The last couple of months did not treat Flint well. He was used to calculate losses and earnings but in the last few months he mainly wrote the numbers in red. It didn’t look good neither for the company nor for him. It all started with the fire last fall. It destroyed over a third of their stockpiled supplies. From herbs to mining equipment nothing was spared. The reason behind the fire was still unknown and will probably never be found out. But the fire was only the start. Because of an especially successful last year the taxes that they were expected to pay were high. Usually not something that would be a problem, but the fire killed a lot of the material reserves that were planned to be used as payment for said taxes and there were not enough assets around to liquidate for that to be solution, so a lot of harsh short-term loans had to be taken. Many other payments and problems arose because of that, to make things even worse the weapons that they planned to sell this quarter year to compensate for these losses were never sold. Flint heard that the medicine and herbs that they usually sell had to be massively stretched since the deliveries would be impossible otherwise. Flint was probably one of the few people in the company who really knows how bad the situation really is due to his position as head accountant. To make things worse he has trouble sleeping. How could he not? He was over forty and served this company for almost 30 years. It was more then his workplace but also his home and if the company goes down, so will he. After all there aren’t a lot of places that would hire a 43-year-old skinny accountant of a failed company. He rubbed his hands over his eyes to keep himself up. He just spent the last few hours calculating the worth of long term assets the company had in the eastern mountains and how long it would take to liquidate them.

“You ok Flint?”

A sudden voice woke the middle-aged man out of his trance. He looked up from his papers to see it was Edward Gabriel. The son of the current CEO and grandson of the companies’ founder of the same name. He was one of the logisticians of the GS main branch.

“Yes, sure Ed. Just a little tired. Is something up?”

“Not really. Just wanted to ask you if you cared to join me for a late lunch. But I see you are busy. I can come back later if its inconvenient.”

“No, no, no. it’s not inconvenient. I was just about done with this anyways. You go ahead! I’ll come soon.”

“Same place as always. I’ll be waiting.”

Edward was about to leave the room when he heard Flint yell.

“Please order for me the duck with that brown sauce I can’t pronounce!”

“It’s called maronen.”

Flint was happy to hear that faint answer from this friend. Not just because he liked that sauce but also since it was reaffirmation that at least someone cared for him in this crisis. So, just a bit more motivated he finished what he was doing and left to join his friend just a bit later.

When Flint entered the rather full establishment Edward immediately spotted and waved him over.

“Hey, Flint over here! I saved you some space.”

Flint went over to the bench where his friend sat and sat himself between him and an angry looking young stranger in a long travelling cloak.

“Did you already order?”

“Yes, the waitress was just here a few moments ago.”

This softer voice came from the opposing side of the table.

“Ah Veronica, didn’t see you there. How are things going with you?”

“Everything is going fine. I still have my job and a roof over the head. Could be worse. I am more worried about you guys. Are you still going through that dry patch? Because if not, you might have to consider a buyout. Isn’t there that offer from West coast trading? It isn’t perfect but if you start bargaining now maybe it won’t be that bad?”

The buyout, Flint knew about it. Most employees haven’t been informed about that possibility yet, but Flint was obviously informed about it. He looked over to his friend. Edward just looked tired and took a sip from his drink.

“You know that it isn’t up to me. It is still fathers and the investors decision.”

“Dad, you know that he listens to you. Please talk to him!”

Her father just shook his head and drank a bit more, so she turned to Flint.

“Uncle Flint, please help me here!”

“I can only talk about this from the perspective of an employee. Most of us would feel a lot safer knowing that our jobs stay secured. That is all I can say.”

Edward clearly lost his patience. He smacked his keg onto the table and complained.

“Stop pressuring me! You think I don’t have already enough going on? My family’s legacy is dying here. My father is old and is getting weak, so I am taking care of a lot of the business already. Everyone is worried and looking towards me for answers. I just wanted to get out of this madness for one hour. I just wanted to have a good time with an old friend and my daughter. Can this please wait just one hour?”

After taking a moment to breathe he realized what he just did and apologized.

“Flint, Ver I am sorry. For yelling at you two. You didn’t deserve that. You are right. I will talk with my father about that, but at least for now please. Can we talk about something else?”

Flint wanted to answer something, but the waiter just came with two of the orders, he placed the plates in front of the right person and left quickly. Leaving the trio in an uncomfortable silence. Until Flint tried to rekindle the conversation.

“Veronica, are you still together with that merchant guy? What was his name… Garfield I think?”

“Yes, I am still together with Garry. He has gotten a stable position at the West coast trading cooperation. He is right now away to bring wares from the west here to sell. It is going well.”

Edward was obviously more comfortable now that the topic has changed and joined in while the others started eating.

“You know Ver, I always thought that that kid has the potential to do something great. Maybe you should…”

After the meal they all went separate ways again and Flint went back to work. He continued doing what he had to do until he got a bit tired a two hours later. Looking for a place to take a brake he walked upstairs to building until he reached the top level. That was where the Gabriel family lived. Flint was in that apartment countless times and didn’t even knock before entering. He was greeted by the house maid and the help too the elders of the family. They greeted him as they always do and offered him some tea and a comfortable chair to sit in. There he sat, sipped his tea and finally fell asleep.

Flint was woken up hours later by Edward. After the initial moment of confusion, he found out why he was woken up, the smell of smoke entered his nose and he heard the sound people yelling from the lower levels.

“Flint, we have to leave. Come with me now!”

“Where is your family Ed?”

“No idea, but the apartment was empty when I arrived half an hour ago. Now come!”

Flint grabbed his friends arm and pulled himself out of his chair. He looked out of the window and saw that the sun has already set, and I was starting to become dark. He and Edward rushed down the stairs down to the third floor where a young man ran into them.

“What is going on?”

“The grim reaper has come. He is here to claim our lives. Let me through here!”

The youngster pushed the older men to the side and ran upwards. Edward fell down the last few stairs from the shove. Luckily, he wasn’t too hurt. Now it was Flints turn to pull his friend up.

“What was he talking about?”

“No idea, but we have to keep going downwards.”

The duo had to walk towards another staircase since the one from the top only goes towards the third floor. The smell of burning wood was starting to become stronger the more they walked, same with the screaming. On the second floor a panicked woman was hiding inside one of the rooms.

“Mam please. It isn’t safe in here. Come with us, we are escaping.”

“Nooo!”

Yelled the woman scared for her life.

“It is dangerous when the fire gets up here we will die please, come with us!”

“No, no, no. He is down there. If we go, there we will die.”

“Who?”

“The grim reaper. I’ve seen him. He is a terrifying man with an arm as dark as the night. Blood was everywhere. He crushed Lin’s skull with one hand and he is coming for us.”

“Mam please. I don’t know what you have seen but we must get out of here.”

Edward tried to grab the woman, who just slapped his hand away and ran pass the two friends.

“Another one who claimed to have seen the grim reaper. What is going on?”

Flint asked, but his Edward only answered.

“I don’t know, but I am not staying long enough to find out. Let’s move!”

They moved on. Once they reached the stairway they found something that would scare Flint forever. Half of the floor was on fire and near the staircase a bearded man was lying against the wall with one of his legs broken beyond repair. There was a long trail of blood connecting him to one of the board rooms from where screaming was being herd from. Flint wanted to help the man when the screaming stopped, and a man exited the room. It was the silhouette of a man. A man with a dark arm that was crimson with blood of his victims. Scared of the grim reaper that just appeared Edward turned around and ran the stairs upwards. Not even a moment later Flint was following him but not before he saw a glimpse of the mans furious face. Based on the sounds that he makes while walking it was clear that he took his time. Before reaching the third floor again Flint swore to have heard the sound of a skull cracking. He didn’t want to think about what just happened to that poor bearded man. Edward was a bit a head of him and signaled Flint to enter the room the woman was hiding in. After Flint entered he closed the door.

“Flint help me move that table to block the door!”

Flint nodded and together they lifted the heavy table towards the door barricading it from the inside. Just seconds after barricading the door they heard steps. The grim reaper was standing in front of their hiding place. He must have heard them moving the table. After trying to open the door unsuccessfully there was a moment of silence until a fist broke through the door and broke the upper half of it away. Then the grim reaper climbed through the hole. That is when Edward assaulted him with a conveniently placed broom. Despite hitting the grim reaper in the back, it didn’t do much more then pissing him of more. Edward was preparing to hit him again, but the grim reaper just blocked him with his dark arm, unarmed the older man, broke the broom in half and impaled Edward with the now spiky end in a single precise push. Flint was cowering in a corner hoping that the grim reaper didn’t see him. But to his misfortune he was spotted.

“Please spare me! I beg you! I have a family.”

The man slowly moved over and grabbed Flint at the throat and pulled him upwards. Strangling the accountant. The grim reaper now angrily growled at Flint.

“They had a family as well.”

Shortly after Flint lost consciousness. Ending his life.