Working for Fate was a tedious thing. Fate was incorrigible, demanding only the right future came to pass. Helping the Reapers who tried to stop the new destiny was also a daunting task. But Harvest tipped destiny’s scales and created a terrible imbalance. Thanks to him, all mankind—along with our world—faced the pending apocalypse. A new outcome could arise at any moment. Or we could remain in the same gloomy, disastrous one.
Tucking my portal chip into my dress pocket, I strode forward as I took in the sight before me. It had been a long time since I’d ventured into the human world, but not much had changed. At least not in that spot. The approaching end wreaked havoc on a lot of spots in the world, but peace could still be found in a few places.
Not for much longer, I thought.
My gaze wandered over the barren street. Very few businesses were in the area. The only place occupied was across the road. Loud sounds emanated from the bar. As I approached, the door swung open and a cacophony of rock music, shouts, and slurs tumbled out with a drunken fool. The man smirked.
“You all right, ma’am? Think you’re headed in the wrong place. This ain’t a church.”
Undeterred by the young man’s slurred words, I entered the bar. Laughter and stunned looks greeted me. I wasn’t bothered. I came for a single reason, and it didn’t take me long to find him.
With a pool stick in his right hand and a beer bottle in the other, Shepherd Donavan stood tall like a man who had no problems. Decades ago, in another lifetime, people called him Shep. He wasn’t human, but a specter—a demonic shadow and paid assassin.
Three gremlins, invisible to humans, caused mayhem in the center of the table. One pressed his rump near Shepherd’s opponent’s stomach, a young man, and farted. The poor guy grimaced and asked who did it. The gremlin cackled mercilessly.
“Should I mess up his turn, Sire?” one of the nasty creatures asked Shepherd.
“I’ll be disappointed if he needs help,” the grumpier of the three said.
“Wallis is fucking the left corner again!” yelled the culprit who farted.
Wallis scurried away from the corner, hiding his face from Shepherd who tried hard to ignore the trio.
“I’m sorry, Sire,” Wallis cried.
“Want me to kill him, Sire?” Grumpy asked.
I was so busy watching the gremlins’ antics, I missed the end of the game. Shepherd must have won because the other guy started yelling. In a flash, Shepherd shoved the young man’s face onto the table and pinned his hands behind him. “Pay and go. Or don’t and see what happens.”
After Shepherd released him, the man lowered his eyes and pulled out his wallet. He slapped a bill on the table and scurried away.
Shepherd took a swig of his beer.
“What a pussy.” Grumpy crossed his arms and huffed.
“Do I know you, witch?” Shepherd asked, not bothering to look my way.
So, he sensed me after all. I walked over to him.
“No, but we have a mutual acquaintance.” He cocked his head, waiting for me to continue. “The Grim Reaper.”
Shepherd’s body stiffened slightly before he laughed. “Did he finally decide I wasn’t worth saving?”
I clasped my hands together. “He doesn’t know I’m here.”
“Want me to gut her, Sire?” Grumpy asked, stepping to the edge of the pool table and glowering at me with yellow eyes.
Flicking my finger, the gremlin flew across the room and smacked into the wall.
“They talk big, but they’re harmless,” Shepherd said.
“They’re disgusting creatures.” I huffed. Why did he allow them to follow him around? “Haven’t you heard about what’s coming?”
“I live with humans and have nothing to do with the Underworld. But I’m sure you’re here to fill me in.” He leaned against the table and crossed his arms.
“The end.”
“Ah.” He squinted at me. “What’s that got to do with me?”
“It affects everyone,” I admonished. “Plus, you owe the Grim Reaper a debt.”
That was a lie. The Grim Reaper didn’t expect anything from the many lives he saved.
“So that’s what this is?” The soul reaper pinned me with a glare. “I didn’t ask Grim to spare me.”
“He did because you didn’t know what you were.”
“You don’t have to tell me about my life, witch. How would you know, anyway?”
“I see the past, the present, and the future.”
He retrieved the pool balls from the corner slot and returned them to the table.
“That’s why I know you’d love the chance to get that IOU off your