Sunday Morning, Rain is Falling

Day 7

The Final Day

This was it, our final day, our final mission. All of us were together, all four of us. We were all that was left of the large group of people that had appeared at the beginning of this week to play the game, to fight for a second chance at life. Many had vanished even on that first day, and many more followed, picked off by the Reapers. Seven days I had spent in the company of a girl whom I thought to be indifferent and cold, only to realize she was suffering as much as I was through life. Seven days later and I now had a reason to keep on living, a purpose, and I was going to win this game.

We stood still, waiting for the mission mail to come, and for the Reapers to descend upon us. We only knew of two Reapers to this day, but there could be more. A LOT more. If that was the case, then we would have to finish this mission fast. Jessica showed us what the Reapers were capable of when on their leashes, let off their leashes, who knows what they were capable of? Sadly, Jim and Rachel were going to discover how strong they were. Sara and I would have to save them from as much pain as we could. Once the mission mail was sent it would all begin.

“It’s here,” I said, flipping open my phone.

We all went pale as I read it.

“Defeat the Game Master at the Gallivan Center, you have 300 minutes. Fail and face erasure—The Reapers,” I read.

“We have to fight the Game Master for our last mission?” Sara asked.

“She’s a higher ranking Reaper,” Jim said. “Maybe we ought to.”

“No, I still want a shot at her,” Sara said. “However strong she is, it doesn’t matter. We’re going to do this, we’re going to win.”

“The countdown has already begun!” Rachel said. “I suggest we get a move on. We’ll stick together at first. The first sign of Reapers and then Jim and I will hold them off. You’re going to need all of your strength to take her on. I…”

She shivered. “We’re so close, it’s weird… it ends today. Guys, no matter what happens… I’m glad I met you.”

Sara smiled. “One last hurrah,” she put her hand out.

I laid my hand on her, and then Rachel and Jim followed this manner. We all cheered as we swung our hands and then broke apart, and then we immediately began to make our way towards the Gallivan center. There were no wall Reapers blocking our paths. No, there didn’t seem to be any Reapers at all… until…

There he was, Derek, standing in the middle of the road, smiling at us.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite Players,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Jim cracked his knuckles. “Come on Rach, we’re up.”

Jim and Rachel immediately took off towards him, not hesitating to think that they might very well be charging towards their doom. Rachel vanished into the other plane, and I wondered if Reapers existed on two planes as well. I couldn’t stop to see, because Sara grabbed my arm and urged me towards the Gallivan Center. I made haste on my own the moment I saw Derek send Jim flying backwards. It seemed he used psychs, just like us, with pins to fight, but his seemed to be a lot more powerful than our psychs were. Still, Jim was hanging in there from what I could see. Even as his image began to fade into the distance, he had decked Derek so hard that the Reaper was sent toppling backwards.

I smiled. If anyone could outlast the Reapers, it was Jim. We kept moving, drawing closer and closer to our destination. As a matter of fact, we had almost made it there when suddenly two Reapers, dressed in black hoods, leapt out from the buildings and came charging at us.

“Time to score a few extra points,” I heard one say.

Sara growled. “We don’t have time for this.”

“We’ll make time,” I replied.

And so it happened. I found myself on one plane while Sara walked into the next. I thought it would be an even one on one deal with two Reapers, but I was wrong. There was one Reaper in solid form on my plane, but as for the other Reaper, only a shadowy image of him remained. Still, it was two on one, and no doubt Sara had the other real Reaper and my real Reaper’s doppelganger.

He came charging at me, using the same bullet psychs I knew too well. I managed to evade them, and immediately I fought back using my lightning pin. Reapers must not have known Players to show no fear because he seemed quite surprised that I actually attacked him. Lightning struck and he found himself stunned, and I made the effort to attack the doppelganger as well. As they slowed, I grabbed at a few of the psychs from the new pins we had been given just two days ago. The first one was an upgrade on the lightning pin. Streams of electricity ran through the streets, lines zigzagging towards my enemies. The pain they must have suffered made my cringe at my actions, but it had to be done. These guys were not terribly strong, but they did look more like grunts. The Reaper we were aiming for would be much stronger.

After a few minutes, Sara was back at my side and the doppelgangers had vanished. The Reapers took off, no longer willing to fight us, and we continued on our way. We were just about to reach the Gallivan Center when we were hindered again, this time by a more familiar Reaper.

Jessica.

“Well, well, well,” Jessica said. “I’m glad to see you two made it this far. The GM was hoping you would be the partnership to challenge here.”

We came skidding to a halt.

“Get out of our way, we just took out two of your Reaper pals and we’ll take you down next if we have to,” Sara threatened.

“So rude,” Jessica said.

“She’s being nice,” I said. “If you don’t leave, I’m going to get rude.”

Jessica grinned. “I would hand this to you, but seeing as I’d probably get attacked, here.”

She tossed a pin in my direction. It had no image on it, and it was translucent. I squeezed, but nothing happened.

“What is this?” I asked.

“A pin with a very unique psych,” she explained. “Its psych will only appear on the pin when you and your partner are completely in synch. It might be helpful.”

She turned to walk away, but I ran to stop her.

“Why help us?” I asked.

She grinned. “You’re charging to your death. The least I can do is give you a fighting chance. Though, another day like the fifth day, and you won’t last two seconds. I do hope you two are ready now.”

I turned to Sara, and we stared at each other for a moment. She had fallen apart two days ago, and we hadn’t fought Noise since. Even against those Reapers, we lacked the synergy we had the day before. That wouldn’t be enough to win this fight, and we knew it.

“We need to be in synch,” I said. “Sara, you need to want to live. I need to be able to trust you, can you promise…”

She walked up to me, leaned forward and planted her lips on mine. The kiss was a lot longer than I’d expected, and not terrible by any means. Awkward, strange, yes, but she was a girl of action.

“There,” she said. “Do you need any more convincing?”

I blinked. “I’m not entirely sure what it is you’re convincing me of.”

“I’m ready to live,” Sara grinned. “Live each moment to its fullest. What do you call what I just did?”

“You just gave me one heck of a kiss.”

“Don’t get too attached,” she crossed. “You have to earn the next one.”

I smiled. Then I turned to Jessica. “I think we’re ready for this.”

“I hope you are,” Jessica said. “Go on, she’s waiting for you.”

She walked away from us, leaving us alone. I knew it now, I could already feel that we were in synch. However powerful this GM was, she would have to watch herself.

We walked through the Gallivan Center until we found ourselves at the ice skating rink. There she was, the Game Master, Clarissa Reeves, sitting on a bench and reading through some romance novel. She looked up as we approached, and she grinned at the sight of us.

“So it would seem that our story has taken an unexpected turn,” she said as she closed her book and stood up. “Just days ago was the shocking revelation. The woman partnered to the young man’s secret was revealed. She had allowed herself to die, committing suicide by stepping in front of a car. Thus this crushed the heart of the young man, knowing the young woman he was fighting so hard for had no desire to live, and his own spark was dwindling.

“Yet, thanks to my endearing mission, the two managed to find a spark enough to keep them going. What is that spark? Why it’s love,” Clarissa sighed. “It almost depresses me, after such a tantalizing rise, the climax will be rather short and unimpressive. Two star crossed lovers about to die. At least you’ve had a moment to share your true feelings.”

I turned to Sara. “What world has she been living in?”

“I don’t know, but I think she believes she brought us two lovebirds together,” Sara rolled her eyes. “Sadly, she couldn’t be more wrong. Let’s give her the real story.”

I turned to Clarissa. “A guy and a girl entered the Reapers’ Game and were manacled together, each questioning their right to live, but fighting on behalf of their partner. Even after learning that their partner had no desire to live, they fought anyway, because we saw something in each other we couldn’t see in ourselves, we found reason to live. And this climax is going to be rather short and dull, it’s just unfortunate you won’t be here for the falling action or the conclusion. You’ll be erased.”

Clarissa’s grin went from condescending to nasty. “You stupid little boy. Allow me to show you why I was appointed Game Master of this week. If I were you, I’d steal a final kiss. Prepare to face erasure!”

And thus she became a Reaper. Two sets of wings sprouted from her back, much larger than that of the normal Reaper wings. Then her entire body took on a transformation. Those same two dimensional lines that made up pieces of Noise began to twist around her waist until her legs were completely erased. Now a large spider like abdomen protruded from her waist, as well as eight large spider legs. The rest of her body seemed to darken, and more lines formed around her arms and they became sharp and cutting with the Noise touch. She had literally become a Noise, except she was ten times larger than any we had faced thus far.

“Oh great,” I said. “We have to face that?”

The Noise-Clarissa cackled. “The Officers of the Reapers are allowed a few extra perks, not to mention a lot more powerful.”

I turned to Sara, looking to see if she was worried. Much to my surprise, she had a determined glint in those black eyes. That settled it. We were going to beat this bug and get our lives back.

“Good luck,” I said to Sara.

She nodded. “You too. I’ll see you on the other side.”

She vanished.

But I was not alone.

Spider Noise began to flock from Noise-Clarissa in the droves. They were freaky being as large as they were, but not as large as she was. Time for the flames. I spread the flames far and wide in order to cover as many spiders as I could, trying to erase as many of them as I could. Sara must have had the same idea because the spiders vanished quickly. Pop, pop, pop, one after the other. I grinned up at our Game Master.

“You don’t stand a chance,” I said.

She laughed. “I beg to differ. The pawns are pawns, the queen is the queen.”

Then it came, a wave of black energy, her own personal psych. I sprinted as fast as I could to avoid the wave, but I was unable to evade the shockwave. I was blown off of my feet and I hit a barrier. Yes, our GM kindly decided to lock us in with a barrier. Even worse, another shockwave was headed my way, and this time it landed directly.

Pain racked through my entire soul, and I felt as though I was being ripped apart. I prayed, oh did I pray for the strength to hold on just a little longer. I held on, but just barely. My soul felt as though it had been completely frayed and would tear apart at just another grazing. How could I fight back?

I clutched at one of my newer pins with a soda can on it. Strength flowed from the pin back into me, and boy did I need it, and Sara as well. We were one attack away from being erased and we hadn’t even hurt the enormous spider. Or at least I hadn’t. I could feel Sara coursing through me, her actions, I could almost see her in my plane, where she was moving. The GM was on both planes, and she was on each equally as opposed to the smaller Reapers having a doppelganger on the other one. Her mind had to exist on two planes at once, could we use that to our advantage?

I ran the opposite direction that I felt Sara. The GM followed me, but she flinched a little as she did so. Sara was on the other side of her other dimensional self attacking, and our two pronged assault seemed to work… slightly. Shockwaves came again, this time followed by a black sphere forming in her pinceresque hands and raining black spheres from the sky. I dodged each one as best as I could, but I got nailed by several. They stung, but not as bad as the shockwave. However, it blinded me to her real goal.

She lifted one of her enormous legs and brought it crashing down. I dodged the leg, knowing it would skewer me if I was beneath it, but it didn’t merely miss me. A ripple moved through the ground, knocking me from my feet, and spider Noise erupted from where her leg had landed. Again I was forced to use my fire to clear them out, and again she shot a shockwave as I attempted to do so. I dodged, and then dodged the next one, and the next one. I didn’t have a chance to touch her, and I had to do something. It had to be something big, and something that could keep me far enough away that I would be able to avoid her assault.

My lightning pin ought to do the trick.

I focused, and the lightning spark popped up near my feet. It was almost like a living creature. It darted across the ground and I directed it where I needed it to go. The streamline had been enormously effective, being very powerful against the other Reapers. One touch would hurt, but if I could hit her more that would hurt even more. She did have eight legs after all, it was time to make her dance.

The first leg I hit caused her to shriek in pain, and then I made it zing to the next leg, and then swing to the third leg. I went through all eight legs before giving up my spark. I was tired. The pin only allowed me to hold onto the spark for a few seconds, I had had to move quickly. Still, I could see that the damage was done, but she didn’t sit around to ache. She assaulted me once again.

I could feel Sara though, and she could feel my stratagem. She went for the legs, I knew it, somehow I knew. I could see the GM growing frustrated, but she was far from done with us. No, she still had a few tricks up her sleeves.

Like a little child pouting, she began to stomp each of her legs in succession, and droves of spider Noise emerged and assaulted us. I tried to burn them away as fast as I could, but there were too many. I was attacked, and each attack that landed distracted me to let another two attacks come through. Finally I managed to burn through them all, but not before another plan had unfolded. Black goo slid from her abdomen and slid across our caged field forming a spider web. I dodged it for as long as I could, even sending my spark to attack her legs in hopes of getting her to stop, but it got me. The goo touched me and I was paralyzed, paralyzed and feeling as though I was being ripped to shreds at the same time.

I could feel Sara’s own anguish, her pain as she was caught. I reached out my hand to help her, but she was on the other plane and too far away. I clutched the soda pin and my strength returned for a few moments, but the web immediately began to drain me again. This couldn’t be it, but I knew it was. She was preparing one of her devastating shockwaves.

“And so,” she said. “It comes to a swift end. Oh how the readers would love it. Perhaps the other two Players will fare better than you.”

If only I could warn them.

“Tragedy, it tastes even better than love,” she licked her lips.

I growled. It wasn’t going to end like this, I wouldn’t allow it.

“I’m not done!”

It was Sara.

“Jared!” she shouted. “Come on, we’re coming back to life and we’re going to do it together!”

How on earth could I hear her?

“I want to live!” Sara said. “And I know you want to also. Just think about it, think about what means the most to you. Don’t you want it back?”

“I don’t know what that is…” I said.

The words unsettled her.

“… but I’m going to find out!”

I grabbed the blank pin that Jessica had tossed to us, but it was no longer blank. It had pictures of flames upon it, and that was exactly what we needed. I squeezed, but it was both Sara and I that fed our mental strength into this pin. I was lifted up and away from the web, floating above it. Purple flames coursed from me along the web, and soon the entire web was engulfed by them. Unfortunately for the GM, her web was everywhere, and even she was touching it. And so, following its natural course, the flames found their way to her.

All she could do was scream as the flames took her. I stared at her as the psych took effect. It was powerful, incredibly powerful, and it had only worked because Sara and I were completely in synch. She had saved my life, and I had saved hers.

“Just give up,” I said weakly to the GM, but she couldn’t hear me.

I stopped clenching the pin, but the flames had taken hold, and they wouldn’t let go, not until the GM gave up the struggle. Soon enough, Sara was standing beside me, and we were staring at Clarissa in her regular human form along with her black wings. Her wings shattered to pieces and scattered in the wind, and then she looked up at us with her dark, piercing eyes. Hatred dwelled within those eyes, but then they lightened.

She laughed. “Oh… the irony of it all.”

“Should’ve seen it coming,” I said. “The good guys always win.”

This only made her laugh more. “Good guys, no… you’re not at all. If you only knew how vile you really were, and if you could only see the Composer… then you would know…”

Just like that boy I had seen with the frogs on the first day, she vanished into thin air.

I turned to Sara.

“We did it,” I said to her, smiling.

Happy moment, called for a happy celebration. Not being an emotional type, it was odd when I was the one that threw my arms around her and picked her up in a swinging hug. Our timers were gone, we had definitely done it. We had won the Reapers’ Game.

“So,” she said after I put her down, and she looked slightly dizzy. “What happens now?”

There was a flash of white, and it took us both by surprise.

“What was that?” I asked.

Sara smiled. “I think that’s our reward.”

We both sat there as the white flashes grew more frequent. Then it happened. We were taken from the Gallivan Center to another place. Where we were, I didn’t know, but whatever building we were in it was fancy. Like a hotel, yes, it looked a lot like a fancy hotel room in downtown Salt Lake City. Whichever one it was I did not know, but I didn’t care. It was a lot better than the streets we had been running through for the past week.

“You did it!”

Jim grabbed me in a headlock and gave me a noogie. “You little devil, you beat the GM yo! You did it man, we’s comin’ back to life now.”

Rachel and Sara were hugging as well, both crying. Girls always cried during emotionally times, but Jim and I took it stoically. Hi-five, fist pound, yeah, that’s how the guys handled it. But what were we doing in this room?

“Congratulations.”

We all turned to see a man dressed in a black suit standing on the other side of the room. He was smiling, but that didn’t make him look the least bit friendly. It appeared to be almost a deviant grin, but he applauded us nonetheless. He didn’t seem to be threatening us, and so I just relaxed. We’d won after all, right?

“You four Players have won the Reapers’ Game,” he said as he approached us. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Giovanni Martin, the Conductor of the Games and I hereby award you all with your entry fees.”

In a flash, we had them. I think. I still had no idea what my entry fee was, I didn’t feel any different. Sara looked at me though, smiling as the memories came rushing back. Then she laughed.

“I can’t believe I kissed you,” she said, embarrassed. “You better not mention that to anyone on the team or I swear I’ll ki… you know, make your life miserable,” she winked.

I smiled, but half heartedly. I still didn’t understand, what was my entry fee?

“And now,” he said. “As per the contract of the Reapers’ Game, I have spoken with the Composer, and the Composer has decided that the number of people that shall come back to life after this game is… one.”

All smiles faded.

“What.” Sara said. It was not a question.

“We all won, don’t we all get to come back to life?” asked Rachel.

“The Reapers’ Game is more than giving people a second chance,” Giovanni said. “You must pay and earn that second chance. To truly win the Reapers’ Game, you must become more than you are. You must become refined, you must have something to offer society in order to rejoin it. As such, only the person that scored the most throughout the challenges will be brought back to life. This Game’s winner is: Sara Evans.”

Her eyes widened. “Me, but no!”

She turned to me. “You’re the one that figured out most of the challenges, you gave me the strength to keep going, if anyone ought to go back it’s…”

“You are the winner,” Giovanni said. “You may forfeit this right and be erased, but no other will be walking in the RG this week. Either you go forward, or else none of you do.”

“I can’t leave,” Sara said.

I put a hand on her shoulder. “Sara, you have to. We’ll be fine, he can’t erase us, not after all we’ve been through,” I turned to him. “What happens to the rest of us?”

“If you still cling to life, you may enter the Game again,” he said. “Otherwise, you will be erased.”

Lovely choices.

“We still have a chance at this,” I said to Sara. “So go. I promise, I’ll be seeing you soon.”

Sara turned to Jim and Rachel.

“You earned it,” Rachel smiled. “Like Jared said, we won’t be far behind.”

She nodded, then she turned to me.

“I’ll make sure to wait for you, you better not let me down,” she playfully punched me in the shoulder. “See you around?”

I smiled. “Count on it.”

“And so,” Giovanni stretched forth his hand. “The decision has been made. Enjoy your victory, Sara, and may your life be better than it was before.”

In a flash of light, she was gone, and even though Jim and Rachel were in the room, I felt alone. My partner hadn’t just been my teammate, she had been my friend, and our souls had met during this week. I had seen a good person, and I knew that I had learned something. He thought I wasn’t worthy to reenter the world, I’d show him. I was worthy enough to be Sara’s entry fee after all, I would not be constrained.

“So, we reenter your game?” Jim asked.

“Is that what you desire?” Giovanni asked. “You will pay another entry fee, are you so willing to give it up again?”

“I’d rather live without it than die with it,” Jim said. “So yeah, take it.”

A flash.

Giovanni, addressing only Jim and Rachel. “You’re entry fee has been collected, prepare for the next Game.”

They vanished in a burst of light, and then I was left alone.

“And you?” he asked.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Giovanni nodded.

“What was my entry fee?” I asked. “I don’t remember it, did you even…”

“I thought you knew your entry fee all along, it was staring you right in the face,” he replied. “Your entry fee was what other people thought of you, your image. That was why your friend Sara could not remember who you were. Her memories, they were your entry fee.”

I should’ve never asked my question. It was a blow, an enormous blow, and I felt sick to my stomach. I sank to the floor as the thought settled in. Everything, all of it, this entire week had been a lie. I wasn’t fighting for what I thought I had been, I hadn’t known anything to begin with. My entry fee was pure selfishness, because that’s what I was, and no doubt if I entered the game that’s what it would be again. I didn’t deserve a second shot at life, but I didn’t want to die. I should die, I didn’t deserve life like the others, but what could I do?

This week had been almost paradise to me. A struggle yes, but it had been fun nonetheless. I enjoyed being able to mold people, to have a real difference in people’s life. If I rejoined the land of the living, what would I possibly do?

“What is your decision?” he asked me.

I shook my head. “I… I don’t know what I want. I can’t come back to life… I don’t want to die but to live scares me… agh!” I growled. “I just don’t bloody know!”

Giovanni smiled. “You show remarkable talent. Perhaps, I should mention the third option.”

I looked up to him. “What?”

“I can erase you, I can enter you into the next Game, or…” he smiled.

“I can make you a Reaper.”