked in a normal tone, which was clipped with irritation.

  His arms dropped to his sides and tisked. His irritation was growing towards anger so quickly that the edges of his feet were beginning to singe the carpeted floor.

  “Ugh. I really must invent a more efficient calling method. Blood sacrifice is far better…”

  He adjusted his golden tie and took a walk around the house, looking for his key caller. Having found none that fitted his expectations, his narrow shoulders slacked and his two hundred fanged teeth chittered against one another as he mused on who would be stupidly suicidal enough to waste his time. He exhaled a forced sigh through his slit nostrils. “Bugger.” he hissed.

  He turned upon his heels.

  His rubber soles creaked upon and burned the polished floorboards. A path of blackened footprints were left in his now irascible wake. He intended to find out what was going on. He stormed straight out of the house.

  Knowing fully well that Beelzebub was in the city at his adorable little Heart & Hearth Hotel, he was certain that he would get some satisfying answers from the little demonic upstart.

  After all, Lucifer knew that Beelzebub would not dare deny him a single thing.

  ******

  “I want answers, David. Not excuses.”

  In the end, it was David who answered the phone call first and received such a demand from Michael. Fred had released him and stood back, hands clasped behind his back and waiting. The rest of the Husks; Karen, Runt and Wolf all remained still and silent.

  David cleared his throat and responded. “Michael. I would like to say that it is nice to hear from you, but I would be lying.”

  “How quaint of you, David Hyde. But I demand to know what has happened.”

  “Well…” David replied with a tight smile. “Let’s just say that Emily bought her friends time to escape. Yeah. She froze time! Time! When the hell were you going to tell me this little nugget of information?”

  Michael’s voice remained quiet. Then he started laughing. “Eh, hahaha… So, she’s starting to grow into her true form. Good… Very good. I had expected it to happen later than this, but early bloomers are as good as any other.”

  “‘Early bloomers’? ‘True form’? What are you talking about? What is she? Why is she so important to you? I am not going anywhere until you tell me.”

  “David… David, David, David…” Michael chided him gently. “Emily Davidson is far more important than you can imagine. She is the key to what I want and, by extension, what you want. All I have asked of you is to retrieve her. Since that has not happened yet, Fredrick will accompany you for the rest of your journey. With him in tow, I do not expect any more mistakes.”

  “Mistakes?” David was offended.

  He was actually offended.

  Wasn’t he the one who was contacted by Michael to get Emily?

  Wasn’t he the one who was traipsing around the country to get her back?

  Wasn’t it him who was doing all of the hard work?

  He was the one doing everything asked of him. What the hell was he supposed to do against unkillable men and girls who can fucking freeze time?

  “Mistakes only happen when you’re not prepared. I was not prepared because you barely tell me anything I can use!” he shot back.

  “And how would that change anything of your performance thus far?”

  “You’d be surprised. Give me something to work with.”

  “David.” Michael stated. “I feel that you require further motivation for this completion. Need I remind you that you have a doubled interest in this matter? Please, do not test me.”

  David gritted his teeth. Of course he didn’t need a bloody reminder. Father Daniels was in danger. He had to be protected. And there was his mother… David shook his head. Michael was a bastard to bring that up.

  David growled under his breath. “There’s no need. I know the stakes here.”

  Michael sighed. It was a pleasing sound, to him and not to David. It was a self-serving sound. A sound that served to remind David who was in control here. David was not running the show here. Fred was and, by extension, Michael was.

  “Very well. Good luck.” Michael hung up on David, leaving him with the Husks.

  David slipped his phone back into his pocket and looked around at the Husks staring him down. They were all waiting for him. They were all just standing there. Watching him.

  Fred stared him down most of all.

  David swallowed. He began to fear for his life, if he hadn't started to feel that already since this whole misadventure had started.

  Now where would Emily go? David nodded and refocused on his right eye.

  Come on now, I know you’re just as tired as I am mate, but please get started.

  He opened his eyes, vision in place and there he saw it. In the mud and twigs… A clear trail of… He knelt down and reached for it. He touched the brightly coloured liquid.

  “What is that?” Fred asked dully.

  David tapped the liquid against his thumb and index finger. He recognised its tackiness.

  “Blood.” David said. “Could be Emily’s blood, the boy’s blood or the girl’s…”

  The energy coming off from the blood on his fingers rose up in the air and began forming a trail that darted through the trees and back into the town.

  David nodded. They had a route.

  He heaved a hefty sigh with so much weight on his eyelids, he felt he could have slept standing. “Well. Heigh-ho and off to, wherever the hell is Emily right now, we a-go.”

  David looked around the darkened forest that they stood in. “Uh…Do any of you remember where you parked the car?”