Death's Exception

Chapter Ten

Death has a cruel way of telling the people who cheat him, that if they choose to live, they will live in hell. Because life is the absence of death. Life is the place that even death dare not go. Because life sucks. I have known death for so long, and he thought for sure that I was on his side. He thought for sure that I would be his partner for the rest of eternity. But then I cheated on him. I left him for a companion, a much more pleasing companion to the immediate eye. I left him for life.

'HAHA' Death cackles with his hoarse and menacing voice. I am not to be happy with this companion. Death and I sit at a chess game. A game set up to be a game of loss and pain. A game I am destined to lose. A game of which life will inevitably abandon me at the end. 'Since I cannot be with you, I will hover over you. I will take you at any moment. The moment life will betray you.' I feel life back away from me. I feel him slipping away. "Rory, you could die at any moment." Lilly whispers, her face crestfallen. My heart sinks into my throat, and my muscles fail me.

Check mate

"How?" She looks like she doesn't want to tell me. Like the unknown is much kinder. I agree.

"There is some tissue in your brain that we were not able to fix in your surgery... it has formed a clot in one of your cerebral arteries. The blood could just stop traveling to your brain at any moment. No pain. No faults in behavior. Just, death." I choke on the words that I try to spit out, and cough. There is this point of grief that nothing happens. It just consumes you, and it feels like you have become your grief, and there is nothing that matters. Nothing else. I close my eyes, and try to steady my breathing. I have the choice, now. I have the choice to conquer life daily, and make the most of it. Or I could live the rest of my life fearing the death. This choice may sound unthinkable to you. But to me, both of them sound terrible. I don't want either. Lilly sits on the bed beside me, and places her hand on my shoulder. I suppose I should be appreciative of her. She does so much for me. She is probably the first friend I have ever had. I suppose I take her for granted and that I should tell her that I appreciate her, and everything she does. Because it is the right thing to do. Simply that. But right now, in my grief and bewilderment, I stare at her hand as if it is a snake. She looks at me, and then at her hand. Realizing, she pulls her hand away and walks out of the room.

Even more disgusted with myself for sending her away, I shrink into my bed and weep.

"Rory, darling." I look up and see Titus leaning up against the door frame, his arms crossed. His expression is a mixture of emotions that I have never seen go together. A mixture of pity, and excitement. I sigh, and laugh a little. Humiliated that he has seen me like this twice in a row. He approaches me, and runs his hand through my curls. "I would like to show you something." I sit up, and rub my eyes.

"Yeah," He nods, and grabs my hand. I smile down at it, and let him lead me out to the hallway, where scientists crowd around each other. Titus weaves through them with ease, as I stumble to follow. Before I know it, I trip over a foot, and start to fall. Titus stumbles backwards, my hand still in his, and he catches me.

"Woah, now. Let's not hurt the prize possession." He hints jokingly. I laugh, and stand. We walk only a couple feet, and we step into a deserted hallway leading to a huge metal door. I step closer to it, and place my hand on it. It is cold. Freezing. But I keep my hand there. The cold in my fingertips exhilarates me. It stimulates me. I turn back to Titus, my eyes wide with a simple hope. The one thing left that could make me happy.

"Are we-?" I can't finish the sentence. It is either because I am too excited, or because I am too scared the answer will be no.

"Are we taking you outside to see the world you have yet to explore for the very first time? Yes, Rory Destiel. Yes we are." I gasp and stand back from the door as Titus enters the code to open the door. It slides open, and a gust of freezing wind circles around me. I take no time in bursting out the door. As soon as my bare feet hit the ground, I squeeze my eyes shut. This is it. I reopen them and my eyes fill with glee at the beauty that surrounds me. Tall mountains tower over me, sprinkled with green trees. The snow caps them off delicately, but magnificently. The sky is a pale blue, and the sun shines behind billowing clouds. A crystal river snakes below me. I am standing on a ledge. I barely notice how cold I am. The only thing I notice is the majesty of the trees that tower over me, and how white the snow is, and how lovely the water looks that is so far below me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Titus staring at me with a huge smile on his face. This is what he lives for. Excitement. The excitement of finding something new, and showing it to someone.

"Oh, Titus." I whisper. I bury my face in his chest, and let his arms surround me. I start to cry, and he just combs his fingers through my curls. He rests his chin on my head, and I feel terrible. Like I want to puke, and faint, and melt into his arms some more. I look up, not breaking from Titus' embrace, at the sky. The clouds move at the mercy of the wind, and the sun shines bright down on the earth that loves it so.

"Rory, I swear to you, I am going to figure this out. I will find a way for you to live a long, peaceful life. I swear it." His arms close tighter around me. A tear drips off of my nose onto the ground. Sometimes science doesn't solve everything. Sometimes science fails. And I do not want Titus to figure that out through my inevitable death.

"Sorry to interrupt." Titus and I jump three feet from each other when we hear Dr. Finley's voice from behind us. I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear, and look at the ground.

"What?" Titus spits, his cheeks red.

"I just wanted Aurora here to know that, though the unfortunate recent events, the broadcast will proceed." Titus looks at Dr. Finley, then back at me.

"You agreed?!" I take in a shaky breath.

"It is the only way I could find out about my past." He sighs.

"There were other ways, Rory." He turns and walks back into the building. I run in after him, and grab his arm.

"Titus, don't do this. Please!"

"You didn't listen to me! We could have done it scientifically. Together!" I grit my teeth.

"SCIENCE DOESN'T SOLVE EVERYTHING." And I let him stare at me with wounded eyes. With big wounded eyes that are horrified that I ever questioned him. And I let him walk away with two words burning in my brain.

Check mate.