This is what Wendy always says.

 

See, the words that are printed on your skin at birth are the last words your soul mate says to you. To find your soul mate, either one of you has to die. The upside of that? Well, you will for sure meet your soul mate at least once, and sometimes, only once, before they are gone for good. The downside should be fairly obvious.

 

In Wendy's line of work--a doctor--she is not unfamiliar with death. In fact, she battled death along with her patients on a daily basis.  However, no one likes to think about death.

 

She has met people who, at last, found their soul mates. It is soul-crushing, according to them. Seeing a person die is difficult to deal with, let alone their soul mates.

 

Soul-crushing, Wendy thinks, is because part of your soul was destroyed.

 

 

Although dealing with death is not what Wendy likes, she likes her job a lot.

 

Wendy witnesses all the emotions her patients go through. Most of the time, it is depressing, but the smiles they put on when they have overcome a major hurdle is one of the most rewarding things she receives.

 

Wendy gets along with her coworkers well. They are not the most talkative people alive, but she does not mind. Wendy enjoys the small talks they engage in during break time, which, to be honest, is rare.

 

Irene and Wendy first have their conversation after a massive car accident that happened two blocks away from their hospital. It has been a tiring day for everyone, but their shift still has not ended.

 

In their first exchange of words, they discover that they both think that not meeting their soul mates is better than the alternate ending.

 

"You cannot avoid death, no matter how hard you try."

 

"But it would break my heart, knowing that my soul mate just died next to me." Irene explains.

 

"I wish soul mates do not have to meet like this, where the beginning signifies the end."

 

"Unfortunately, that is not the world we live in."

 

*

 

They spend a lot of time together, because they have the same shifts--after Irene requested for a schedule change, that is. 

 

"Why did you switch your schedule?" Wendy is surprised by the sudden change.

 

"I feel more comfortable working in the morning. Or do you call it night?"

 

Wendy knows that Irene used to have a normal schedule like every white collar. She is quite like an elderly, who awakes and goes to sleep early.

 

Now, Irene qualifies as a vampire.

 

Wendy does not call her out. She likes to work with Irene anyway.

 

*

 

There is a connection between them. They assume it is because how they have similar ideas about soul mates, and they just click. They tend to shy away from digging deep into details. It is not their field of study.

 

"How do soul mates meet?" Irene ponders.

 

"They just do."

 

"It would be nice, if I can at least have a conversation with them before I die. A conversation like the ones we have had and is having."

 

"I suppose it would be nice."

 

"We get along well. Do we not?"

 

"We do."

 

They are getting close to an uncharted territory, one that Wendy would like to stay away from.

 

"Would you like to--"

 

Fortunately, Wendy's pager lets out a beep, signaling that she is needed somewhere. She never appreciated work more than she does now. 

 

"I gotta go."

 

"Dinner tomorrow?"

 

"Huh?"

 

"Oh, I meant breakfast. Is 6 alright?"

 

"Yeah. I'll meet you there."

 

Wendy scurries out the door, leaving Irene alone in the break room. She can feel the longing gaze behind her back. She closes--slams--the door with more than enough force.

 

There is a mutual attraction between them. Irene knows it, and so does Wendy.

 

However, Wendy avoids talking about it. She knows better than to get attached to someone in a professional workspace. It never works out. No matter how hard you maintain your relationship. They have gotten too close to it, so she has to be the one to cut the strings.

 

Besides, Wendy thinks that there is more than just a simple connection between them. 

 

She does not want to know what it is.

 

She will know when she dies.

 

Now is not the time.

 

Or so she hopes.

 

*

 

They like to entertain themselves with scenarios about their soul mate marks.

 

Wendy rolls up her sleeves. A mark that says, are you gonna stay with me?, appears.

 

"In what case scenario will someone say this line to me? In a play?" Wendy never understood the words on her skin.

 

"Are you gonna stay with me? Your boyfriend killed you when you refused to make up." Irene uses her imagination and thinks of a near impossible scenario.

 

"Don't cry if my body is sent to you."

 

"If that happens, I think it's more likely that he keeps your body. You know, the obsession and all."

 

"Gross."

 

Irene shows Wendy her soul mate mark--Always.

 

"Maybe you asked him if he will still love you when you are gone. It is kinda romantic." Wendy says.

 

"What if my soul mate is actually a stalker? Perhaps I asked for how long is he going to obsess over me."

 

"I am curious about what goes through your mind on a daily basis."

 

Amidst their laughter, their pagers beep. It is not the usual notification they receive when they are needed for an emergency.

 

 

"SILV?"

 

In the years Irene has worked at a hospital, she has never seen this code appear before. Wendy recognizes it, because, well, she reads their hospital manual when she is bored.

 

"Code Silver. We have an active shooter in the hospital."

 

Irene and Wendy look blankly at their pagers.

 

"The door is locked, right?"

 

"Yeah."

 

They sit on the ground and wait for whatever is coming their way.

 

The eerie silence does nothing to calm their nerves. It does not last long, however. They hear footsteps coming from the hallway.

 

They see the doorknob turning. The door is push opened by a figure wearing a doctor's lab coat.

 

They both know him. He is one of their coworkers. Perhaps he does not know about Code Silver?

 

Until Wendy sees the handgun in his hand.

 

Without saying a word, he shoots them both in the upper torso. The wound missed their hearts, or anywhere that will kill them immediately.

 

He leaves without a word.

 

*

 

"He must have a grudge against us." Wendy says as she feels herself slowly slipping away.

 

"You are not gonna leave me, right?"

 

"It's not like I can go anywhere else."

 

Wendy laughs--tries to laugh--at her own response, but she does not have the strength to.

 

"Just answer me. Are you gonna stay with me?" Irene asks as she stares into Wendy's eyes.

 

"Always." Wendy assures her.

 

With their last breath, they laugh.

 

It is ironic. The two people that do not want to find their soul mates, find each other in the end.

 

----