Till Death Do Us Part

Where He Went

Death's POV:

Now, many of you are probably wondering what happens when you die. Do you simply lie stiff in a coffin for all eternity? Is there an afterlife? And finally, does God come and whisk you up to heaven? Is there even a God? Well, sorry to disappoint but I've failed to acquire the answer to most of these questions. If a God does exist, I've yet to meet him and frankly, I'm not looking forward to it anyway. My job consists of me, retrieving the soul from the body, traveling through this void of Nothing with them, occasionally having a friendly chat and a cup of tea (I wish! You try talking some sense into someone who's just died! My job is far from easy) and then sending them into a ever-changing, limbo type of place. What goes on there? I haven't a clue, I've only actually entered this 'afterlife' once, when I died (we'll get to that in the future).

So, as you can imagine, my journey with Augustus Water's wasn't a pleasant one, but it was a unique and memorable experience. I'd been watching him for about a month before we actually met in person, wanting to do the deed before the funeral. Being young and madly in love, the first question was about his beloved Hazel Grace. "How's Hazel doing?" He asked. This shocked me thoroughly. Usually, I'm bombarded with all sorts of annoying, useless questions: "Are you God? (Ha! I wish)"

"Where am I?"

"Am I dead?"

"I didn't mean to *insert sin here*, can I still go to heaven?"

And, the most frequently asked question: "Why did I have to go?"

But no, this young man, who had his own life ahead of him, who had died unfortunately, was asking about someone else.

"It looks like she'll be joining you shortly." I replied, lies are reassuring, it's the truth that hurts but it's the truth that most people deserve. That was when he broke down, his sadness consuming him in waves, his cry like an impeding clap of thunder. I couldn't stand it, but what could I do? It wasn't going to be okay, and who's to say that he would ever see Hazel again? I don't know what goes on behind closed doors. Anyway, while we were moving through The Nothing, Augustus had been reduced to a runny-nosed sobbing teen that saw no interest in where he was going, or who was taking him. The second thing he said was:

"How do you do it?"

Honestly I didn't have an answer, how do I travel through the Nothing? How do I stand my job? How do I deal with the dead? I didn't know then, and I sure as hell don't know now. I shrugged my shoulders and carried on. Finally, we reached The End, a point that I have never passed. A thick cloud of mist seemed to surround a door, the image of the door was unstable, as if I could blow it and it would actually blow away.

"This is it, you're here, wherever here is. Don't ask, I don't know, I've never been."

"Will I see her again? Or my family? Or Isaac?"

"I don't know, I'm sorry."

And so, I watched Augustus Waters open the door, and walk into the unknown. Finally healthy and cured of his illness, but more upset than he had ever been before. Was he upset about the fact that Hazel's state was deteriorating? Or was he upset because she wasn't there with him? I never found out.

Of course you don't have to believe all of this, I could just be making it all up, writing a story. But what you do need to understand is that wherever Augustus Waters seemed to go, the only thoughts that plauged his mind where of his loved ones.

Thank you to all my readers, (even though there aren't many of you! :) I'm sorry for not updating for so long, I've got some other stories up my sleeve, but I'm determined to finish this one :) I'm sorry of this part is a bit weird, i didn't really want to go write about the "afterlife" in detail, in case I strayed from the original plot. Don't worry though! Any other parts narrated by death will just be descriptions of Hazel's life in hospital, etc. BTW I know I've changed my username and the title, I plan on making a new, better cover.