Reapers

By Claudia Hall Christian

Neith is an ancient and powerful creature hidden from the human world. She's spent all of her afterlife protecting human souls as a Grin Reaper.

Outside of our human experience, two creatures live to protect and manage souls. Grim Reapers who live in near human bodies and Grin Reapers who are something else entirely: made from dark matter, invisible to the human eye. While Grim Reapers carry human souls to the other side, Grin Reapers create near death experiences. Who lives? Who dies? The soul is managed by Reapers.

Until Tiamat, the demon, arrives to destroy human life and steal human souls.

Neith and her family must fight the demon to protect those under care from soul destruction.

Reapers is a new work of fiction by Claudia Hall Christian.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cook Street Publishing
• Release date: Oct 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781956034318

Claudia Hall Christian

Claudia Hall Christian writes stories about good people caught in difficult situations. Her stories are addictive, heart pounding, and intense. She is the author of the Alex the Fey thriller series, the Queen of Cool, the Seth and Ava Mysteries, Suffer a Witch, Abee Normal Paranormal Investigations, and the longest consecutive serial fiction ever written, Denver Cereal. She lives in Denver where she keeps bees, gardens, hangs out with her Plott Hounds, and husband

Book preview

Chapter One

Jeez, Shep, Neith said. Her voice was deep, with a low resonance that could be heard only by those she addressed. She knelt down to her friend. You look like crap.

Been living on the streets, Neith, Shepard said.

Tall and thin, Neith had to squat down to hear Shepard’s soft voice. Her thick overcoat flared, showing her black leggings and wool dress. Instinctively, she pulled the overcoat around her knees. She pulled her deep hood forward so that her face and long, curly hair seemed to disappear within the fabric. Shepard continued to mumble.

. . .rents, work. . . The modern world is not set up for us.

She finally realized that he was speaking the ancient language of Sumerian.

You’re always welcome to stay with me, Neith replied, in the same language.

Embarrassed to be out of doors, Shepard said. Again.

I understand, Neith said.

You know, some guys have houses, jobs, families, Shepard said. They make a real go of it in this world.

They were born in a more modern time, Neith said.

Shepard grunted to acknowledge what she’d said.

Living a long time has disadvantages, Neith said. I mean, really — who speaks Sumerian anymore?

Heathens, Shepard said, with a smile to indicate that he was making a joke. With effort, he switched to English. They serve hot meals down the street.

Neith chuckled.

What? he asked.

I’d at least get you a bath, Neith said. A swim in the pool. Your own room. Clean clothing.

Where I come from, bathing is considered dangerous, even life threatening, Shepard said with a grin. He gave her a wry look. Swimming? Who can swim? Witches.

Neith laughed.

Shepard had been born in Mesopotamia in late antiquity. Like most people in that time, he lived a short, difficult life. He’d died when his horse was startled by what turned out to be the advance scouts of some invading army. His beloved horse reared unexpectedly and threw him off. Shep’s body lay in the field for a day until he was reborn into this physical form at dawn on the following day.

Shepard was a Grim Reaper. Reborn in a human body, Shepard lived, worked, and loved among human beings.

Neith was something else entirely.

She and her kind carried the name Grin Reapers. Formed in the shadows, they lived such long lives as to be considered immortal. They were unseen by most living creatures. Only Grim Reapers and ravens could see them clearly. Some old breeds of dogs noticed her. Cats may or may not see her, but who ever knew with cats?

Grin Reapers had been erased from history by empires that used fear to control human beings.

Neith and Shepard had met in the hold of a ship to the New World.

Neith gave Shepard a soft smile. She could tell by the energy surrounding her friend that he was nearing the end of his time as a Grim Reaper. Soon, he would move to the other side, where he would stay forever. She would miss him.

He was not her first Grim.

He wouldn’t be her last.

She had known Shepard for a few centuries. She liked him. They were good friends, compatriots in human death, even.

Sighing to herself, she packed away her sadness for another time.

Neith sighed.

Come on, Neith said. We have work.

She reached out her hand. He looked at her hand for a moment before grabbing onto it. She helped him to his feet.

Grim Reapers collected the souls of those near a violent death.

Grin Reapers created the so-called lucky chances that helped avoid deadly consequences. They were the good luck or miracles that randomly peppered normal human life.

Reapers — both Grim and Grin — were pressed into service by a master they neither knew nor understood.

Neith and Shepard walked along the cold and snowy sidewalk. The old brick buildings on either side of the street were silent and empty. A cold, wet wind buffeted against them.

Shepard moaned.

Against the protest of her nostrils, Neith put her hand through his elbow to help him stay upright. Shepard smelled of urine, feces, and human filth. She was sure that he was infested with whatever form of lice, bedbug, or other creature that lived within the many layers of his filthy clothing.

Luckily, none of these creatures could attach themselves to Neith’s body.

Cold, Neith, Shepard whispered, returning to his native tongue.

Yes, Neith said.

They had been called to this intersection in the middle of a derelict area of town. They never knew why they were called. They woke, felt the call, and found their way to the location in time to do their duty.

Damn, Shepard said under his breath as they turned the corner.

The corner was surrounded by an ever-growing number of Grim Reapers and an equal number of Grin Reapers. Shepard hung back.

I’ll buy you a meal, Neith said, gesturing to the hot-dog cart operated by a Grim Reaper.

Nah, Shepard said. I just had this. . . This is my last, isn’t it? I don’t think I could handle it if you lied to me, Neith. Am I on my way out? You can always tell.

Neith gave him a kind look. He smiled and kissed her cheek.

I can’t say that I’m sorry, Shepard said. These last years have been. . . hard. I hear people say that modern life is so much better than mine once was. I remember the warm days, flowing streams, fields full of grain. . . Was it so much worse than this?

I don’t know, Shep, Neith said, softly. I mostly try to forget the past. Live in the present and all of that. I like indoor plumbing.

Shepard grunted.

You don’t need toilets, Shepard said with a grin.

Neith chuckled.

At the very least, let me get you a cup of coffee, Neith said.

Shepard gave her a vague nod. Neith walked to the hot-dog stand. She gave the man seven-$100 bills. He nodded to her.

Food for everyone! the hot dog stand owner said. Thanks, Neith.

The Grim Reapers rushed forward. Neith always carried at least $1,000 in $100 bills with her for Grim Reapers. It was the very least she could do. She knew that many of the Old-World Grin Reapers felt the same as she did. Younger, more-modern Grin Reapers tended to be more possessive of their wealth.

This world was a lonely place without others who understood you.

Her sorrow over the impending loss of Shepard rose inside her again. She let out a breath and pushed the pain down again.

Neith went back to where Shepard was standing. She gave him a cup of hot broth and noodles. Shepard groaned at the smell.

You want some? Shepard asked.

Go ahead, Neith said.

Shepard grunted with the joy of having something hot. Neith grinned at him.

Any idea why we are all here? Shepard asked.

No, Neith said. I never. . .

Neith stopped talking. Shepard looked up.

What? Shepard asked.

Neith gave a chin nod toward the center of the intersection. A whirlwind spun in the very center of the intersection.

Shit, Shepard said. Tiamat.

Nothing like the demon of Chaos to force us out into the snow, Neith said.

The demon looked up and gave a little wave in their direction. Shepard started coughing. When his cough became a hack, Neith pointed to the whirlwind.

Stop this, Neith said. Now.

Chuckling, the whirlwind took a human-like form. While a demon could take on any shape or form, this demon took the preferred form of an elderly woman wearing a housecoat and leaning hard on a walker. The demon hobbled across the street.

A city bus moved too fast around the corner. Seeing the elderly woman shuffling across the street, the bus driver slammed on the brakes. The bus’s tires hit black ice, and the back end of the bus began to slide sideways.

The people riding the bus began screaming with horror. The back corner of the bus clipped the corner of an empty brick building. A wall collapsed on top of the bus, bricks raining down upon it. Still moving, the bus tipped onto its side. It slid along the pavement on its side. Bricks from the building crashed through the bus windows, battering the terrified passengers.

Compelled into action, all of the Reapers went to work. Shepard and Neith went to the woman they were called to. She was wearing a fast-food uniform. Her hair was short. She was in her thirties, with a ring around her wedding finger. She had been hit in the face by a few rock-hard bricks.

Neith reached the woman first. Neith’s hand reached out to shower her with luck.

The woman was already dead.

Sorry, Neith, Shepard said, taking the soul of the woman.

Happy crossing, Shep, Neith said. I’ll miss you.

Here’s to never feeling anything again, Shepard said.

Neith smiled at him.

Shepard gave her a half-grin. Holding onto the woman’s soul, Shepard disappeared. She stared at the spot where he’d disappeared and wondered if she’d ever leave this weird afterlife.

Neith! one of the younger Grin Reapers called.

Coming, Jeb, Neith said.

She rushed to the front of the bus, where Jeb was working to save the bus driver’s life. As usual, the Grim Reapers held back, waiting for the Grin Reapers to finish their work.

Neith put her hand on the man’s head, and he began to revive.

Call dispatch, Neith said in a clear voice. Ask for the police.

The bus driver did as she instructed. Within seconds, the police arrived. Neith looked down the aisle of the bus. The Grim Reapers had taken a little more than half of the souls on the bus. Her tribe was holding onto the other half.

The bus driver died.

Jeb, the Grin Reaper that Neith had been helping, began to weep. A Grim Reaper touched Neith’s shoulder.

Thanks for the hot dog, the Grim Reaper said.

Here, Neith said. She gave him a couple $100 bills. Come see me if you need help. You know where I am?

Thanks, Neith, this Grim Reaper said, with a nod.

The Grim Reaper nodded to his counterpart and disappeared with the soul of the bus driver.

First time? Neith said.

She pulled the young Grin Reaper away from the bus driver’s body so that the human police wouldn’t run through them.

First time, the young man nodded.

Come on, Neith said. I’ll buy you lunch.

I have to get back to work, the young man said.

Work? Neith asked. I’ve never known a Grin to work. Like labor? For humans?

I’m working for a guy. . . the young man started but shook his head. Never mind. I’m not supposed to say. Thanks for your help today.

The young man nodded to Neith and disappeared.

Neith scowled at the spot where the young Grin had been standing. The bus was filled with the press and noise of police and paramedics. She walked, unseen, out of the bus.

Out on the street, the sky began spitting ice flecks. Everything was almost too silent. Even the hot-dog vendor was gone. Neith went to the middle of the intersection.

Tiamat, Neith called to the demon.

It appeared in its true demonic form. Tiamat gave her a wide smile.

"Nee-th hotep." The demon said Neith’s full name in a hiss.

What are you doing in my city? Neith asked.

Why do you ask? the demon asked. I come. I go. I do my work. You do yours. Why do you care?

When are you leaving? Neith asked.

Maybe you want to join me? the demon asked. Being a Grin can be so dull. We’d have so much fun.

Tiamat had been a Grin Reaper before being recruited by Chaos, the ancient Egyptian force of disorder and evil.

I like what I am, thank you, Neith said. When are you leaving my city?

Tiamat gave Neith a big smile and disappeared.

Shaking her head, Neith started the long walk home. She’d grown up in a time when people regularly walked long distances. She’d never liked the dizzy feeling of driving a car — or riding a bike, for that matter. She preferred the solid comfort of using her own feet as they walked across the earth. She walked everywhere she could.

She lived outside of town in a home that she had built soon after she’d arrived in the New World. Parts of the home had been rebuilt three times and remodeled many more times. Her home was big, drafty, and very comfortable. She walked through the acre of forest and shrub brush to the gardens where she spent spring through fall. The cold and snow pushed her inside for the winter.

She walked across the cut grass to the entrance of her home. Inside, she hung up her overcoat in the hall closet and checked the pockets. She still had three hundred dollars. That meant that some Grim Reapers would go hungry tonight. Shaking her head, she sighed.

In her other pocket, there was a slip of paper, folded until it was about an inch wide. Neith unfolded the paper.

It said: "Anunnaki" in Shepard’s scrawl.

Puzzled, Neith carried the paper up the long, ornate stairwell to the third floor, where she drew herself a hot bath. She held the piece of paper up in the steam.

The steam revealed two words: Neith and Remember.

Shaking her head at Shepard, she undressed, hung up her clothing, and stepped into her bath. Lying back in the warm, lavender-scented water, she wondered what Shepard had been trying to tell her.

The Anunnaki were ancient gods born of Sumeria.

What was she supposed to remember about them?

Chapter Two

Clang! The sound echoed through Neith’s head. Clang!

The sound awakened Neith from a restless sleep.

She’d been working nonstop since Shepard had left for the ever-after. Because she no longer had her own Grim, she was called to assist other Reapers.

Tiamat was good at what she did. She’d inflicted havoc all over the city. Neith and the other Reapers could barely keep up. And, Neith was losing more than half of the time.

For the first time, in a very long time, souls were flying out of her city.

She got out of bed and went to use her facilities. While she didn’t need to wear clothing or shower or use the facilities or even sleep on a bed, Neith had once had a doting nanny who’d taught her how to care for herself.

These rituals were ingrained in her when she’d died and remained now, even though this body never showed dirt. Never smelled. She excreted only when she ate food — which she enjoyed but didn’t need. This body needed rest, but she could rest deeply standing or sitting. She liked to lie down, so she did.

She pulled the curtain aside to look outside.

It was nearly dawn, and it was snowing again. She had showered before bed, so she pulled on her thick tights, wool pants, and her fur-lined boots. She slipped into a tank-top, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a heavy wool sweater. When her clothing touched her body, it transformed into dark matter, as invisible as she was.

She hated being cold. When she’d been human, she’d lived in Egypt and even served as queen.

That was a very, very long time ago.

Neith sighed and left her room. She walked unnoticed among her arriving human home helpers. She grabbed her thick overcoat with the hood and slipped it on. Once on, the coat faded from human eyes.

She waited to slip out into the cold until her cook opened the front door to start her shift.

As humans, the house helpers were unable to see her. Neith left them handwritten notes of thanks, requests, and instructions. They talked about her, gossiped, and whispered. The helpers who stayed valued the lack of bullying or sexual harassment from their employer over nearly everything else. The home helpers were very well paid and had health insurance as well as paid vacations.

In her own way, Neith loved these humans. They took care of her, and she took care of them.

Neith walked through her beautiful gardens where her human gardener was shoveling the snow from her walk. She slipped into the open garden shed. She reviewed her shovels and picked out a round-pointed long-handled shovel. She grabbed a pair of leather work gloves. The shovel and the gloves vanished when she touched them. The sun was peeking out from behind the clouds as she started out again across the lawn.

She slowed at the edge of the dark, dense forest. She loved the smell and shape of this forest. She had planted some of these trees. In the decades that followed, the offspring from the trees she’d planted had grown up from seedlings.

Today, the moist dark of the forest beckoned her.

A raven called from overhead.

Yes, yes, Neith said in answer to her raven friend, Raven.

She plunged into the deep shadow of the forest. Her eyes quickly adapted to the shadow. She wandered along on a nearly hidden pathway. She paused midway through the forest.

The raven dropped from