Closure

Closure by Matthew Maloney

‘We are currently sailing out to The River Styx , what are you hoping to find?’ enquired the news reporter. ‘I'm hoping to find peace after death but since I'm a vampire I'm looking for closure’ I replied back staring at the reporter with my red eyes. I looked over the side of the small cramped wooden boat and watched as my pale grey skin bounced off the water. My eyes pierced into the water like dagger to skin, and my hair as black as the vacuum of space itself. My friend suddenly knocked my shoulder. ‘Why do you look so down, we’re in the same boat, literally. You don't remember I'm also dead. On the inside and outside’ Michael said as he looked into my eyes with an uplifting happiness.

My friend Michael and I go way back, he was a gifted person and I, well I was a prepubesent vampire trying to find a way to escape the world and it’s problems. I met Michael at St. Oliver’s School for the unique and extraordinary. We were new to the school and I looked like I was going to be the only odd looking one out of the whole class. One day I was talking to these people trying to overcome the wall of social awkwardness and insecurity. I eventually started to talk to Michael and he trusted me like I did him. It was hard to get trust and no one would give you a second chance, but we trusted each other like brothers. I found out he was a werewolf, a dire wolf for that matter. He was the last wolf and like me just wanted a friend to tell his story too. He was a true friend to me and I appreciated that usually people would just make fun of me but I tried not to let it hurt me. I spent nine years in that school. We learnt how to harness and use our powers for self defence. We were just two people in a world of outcasts and trying to fit in.

‘We’re approaching the river’ Michael yelled. I jerked my head up to see him standing over me holding out his hand. I pulled myself up and looked at the long stretch of blood red water that was before me. ‘We need a token, does anyone have a token?’ I said as I pulled out my pockets. The news reporter started to look in her pockets but we weren't in luck. We looked at the guardian of the river. ‘It’s one of Hades's guards, we need to give him something of importance’ Michael said as he pointed at the guard.

The black, shadowy corpse floated above the water and swayed with the wind. It was surrounded with multiple rotting arms as they dangled out of the blood red water, the guard held a large and mighty axe in its decrepit, rotting hands. It wore a Nordic armour set with a helmet, arm and leg braces, chestplate and gauntlets. We scrambled around the small boat looking for something to give him. ‘In mythology when a warrior dies a warrior's death they have two gold coins placed on their eyes, this is used as payment to allow them to cross over the river into the afterlife’ the news reporter said as she looked at us with a serious look. I knew we needed something important but it has to hold great importance. It could be something someone gave you as a last wish or something like an amulet that held some sort of power or enchantment.

I remembered my mother gave me a ring for my 90th birthday. I fished that out of a bag that was on the boat. ‘I've got a ring my mother gave me, this will pay for me’ I said. ‘I've got a necklace made from the forge of Shroud Mere. My grandfather gave this to me before he died. The news reporter scrambled around the boat but it was too late the guard started to pull our boat towards him.

‘My name is Charon. I am the guard for this river, what have you brought to allow passage?’ The guard said in a cold blooded tone. We looked at the guard terrified but we mustered up the courage to speak to him, ‘I have brought a ring blessed by the twelve divine gods’ I said as I handed the guard the ring. ‘I have brought a necklace that was forged in the heart of Shroud Mere and blessed by the god Ares’ Michael announced as he handed the necklace to the guard. The news reporter shuffled around the boat hoping to find something but the guard called her over, she straightened her back and suddenly went stiff.

‘What have you brought me?’ The guard said once again in a more forceful tone. ‘I...I have brought you a, bag made from the finest fabric that the overworld has. Stuttered the news reporter as she picked up the bag lying on a seat. She handed it to the guard and waited for his judgement. ‘Your gift is not pure. You will all be banished to Hades realm for this insolence and mockery. Be gone mortals!’ The guard yelled as the blood red river opened up and the boat plummeted into a bottomless cavern of fire and blood. ‘We’re going to rot here for all eternity here!’ Michael yelled as he grabbed the news reporter. We were almost granted a place in the afterlife but that hope was dashed. We landed on a large rock and we were terrified. Souls wandered around aimlessly as skeletons and ghouls monitored the grounds.

‘New souls have entered my realm. Bow to your new master Hades!’ A loud voice boomed and shook the ground beneath us. How are we going to get out of here. We had to think of a plan to get out of here but that will be a story for another time.