“Go away,” Hecate said, turning her finger towards the Grim Reaper.
“Can’t do that, Doll; Khronos is being a real tight ass with his No Zombies Allowed rule. I have to round up all undead and put them where they belong.”
“Did he just call me Doll? No one calls me Doll.”
“Yeah, well I was trying to be nice, but now that you mention it, my mother called, she wants her face back.”
“Speaking of Medusa, how is the old hag doing?”
“She’s dating Khronos; you already knew that though or you wouldn’t be trying to make my life so difficult. Three months.. it took me three months to round up the all the zombies. Most of them didn’t want to come willingly. And then there were the bribes. Everyone wants to make a deal with death. I don’t make deals.
“Really, because that’s not what I heard.” Hecate’s smile spread thin across her face.
“What are you getting at,” Grim asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Khronos doesn’t really seem like your mother’s type…”
“You know my mother, every guy is her type… until they turn to stone. She can’t afford to be choosy. Now be a dear and tell your goons to go back where they came from, before I get testy.
“See, here’s the thing Grim, I woke up tonight in the mood for a little Halloween havoc. Life has been dull lately. How about you let me have my fun and I don’t tell your mom how you agreed to pimp her out to your boss. When the night is over, these three go back to bed and you can tell your buddies you survived a run in with me. You know, I can get pretty testy myself.”
“Yeah, not gonna happen. Come on you three, I guess we do this the hard way.”
“I guess we do,” Hecate said. Pointing her finger once more, the ground rumbled bringing forth more of the dead. Old friends greeted each other, family members fell into each other’s arms and old feuds resumed.
“Does it matter who shot the other first,” Hecate shouted, intervening between two brothers, each with a bullet hole in the chest. “It was a duel, you both are equally quick.”
“But who won?” The elder brother asked.
“No one, you both died… idiots.” Touching the two siblings on the arm, Grim sent them back to their graves, dissolving their bodies into dust. Looking around, he moaned, “Three months to get things under control and this broad ruins it all in one night. You two… get a room.”
Reaching for two lovers, Grim pulled them apart, sending their ashes soaring through the air, where their spirits could join together on the wind.
“Never say I’m not a romantic.”
“You can’t stop them all,” Hecate said, directing a group of small children towards the town. “It’s Halloween kids, go get some treats.”
“You know, come to think of it, I’m kind of hungry myself,” one of the recently revived said, “ I wonder if anyone has brains on the menu.”
Stepping in front of the zombie, a former mayor of the town who was known for his many appetites, Grim shot the goddess an angry glare. “Hecate, this has got to end.”
“It’s not right, Grim. They don’t care about us anymore. I used to be somebody. Now… now Khronos has me announcing the weather on God’s News Channel. I’m a damn weather girl.”
“Yeah, I know, I’ve got a poster of you hanging on my wall, wearing that red shirt that shows off your…”
Hecate tossed a lightning bolt his way.
“I was going to say your eyes! They’re a beautiful shade of crimson.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Well I know looking at it makes me feel better. Hey, easy there!” Grim stepped to the side, narrowly missing getting singed. The grass where he’d been standing was smoldering, leaving a smoky odor to the air.
“The job doesn’t even pay my rent. I live on Mount Olympus you know… only the best for the goddess of witchcraft. I used to get offerings… virgin sacrifices; now I’m lucky if someone sends a prayer my way. I had to take a second job to make ends meet.
“I don’t know what you’re complaining about, at least you have your own place. I live with my mom. Do you know how many times she’s accidently turned me to stone?”
“That would be a problem,” Hecate agreed.
The two grew quiet, listening to the screams coming from the town. “Three months,” Grim moaned, “and now I have to start all over. At least you get a day off here and there. If I take a day it turns into Armageddon.”
“Does she really turn you into stone?”
“Yeah. She says it’s an accident. The photo album says otherwise. She stuck rabbit ears on me for Easter.”
“Well how about we make a deal?”
“I told you I don’t do deals.”
“Then round them all up yourself.” Hecate raised her finger, prepared to summon more dead.
“Wait… what do you want?”
“I have an extra room. Really, it’s a large closet, but I’m not using it and the extra income would be nice. It would get you out of your mother’s basement.
“You’ll send them back to their graves?”
“If I must… but don’t you miss the old days?”
Grim thought about it a moment, then answered, “Yeah, I kind of do. What the hell, I suppose a few hours won’t hurt. Khronos and my mother are taking a ride down the Styx…Charon offers a lovers discount and a guided tour that takes most of the night. Just make sure everyone is back where they belong by morning.”
“I promise. Where are you going?”
“Home to pack; hey, does this make us…”
“Don’t even think it, Grim. Not even in your dreams… and Grim…”
“Yes, Doll?”
“Make sure you leave the damn poster behind.”
Lisa McCourt Hollar resides in Ohio with her husband and children. Always busy writing she writes not-too-scary-stories for children 10 and under and horror stories for teens and adults, as well as dark poetry.
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