What if they don't die at the end?

Mateo Torrez

Mateo Torrez
11:51 am

One door.It's a very nice door, which makes sense since it's a really nice apartment complex. It's a light brown colour with darker brown wood fibres. Shinny gold-plated hinges, a round silver door knob the same colour as the letter slot.Must have been cleaned recently, normal doors don't look as nice as this.I do think it's strange that it doesn't have one of those door knockers, I feel like most doors have them nowadays .So, to sum up.

I've been staring at this door for half an hour.

Oh dear God, what the hell is wrong with me?.It's been so long two of her neighbours have asked me if I'm lost. It's my end day all over again.Doing everything else except leaving the apartment.Although now I'm doing everything except entering the apartment.Ironic huh?.Well you know what they say, once an anxious procrastinator always an anxious procrastinator.Even after said anxious procrastinator has escaped death.

I bite my thumb since I've run out of nails to bite on, leaving a teeth indent in my skin.I just have to do this.Waiting isn't going to make it any easier.I take a deep breath, run a hand through my hair, wipe my sweaty hands on my jeans, put on lip balm (I'm not procrastinating again I swear).Biting the corner of my lip, my hand hovers over the door in a fist.And just as I'm about to knock, 

The door opens.

Shit.

Lidia is standing there, wearing a light blue dressing gown I got her for Christmas last year and her stitch pyjamas with a bit of spilled coffee on them.She's holding a small cardboard box in her hand. Her hair is tied back into a messy ponytail and she has noticeable dark circles under her eyes. She's staring at me, lips slightly parted and a small crease forming in between her eyebrows.I can hear Penny babbling something in the background. I'm frozen in place and so is she, neither of us know what to do. My mind is blank, like a book without pages. This must be what if felt like for Rufus.Except that only lasted a few seconds.This feels like hours. My mouth hangs open, as I try to say something, anything.But before I had the chance, Lidia massaged the bridge of her nose and let out a very deep and tired sigh.

"Ah, for fucks sake. I need to get some sleep" Without so much as a hi she walks past me like I'm not even there. She just starts to aggressively shove the box down the garbage shoot.
"Wait!" I yelp before I can think, making her turn around with suspicion, as if she's questioning everything she thought was true.
"Excuse me?" She raises her eyebrows and blinks a few times.I smile awkwardly, I still don't really know what to say. I should have prepared a speech or something.
"Hi..." I breathe, she's still looking at me with that "what the hell is going on?" look.Ok ok ok, say something, anything is better than silence right now.

"Surprise" I let out in a far too cheery tone.That was not better than silence, silence is way better than surprise.She rubs the sleep from her eyes and walks back towards me. Two fingers jab into my shoulder, pushing me back slightly.She's trying to make sure I'm real.
"Mateo?"
"Hey" She licks her lips nervously, looking me up and down just trying to confirm I'm the same guy who told her he was dying yesterday, the one who was supposed to be dead today.
"What the fuck?"
"Ok I know this is crazy but-"
"No what the actual fuck is going on? Was this some kind of joke?" she waves around her arms exasperated "Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea the fucking shit I've been through?" She yells, I can only hope Penny can't hear her from here
"Lidia please listen" I hold up my palms to her.She folds her arms over her chest and shifts her weight to one leg, allowing me to get a word in "I-I swear this wasn't a joke.You know me, like you really know me I would never do something like that" her stance softens "I know this is crazy and I completely understand if you don't believe me or never wanna see me but hear me out for a minute"
"What is it then? Did Death-cast just call you up and undo your death sentence?" I swallow.
"Well, yeah! Kind of" I rub the back of my neck, even I know I sound ridiculous. "When you saw me yesterday I really thought I was going to die.Rufus and I were sure of it, an-and I don't know why but, we just..." I look up at her, her stare now relaxed, leaning closer to confused than angry.