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Darkness. Emptiness. Cold. Pain. That’s all I feel. I don’t understand what happened. I don’t know where I am. I remember pushing someone away, moving to finish my task, and then…a second later, I was unconscious. But now I’m conscious…or am I? I try to look around, but there’s only darkness. And it’s so cold. The only time I’ve felt cold like this was after the explosion in my childhood… Wait… does that mean I’m dead? No… no-no-no. I can’t die now, not when I’ve just started living. When I finally got a chance at recovery, at a free, normal life where's no more killing, no more fighting, no more robberies, no more memory problems… I can’t just lose that chance. Not like this, not now.
- "Well, well, well. Who do we have here?"
A voice… so grim, terrifying, cold, just like everything around me. Then I saw a silhouette, and in that same instant, I realized Death had truly come for me. Well, I guess this really is the end. It’s unfair…so unfair. It wasn’t supposed to be like this…it wasn’t.
- "Few think otherwise. Most believe they died too soon, that they could have done so much more with their lives, that someone else should have died, not them."
I listened to all these words… listened and understood there was nothing left I could do. Everything was lost. My life was gone. I no longer existed. I couldn’t fix my mistakes, couldn’t atone for my sins. I wanted to be better, wanted a quiet, casual life. A life that wouldn’t remind me of the past, where I could decide for myself what to do. And in the end… I ended up right back where I started, and this is what I got. I have no one to blame but myself. I started killing again, and no matter the reason, I still took lives… and now my life has been taken from me.
I stared ahead, squinting at the approaching female silhouette with a skull for a face… Huh, ironic. That was pretty much the same idea I had for my own suit. God, what am I even thinking? I’m dead. The end of everything, and my mind is just spouting nonsense.
- *Steps closer* Nonsense? Nonsense is the fact that you’re even here. You shouldn’t be here. Your time hasn’t come.
- I… I was just doing my job.
- "So was I. Ha, I would’ve been, if you hadn’t gotten in my way. I'm not here for you. You’re not the one I need, and I wasn’t supposed to take you, but you showed up out of nowhere and ruined everything."
- Even in death, I mess everything up. As always.
- *Rolls eyes* Yeah, let’s skip the self-pity, please. I’m Death, not a free therapist...though something does need to be done about you."
*Sits down right in front of her.*
Nice mask, by the way.
- *Lifts head and looks around* What a strange place…"
- *Holds out a flower with many petals* Pluck one. And please, no unnecessary questions.
I had way too many questions about everything happening, but I probably just forgot what had happened. I didn’t understand at all why I was being handed a flower, but I didn’t press the being—her… probably her—standing before me. I just did as she asked. I plucked a petal and watched as it glowed…white, then red, orange, then black… a yellow flash, red again, then orange—but lighter and brighter than before. Then the petal floated up and shone so brightly that even through my mask, the light burned my eyes.
- "Whoa… You’re not as simple as I thought. And your life is completely different—you weren’t supposed to be killed right now. Either much earlier or much later, but definitely not today. Why does even Death’s work gets messed up sometimes."
After those words, I finally remembered that I had been killed… though, of course, maybe it would’ve been better not to remember. I always knew I could die at any moment, but I never thought about what would happen after. Now I know, and I’ve never felt such hopelessness before. Is there even a point in thinking or saying anything now? It won’t change anything. I could’ve had a different life. My memory would’ve returned, I could’ve helped people instead of taking their lives, I could’ve made my own choices for the first time ever. I could’ve lived. Turns out, I died before I even got the chance to live.
- *Takes off her mask and examines the gunshot wound*
Your sudden appearance really messed things up for me. Because of this, more people would’ve died than should have, or, on the other hand, someone might’ve lived longer than they were meant to. Either way, you’re the cause of this chaos, which means to restore order, you’re the one who has to go."
*Runs a hand near the gunshot wound.*
Normally, exceptions like this just don’t happen, but… they do. Like I said, I'm not here for you. Not yet. But the fact that you’re here only means your death won’t be much later. Still… some people deserve a second chance, don’t they? Don’t waste your life this time, and… next time, watch your head. You’re definitely gonna need it."