They Both Die at the End: Fanfic

An Epilogue to TBDATE and a Prologue to TBDATE: The Afterlife

Mateo and Rufus and a few other characters in this part have been created by Adam, but I twisted them to do my bidding *evil laugh*

M A T E O  T O R R E Z
8:47 PM

It was 8:47 pm when Mateo Torrez entered the lavish movie theater. He walked down the isle, shoes sinking into the plush carpet. His steps were calm, his face blank, but his mind was running wild.

"Hello?" he called out, slowing to a stop. "Is anybody there? What's going on? Why don't I remember anything?" He spun in a full circle and observed the theater. A minute passed. He was turning around to leave when the lights dimmed and a spotlight illuminated one of the plush red recliners in the middle of the room. Mateo walked through the rows and rows of the seats to get to the one that mattered.

The recliner shimmered in the spotlight. A box the size of a picnic basket sat on it. Mateo picked it up and plopped into the seat, pulling up the flaps. Inside was a white book with Mateo's name scrawled on it in loopy handwriting.  It was the length of three Scorpius Hawthorne books put together. When he flipped the front cover open, the screen in the front of the room lit up, Mateo's name flashing onto it. A monotone voice blasted from the speakers.

"Welcome to The Afterlife, Mateo Torrez. You're probably very confused right now, but not to worry. In time you will understand. There is only one rule here; stay happy. Your Life-Movie will begin when you turn the page. Enjoy!"

Mateo turned the page.

Fourth birthday party at Althea Park

The screen went black, and then a young Mateo appeared, chasing after a ball. He tripped and laughed. Upon reaching it, he tossed it back to his father. The ball dropped a few feet short.

Old Mateo could feel this memory coming back to him. He remembered how the grass felt against his bare feet, how the wind tossed his hair around. He remembered how badly his ankle hurt after falling, but not caring because he was having a great time with his dad.

"Come on, Mateo!" His dad said on-screen. Old Mateo flipped to the next page.

The next memory was of him and Lidia. They were baking cookies. The scent of chocolate flooded Mateo's nose and he recalled how Lidia had burned herself that day.

On and on the movie went, overwhelming Mateo with good memories and leaving out the bad ones. He didn't know how long it lasted, but when the screen finally went dark again, his heart was filled with mass amounts of happiness and longing he had never felt before. He sighed and stood up. He recalled one of the last scenes he had watched:

"We need to promise to find each other in the afterlife. There has to be an afterlife, Roof, because it's the only thing that makes dying this young fair." -Mateo (TBDATE, page 341)

Rufus. The name sent shivers down Mateo's spine and broke his heart all at once. He wouldn't be able to relax until he upheld his promise and found him.

With this thought in mind, Mateo grabbed the book and exited the theater. He was terrified, and he was determined. His love for Rufus would guide him to the end of the afterlife and back.