Page 1 of The Grim, Me, and The Reaper Makes Three

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TATIANA

The first thing that Tatiana noticed was the quiet.

It shouldn’t have been that quiet, not on Fifth Street and not on Halloween—especially not a rare Halloween that fell on a Saturday night. But it was silent, and when she opened eyes that she hadn’t realized were closed, the street was empty. Where a few seconds ago she could have sworn there was a sea of shouting strangers in colorful costumes clogging the sidewalks, spilling over onto the edge of the busy street, now there was nothing.

It was only then that Tati registered the fact that she was sitting in the middle of the road, the pavement cool against her bare legs. The double yellow line that she straddled stretched in front of her until it disappeared into the soundless night.

It all felt weird. Really fucking weird. Mist curled around the sidewalks and blurred the hard edges of the buildings that rose on either side of her. And when a dark, looming shadow of a figure materialized through the haze, Tati didn’t hesitate, clambering to her feet and readying herself for whoever the fuck was undoubtedly coming to try to kill her.

She fumbled for the purse that was still slung across her body, undoing the zip with shaking fingers and pulling out herkeys. With the familiarity of a woman who lives alone in a major city, she flipped the safety lever on her pepper spray, eyes intent on whoever — or whatever — approached her.

They wore some sort of a black cloak, a draping hood shadowing their face. In one hand they carried a — what was that thing called? She knew it was a farming tool originally, but in her lifetime she’d only ever seen the long pole topped with a wicked curved blade associated with Death.Was it a Sith? No, those were the evil Star Wars dudes.

She found some reassurance in the knowledge that this person was probably as committed to their Halloween costume as Tati had been when she’d surveyed herself in front of the mirror earlier. Murderers didn’t dress up on Halloween; they were just their typical creepy selves in khaki pants and zip up sweatshirts.

Still, she held the pepper spray in front of her, pointing it up toward the tall figure who now was close enough that she heard the scrape of the heavy fabric of the cloak dragging against the asphalt. Better to be safe than sorry. When they were about a car’s length away from her, they stopped.

“Good evening.”

The voice was musical, in a lower register that hummed in the air. The accent was British, aristocratic, even.

When she remained silent, the voice continued. “You must know why we are here.”

Dread settled in her sternum. “We?”

There was a rustle of fabric, and a huge, looming animal padded on silent paws from behind the figure. Tati’s eyes widened at the glowing golden eyes that stared her down like she was prey. It was a canine, for sure, but it wasn’t a breed that she recognized. Shaggy brown and black fur framed a long, dark snout, and tall ears twitched forward and back.

“Apologies,” the voice said. “He can be a bit shy.”

The dog growled.

Tati blinked. “Who the fuck are you?”

The cloaked figure shifted, their face still obscured in shadow. “Right. We are here to escort you to the other side.”

That got Tati’s attention. If this fucker thought she was going to be easy to kill, he was in for one. She let out a harsh laugh. “I’m not going anywhere with you, you creepy fuck!” She raised the canister she still gripped tightly in her hand. “I have pepper spray!”

The figure laughed, the sound rich like molasses. “Apologies, darling. I am afraid that you do not have much of a choice.”

“Are you threatening me?” She barely remembered the moves from the self-defense class she’d taken in college, but fuck if she wasn’t ready to do something. She might be wearing her best black pumps, but she was good in heels. This asshole and their dog had something coming if they thought she was going anywhere without putting up a fight.

The figure turned to the dog, who still stood poised beside them. “I cannot say that I remember them being like this,” he said.

The dog raised his head and barked.

“I know, I know,” the figure responded. “It has been years since I have done this part.”

The dog growled again, nudging its nose into the side of the cloaked figure.

The figure let out an indignant huff. “Shut it. We both know my role is more administrative at this point.”

Tati couldn’t keep her mouth shut any longer. “Are you talking to your dog?”

The figure looked back at her. “Why yes, yes I am.”

“Who the fuck are you?” she asked again, remembering that she hadn’t gotten an answer the first time she’d asked.

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