Rule of the End

The Rule of the End

It was a simple rule, but a rule that Grim had familiarized himself with in his billions of years: All things will end, at some point. Nothing was permanent: Not anger, not happiness, not life or memory. All would change, and all would someday end. And he was content with that: it made things easier for him to comprehend and deal with, as without it the constant dealing in all manners of death would take their toll. But it also led him to turn the other cheek on things he really shouldn’t tolerate, like the toxicity Pestilence started throwing his way once Grim intervened and stopped the Black Death. To him, eventually his younger brother would get over it.

How naïve the horseman was: He had come to worship this idea, the rule that all things would eventually end, that he found himself blindsided by those who wished to be as permanent as possible, the rules of nature be damned. When one of these men, a man by the name of Francis Tumblety, decided for himself that he would live on regardless, Grim found himself ill prepared. That fateful night when his scythe was stolen away, Grim did not immediately take it back, nor did he put up as much of a fight in keeping it. In a way, he kept believing for a while that eventually his scythe would come back, as well as the soul of Jack the Ripper…but when it became crystal clear to Grim that this was not going to happen, he fell into despair. He started fearing for himself: Was he also subject to the Rule of the End? Was his time as a horseman also limited, and only now had he become aware of his own mortality? For an immortal being, it was truly terrifying to think that in the end, even he was mortal, and in reality, his days were numbered.

But that was then…and this is now. In the time between then and now, he joined up with a band. He gained a material body with the help of a fellow bandmate turned good friend, Richard Allman. Whenever he intended to or not, Richard helped Grim better comprehend what it means to be mortal. That mortality was not to be feared, but cherished; when you know your days are numbered, you try your hardest to appreciate every moment you have, no matter how small or insignificant it was. As scarred as Richard was, even he tried to cherish the positive influences in his life, Something Grim saw for himself and started to believe. Perhaps the Rule of the End wasn’t meant to be a terrifying inevitability of the universe like Grim had initially believed, but rather a guide to how to live life.

But, just as Grim was learning to cherish things, the one person he cherished most was under threat of being taken from him. It was a car accident, and Richard was mortally wounded. Paramedics were called, but at the rate they were going, Richard wasn’t going to make it. At first, Grim only watched in horror: He would soon have to reap the soul of his closest friend, far before his actual day of death. And given how many demons and beast he had summoned, they would certainly claim his soul and torment him until they had grown bored and tossed him away like a useless toy…And Grim did not want that fate to befall him, not now.

He remembered his encounter with Francis at that moment: How stubborn he was, and how he was willing to bend all the rules to earn another day of life. If Mr. Tumblety, a mere mortal, could bend the rule of the End to his whims, then why can’t the horseman of Death? He was the collector of souls, after all…He was the one trusted with claiming souls when it was time. That in turn could mean that Grim could also decide when things ended, right? With that thought in mind, he tried something he would have never done otherwise…

He used his gift of Ethereal fire, given to him upon his birth by the universe, to save his friend’s life. He knew that he’d certainly get in trouble for directly intervening with someone’s death, but at this point he didn’t care: He wanted to give Richard another chance…

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Paramedics were confused when they first rushed Richard to the hospital. Given how long he sat there bleeding, they thought he would be dead. But heart monitors indicated otherwise: He was still kicking, albeit barely. They carefully stitched up many of his wounds, and gave him blood transfusions to help him recover. And for a while, Richard stayed in a coma. Many began to wonder if he had actually suffered a brain death: as while everything else still functioned, he wasn’t really responding.

And then, he woke up. He sat up suddenly, as if he had just awoken from a bad dream. His heart was racing, cold sweat beading upon his forehead…and for a while, he couldn’t think straight. When he finally calmed down, he looked at the nurse who was caring for him.

“…Where’s Grim?” He asked.

“I…wouldn’t know who that is,” The nurse replied, “could you maybe describe what he looks like?”

“Small, like a science classroom skeleton,” Richard said, “wearing a marching band costume. I…could’ve sworn he was seated next to me when…” He spaced out for a second. His mind wasn’t done swirling from facing the end of his life, and all the little demons that wanted a slice of his soul. But yet…he lived?

“Oh, him?” The nurse replied, in shock, “Funny you mention that: Someone fitting that description wanted to see you. We couldn’t verify who he was so-”

“Let him in, then” Richard requested, “I know him: He’s a friend.”

The nurse looked at him for a second, but left soon after, giving Richard time to think. This whole situation was making no sense even to him. He was so sure that this was the end, that it was time to pay his debt to the demons he sold himself to all those years ago. And yet, something had snatched him up from their jaws, and taken him back. On one hand he was grateful that his end was not then, but it still confused him: Who was it? And why? His thoughts were interrupted when, when Grim finally entered the room.

“So, uhm, Richie, uhh…you feeling better?” Grim asked, hesitantly.

“Grim…what happened?” Richard asked. While Grim didn’t emote as much, he could tell that his ethereal friend knew something he did not.

“Well, uhh, luck just happened to be on your side, and uh…You lived, despite all odds!” Grim replied, “Crazy, I know, but anything’s possible!”

“Grim…” Richard said, sternly, “I know you care a lot about ‘keeping the balance of the universe’ and all that, but…You know I didn’t live. That accident certainly killed me, if not the blood loss. So let me rephrase…What did you do, if you didn’t reap my soul?” Grim said nothing at first, only staring sadly at his friend. He couldn’t decide if his trusted friend would like what he actually did, but…he couldn’t just lie. Lies would get him nowhere in this scenario.

“Well, uhm…,” Grim began, “I…I couldn’t just stand by and let you die like that. Knowing how broken you were and what awaited you at the end of your life, I…wasn’t going to stand for that. So, I gave you a second chance.”

“…What?” Richard asked, “But, you stated time after time that you don’t intervene with death, premature or not! What gives?!”

“Because I already know someone who broke that rule, a long time ago!” Grim replied, “I’m sure the universe wouldn’t mind if I bent it this one time…Those demons can wait.”

“Grim!” Richard shouted, “you think demons are patient enough to just wait? You dragged my soul back into the living world, but they’ll certainly come up to claim their debt that you stole! How can you be sure I’ll be safe?”

“You will be,” Grim replied, turning away, “I’ve…made sure of that.”

“…Grim, what does that mean?” Richard asked, nervous.

“Well, while the demons might be upset, they…know not to mess with a student,” Grim replied, “It wasn’t easy, but…it was the only idea I had that’d get me in the least amount of trouble.”

“A…student?” Richard asked.

“Like I said, it was the only good idea I could think of,” Grim said, pulling out a boney spear, “I know it’s probably insane, but…It worked out in the end. I have several weapons in storage, I don’t use them and well…I trust that you’ll exercise care and caution with it. And, well…I don’t have many ‘students’, especially after the last one went rogue and killed someone before their time.” Grim carefully handed the spear to Richard. He took it, and with a thought it vanished.

“Basically, that weapon’s bound to you now: Call it whenever you need it,” Grim said, “and uhm… I hope you understand? I’m…sorry if you didn’t want this, but I…wanted to cherish you for just a little while longer. I hope you don’t hate me for my actions, but if you do, I understand.” With that Grim left, leaving Richard on his own again. Richard had no idea what to feel…on one hand, not being in hell was great, and being alive meant he could still do things with his bandmates. And yet…he was given essentially the power of death and made Grim’s student without consent, for seemingly selfish reasons of Grim’s part.

He shook his head and laid back down. He was still very tired, and frankly he was in no mood to complain. He’ll ask Grim about it more when he recovered. But in the meantime, All he had on his mind was the fact that apparently Grim cared so much about Richard, that he was even willing to defy his own role to save him.

Perhaps, Richard thought to himself, there was something good within him…Something even Death could see.