In an Instant

"You never did tell me your name?" Travis mentions as we sit in the waiting room next to each other, the steady rythem of my heart pounding inside my chest.

"Delilah." I say to him turning to extend a hand out for a brisk handshake. "Delilah Ivy." His eyes widen in a grasp of familiarity for a moment before returning the gesture.

"How long have you been in 'The Brink'?" I ask making small talk, realizing that if I'm going to be stuck in this strange place, I should at least try to make a friend. Even if he is kind of annoying.

He lets out a small chuckle, his voice velvety smooth. "That's a little personal darling, you're going to have to buy me dinner first."

"I have a boyfriend, just answer me moron." I demand, grazing him in the shoulder playfully.

"Alright, alright... I've been here for nearly a week now. But, I've been listening to the doctors talking, they say I probably only have a few days left." He looks down at his hands in dismay, "I really fucked up this time."

"Drugs will do that to you, my mother left my father over them."

"Both of my parents are dead."

"Oh."

Then begins the awkward 10 seconds of silence as we both sit, our hands in our laps trying to think of what to ask or say next that would suffice as small talk.

"I just don't understand how you can be so calm about sitting here, just awaiting to hear your name and find out what happens to you next." I wonder out loud, breaking the silence that built up between us.

"I've just accepted it." He replies. I give him a look of remorse and glance up at the door to see the man from earlier who has his arm around a girl who nervously makes her way in and sat down. "We all end up in the same place anyway."

"What place is that?" I question, when suddenly I hear an announcement over the loud speaker of the hospital.

"Code Blue: Room 105, Code Blue 105"

Room 105, I realize that's my room! I look down at my hands and feel myself start to fade in an out of existence. I jump up and run from the waiting room towards my room, doctors and nurses racing throughout the hallway as fast as they could to make it to my room. They run right through me, and I remember that all I am at that moment is a ghost.

I run through the hall and see that they are pushing my body away towards the operating room, Stephan was on the floor sobbing into his chest. Next to him is Sierra, trying to comfort him once again.

I hear the doctors mutter words like, collapsed lung, internal bleeding, brain damage. All words that frighten me, and I feel a blackness begin to take over my vision.

The walls around me feel like they are about to cave in when I hear a distinct voice call out from behind me, I spin around to see the man with his gloved hand extended out waiting for me to grasp it. I refuse to.

"Your name has been called, it's time to go."

***

"Delilah Ivy, it has been brought to my attention that your time is up. But, I have a proposition for you if you wish to stay binned to this realm a little while longer." The man roars out as I open my eyes to a brisk white room, surrounded by humanoid type creatures with wings tethered on their backs. They grin at me profusely.

"A proposition? Who even are you, you haven't told me who you are or what this is since I've been here!" I plead with my life, just wanting answers to what surrounds me.

He takes a deep breath and removes the hoodie from his head and takes off the mask he had to reveal his true features, a sunken face with dead black eyes.

"I my darling, am death."

I don't even blink at the reveal of his identity, which seems to surprise him. I only stare with a blank look on my face as he places the mask back on his head and lifts the hood back to his head.

He walks closer to me and looks deep into my pale green eyes, and I feel like he's nearly staring into my soul. Yet still, I remain unafraid. Even with the possibility of my demise coming at me.

"How come you don't fear me?" He asks stepping away from me, curious as to my lack of response.

"What's there to fear?"

"Maybe just the fact that, here you are grasping the veil of life and death itself and you just don't know when I could take it all away...with the snap of my fingers." He tells me snapping his fingers for dramatic effect, even though nothing ends up happening.

"I've felt worse fear in my life, fear that won't ever match this."

He tilts his head at me, studying me carefully. "There's something different about you, which is why I would like for you to have this."

He reaches around his neck and takes off the necklace that hung, it is a cross with a Emerald center. It shines brightly in the faded hospital lights.

"What's this for?" I ponder, sliding the beautiful shining necklace around in my fingertips.

"For now you are me, I want to see what you're capable of." He tells me, still waiting for a feasible reaction to all of this. But I give none.

"Why me though," I object. "You have an entire room of people who would probably be better at this than I could ever be."

"They don't give me that feeling that you do, that vibe of sorts I'm picking up. One of those people in the room though, will become your partner. He's my assistant per say."

"Who?" I demand to know, even though something inside of me tells me I already know the answer to that.

"You'll find out soon enough..." He trails off and with a snap of his fingers, we are back outside the waiting room.

"You don't like to give a straight answer do you?"

"Not really."

"Can you at least tell me when I start?"

"Soon, the necklace will light up. Press the button that is located in the center, it will transport you to the soul that must be taken. Your assistant will explain the rest from there. I'll leave you too it, just don't stray too far, as you'll probably get someone soon."

He turns and leaves me standing there alone in the hallway, I play with the necklace that now hung across my neck. I wonder what all it has in store for me.

Travis's familiar voice rang out from behind me, "I knew it would be you."