The Daughter of Death

Death of a regular man

It was another boring and painful day at the hospital. As always, they brought me some food, which wasn't very tasty, they checked if I was still alive and said some nice words, so I could feel a little bit better about this horrible situation.

I was suffering from lung cancer.

Suddenly, about 4p.m., I started feeling weaker and weaker as time moved on... Finally I couldn't even cough, I begun to choke on my own breath and slimy spit... I tried to push the button next to me to call a nurse, but I couldn't reach... Then the darkness came.

I wasn't hurt anymore. I couldn't feel anything physically. There was only me, silence, darkness and a feeling of being an embryo in a cradle of mother's womb... However, there was also another strange feeling. Like somebody is next to me, almost touching me... I tried to open my eyes, but they were already wide opened. I tried to turn my back, but at the same moment I wanted to move, a figure appeared right in front of me. I couldn't even tell if it was a male or a female... It had long, heavily damaged purple hair, anorexic unnatural but feminine body with missing breasts, nipples and any kind of genitals, its pale and thin skin was covered in ashes, but what was more concerning... its face. It seemed like a cluster of contrasts, it was both friendly and hostile, happy and depressed, tense and calm, focused but almost distracted by something nonexistent. The character was drilling me with its eyes both through and within me, I just couldn't stop looking at it... I wanted to ask it what it is, but it answered me before I could even say a word. Its whisper sounded like intensively crackling fire in a deep cave... It said: "It doesn't matter who I am. Now you are with me."

"Are you... Death?" - I asked, because I finally realized that it was holding a scythe made of black wood and with a crystal blade. The character didn't respond.I waited long for the answer and I wanted to ask again to be sure, but I decided to ignore this question at the end. I started thinking that I probably guessed right, and that was the reason why it didn't even say anything. When I was totally certain about it, it said: "I am her daughter."

"If you are a daughter of Death, then... am I going to die? Am I dead right now? What's going on?!" - I started panicking.

She silenced me with one move of her hand, bringing me the feeling of weird sticky wetness, which wasn't that pleasant... She wanted me to come with her, but I was too afraid to die. I just wanted to come back and never return to this place... I found enough power inside of me to escape and... wake up.

My face was covered with a blanket and someone was pushing the table I was laying on. I moaned and at the same moment the table stopped and a person pushing it took the blanket off my face.

- We thought you were dead, sir! - said this man. - We have to change protocols now and take you back to the hospital...

- But... why? - I asked. - I feel great!

And it was actually true. It seemed like I healed myself during this journey in a realm of death.

- Sir, your name is Derek Hamilton, right? You died from a lung cancer. You are still suffering from it for sure!

- But I can breathe normally, I don't feel pain, I'm cured! I swear!

I was moved the same day to the hospital so I could be tested again for lung cancer and everything seemed to be stable, like I've never suffered from it before. They held me for a couple of days in this place to observe if the sickness was to return, but it never came. This was the best thing that could happen in my life! I appeared in news as a person resurrected by God Himself, people were shaking my hand on the streets and I was treated like a reincarnation of Jesus. My family had never been so excited to see me before, everyone was crying of happiness, we made a huge party to celebrate my return from the dead, but when they asked me what happened on the other side, I never answered...

After party some family members decided to stay over night, like my brother Jason, but most of them left. I was a little bit drunk and tired, I kissed my wife for good night and layed down next to her. Before I closed my eyes, I was playing with her beautiful hair and enjoying her smell, but all of a sudden, I started feeling weird and I heard the sound of a ticking clock. I couldn't resist the shiver that went down my spine - we never had a clock in our room. I leaned on my elbow to see what's the matter, and I saw her... Those black eyes and a face full of contradictions. She was just standing there, pointing at the levitating clock without hands to show the time. I tried to wake my wife up, but she was cold as a grave stone. When I rolled her on her back, she was all pale, her skin looked like made of wax and her lips and eyelids were pure purple and dried out. I started screaming her name in agony, but nothing helped me in this situation... The Daughter of Death was still drilling me with her eyes, all emotionless, without any sense of compassion - those two things were the only ones that I could tell for sure about her. I couldn't stand it, I couldn't even move towards her, I was only able to cry and moan as my wife remained silent... dead.

Finally, my brother appeared. He opened the door with all his might, switched the light on and then the Daughter disappeared. My wife jumped suddenly and frightened me even more, even though she seemed scared too.

- Derek, what happened?! - asked my brother, all worried. - Were you crying at the moment? You were screaming like insane!

- I didn't hear anything - threw in my wife. - But you are right, Jason, Derek looks horrible and petrified! What happened, honey?

I couldn't speak for a longer minute, but I calmed myself down and explained to them it was probably just a dream. However, this anomaly continued...

Since that family party the Daughter of Death didn't let me live normally. Every night I was coming back home from work, even seeing a sleeping hobo was like a horror scene, because she was always next to the sleeping, presenting me them as dead. Sleeping with my dear wife turned into daily tragedy, sleeping cats were now dead for me, even seeing sleeping humans and animals on TV, photos or the internet was unbearable...

Now, as I'm writing it, I'm not going to bother you with me describing every single situation like that... I decided to face Death herself. My family was worried about me and I couldn't stand anything anymore... This is my story and all I want to say is... accept your fate. Never try to escape Death. Her daughter will follow you... It doesn't matter where... It doesn't matter how... If you're dead once and you come back to life... It's better to die twice.

This is my last goodbye... I am Derek Hamilton... and this time I surrender.