Jamie squeaked at the weapon so easily pushed into his hands. He gripped the handle of it tight, looking around for the creature that caused the growl.
He didn’t look for very long, as he was suddenly being told to run. “But you…! Will you be okay?” He asked nervously, shifting things in his hands.
Ember didn't want to say if she would or wouldn't. There would be no use lying, and in all honestly she didn't know. "Just Run. I'll be right behind you."
Over the years she'd had plenty of run in's with Crawlers, and she'd always been okay after. But it was making sure the soul didn't get dragged away by them that was hard. The realm didn't need another crawler to deal with.
Especially if that meant one less reaper.
He nodded before turning tail and making a run for it. He wasn’t going to take his chances with a monster that looked like it would eat him. He did not like that thought at all.
Jamie didn’t know how to fight or defend himself. That fact was obvious as he was dead because he couldn’t defend himself. Physically couldnt do anything.
Ember cursed as a crawler lunged. Without her scythe she felt defenseless. Like a sitting duck. But she'd much rather Jamie have it with him just in case. Even if it ended up being nothing more than a decoy for him to use.
Crawlers didn't have the best eye sight, up close they could see just fine, but from far away- they might as well be blind. But they did have a good sense of smell.
Ember had managed to dodge most of their attacks, and when she was sure Jamie was out of range, that's when she attacked.
Jamie turned his head back to try and see if his two-time savior was alright. He couldn’t see. It shook him to his core.
Whatever these creatures were, they weren’t something Jamie wanted to meet.
The Carnegie wasn't anything less than impressive, but it wasn't the destruction of the crawlers he wanted to see. He wanted to see the Reapers guts, her blood, see as her last breath left her body.
But a Reapers power was truly impressive.
The dark aura faded as soon as the last crawler fell to the ground. He smiled, perhaps he should introduce himself to the soul that had run.
———-
Ember found herself running after Jamie as soon as she could. She wasn't sure where her blood started and the crawlers ended, or if she was even bleeding at all. Her heart raced as she trailed Jamie. Despite to see if he made it, if he was safe.
By the time Jamie had stopped running, he felt lost. Like he had somehow wandered a little too far. That couldn’t have happened, however, as he was still on the path.
“What a day… first I get jumped by some weirdo, shot and killed right in the head, and now I’m running from creatures that could potentially kill me again.” he muttered to himself, gasping for breath between each word.
"Keep running," Ember shouted. She wasn't sure if he could hear her, or if he was even on the path still. Gods she hoped he was still on the path.
She saw someone ahead, but she wasn't sure if it was Jamie, or a crawler, or possibly another Reaper coming to look for them. But those chances where low- Reapers didn't seek each other out unless it seemed crawlers where everywhere.
In all her years that had only happened once. Every time she saw a pack of crawlers, she hopped it wasn't happening again.
Jamie did indeed hear her. He cursed lowly and took off, trying to keep up his pace. It wasn’t quite working. “Should have done more gym.” He mused, his grip tightening around the scythe.
Ember saw the figure continue moving. Not a crawler good. Despite the fact that she was a reaper, running was not her strong point. Running was actually something she hated, and given the situation, she would have been walking if she could.
Jamie would have walked too if he could have. But he couldn’t. Not right now. He was far to afraid he’d be eaten up by some soul-hunting creature. Jamie really didn’t want that. He didn’t want to die for good…
Ember could see the town coming into sight. Thankfully Jamie would reach it before her, and she wouldn't have to worry about him anymore.
She took a moment to stop and scan her surroundings, her eyes landing on a crawler that was heading straight for Jamie. She cursed.
Jamie stumbled, feeling light headed as he struggled to keep up his pace. He could see the city ahead, and it brought hope in his chest.
He clutched tightly to the weapon he was given, biting his lip as he grinned at the Gates.
Ember cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting at him to run faster and not look back. But crawlers where fast, especially with the promise of food.
(I'm gonna leave this in your hands whether he gets caught or not.)
(Ah! Okay!)
Jamie had nearly reached the entrance to the city before the creature caught up. He yelped as it attacked, diving out of the way. A his face paled at the sight of the Crawler, struggling to swing the scythe in its direction.
He caught the corner of its head.
Jamie didn’t wait to see if it ran away. He barreled towards the city, and felt relief as he made it in.
Ember didn't even check to see if the crawler was alive by the time she reached the gates. By the looks of it, Jamie had taken it down. But for how long she didn't.
She practically stumbled through the gates, her adrenaline wearing off slowly. Leaving her shaky, and in pain.
Her fight with the other crawlers earlier wasn't as clean as she'd thought.
Jamie was sitting on the ground, leaned up against whatever solid object he first spotted, which happened to be a building. He was breathing heavily, eyes closed and mouth agape.
Maybe he would just stay here in the city… he didn’t want to risk another attack because he sure as hell was afraid of whatever those creatures were out there.
Yes.
He was admitting he was a coward
"Jamie," Ember hadn't seen where he went once entering the gates. She was worried that something had happened to him. Just because the towns where safe from Crawlers, didn't mean they where completely safe.
Her side throbed from where a Crawlers claws had dug into her side, there wasn't much blood. But it was still worrisome.
"Rough day?" He stuffed his hands in his hoodie pockets, eyeing the soul curiously. Of course he had seen everything. He was the one that had sent the crawlers on them after all.
Jamie’s head shot up to look at the one who had spoke, his eyes widening. “Ah… yeah… I think the day someone dies would be considered more than ‘rough’ but you could put it that way.”
He clutched his weapon closer, still weary and paranoid. He had been attacked twice today already. He wasn’t looking for a third time.
“Are you like me, too? Or are you like the reapers?”
The stranger chuckled, "no my boy, I'm afraid I'm neither Soul nor Reaper." He didn't offer any thing as to what he was.
"You're a soul? I wouldn't have guessed," he mentioned to the scythe Jamie was holding. "Did a reaper give you that then, or did you steal it?" He narrowed his eyes but there was still an unmistakable grin on his lips.
Jamie felt cold panic spread through his chest. Who was the stranger? What was the stranger?
"Ah, it was given to me. I haven't stolen it. Those things out there were after us, so she told me to run and gave me this to protect myself." He explained hurriedly, scrambling to stand. He didn't like the way the stranger was looking at him, it was starting to stress him out.
Jamie usually wasn't an anxious person but this set of circumstances was different. "Who are you?"
The stranger held his hands up, and took a few steps back. Getting a scythe swung at him wasn't in the plans today. "A friend if you ever need it. Now if I where you I'd find that Reaper. Can't you hear her calling for you?" There was shimmer in the air around them, and when it was gone Embers voice could clearly be head. "Run along now," and with that the stranger left. Walking in the opposite direction.
Her worry had only grown in the past few minuets. What if he hadn't made it, she would have to go back out the gates and look for him. But how could she have missed it, she'd have seen if a crawler dragged him off, right?
"A friend…?" He echoed, his eyebrows furrowing. He didn't get much time to think on it, Ember's voice drawing him back to the situation he had just been through. "O-Oh! I do need to find her!" He turned his head back to the stranger, only to find him walking away. He shivered softly, stepping back out into the streets to look for the reaper that saved his life.
"I-I'm over here!" He called out, biting his lip and narrowing his eyes as he looked around. A friend… That didn't sound ominous at all. Or maybe they were a friend, and that's how the afterworld worked. He could ask Ember about it.
Ember sighed in relief at the sound of his voice, and quickly made her way to where it'd come from. "Are you okay?" She quickly looked him over for any visible wounds.
The black of her outfit made the blood hard to see, but the tang of it still filled the air. Ember quickly snatched her scythe from Jamie, using it to prop herself up so he wouldn't notice The slight limp she had.
Reapers couldn't die in this realm unless they where quite literally ripped apart. So she would heal, but it would still probably knock her out of commission for a few days.
"I'm alright." He promised, looking over her own face for any signs of pain. "Are you alright? You didn't get too hurt, did you?"
Jamie narrowed his eyes at her, glancing back in the direction the stranger had disappeared off to. "I… uh… I also have another question for you. Are there more than just souls and reapers? I mean like, being wise? I know the creatures but, is it possible to have a soul who's not a reaper or just a normal soul?"