Chapter 4

"The Ferrymen were founded by a group of Reapers in Greece. They were Hades, Charon, Thanatos, and Morpheus. They founded The Ferrymen back during the Golden Age of Greek mythology," he began. "They didn't know at first what they were. They had to learn the hard way that their voices and touch were poisonous to humans. Just as you had to, and I'm sorry for that. They found out how to locate others like themselves. They started to collect them when they were just infants to spare them from the torturous existence they had growing up. For millennia we have been following this practice, though sometimes we fail. Sometimes we don't find the baby in time or circumstances beyond our control prevent us from taking the baby."

'How do you take a baby from a family without them noticing?' I signed, interrupting Thanatos.

"We leave a changeling or a husk in its place, depending on the age when we're able to grab it. If they are a newborn, we leave a husk. It's cruel to allow a family to think their baby has died, but it's the easiest method. When they're older, we leave a changeling. A soul that has volunteered to help with our cause is placed in a husk, and we leave it in place of the baby. If we cannot get the Reaper when it's a baby, we will have a soul follow the child, so we don't lose track of it and alert us when we have a chance to switch it out for a changeling."

'You're kidnappers.'

He paused for a moment as if letting the word settle in his head. I doubted it was the first time he'd been called such. "For lack of a better term. But it is better to take them when they are young than to allow them to suffer as you have."

I straightened my posture in my seat and stared into Thanatos' eyes. 'If you're a Reaper, do you not give a damn that your voice could hurt me?'

"Our voices don't affect other Reapers. But we can talk to humans thanks to our scythes. I'm not exactly sure how they work, but we can talk and touch humans with no negative effects when they are inactive. They also prevent us from aging."

'So, are you one of the original Ferrymen?'

"NO. The only one of the original four Ferrymen still around is Hades. He trained Charon, the one who emailed you, and myself."

'But the names…'

"They are picked for us by our scythes."

'What? How?'

"Think of it as an inheritance. A lineage without blood ties, if you will."

I nodded. A lineage without blood ties was an interesting way of putting it. 'How old are you then?'

"That I don't know. I lost track of the years a long time ago. I do know that I was born some twenty years before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. I… I lived my life in isolation and as an outcast. Hades didn't find me until I was a grown man, so I had developed a bad reputation. Everyone in my village believed the Gods had cursed me. When Vesuvius erupted, I thought it was my fault. I believed that I was a cursed man. Then Hades found me wandering amongst the dead and saved me. He told me of The Ferrymen; of being a Reaper. He trained me. Gave me a new identity."

I could hear the relief in his voice. He truly believed that Hades had given him a blessing. I wasn't sure if I could believe what I was being told. What if the man before me was just insane and rambling? How could I know for sure if he was telling the truth or a lie? He had admitted to lying to get me there after all.

"I know this is hard to believe," he said, pulling me from my thoughts. "All I ask is that you think about it. We would like you to become a Ferryman. We also want to keep you safe."

'Keep me safe? From what?'

"There is another group of Reapers known as The Memitim. They find joy in reaping souls and kill senselessly. Where we Ferrymen only take souls ready for death. They do the opposite. And force death's hand on humans and Reapers alike with no intention of allowing them to find peace."

"I got several emails from one of them. I gave them my business email shortly before I got an email from Charon." I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth and looked ready to cry, but it was too late. I had not meant to speak aloud. I didn't want to kill the man before me.

"It's okay, Andy. I told you, your voice will not affect another Reaper," he said in a reassuring tone. "If they've already contacted you, then we need to work fast. I don't want them harming you."

I lowered my hand slowly and bit my lip. Using my voice… I hadn't done it in so long. I was sure he could hear the low rasp it help from years of disuse. "How do I know you aren't working with them? You did email me right after I gave them my work email address."

"You're right. You have no reason to trust us on this matter. But I do ask that you take a leap of faith, so to speak. I want to keep you safe, Andy. You don't strike me as the kind of person who would enjoy killing. And that's what they do."

I bit my lip again and frowned slightly. I really couldn't decide if I could or should trust the man before me. If what he said was true about The Ferrymen, why had I been left alone for so long? How was I supposed to trust them saving me now, when they pretty much lost me for 24 years, to begin with? On top of that, it did seem too coincidental for me to get an email from them right after giving my business email to The Memitim. I shook my head and slowly stood from my seat. "I need to think about this."

"There is no time, Andy. They will do everything in their power to get you. If you don't join them, they will just kill you. I want to keep you safe."

"How do you know so much about them?"

"I had the misfortune of meeting one of them about thirty years ago. Luckily I had a scythe, or he would have killed me. He shot me several times."

I looked at him in shock. "He shot you? And you survived?"

Thanatos nodded his head.

"Jesus."

"Look. I understand your hesitation to join us. I'm willing to let you think it over, but please contact me if they try to contact you again or if you have any questions. I want to be able to help you. Even if you decide to continue living in isolation." Thanatos reached in his desk and pulled out a business card, handing it over to me.

I took the card and looked it over before shoving it in my pocket with my ID and nodding my head.

"Give Hel your information on your way out so I can transfer the $700 to you."

"Wait, you're still gonna pay me for coming out here?" Since he'd lied about the reason for asking me to meet with him, I kind of figured he'd been lying about the compensation as well.

"Of course, I am. This was an inconvenience to you. And this is also a job offer. So, if you do choose to join us, you will still get a sign-on bonus."

I nodded my head again and turned to leave.