Death has always been an interesting subject. Some people talk about death as though he is a person to be greeted like an old friend. Some treat death as a horrid plague to be feared. Some don’t think much about it. While their lives go on and the busy city life overtakes them, these people spare death no thought. They are only concerned with errands to be run and meetings to be had. They are wrapped up in the now moment and what needs to be done so that their next now moment can be a little easier.

When a person is happy, they spare no time to think about death. They do not consider when He will come or if He can affect their happiness. They have no reason, because they are happy in that now moment. Maybe this is the reason so many people are surprised when death comes. He’s always there, but they never see him, not if they aren’t looking. It’s these types of people that reject death when he comes. They think that they haven’t had enough time to live. Maybe they haven’t confessed to the one they love yet, or maybe they finally found love and can’t bear to think that their time was so short.

If only I had been looking, then we wouldn’t be in this mess. It had all happened so fast. That’s what they all say isn’t it? I couldn’t possibly see that truck spinning out of control, so how was I supposed to be prepared when it rammed into our car? How could I prepare for the fact that our car flipped over the bridge and crashed? That the impact crushed the doors and our legs? That even if we could somehow get the doors open, we wouldn’t be able to move fast enough to breach the surface of the river? How can I see this happening and be able to react fast enough to save our lives? I can’t. I couldn’t.

Even as the car sinks deeper, the blue turning to black, I struggle to try anything. I reach over to shake him for maybe the thousandth time, thinking that maybe this time he’ll respond and those wide eyes will see again. I scream and give up as the river water cascades into my mouth and fills my lungs. Everything burns and I can taste my own blood in the water. Somewhere in the back of my mind I’m thankful that Minseok died on impact, that way he doesn’t have to go through all this pain. He doesn’t have to see me broken and in pain. I know he’d cry and try to save me. He’s always been like that. He was always like that. I try to scream again out of frustration but now everything is turning black.

~*~

I bite back a chuckle as Minseok stutters for the millionth time.

“W-well, you see. I-I-I………..,” his face turns so red it could be mistaken for a tomato. I know I should end his torment, but one doesn’t see a flustered Minseok all that often. I couldn’t believe my luck when I found a crumpled letter in his trash bin written to me. In the letter I’m currently holding in front of his face, he writes that he’s in love with his best friend. That’s me. Right now I think my grin might split my face.

Minseok suddenly punches me right in arm. “Stop holding it in my face!” he says with a half growl half pout thing. I cringe because ow he is super strong and I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a bruise on my flawless, beautiful skin.

“That is no way to treat the person you’re in love with!” I complain.

Minseok scrunches up his face. “As if I can be in love with someone like you.”

I feign offense and place a hand over my heart. “But Minseokie, it says right here,” I stand up straight and clear my throat, “‘Dear Luhan, I know that we have been good friends for a long time, but there’s something I never told you.’” Minseok reaches to snatch the letter away but I evade him and continue, “‘I’m not really good with kind of stuff, so I’ll just be blunt about it. I’ve fallen so very deeply in love love with you~ ! You are the star of my life and the sun to my sky!’”

“IT DOES NOT SAY THAT!” Minseok screeches as he lunges from across the room and effectively tackles me to the ground.

I erupt into laughter as he snatches the letter and rips it to shreds. “Aw Minseok you’re ruining it for me.”

He sends me a disgusted look. “I have to be crazy to be in love with you.”

As he goes to get up I wrap my arms around his waist and ignore the annoyed look he gives me. “Let’s be crazy together.”

            Minseok smacks me right on the face. “You’re so freaking cheesy.” But he smiles.

~*~

They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die.  But how can anyone know that? Only people who die can know that and well, they’re all dead. Anyways, I think it must not be true, because all I can think about is Minseok. I guess in a way it is true, since Minseok is basically my life, but I can’t stop thinking about how I finally found out that the person I’ve been in love with my whole life loves me back. I can stop thinking about how we still had the whole rest of our lives to live together as a couple. How can we die like this? I haven’t spent enough time touching him and feeling him and getting to know his body like I had always dreamt about. I’ve barely had any time at all.

Suddenly I’m angry. I’m so angry that I feel like I’m about to explode. Pure rage rakes me from top to bottom and I can’t accept this. I cannot accept death. Not now, not when I am finally living life the way I am meant to. I can’t accept death for Minseok. Especially not Minseok. Every fiber of my existence is enraged and inflamed at the mere thought that Minseok will be swept away from the world too soon. Not when he hasn’t gotten the chance to visit Europe like he always wanted. I promised to bring him. I will bring him; I don’t care what it cost me.

A bold statement.

Not a voice, but rather, an entity sounds its way into my mind.

You don’t care the cost? Now, how much do you mean that?

Suddenly through the darkness, a white light shines through. It gets bigger until I can look beyond it and see the entity encased in the white light. My first thought is that it’s an angel, but looking closer my fear tells me that this is no heavenly being. The figure stands legions tall and there is no end to its trailing cloth made of the white light. The skull of a ram stares back at me; the eyes sockets seem to be the black holes of the universe. At the end of its horns dangles cluttered jewelry and at the base of its curved, leathered neck sits a necklace of human eyes splattered with dried blood.

Now now, your pleas have called me here. Do not hesitate or you will miss your opportunity.

The entity shifts and reveals the rest of its body. The white light slips down the feathered wings and uncovers the skeletal chest where more cluttered jewelry hangs and blue swirls inside the bone cage. Nerves curl at the bottom and clump together to attach the human legs and baring no gender to the being.

I finally find my voice. “What is it that you are here for?”

I am here for you. You called me. I can give you what you wish.

I’m not sure about trusting the entity, but if it means that Minseok and I can live again. “Make us live again. Make it to where this never happens.”

The entity seems to laugh, but the sound is more like deep grinding.

My dear little human, this life is over for you and your love. You can no longer live this life. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t make you live.

“I don’t understand.”

I can make you live another life. Another life and another time for the both of you.

My heart seems to hammer in my chest and I can see hope. “Yes, another life for us both, please.”

It isn’t so easy though. I cannot do this with out breaking time and space and for two little human? There are certain consequences.

“What are they? As long as we can live together, I don’t care!”

It seems to chuckle deeply this time.

So eager. How about this?  I give you both another time and another life, but you will not be together at first. You will always be able to find your love, but he will not know you. You will have to make him fall in love with you again before you or he dies. If you fail to do so, you will wake up in another time and another life and you will have to start over again. I will give you so many chances to accomplish this, but if you never succeed in making him fall in love with you again, you will die--

The entity swoops in close and its head is suddenly right in front of me.

 --and give your soul to me.

I take a moment to process everything it’s just said. It all seems so easy but dangerous to me. I have no doubt that Minseok and I will still be in love no matter the time or place, but then again I am afraid of trusting this being. I don’t want to give my soul up to this being, but I don’t want to die either. I don’t want Minseok to die and in the end it’s only my soul, so it wouldn’t effect Minseok. He’ll get to live no matter what. I nod my head and let out a shaky “okay”.

It seems like the darkness shines behind its eyes as strange symbols etch themselves down the bone on its face.

 Reach forward and touch the symbols. Then the contract will be fulfilled.

I stretch out my hand and run it down the symbols. As soon as I come in contact with the bone, searing pain blasts its way into my mind and body. I’ve never felt anything so horrid as when the pain rips its way through me. I open my mouth and a strangled blood-curdling scream ruptures my mind.