A Dance With Death

|| Chapter 5 - Cheating Fate ||

I fall silent as the sound of Perrie's sobs fills the room. She covers her face with her hands as she continues to cry.

"I'll give you some time alone with him," the doctor says. She gives Perrie a worried look before opening the door and exiting the room.

After the clicking sound of the door, Perrie puts her hands down after wiping the tears off her face. She, obviously, doesn't notice me. She walks to the other side of the bed. She looks even worse from up close. Her eyes are bloodshot. It seems as if she had been crying for hours.

She looks at the body - at the unconscious me - and reaches out for the body's hand as she takes a step closer to the bed. She grips the hand tightly between her palms. A tear rolls down her cheek.

"Zayn." Her voice is shaky. She's trying hard not to burst into tears. "I'm here."

The tone of her voice makes my legs tremble. I'm on the verge of tears again. The reaper stands silently behind me. She doesn't say anything.

"I'm here too," I manage to say. My heart sinks as I remind myself that she can't hear me.

Perrie sits on the chair next to the bed, not letting go of the hand.

"The doctor says you're not showing any signs of improvement these past couple of days," she says. Her head then falls back as more tears fills her eyes. She then lets out a convulsive sigh. "I wish you could hear me," she says in between her sobs. She places her forehead on the back of her palm and she continues to cry silently.

I can't handle this. "I'm right here Perrie. I'm listening. I can hear you," I murmur. I turn to the reaper. "She can't live like this. She can't."

The reaper doesn't remove her eyes from Perrie. "She'll have to," she says. "There's no other option."

"Please," I beg. I look back at Perrie. "Please don't do this."

I can't leave her. She'll be devastated and she'll never be the same. I can't ruin her life.

"There is nothing I can do," I hear the reaper say. "It's fate. It's not in my power to save you."

Why me? Why Perrie? Fate's unjust. Life's unjust. The girl that consoled me, the girl that supported me, the girl that stood for me, now has to live without me. A person like her deserves more. She doesn't deserve this, after all that she's done.

"I think you shouldn't be here," the reaper then says. "You clearly can't handle seeing Perrie like this."

I clench my fists as anger rises in me. "You don't tell me what to do!" I yell at the reaper. She is taken aback. "You want to kill me! Why the hell am I even listening to you?!" I turn away from her. "I don't want to die! I don't have to die! If it weren't for your stupid 'fate', I would be living happily. It's my life! I decide whether I want to live or not, not you. I'm not going to give away my life just because a girl claiming to be a reaper says that I have to."

It's like a series of emotions have started governing me; emotions I've suppressed. It seems that my anger is not only directed towards my death, but that of Niall's too. My anger at fate had grown since his death. I've not let my frustration escape me, but now, I'm letting go of everything I've held on to.

The reaper doesn't say anything nor does she show any emotion.

"Leave me alone!"

She simply backs away as her face starts showing signs of confusion, her eyebrows furrowed. She doesn't leave the room but she stands quietly in front of the door, with her head cocked to the side.