Life and death has always been such a complicated matter. Some people are afraid of death, others embrace it and then there are the sad folks who look to it with hope for a sweet release. Tales of death and the greeting from the Grim Reaper, humans always lived for such tall tales and it always was fun to hear what they came up with. But the truth of it all is much different, even in death there’s a system to everything. For a Reaper like Kraig, there were few things that he truly enjoyed and his so-called job was one that he truly hated. Reapers were usually chosen by the Grim Reaper, Tobias. Death was just as complicated as life, if not more, thanks to all the rules and laws that were put in place for everyone’s “protection.”

For someone like Kraig, born through the bond between a human and a Reaper, he knew that he was considered an outcast. The human side of him screamed out in protest against the rules and laws made for the Reapers. The Reaper side of him was a constant reminder of all the power at his fingertips, the invisibility and teleportation along with knowing exactly when someone was destined to die. Kraig didn’t care for the rules in place for the Reapers, but that didn’t mean he was going to just let all this power slip away. There was far too much potential for Kraig and he planned to use it for his personal use, how else was he meant to use these powers?

“I hate hospitals.” Kraig grumbled to himself as he pulled the hood up again and readjusted the decorative skull that he wore, a gift given to him by his Father before Tobias had gotten rid of him for “dangerous activities with humans.” Kraig could never forgive Tobias for what he did to him, especially after his mother’s death when he was young. The only piece of family he truly had left had been stripped away in an instance. Clinging to the invisibility and remembering to avoid bumping into anyone, humans were sure to notice something amiss especially in hospitals, Kraig’s eyes danced over the room numbers out of pure repetition. He knew exactly where he was going, he never missed a day despite seeing that black ring darkening around her neck. He knew exactly what that black ring meant.

Kraig’s eyes jumped over each of the doctors and nurses, most of them missing those rings or on the rare chance they had faint black rings. One particular nurse had a deep ring around her neck, Kraig could see the dark circles under her eyes and the ragged breaths that escaped her lips every few moments. She wouldn’t last much longer, especially if she planned to work herself to death like this. Typical humans, they all work themselves to death with not a day to relax. Pulled from his thoughts as soon as he saw that number, 301, he could already feel his throat tightening and the hesitation to step through the door. I’m doing this for her. I’m the only one that comes to see her so often. 

He had to keep reminding himself that while she had family and they came to see her, it wasn’t as often as he came to see her. He knew the moment that ring became deep and dark it would mean he’d be unable to return, he couldn’t be here when a true Reaper came to help her move on. It was like a flip of a switch, dropping his invisibility trick, before giving the door a light tap and pausing for a moment before stepping inside. Unsurprisingly the room was empty, the quiet murmurs of the TV and the sliver of lights coming through the blinds didn’t make the room feel any warmer.

The woman in bed didn’t look any better, gray hair strewn over the pillow and eyes that were distant and unfocused stared out the window. Of course she hadn’t heard him come into the room, he knew that her hearing was becoming even worse with each passing day. Kraig could already feel the tension returning to his body, he had a split second where he felt like he’d forgotten how to breathe when he saw her. “Nadia.” He called out her name from the doorway and that seemed to get her attention, the twitching of her fingers followed by the quiet shuffling of the blankets before her eyes met his and that bright smile quickly bloomed over her face. That smile of hers was always reserved for him, he saw the fake smiles she would plaster on whenever her family came to visit but she never hid anything from him. Perhaps she knew what he was here for, or at the very least what he was supposed to be here for?

“You know better than to disappear like a ghost for so long. I thought you made a promise to come and see me every day young man.” She scolded him, her voice rough and weak but the tone firm even as he moved to grab the seat next to her bed. As soon as his body sunk into the chair and he’d made himself comfortable he reached one hand out to take hers. Her grip was becoming weaker, a reminder along with that darkening ring that he would lose her and soon. 

Kraig didn’t have many favorites when it came to people, he downright hated most people, but Nadia was always the exception. She reminded him of his mother. That bright smile whenever he came into the room and the scolding tone if he was “late” or he “didn’t show up that day.” There were also the comments made about his appetite, she was always asking him if he’d eaten or when he ate and wanting to make sure Kraig was taking good care of himself. He missed his mother on days like these. A moment of silence between Nadia and Kraig, a comfortable silence as he studied her face and burned it into his memories.

“What did you have to eat today?” That was, of course, the first question she had for him and he couldn’t help but chuckle at their usual routine. “You ate breakfast already and I just got my lunch, so what did you eat?” She added when he hadn’t immediately replied. That cheeky smile of his wasn’t enough to make her drop the question either, rather it just made her move to sit up straighter and stare him down like he was her own blood. As far as he was concerned, he was already a piece of her family even if he hadn’t met the rest of them. He didn’t care about meeting them, not at this point anyway. 

“I promise I ate!” He was quick to respond in an attempt to ease some of her concerns, the easing of her eyes was a sign of an easier conversation. “For breakfast, I went to this small bakery and grabbed myself a muffin. I don’t like breakfast, it makes me feel sick sometimes if I eat too early in the morning. I also had a cup of orange juice so it’s a good start to a good day right?” He went on to explain once he sat back in the chair with a small smile on his face as he spoke. He could feel her hand give a gentle squeeze, it was her little sign that she was proud of him. Kraig wouldn’t say it out loud but he wanted to make her proud, he didn’t want to imagine ever disappointing her. “I haven’t had lunch yet though, I wanted to come see my favorite girl remember? I promise I’ll go out and grab myself some lunch as soon as I leave from here, maybe I’ll go and order myself a pizza or maybe I’ll stop for Chinese. I could definitely go for some orange chicken or chicken and broccoli, or maybe a pepperoni pizza.” Kraig knew that he was rambling at this point but it wasn’t like Nadia was trying to stop him or telling him to shut up, especially with the squeeze of her hand and the smile on her face. Now more than ever he could tell that she was proud of him, she always did tell him to take good care of him if nobody else would. “But enough about me, how are you? What did you have for breakfast and lunch?” He went on to ask with a raised brow and the slight nod of his head. 

Listening to Nadia talk about the hospital food, Kraig knew by heart that the food here was terrible and that’s usually why he snuck food inside for her, was a routine. This was, quite literally, the routine that both Nadia and Kraig had and it was one they both cherished. Eggs, toast, and a carton of milk for breakfast followed up with a sandwich and a small bowl of soup for lunch. It certainly didn’t sound like much but even worse was the taste, why was hospital food usually so bad?

“You spend so much time visiting a granny like me, don’t you have a girlfriend or a family to look after? What about school?” Nadia questioned Kraig as her hand reached out to cup his face, a stern look in his eyes and he couldn’t help but laugh in response. 

“I don’t have a family, not really anyway since I live on my own and I don’t know my mom’s family all too well. Besides I don’t have time for a girlfriend or school, I work full time and it’s just kind of really difficult right now.” He repeated those same words he told her every time he came to see her, she always asked him these same questions each time and he knew that she wouldn’t ever remember his answers. And yet somehow she always seems to remember him personally, better than her own family at the very least. “It’s a good thing I brought you some food, I know how bad the food is here and it’s not like they care enough either.” Kraig said with a chuckle as he pulled the ziploc bag from his coat and held it out to the woman. A few cookies and a brownie, along with a fruit cup and some graham crackers. It wasn’t much but Kraig knew that she wasn’t big on food after eating what they gave her. At least these would hold her over until dinner, it’s like a little snack and that smile and the light in her eyes was always worth it.

“You treat me a lot better than my own husband used to. Where were you when I was young and pretty?” She teased him in between bites of her food, the smile never leaving her face and only making Kraig chuckle and smile in response. She liked to throw out jokes like that whenever he showed up with snacks or food for her. Snacks were easier to sneak into this hospital than full blown meals, especially if he wanted to use his invisibility trick. 

When Kraig was with her, it was like time came to a stop entirely and that smile never faded from either of their faces. Kraig barely registered the nurse coming into the room, not until he heard the tap on the door and glimpsed out the window behind him to see that the sun had been replaced by the moon. Had time passed that quickly between the two of them? “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He whispered into her head when he pressed the kiss to her temple, remembering now more than ever that the black ring was deeper today. 

Kraig would lose her in the next day or two, and while part of him didn’t want to leave her there was also the part of himself that knew he couldn’t let the other Reapers find him. Kraig knew that the other Reapers would look down on him for his friendship with Nadia, and being here with Nadia felt like a slice of heaven. At the very least, given the circumstances around Nadia and Kraig, he would at least relish the little bit of time he had left with her. After all, once she passed and a Reaper came to collect her then the chances of Kraig ever seeing her again would drop down to near zero. 

Oh well, at least he had this time with her while it’ll last.