Between Life and Death

Chapter 1 - Cafe

Chapter 1

'Cafe'

Death rolled the die in her hands, a bored gaze in her eyes. She propped up one elbow on the table and leaned her cheek to her palm.

The cafe was busy. Early morning rush. The baristas were bustling inches off the ground, taking down the streams of orders coming from their 'Late for meetings' customers. The room was noisy with the drone of people talking on their phones and the hiss of the coffee machine.

Outside the cafe, her steed nickered impatiently at her. Sensing it, she glazed one lazy eye before flipping off the middle finger. Acousted, the horse raised its two front legs before stomping them hard to the ground, its nostrils flaring. She chuckled at its tantrum.

A middle-aged lady started shouting into her handphone, her heartbeat escalating and her blood pressure raising. She barked orders at her incompetent secretary on the other line before grabbing her coffee order and heading out the cafe.

Death's gaze followed her. Letting out a sigh, she rolled the dice on the coffee table.

'3'

A screech of a tire followed by glass breaking. A woman screamed and silenced.

Death scrunched her nose together in disgust, staring hard at the number.

A crowd of people gathered around in front of the delivery truck, its front suffered a large dent and the window glass cracked. The driver ran out, his shock sewed onto his face at the woman he had knocked down. A pool of blood formed.

Death walked out of the cafe, her steed following behind her before standing next to the lady, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Not a good way to die, eh?" Death asked the shocked lady.

Rachel Parker, 34, said nothing and merely stared at her dismangled body. A large dent on her forehead, one no surgery can heal and a cracked skull from where she had slid on the rough concrete upon impact. She was dead instantly.

She swallowed before turning to Death, hopeful gleam in her eyes.

"There must be some mistake, right? I can't go this early." Her expression became more fierceful, "Change it. Give me a chance. I will change. I will be more healthy. More careful. I don't care how you do it, just change it!!" She yelled at Death.

"I think it's too late for that," Death pointed where the paramedics had arrived and laid a white sheet on her body. Rachel gasped in horror before yelling out in anger and desperation.

Death pocketed her hands, letting her have her moment to calm down. They always denied, always rejected their own death. It was suffocating to watch but it was part of the job description. She didn't have that much of a choice.

After the painful truth sank in, Rachel stopped her yelling as her body was pushed into the paramedics vehicle. She cried, regrets filling each tear drop.

Her hands reached down into her blazer pocket before pulling out a single coin. Not knowing when or how it got there, she knew what to do with it.

"Any last requests, Rachel Parker?" Death asked her, approaching the grieving lady.

Rachel shook her head, sadness hanging down on her. She reached out her hand to give Death the coin.

Death took it to her palm, staring down at it. She shrugged. "Fine then, if you enjoy having regrets while at the 'Gate'." Death laid out a bored sigh.

Her scythe materialized behind her and she gripped it. Raising it high, she slashed it across Rachel Parker, the blade gleaming as it passed her spirit. The image of the passed slowly faded and what was left of Rachel Parker's existence was a dollar note on the floor.

Satisfied with her work, Death willed her scythe away before walking the opposite direction. A stranger came across the dollar note before pocketing it in his jeans.

Her horse bit onto her shoulder, an angry nicker escaping it. Death didn't felt the pain but was irritated. Rubbing her shoulder, she turned to her steed.

"What?!" She hissed at it.

It turned it's head at the accident behind them before looking back at her. A look screamed in its eyes.

Explain yourself.

Death merely shrugged. "So what if I was a tad bit earlier than schedule? They were going to die eitherway. Might as well deliver it early instead of late." Satisfied with herself, Death sauntered off. Her horse shook its head at its rider.