5: Ajal

DEARIL

I watched the oddball curl up on her bed with a pillow over her head.

How crazy could she get? Don't tell me she's crying because she found out the guy is gay? Seriously? I walked towards the bed, pulled the pillow and found the crazy woman sleeping. Her lips are slightly open.

She's asleep, not crying.

Whoah.

Is she really the girl in the photograph on her living room? She's wearing a graduation gown with a medal and holding a certificate saying she's a Summa Cum Laude.

How could a stupid oddball like her earn the highest Latin degree?

Tsk. Humans don't chose people well.

Hinubad ko ang suot na cloak at inilapag iyon sa kabilang bahagi ng kanyang kama. I leaned towards her and watched her closer. What really makes her see me? I am death, only dead people can see me. Although there were rumors about special humans who can see anything that cannot be seen by the naked eyes, I don't really think they exist. They're just rumors.

I lifted my hand to touch her forehead so that I can know a little about her. She suddenly opened her eyes and caught my hand before I can touch her forehead.

Oh, she can touch me too.

"What the hell, red hair? You walk through walls but I can touch you?!" Bumangon siya at tumakbo sa pinto na nakasara. She tried walking through it but ended up getting smacked. Bumalik siya sa kama at muli akong hinawakan. "Why can't I?!"

Padabog na pinagsusuntok niya ang kama at biglang napatigil nang may napansin. "Hinubad mo ang cloak mo!"

"So?"

"I thought you're naked under," she honestly said. Just as I thought. So stupid.

"I thought you're crying."

She peered at me through her lashes with a confused look on her face. "Bakit ako iiyak?"

"You know you lost your chance to have sex," sagot ko.

She made a face. "Yeah, thanks to you."

I remained quite. Muli naman siyang humiga sa kama.

"Get out of my room, red hair."

"Why?"

"I'm going to sleep and you're too hot as hell right now without your ugly cloak. You're not going to have sex with me so you'd better disappear. That will be of true help," litanya niya at ipinikit niya ang kanyang mga mata.

Horny woman. I think I really have to leave. I picked up my cloak and vanished from her room.

I found myself in my black room with a huge bed in the center. Everything here is black save for the white flowers on the black vase. The place is covered in soothing smoke. I sat on the bed and leaned on the pillows but a figure formed on the smoky corridor.

I kept my hands at the back of my head. "What do you want, Ajal?"

Ajal's laugh echoed through the room. "Why do the deities give you a larger room than most grim reapers? This is not fair."

"Go away, Ajal," I said, ignoring him.

He jumped towards my bed. Just like me, Ajal is a grim reaper. His name means hour of death. Just like his name, he can identify the time of death of the soul he will reap kahit na hindi niya iyon tingnan sa Black Card.

"I heard you went to see Dabria. Anong problema?" he asked.

Ah, maybe Ajal knew something about conditions like this, where a human can see and touch you. "A human can see me."

Kumuha siya ng ubas mula sa kumpol ng prutas sa mesa. "They do when you take them."

"She's alive."

He suspended his hand from putting the grape in his mouth. "You met a soul but... alive?!"

"Yeah, guess that's the case."

Tumango siya at nginuya ang ubas. "Wow, that's a special case. I think she's a lost soul. A special case."

"Probably," sabi ko. "But she's alive. She's living normally like other humans. What do you think is special with her?"

Ajal shrugged. "I don't know. No work to do?"

I nodded.

Ajal excitedly clapped. "Good. Let's go then."

Kumunot ang noo ko. "Go where?"

"Meet this special soul! I heard—"

"Just tell me if you wanted to see the woman, not because she's a lost soul," I told him.

Ajal rubbed his palms together. Yup, he's a naughty grim reaper who is known for so much trouble he caused. Ilang beses na siyang napatawag ng mga nakatataas na grim reapers dahil sa kanyang pinaggagawa. He always takes himself to his human form—got no problem with that.

And he keeps fucking humans—no problem with that again.

The problem is that he's too busy screwing humans that he often forgets about his job. Sometimes, I have to cover up for his failure. Poor soul may stray around if not reaped.

"Come on, Dearil man!"

"Go away."

He tugged my foot and I almost kicked him. Almost because I chose to throw the wireless phone to him instead. Nabasag iyon sa ulo niya at napangiwi siya.

"Awww!" bulalas niya.

We both stared at the shattered phone. Ganoon katigas ang kanyang ulo. Instead of feeling triumphant, Ajal was the one who was grinning.

He tapped my shoulder. "Now, go and make your report as to why you broke the telephone."

I growled. Sa lahat ng bagay, bakit iyon pa ang naisipan kong itapon sa kanya?! Telephone is very important. I get the calls for my job there. Now, I have to make a 200-page report, explaining the destruction of such thing.

I slapped my forehead. "Gawin mo ang report, Ajal."

He laughed, evilly. "You wish."

"You tugged my foot!"

"Okay."

Yes!

"In one condition."

Uh, I think I know it.

He grinned widely. "Let's go and see the special soul."

Alright. At least, he'll do the damn paper works.