Zach Krycek is determined to break away from the family curse that will bind him to the service of DEATH for 100 years, starting when he's eighteen. But his destiny calls early as a viral plague breaks out, forcing him and his best friend into the u...
It's been two days since we took down the Church Under Thanatos. Two days since DEATH started distributing the cure for Fleming-Sark disease to all the infected cities. Two days since people started returning to their cities, even if they hadn't been quarantined - many had simply taken the time to evacuate.
Two days since I died.
And one day since my parents and sister flew up to Alaska, Dad still busted up pretty badly from the Winterhaven office bombing.
Thanks to Nico accompanying them, I was able to watch as they, being my next of kin and legal guardians, formally identified my body. Mila stayed outside with me and Nico, hugging him and sobbing the whole time. I wanted to hug her too, but I didn't want to scare her to death by making my presence known. So, as long as she stays in physical contact with Nico, I take care to stay out of her sight.
On the other side of the window in front of us, Mom and Dad stand in the morgue with Jessica. Mindful of his injuries, Mom clings to dad gingerly but tightly. They're both crying, but we can't hear them from here. Not through the soundproof walls.
Those two, I'll need to say goodbye to at some point. And I'd really like to have a chance to say goodbye to Mila as well. Properly, for all of them. They need that.
But Nico and I first decide that it's better if we wait till after my funeral. For which Jessica's arranged for us to fly back home to Winterhaven, because at the moment, the Alaska office is just way too swamped.
That's the second day after I die, the day my body goes home.
I'd love to watch the mortician put makeup on my corpse, but I have to stay with Nico the whole time, and it's not like they'll allow him into that part of the funeral home. I stick with him like glue, because I've got no choice. Well, other than when he's in the bathroom, of course. It's like any other time we've slept over, gone camping in the woods, whatever. He snores, talks dirty in his sleep, and even makes kissy faces. Nothing new.
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In the morning, he gets dressed in a nice suit borrowed from his brother's closet. It doesn't quite fit him, but that's because he's always been a late bloomer - I don't think he's done growing yet. I hope he isn't for a while. I don't want him following me into Hades anytime soon, other than on his duties as an agent.
He's going to eulogize me. He's hastily cobbled together a few words on random scraps of paper, most of which he wrote on the flight down.
He's going to...and then he can't.
I think it's because he sees me keeping his seat warm when he steps up to the podium, and then he just can't take it anymore. He doesn't even get out more than one or two words before he steps off, barely able to hold in his sobs. When he sits down, in front of him, Mila turns around and pats his hand. He doesn't even look up, not once.
Not until Avalon, who's on his right, takes his hand instead. He squeezes it tightly, gulps a couple of times, then steels himself. He gets up again - nobody's taken his place at the podium - and he finally speaks. Before he starts, however, he exchanges a subtle nod with me. That, I think, is all the motivation he needs to get through this.
