Sweet Death III

The outside breeze carried the smoke of her soul, mingled with perfume and oranges, to his human nose. He inhaled, sweet and tangy, and Aurora’s red lips parted into a grin. 

“Nice song. I love Billy Idol too,” she said.

Boom, Boom, boom, boom, boom the sound inside Maddox’s chest startled him. He realized it was his human heart drumming. Was he having a heart attack? Can a reaper die of a heart attack? A human, talking to him, complimenting him, smiling at him…a beautiful human. The most beautiful he had ever seen—and he had seen plenty—and her soul blazed a golden yellow, the mark of happiness against all odds, and her brown eyes twinkled glassy, starry, and they looked at him without fear.  

   “Cat got your tongue?” she said, raising an eyebrow as her smile looped to the side playfully. 

“N-no. No, I… didn’t realize cats could do that,” he said. 

She tilted her head, and Maddox’s throat dried. Had he said something strange? Did he just compromise his entire mission with just a single phrase?!  

“I…just…um…you’re…just…” 

    She laughed. “You’re pretty cute yourself, random taxi guy,” she said and winked. 

    Heat began to blaze hot in Maddox’s ears, and if he were in his true form, he would melt the car’s roof this time. 

     “So, will you give me a ride to the bar?” she asked. 

     Maddox blinked. 

     “You’re the taxi I asked for, right?” she said. 

     He could say yes. He wanted to say yes. He wished, ardently, he could say: yes, stay with me, but that wasn’t the truth, and it was the contrary of ‘not getting involved.’ Yet, what harm could it do? He was taking her to the place she was supposed to be for the completion of his task but then, if he said no, could her soul somehow be saved? Change the course of her destiny? He knew very little about the ‘fate’ division of corporate, but surely that’s how it worked. Then again, that would also be meddling, and if he didn’t collect a soul, it would be back to corporate for him. 

     “Hello? Anyone there?” she asked, waving her hand. He snapped back to this realm.  

     Maddox scratched his cheek and mumbled an apology. 

     “No, I…” 

     “No worries, I don’t think he’ll mind me being a couple of minutes late,” she closed the car’s back door and opened the co-pilot seat before sitting down. 

     She took the hair tie from her wrist and looped her long, brown hair full of ripples as if the ocean imprinted on it into a messy knot. The jean jacket glided downwards, revealing a peak of her warm, tawny shoulders and the heart-shaped cleavage of her white top that sparkled multicolor under the streetlamps. She looked so tender and yet so firm, and he couldn’t help but wonder how her shoulder would feel underneath his inhuman touch.  

Maddox gulped and loosened his tie a little before he choked. I summon thee, guardians of the world, to give me strength and control over these emotions. He prayed and was surprised that she seemed to enjoy his struggle since she now grinned like she knew everything. Could they be mistaken and send him in chase of a sorceress? No, that couldn’t be; he would’ve sensed that from miles. 

    “That tropical humidity was killing me,” she said, dropping her arms. “Are you going to stop ogling, or do I have to get another taxi?” 

    Maddox cleared his throat and hoped at that moment that reapers could die of heart attacks. He might as well take his death dagger and plunge it into his heart for his lack of tact. The leap of faith was taken; he should try not to make a fool of himself now. He placed his hands on the steering wheel and started to drive. No keys needed. 

    “El Diablíco, do you know it? It’s right next to the beach. The one with the palm trees in the entrance and all those tiny diablíco masks on the wall,” Aurora said. “Never been inside, though.”  

    Maddox nodded even though he hadn’t the slightest idea of where this place was. His hands and feet knew, though. One of the perks of being an angel, even one of death, is that subconsciously your being always knew where to go. It’s what led him to Aurora Álvarez Morales in the first place. 

    “Is it humid where you’re from?” she asked. 

    “…Where I’m from?” asked Maddox. 

    “Yes, you stand out.” She raised her palms. “Don’t get me wrong, I like this icy, businessman thing you’re going for, but as you can see, most of us dress more according to the weather, if you know what I mean,” she said, pointing at her shorts. 

    “Right…well, it’s cold where I work…or so a lot of mort- um,” Maddox cleared his throat. “People say, so all of us dress like this for the job,” he said. 

    “What sorta job requires you to dress like that and drive a taxi?” she asked.  

    “My other job is, it’s, uh, collecting,” he said. 

    “Debt?” she asked. The question had an edge that made Maddox glance briefly at her face. It hardened. 

    “No,” he said. “Of precious things…names, memories, lives, I suppose….” 

    Her stare was thick, and then she chuckled. 

    “Jeez, you talk like an old man,” she said. 

     Maddox chuckled, a nervous copy of hers. He should stop talking; he was meddling too much. This conversation should’ve never started in the first place.  

     “I kinda like that,” she added. “You sound poetic, like a tragic hero.”

     But he also didn’t want it to end. 

     “Thank you, but I’m the farthest from heroic that you can think of,” he said. 

     “Pale, nervous cutie is actually a bad boy?” she asked.

     “I don’t try to break the rules,” he admitted. Well, sort of. “But—” 

     “Opportunity comes, and you either take it and regret it forever or live a little and hope the angels aren’t watching too closely this time,” she said.

     Maddox glanced at her, the corner of his lips lifting slightly. Her grin revived and illuminated her face again. 

     “Has it been a while since you smiled?” she asked. 

     Maddox frowned, chewing at her words. 

     “I can tell. The cheek here,” she grazed it, and Maddox almost jumped out of his human skin. “It trembles. That’s what happens to my mom, too,” she said. 

     There was no archive Maddox could’ve seen to know the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of this young soul’s life. A drawback of the reaper’s job was that only necessary details were provided in case files, so he couldn’t help himself and be curious. It was new to ask for information directly from a human and hear their answer, sprinkled with their personality.

     “Does your mother not smile?” he asked. 

     “Not since my dad died,” she sighed. “And after she realized I’m planning to become a photographer.”  

     Aurora slumped back in her seat. “I mean, I get it. She doesn’t want me to waste time on that. She’d rather I take a third job, an ‘actual money paying job’ as she says,” said Aurora making the quotes in the air with her fingers. “But this is what makes me happy, you know?” 

     Yes, he knew. 

     “My apologies for your father’s passing,” uttered Maddox. 

     She laughed. “The chorizos and burgers killed my dad, not you,” she said.

     Or perhaps someone I know did. A lump of guilt started to form in his throat. 

     “Still…” he said. “I’d like you to have my apologies.” 

     “I accept them, so lighten up,” she patted his shoulder, and even after she moved her hand away, he could still feel her warm touch branded on his skin. 

“Besides, after meeting with this guy you’re taking me to, I’m sure my life is about to change.”  

Maddox stiffened. “Have you met this person before?” he asked. 

“Oh yeah, the guy’s famous. Got awards for his photos and everything. I happened to meet him at the restaurant I was working, then we had a conversation, and he said he’s interested in getting to know me and my work!” she said. 

“It’s unwise to go alone with someone you don’t know,” he said. 

“It’s unwise to talk to strangers, too,” she quipped. 

Maddox slowly nodded in agreement. 

    “He is not a good soul, and you ought to tread carefully,” he said. 

    “How do you know who I’m talking about?” she asked. 

    “Diego Santos has the whole town talking,” he said, surprised at the smoothness in his voice. It was like listening to someone else answer for him.

    “Yeah, his face is plastered everywhere. And two days ago, he got interviewed for the news!” she said. “I’m going to be like that someday.” 

    Maddox smiled a sad, taciturn smile. “Perhaps,” he said. 

    Silence enveloped them both. Should he keep talking? He wanted to ask her more, but how would he without seeming frightening? What if his questions were bothersome to her? What if he slipped up again? He was glad that Billy Idol filled the car with sound. If Maddox thought any harder, perhaps Aurora could hear him. By the blessed realms, he’d never had problems like this at corporate. Then again, everyone barely spoke to him except for his brother and office mate Dayren. 

    “Do you have a girlfriend?” she asked, and the car shook to a halt. Maddox had stepped on the breaks. 

    “W-why are you asking such a thing?” he asked. 

     She tugged at the sleeve of his suit playfully. “Why do you think?” 

     Maddox could feel his heart in his throat. 

     “I…I never thought it would be possible for someone like me,” he said. Perhaps it was the anxiety or the warm feeling in his chest, but he answered with surprising honesty. She looked earnestly at him like she wished for him to continue. 

     “…but…I can’t say I’ve never wished it from afar,” he said.

     “I can’t believe that” she shook her head with a gleam of amusement, to Maddox’s dismay. “You’re way too handsome and sweet to not have a girlfriend, plus you work, so adding responsible to the list of positive qualities…unless you’re a crazy serial killer?” 

     “I-I’m not,” he said. Not yet, I suppose. 

     “Didn’t think so. You must be picky. In that case, who is the ideal girl for pale, cute taxi guy?” she asked. 

     You are, my dear. No, no, no, don’t say that, you fool! Can a reaper fall in love at first sight? But, by the holy realms, this woman is... 

     “Someone braver than me,” he replied. “Someone that wants to live far beyond existing.” 

     “Do you live, or do you exist?” she asked. 

     Maddox turned to face her. Their gazes linked. The world stopped and disappeared. Her soul blazed. What was she thinking? What was she feeling? Maddox could only speculate, wonder, and marvel at her beautiful humanity and her beautiful secrets. Her eyes, her nose, and her lips round and painted in deep red like pomegranate seeds but more appetizing and alluring. 

     “I want to live,” he whispered, lost in her trance. 

     Her lips curved, and her eyes twinkled. 

     “Then live,” she said softly. “I’m not stopping you.” 

     His lips stretched into a broad smile, and he decided to believe her for the moment. 

     “You can keep driving now,” she said. 

     “Oh! Uh, right,” he said, focusing on the road again. The bar was just around the corner. Maddox stopped the car right in front of the entrance and every second suddenly turned into an eternity. This was it. The place where she would die.