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The forest that bordered the outskirts of the town was dark - heavy fog settled by the ground, parting only for the trees that emerged from beneath it, their trunks thick from age and their canopies blocking out all but a handful of sunlight beams. It was dark, and oppressively silent, despite the fact that eyes could always been seen, unblinking and watching. And, if one looked out of the corner of their eye, movement rushed past the trees, always without a sound.
Despite this, Ryan liked the forest. Though, he rarely ventured more than a few steps past the first tree, always too cautious to risk any more distance than that. On certain days, perhaps he'd feel adventurous and make it to the second trunk in the mist, but before too long he would retreat back to the safety of town.
It was common knowledge among all the citizens; those who went too far into the forest never came back. Whether they simply forgot their path and could never find their way home again, or something got to them before they could escape, nobody could say for sure.
Ryan knew that he should keep his distance and avoid the trees just like all of his neighbors, but he'd seen. He'd seen the figures lingering in the shadows, beckoning for someone to notice and approach them. They were indistinct, but Ryan knew what - who - they were, even if he couldn't properly see them.
All they wanted was to be acknowledged.
Ryan tried to help them as much as he could, although that wasn't much at all when he didn't know what caused the spirits to linger so much.
The people in town said it was something about the forest, whenever talk of another missing person started up again. It was cursed, they claimed, as they glanced at the trees out of the corners of their eyes, as if they were scared to look at them directly. As far as Ryan could tell, nobody besides him could actually see the spirits weaving between the limbs. Or, if they could, it was a well-kept secret, much like his own.
He knew the dangers, everyone did, but was helpless to stop his own curiosity. Two trees deep into the forest eventually became four, which eventually became eight, until Ryan felt daring enough to go where the light from the edge of town could no longer be seen.
His fear was oppressive, but the adrenaline from defeating it outweighed any other emotions, and Ryan began exploring the forest every day, whenever he had time. He was always cautious, however, to make it back to the safety of town before night fell and the limited light poking through the leaves disappeared.
But Ryan was daring, even to the point where it could have cost him his life.
He'd been busy that day, and hadn't any opportunity to visit the forest until later in the afternoon. He'd been so sure that he would have time to make it back before nightfall, but as the light faded and his already short line of sight grew ever shallower, Ryan realized that he had been mistaken.
He couldn't see any spirits nearby, but Ryan knew he wasn't alone. The familiar feeling of being watched made his spine tingle, and he felt chilled, as if a particularly cool breeze had blown past. His heart was beating like a drum, and whispers came from behind the trees.
Stumbling over roots and fallen branches that he couldn't see, Ryan attempted to flee from the forest, but he had no recollection of which way he'd come from, or in what direction he was going now. He could have sworn that he hadn't gone too far from the town, but the trees never thinned out, and he feared that he was only running himself deeper into the woods.
When he'd been running for what felt like hours, and the breaths heaving in and out of his lungs felt white hot in his throat, Ryan finally slowed. The whispers never silenced, and his fear grew. He spun around in crazed circles, attempting to see who, or what, was following him.
All that he saw were a pair of bright red eyes, and Ryan didn't even have time to scream before there was nothing at all.
~*~
Ryan approached the spirit, lonely and lost in the woods as it wandered aimlessly without any life to return to, and studied it carefully. She looked young, and had a nervous demeanor that said she didn't deserve to have died in terror, trapped among the trees.
He smiled gently at her, speaking words of reassurance as he pulled a dark green herb out of his bag, as well as a match.
Slowly the leaves burned, and heavy, dark smoke billowed up and over the girl's head. Bravely, she didn't move, although Ryan wondered if that was only because she was scared stiff. Or, at least, as stiff as a spirit could be.
Ryan muttered the words to the enchantment he'd been taught, his gaze unblinking as he watched the fire burn a path down the stem of the herb. When it reached his fingers, he swept his arm towards the girl, the sudden gust of with extinguishing the small flame. In that instant, she faded away.
With a sigh, Ryan rubbed the fallen ash off his fingers, and turned around to begin the trek back out of the forest and into town. The young girl had been the third spirit who's passing he'd seen to that day, and with that, he felt it was time to retire for the night.
He caught the gaze of a demon on the path to his home, and thought he had seen an angel watching him as he walked, but neither made any attempt to approach him in a manner that was friendly or otherwise. He was ignored, but that was their usual prerogative. After all, they had no reason to like someone who couldn't pick a side.
Death makes everyone equal in the end.
Once home, Ryan dropped onto his old, worn bed and closed his eyes. He spent so much time in the forest these days, it felt as though he was never allowed a moment to simply rest.
He knew exactly who to blame, too. Ryan had previously been only seeing to a spirit every few days, whenever he felt daring enough to take on the task of helping them to pass into the proper afterlife. But then he'd run into Shane.
Shane was nothing short of confusing. In all their interactions, Ryan still hadn't been able to determine what exactly he was. Usually, it was easy to tell who was a demon, angel, or something else, just by their demeanor. But Ryan had nothing more than 'not a spirit', to go by.
Part of him wanted to say that Shane was neither a demon or an angel, just because they'd actually spoken. Ryan tended to repulse those of the heavenly and demonic sort. He didn't fit in with them, but Shane seemed determined to pester him.
Ryan had taken to referring to him as a trickster, just for lack of anything more accurate to describe him. A more modern entity, made obvious by the way he spoke and the clothes he wore, but with knowledge and a look within his eyes that told of many years. Ryan was often left reeling.
He’d spoken to Shane for the first time when he’d been visiting with the spirits for almost a week. He had introduced himself with only his name, but given away none of his intentions for approaching Ryan, only claiming that he wanted to see who was sending off those who’d been lost for so long. If asked, Ryan would have said it was ominous. In fact, he didn’t really trust Shane. The man had a certain glint in his eyes, and a particular brand of humor that caught him off guard whenever they met in the darkness of the forest.
Ryan had always been too curious for his own good, though.
It was Shane who lured him into the forest more and more each day, his teasing words acting like a personal challenge to Ryan, who could never force himself to back down from somebody so incredibly irritating. And, maybe he wanted talk to Shane again. He couldn’t deny that he appreciated having someone to converse with. The demons and angels both despised him, and the people in town couldn’t know of what he did. Each night, when Ryan was making the journey back to his house, he kept his head down, melting into the shadows so as not to be noticed. It was a rather lonely life for someone who had previously been on friendly terms with all of his neighbors.
But, Death was an unseen force that didn’t play favorites.
With thoughts racing, but his body exhausted, Ryan eventually fell into a fitful sleep, and he dreamed of bright red eyes.
He awoke the next morning, and the next, and the next after that, always retreating back to the woods to do the duty that he'd been given. Shane was always there, a noticeable figure, looming tall as he leaned against a tree trunk, waiting for Ryan. As he got used to the extra presence, Ryan grew more comfortable with his companion. Shane, as mysterious and cryptic as he was, always seemed more than willing to talk. Though, their conversations always seemed to be about random topics; the weather, the townspeople, the spirits, or Ryan's own life. Never anything about Shane himself.
Ryan tried to probe deeper. He went looking for answers when he thought nobody would be watching, but Death became displeased. With ice cold hands, he dragged Ryan into the depths of the forest, far deeper than he could remember ever having gone before, and whispered warnings in his ear. Death explained to him that if he didn't keep his head down and his attention on the spirits who needed aid, then he would be punished. Severely.
None too gently, he was kicked back to the edge of the woods, and there was Shane, waiting for him. His expression was one of disapproval, but then a lopsided grin overtook his face, and he joked about certain people having death wishes. Ryan couldn't help but to grin back, and his heart began to swell, just a little.
Death's warnings rung loudly in his mind and Ryan vowed that he wasn't going to pry any longer, but Shane was one of the mysteries left unsolved, one of the questions he still hadn't any answers to. Ryan couldn't stop himself from being curious, and Shane had managed to draw him in so deeply that he wouldn't be satisfied until he knew.
Throwing caution to the wind, Ryan ignored Death's warning and abandoned his task in favor of exploring Shane's life. The man himself didn't seem too happy, but he never told Ryan to stop. In fact, he almost always seemed to make himself scarce whenever Ryan went exploring in the depths of the forest. One day while there, he found a system of hidden caves, and Ryan knew that they must be the lair of Death himself. And, perhaps Shane as well.
Out of his bag he pulled a single match and struck it so the small flame burst to light. It did little to illuminate the large cave entrance, but the flickering shadows were enough to go by as he slowly, silently crept along across the stone.
The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, but finally, Ryan saw light and movement in the distance. As he approached, he realized, with nothing less than complete shock, that the tunnel had opened up into a massive cave that was lined entirely with candles. Some were tall with plenty of wax left to burn, while others were down to only centimeters, the wick running out. While he stared at the shortest ones, Ryan gasped as one finally reached the end and its flame extinguished, leaving nothing but a thin thread of smoke.
A sharp wind suddenly whipped through the tunnel and into the cave, and Ryan swallowed thickly. There were whispers echoing off the stone. Death had arrived.
A cold hand gripped the back of his neck, sending a chill down Ryan's spine. "Do you see?" rasped the old voice. "All of mankind has a life-light. Children," he gestured to the tallest of candles, "and elders both." A long, bony finger pointed to the extinguished flame Ryan had watched fade away.
Ryan inhaled sharply, thoughts immediately running through his mind of where his own candle was. How short was it? He'd disregarded the warning he'd been given, so was it running low as a sign of the fact that he'd die right here in this cave? He hadn't learned all he'd wanted to know yet. Hadn't even gotten a chance to talk about everything with Shane, the one person left in his life who's company he enjoyed. He couldn't die here!
"Do you want to see your own?"
Ryan shook his head wildly, and felt the grip on his neck tighten. But, no secrets could be hidden from Death, and the thin finger swept across the cavern until it finally stopped on the opposite side. Ryan's eyes traced it to a candle in the front row; a little stump, almost threatening to go out.
"No," he whispered. "No, that's not me."
"The light of those who try to defy Death go out sooner than they're meant to."
The pressure on his nape was gone, and Ryan could only watch as Death picked up the tiny piece of wax, the wick just barely keeping alight. When it began to flicker, he fell to his knees, cold seeping into his bones from the hard stone, unaffected by the candles that illuminated it.
Fear gripped his heart as the flame finally faded, and bright, red eyes seemed to glow as Ryan collapsed forward.
Ryan felt as though he might be dead, but he could still hear. Was he dreaming? Was this the afterlife? Just voices in a sea of darkness? The sound of a match being struck echoed through the cave. Ah, what a horrible reminder of a horrible choice. Walking into the cave had been a mistake. If Shane were here, what would he have called Ryan? An idiot, most surely, for not keeping himself safe.
"Ryan," a voice called out, and he felt as though he were moving, although he couldn't remember telling his muscles to do anything of the sort. "Ryan, please," the voice said, more desperate now.
Slowly, oh so slowly, he opened his eyes. Was he finally out of limbo now? Truly, properly dead?
But oh, the voice speaking to him had been Shane's. Shane wasn't dead, was he? Ryan was confident that the man wasn't human, there was no way he could die.
"Ryan, are you awake?"
"Shane?" he murmured, his throat feeling dryer than he could ever remember it being. "What happened?"
Shane looked so relieved that me might have cried, which was strange. Shane shouldn't ever cry. "Your light went out," he murmured in explanation.
"So I ... died?"
With a small laugh, Shane shook his head. "Not yet. I wasn't going to let it," he replied, pulling Ryan closer to his chest and pressing his lips gently to his head. "What would I do if the light of my life went and got himself killed? You can't go around helping the ghosts and spirits if you're one too, you know."
In response, Ryan wrapped an arm around his shoulders and laughed so hard he felt moisture pricking at the corners of his eyes. "The light of your life, huh?" he asked.
"What? Is that too silly for you?"
"It's definitely strange, but good, I think. Fitting." And, with that, Ryan fell completely into the arms of Shane, the one who save him from Death's grasp.