Death; The Third Kingdom

Death

The Third Kingdom

He watched from the rafters of the shack that they were keeping Melody, thinking about how this plan that they had designed would even work. It was simply said, but actually carrying it out would be harder. As he sat and watched, Rebecca, being the shortest without Melody there, would be making her way toward the shack through the human homes. Strife would intercept her once Death came out with Melody and then the rest would swoop down from their hiding places to circle and protect the weakest of the Nephilim. But getting Melody out of this shack without being seen would be the problem.

While she was a prisoner here, the humans looked like they were trying to help her feel welcomed. There was a blond sitting in front of the Nephilim, talking with her.

"So how long have you been here?" Melody asked, spooning in a mouthful of some soup that the blond, who Melody called Porkchop, had given her.

The human woman smiled at her as she sat on the end of the bed. She played with her hair lightly as she tapped her chin, pretending to think. "Well, me and Smasher came along when the rest of the humans were revived. Mythical was here before the rest of us."

"So she's older than a hundred?"

"No. It's weird because she's only a year older than me but she... Woke up before the rest of us? It's hard to really believe. But it's true. Those scars? She got them from running around when we hadn't pushed the demons and angels back from the area. When I got to her and healed her some, half of her wounds were infected and I couldn't get rid of the scars."

"What happened to her before that? She shows signs of some grief."

Porchop's face fell and Death crammed himself deeper into the small enclosure that he had settled into. "Well, she was engaged to be married before the Apocalypse. Her to-be husband died before her eyes."

There was a small silence. Despite himself, Death wanted to see this human now; he wanted to know how she had survived through that time, why War hadn't sensed the human when he was on Earth, why he hadn't at all. Melody interrupted his thoughts and broke the stunned silence. "Tell me about her past. How they met." He thought that he was pretending things when she glanced up in his direction.

"Mythical was a biologist. She went from continent to continent studying all sorts of things. Mammals. Sea mammals. Fish. Reptiles. She even went as far as looking for some myths like mermaids, Bigfoot and something that she called a Hellhound. She went after everything. And, as she did, she would draw these amazing pictures; pictures of what she had seen and sometimes just random stuff that she wanted to do at the moment. There might be people, animals... and sometimes things that even she couldn't explain. One day she went to Australia to look at the grand Great White Sharks. Next thing I know I get an email with her in it, explaining the current situation over there. Australia has fallen in some deep water, deeper than what they would like to admit, and that the people are starting up revolutions. Mythical got herself involved with the uprising and fell for the young man that was leading most of the revolutions." Porkchop shook her head as she stood and busied herself by cleaning up Melody's finished meal. "A year later they were engaged and they came over here so she could introduce him to her family and travel to some places that he hadn't seen yet. They went up to New York... and you can guess the rest."

"That is so sad. And yet she stayed for you humans. Why?" Again Death thought that he was seeing things when she glanced his way.

A shrug came from the human. "Mythical is strange in her ways. She tries to do what is right at all times and things like that. The rest of her family is similar."

"And where are they?"

"Her sisters -she has two younger ones- are probably back at their home down in Virginia, cleaning things up most likely. Smasher is here with us."

"Her parents."

A wave of sadness enveloped Death and Porkchop shook her head slowly as she made her way over to the door. "I think that you just need to rest, Melody. I'll tell Mythical that you're feeling better but would like some more rest."

The second that the door closed, Death dropped from his hiding place, watching as Melody as she crawled out of her bed. "Death!" she whispered in excitement. "Can you take me to War?"

He took her wrist in his hand, nodding. "Why else would I be here?"

"You are Death."

Shaking his head at her retort, he pulled her to the door, opening it just enough to peer out. He was surprised to see three humans that were now surrounding Rebecca, talking to her with tones that were not as friendly as he would have hoped. One was Porkchop and the other two were two broad shouldered males. Rebecca had to stand at least a few inches taller than the largest male, which had to be a dead five away that she was not human. Closing the door silently in behind him, he glanced back at Melody, who was looking at him with large eyes.

"The rest are here as well but it would appear as if some of us have walked into some trouble."

"If this helps, the humans are more concerned with keeping peace with us. They only seek war with Hell and Heaven."

Death glanced at her. "If that is true, then why did they take you?"

"I'm not sure. The one who did it didn't ask for permission from the leader; he just took a group and did it on his own."

Shaking his head, Death once again opened the door just enough for him to see through. Perhaps he could manage to get Rebecca to look at him before one of the humans saw him. Or maybe Strife would see her trouble and come to her rescue. Almost as if on cue, the White Horseman appeared, face plastered with a large smile as he wrapped an arm about Rebecca's shoulders. Whatever the conflict had been about was cleared up, which made Death wonder what it was about in the first place.

When Strife and Rebecca walked up, Strife flicked the head down off her head with a growl. She was dressed in a trench coat, like most of the humans nearby, and Strife had on some hoodie. "I told you that wearing that was going to draw attention!" he hissed as he glanced over at Death and Melody in behind the door.

"What was I supposed to do, damn it!" snapped Rebecca. "Like wearing white isn't going to do anything either when we're in a damned desert!"

"At least I look good in this."

"Stop this!" Death grunted. "Signal the others now with our horses! We do not have much time before the humans begin to suspect our coming!"

"Is that because Strife forgot to put away those huge pistols of his?" Rebecca gestured to the weapons that were on either side of his thighs.

The Horseman glanced down at them as Death face-palmed angrily. "That ain't the only thing that's big down there."

While Melody squealed in surprise, Death decided that this was the best time to summon the others. He snapped his arm up, watching as Despair exploded from the ground in an eruption of green flames. Humans screeched as the huge horse reared before them, hooves flailing at them when they got close and then his dead jaws snapping at them. Grabbing Melody up underneath her arm and ignoring the spatting between Rebecca and Strife, Death began to move toward Despair, who noticed them when Dust cawed and swooped down to invistigate more closely. The others came as well, horses screeching and humans screaming as they pounded through the camp. It seemed that it was all that War could do not to kill them all; his hands were gripping Ruin's reins so tightly that the stallion had his head straight up in the air, prancing about the camp as he nickered.

A gunshot went off and Death cringed as the bullet slammed into his right shoulder. He paused long enough to make sure that Melody was still okay (War would find a way to officially kill him if she wasn't) and for the wound to begin healing. His head snapped around to look at the shooter to see a blond standing accusingly, one-handedly standing with a pistol raised. Their eyes met and a neutral understanding passed between them.

He raised his free hand, fingers closed into a fist. All activity around the Horsemen stopped, casuing them to eventaully slow as well. The human dropped his hand, tossing the pistol away right afterwards to cross his arms and tilt his head to the side. Death released his hold on Melody's arm and straightened. This was one of the first times that he had ever seen that a human wasn't scared of him. The others' fright was sparking through the air like little fireworks and their cowering was noticeable all the way around. But this one stood tall.

"I'm going to assume that you're part of Melody's family," he announced, voice deep and gravely.

Silence drifted for a moment before Fury hopped off of Turbulence. "Yes, yes we are. Who the hell are you?"

"I don't do the announcing around here, Horseman. That's my sister's job... Fury, right?" This time Death was really impressed; the humans may know of the Horsemen, but he hadn't known that their names had been given out. He glanced back at Melody accusingly and she shrugged.

"Do you not have your own say?" snickered Strife. He had a hold of Conniption's reins and the white horse was snorting, glaring at the humans that were inching closer to them.

A smile grew and the scruffy appearance that the man had was shown even more. "I've got my own say, but the second that I open my mouth, she'll shot my head off. I would like to live a few more years at least."

"Right." Melody had been clutching at the back of Death's crowl when War arrived, grabbing her and pulling her into a protective embrace. Death gagged a little in surprise until Melody let go and he straightened again, dusting himself off as Despair nuzzled him gently. "Who is this oh so scary leader of yours?"

As if planned, a human from one of the watch towers that stood nearby shouted down at the rest, signaling with his hand. A rush of activity followed; humans dashed around to start grabbing ropes, weapons, anything that they could get too and children and younger people who could not fight were ushered inside. Death was half amazed that no one said a word about the Nephilim that were standing in the center of their camp. A thundering roar sounded and a gate, the only gate in the camp, opened loudly. Three horses thundered in, each one with a rider dressed in black bulletproof vests or enchanted leather armor (Death could smell the magic a mile away). The leading one, who was smaller than the two on either side, halted her mare right next to the scraggly man and then Porkchop as she came running up to greet the horse and human. The mare, a gorgeous creature of all black hair expect for one white star on the center of her head, hadn't even stopped all the way before the human was hopping off her side.

The helmet that she wore, which was a simple mask looking object that covered her nose and upper half of her face, was ripped off almost immediately. Death's mind was blown. A woman. The human was a delicate, beautiful woman who had to be only five feet and five inches tall. Her hair was braided, a blue streak from her bangs being strung in the braid. Her face was smeared with dirt and smoke, maybe even some blood that was coming from a cut on her forehead. The man frowned as he reached out to take her bow from her, but she glared at him so hard that he turned away.

"We have demons and angels in contact not even five miles from here!" she announced with a growl. "If we're going to get humans noticed and reverse the side-effects of the End War, we have to do this now!"

"Do what now?" Strife murmured from the edge of the group.

Melody spoke up happily from War's arms, glad that she finally knew something that the others didn't. "They're planning on some huge thing where they do this-"

"It's none of your business."

Death jumped back, actually surprised for once, to look at the dark haired woman. Her eyes burned furiously and the edges of his mouth curved into a frown; something about this woman, even despite her past, just did not seem strong enough to lead the humans to their (very sad) glory. "I'll be the judge of that," he replied, looking down at her. "What is this large scaled plan of yours?"

A slow smile crept upon her face. "You'll have to watch and see yourself."

"Who the hell do you think that you are?" Fury snapped. Turbulence snorted in agreement, snapping at the black mare that was trotting up to the female human. Not a glance was sent her way. "Some macho woman who has the power of the world in her hands?"

The woman frowned, taking her mare's head in her hand softly. "No. Only God has that power, Horseman." She paused, glancing back at the mare beside her before looking at the Nephilim with a strange, almost curious gaze in her eyes. Death couldn't help but to bare his fangs a little as he glowered at her. "My name is Mythicalenchantment. I lead these humans. Now, if you don't mind my bluntness, leave. It was the mistake of my idiotic brother that caused all of you to be here."

With that she turned on her heel, clucking at the mare. As she got on, twisting gracefully into the saddle to land correctly, two black wings erupted from either side of the mare. Her bow was out instantly, orders screaming from her mouth as the pegasus flapped once into the air.

"I'm sorry," Porkchop said as the man beside her grumbled. "You'll have to excuse us; we're in a really important thing right now."

"So important that we're kicking you out."

"Smasher!"

"It's true, isn't it?" snapped Smasher, glaring at her. While Porkchop looked away, crossing her arms and tilting her head up, a look of guilt and regret flashed across the man's face. Quickly correcting himself and becoming stoic, Smashed gestured for them to leave without any words.

Death fumed as he stepped forward. His height compared even to the large human was nothing; he stood above Smasher by at least another two feet. "We will not leave until we are told what is happening there."

Smasher's eyes narrowed as he protectively pushed Porkchop in behind him slightly. "Look, my sister told me not to tell you. I don't know her reasons, but she's got 'em, and I'm not going to break my promise I made to her. I can tell you where they're going though. Just five miles near a marsh or some ruins of a swamp."

A flicker of what felt like panic flickered through Death. That was where Anna and Draven were settled.

And now Death's chapter is over. It feels funny, ending this; it'll be the first story that I've ever finished. But sorry for the long wait. I... I had another grandparent pass away, this time my grandmother. So I was a little busy recovering from that and getting back on track.

But please do look up my Mass Effect fanfiction, The Assassin and the Commander!

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