Dying Wish

[7]

Alice's face twisted from her rising right arm. The index finger, middle finger and thumb were in a soft pinch. Slowly, those fingers parted two inches wide. Something, one inch in diameter, appeared, enveloped in ashen flakes. The object itself was like-colored. A hypnotic energy forced me to watch it float. It was terrible. Each slow revolution made my insides feel emptier and emptier.

What she said— no, more like what she recited was, "'And when the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, 'Come!' And I looked up and saw a horse whose color was ashen like a corpse. And Death was the name of its rider, who was followed around by the Grave... to kill the sword and famine and disease and wild animals'. This is it. The source of my power, Gray. The Death Coin."

"Then, you're..."

"Death. For now, at least."

She turned to me.

"It's been a busy time in AfterLife, the place where all souls go. We have a new God. The last one retired. This change has placed certain positions in flux. Think of it like how a new president turns over an old cabinet. But some seats must always be filled. Death is one of those seats. The balance of everything relies on it."

"So, you're some kind of placeholder," I said.

Alice nodded. "So long as I have the Death Coin, yes. I'm holding onto it while God decides on someone more permanent, come November. And as a reward, I'll have my one wish granted. But I won't tell you what. It's a secret." She covered her lips with her index finger and winked.

"And what does any of this have to do with me?" My thorny, impatient voice had arisen. It was an accident, not a sign of toughness. My nerve was in an uncontrollable downward spiral. An unraveling unlike anything I'd ever known or experienced. This was simply all so much to digest, I felt queasy. After all, I was a normal guy, with my normal guy stuff to deal with.

But I'd gotten so worked up and sweaty, I actually shouted, "Talk!" at the interim Death. I regretted this the moment the words spewed from my lips. Interim or not, I'd somehow managed to forget she could kill people. Choosing to be understandable, Alice allowed this mistake to go unpunished.

"You've baffled me, Gray McCarter," she said.

"Y-You're... you're welcome?" I muttered, cautiously.

"In AfterLife, there's something called the Book of Life. It's where God sent me to collect the coin. The book contains the list of every human being alive. Being Interim Death I should've been able to see the how and when of every soul. And would you like to know what I saw when I happened across one name?"

A boulder dropped into my gulping throat.

"...Nothing. Gray McCarter's death is a mystery to Death itself."

"Does that mean you're here to 'fix' that?" I said. "'Cause, ha, I'm faster than I look."

"As in kill you? It's the opposite," she smirked. "You're an anomaly, Gray McCarter. That intrigues me. And it has for some time." Alice's eyes drifted for a second. "So," her body took in a massive breath, one that thawed her icing face, "that's what this is, Gray. I'm just here for some answers. Not here to hurt you. Now that you know what happens if you try to steal the Death Coin, I don't think I'll have to."

"I guess that's not so bad."

"Hey— there's something in it for you, too. I expect whatever I find will be pretty good, right? It'll give me some material to speak at your funeral someday. A big shot like me doing that for you, you get some points to take with you to AfterLife."

"Big talk from a placeholder..."

"What was that, Gray?" Alice snapped.

I smirked, "Fine, Alice." My cavalier response surprised her. I explained my reasoning as, "The way I see it I have nothing to lose. And when I die, it's not like I'll be in a position to stop you. You'll just do what you want, right?" I walked out the pew. I began to climb the steps of the mezzanine. I stopped when a thought came to me, something I wanted her to know. "Let's hope that offer doesn't come with an expiration date. Because I plan on being alive for a very long time." My smirk beamed with confidence. We exchanged parting words on the curb, then I took the train home.

About home, we never talked about my exact living arrangements. I lucked out. There was an elderly couple eager to barter an upstairs apartment for chores. Really, it was the most menial stuff (to me, anyway). Stuff like sitting out trash, cutting grass, taking on the occasional nothing errand. Thrown in was the furniture from the previous tenant, thinking it would entice me. Truthfully, that only made me feel worse about our lopsided arrangement. Still, I accepted.

The night I returned from my complicated meeting with Alice...

The breeze was mild on my face. Or maybe it was my busy mind blunting the effects of winter. No, it couldn't have been this, because I wasn't the only one enjoying the starry night. When home came into view, yes, my upstairs windows blended into the dark, but the downstairs was aglow in orange, like a lantern. As my rubber soles clanked up the metal step to my place, I heard the whistle of a teapot through an opened window. Ah, the sound of summer.

The lady of the house loved fresh air with her evening tea during the warmer months. It stood to reason she was trying to replicate this on such a rare and mild night. I thought nothing of it then. I flipped a "Night, Mr. and Mrs. Fetch" through the window, let the light slide off my body and continued my climb. Had I crouched to check on them, I would've found two rotting reasons to never put my key in the lock.

Click-Clack

"Tired," I yawned and kicked off my shoes.

Bam

Click-Clack

I was in.

Down the desolate hall was a leather couch and a flat screen with my name on it. "Loaf, loaf, loaf," they whispered to me. Fingers deep into my eyes, I went to answer. If only. Am I right? I never heard the whoosh, but I heard the crack. I felt the pain, too, against the back of my skull. All my muscles shutdown, everything went black. That thump against the floor, that was me.

AND THAT'S THE OFFICIAL END OF CHAPTER 3

I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU GUYS LOVE MY CLIFFHANGERS

THE START OF CHAPTER 4 GOES UP TOMORROW I HAVE TO EDIT IT

I'LL EDIT, YOU VOTE? DEAL?