“Death can’t find me if I don’t know where I’m going,” Zach said as the fire crackled.
The other boys looked at their scout leader with admiration. They had all heard Eagle Scouts were wise, but now they could confirm it.
“That sounds like horseshit.” The circle went silent.
“Who said that?” Zach looked for the guilty party. The eight boys looked between each other. A small hand raised.
“I did,” Eli said. His uniform sloughed off his shoulders. It was at least two times too big for his knobby arms and legs.
“Why?” The rest of the boys looked between their scout leader and little Eli in fascination.
“Because death is everywhere. It’s in everything. There’s no singular entity that represents it. You’re not running from some expert tracker. It’s a force of nature. It is nature.”

Zach’s face creased with annoyance. He didn’t like being challenged by impudent little imps. He was an Eagle Scout for God’s sake!
“I don’t think you understand my point then. But it’s alright, you’re young. You still have so much to learn.”

”There’s no mortality recognition badge. You can’t bullshit me on this. Death is everything.”
“I’m going to let you apologize and then you need to go turn in for the night and think about respecting your elders.”

”And I think you shouldn’t lie to the rest of our troop and pretend you know something you couldn’t.”

”Last chance, Eli. Get up and go. I don’t want to tell Pack leader Daniels that you disobeyed me.”

The fire gave a loud pop and the boys jumped, save for Eli. The shadows seemed to dance across his slight frame. His face hidden from the fires light.
“You shouldn’t have been boasting, Zachary. Death detests the arrogant. It makes sure they’re punished for it.”

”… what?” Zach’s voice cracked as he looked at the living shadow that used to be Eli Zimmerman.
In a snap the shadow flowed across the flames and cloaked the frozen form of scout leader Zach Heiden. The world crystallized in a horrific silence for the troop before a strong gust blew the shadow away. Leaving the boys alone in the woods next to a dying fire and two less souls than before.