Chapter 1: The Death

His days were coming to end, this would be one of his last; and to see such a beautiful sunrise in such an awful world was disheartening.  His pain from the stage IV Lymphoma was taking its toll at the young and tender age of 29. At times he could barely breath with all the coughing, his health condition was becoming unbearable.  He had battled this misfortune Illness for years, and now all he could think of was his life, all it had included; the military, college, but what held the most weight was everything that had and would be missed.  The possibility of a family, marriage were a lost cause; he wanted to do so much more with this life, leave a legacy do something great for mankind that would out live him. Peter wanted to be remembered! His breaths were becoming shorter, his heart struggled to beat, and that damn cough!  All the while even in this horrible state, he continued to imagine a better a world.  The world he imagined was much different then the one that he was living in, a world without chaos, mayhem, and where violence was not the norm.  In Peter’s world sickness didn’t suck the life out of the innocent. The night seem to had become darker, longer and the days much shorter.  He had nothing in this world, no family, no purpose, and no energy; nor the will power left to fight.

The door begins to rattle…its Sarah.  The door opens, “good morning Peter?” said Sarah.  Sarah is the nurse assigned to look in on Peter; Sarah grew fond of Peter in the hospital and goes by every morning like clockwork to check on him. Peter requested months ago to be release from the hospital to die in the comfort of his own home and since Sarah was the only nurse Peter would even show any signs of life towards, the hospital thought it was best to assign her. Sarah has been going by every morning since that time, helping Peter with his medications, asking him about his plans for the day, and always reminding him that the will of man is stronger than any medicine or diagnosis. As always, Sarah would stand there with her big beautiful smile, looking at Peter with such aspiration.  In Peter’s mind Sarah was optimistic about everything in life, probably too optimistic!  After a few minutes of Sarah staring and smiling at Perter. Peter in a very low voice finally greets Sarah in return, still tormented by that ungodly cough!  Sarah says, “How are you doing this morning Peter?” Peter replied to Sarah saying that he thinks today is the day, the day in which his pitiful life will cease to exist! Peter wanted to thank Sarah in advance for all she has done. Peter is unsure why Sarah was so good to him? In the back of his mind, he understood she was a nurse and taking care of dying people just came with the job description, but the nurses before Sarah were not so dedicated, nor would they give one hundred and ten percent with their patients, but with Sarah, truly caring seemed effortless, like she was born for nothing else but this. In the middle of Peter’s wondrous thoughts, Sarah says,“Death will visit everyone without giving them a choice, but living each second, minute, hour, and day like there is no tomorrow is something you can choose to do!” Sarah also said to Peter that she has been coming by every morning on cloud nine because he has lived almost  4 months longer than anyone expected him to, she for one was amazed and absolutely pleased that he had defy the odds and wanted to see Peter endure. You are at your core a fighter, don’t stop fighting. “ Peter told Sarah, that he wished he could believe that or at least comprehend a brighter future for himself, but the only thing his body is telling him is that the end is very near.  Sarah smiled at Peter and said, “in time the truth is always revealed”, Sarah told Peter that his meds were on the table next to the cup of orange juice, Sarah would normally bring Peter a few of his favorite bagels and if something were to go wrong in any way, she would leave here contact information on a sticky pad on the table as well. 

Sarah was preparing to leave Peter to himself while she went to the hospital to start her shift, Sarah thought that it was much easier to come tend to Peter before her shift started instead of trying to break away during the middle of the day. She informed Peter that she would be at work until 7 p.m. this evening. If he needed anything, all he needed to do was contact her, but if she didn’t hear from him, she would assume that all is well and would be back bright and too early in the morning.” Peter was really grateful for all Sarah was doing and has done, although bitter at times, deep down he wished he had met Sarah before the diagnosis and symptoms started to hinder his daily functions. He told Sarah thanks again for all she had done. He told her that she was a beautiful, young, soon to be an oncologist and if she didn’t show up and moved on to bigger and better things, he could understand.  Sarah smiled gently and said, “you can’t get rid of me that easy,” plus she truly felt that this was the easiest part of her day.  Sarah last words to Peter, “was that he was a really great guy and this world has much to offer him and he has much more to offer the world and that she would see him tomorrow.” Sarah left for work as she did every day, and she always had this amazing act for leaving Peter with a feeling of hope for humanity. Peter thought to himself that it’s people like her that makes this world a better place, Peter likes to try to keep her at bay with his negative attitude, but it doesn’t seems to even bother her one bit. 

Peter does honestly think that today is his last day; His condition had worsened to the point of no return and he truly was ready to be done with this losing battle.  His only wish was that Sarah would find someone that completes her in every way.  Peter began to cough violently and his nose began to bleed.  With the little strength that he had left, his arms shaking uncontrollably as he wiped the blood from his nose.  He got up out of bed slowly, walked over to the table to take his meds, which would help with bleeds.  He always enjoyed the bagels Sarah brought each morning.  He called to make sure that his Will was in order, all that he had owned he was leaving to Sarah, for all the dedicated care she had given him all this time and going to medical can’t be cheap, just maybe this would help a little.  He began feeling extremely weak and went to lie back in his bed.  He started to cough forceful, the medication usually would kick in by now, but in his mind this just confirms his notion that today was his last day on this earth. In pain and feeling miserable, he slipped away into a sleep.  He was looking very pale and felt ice cold, as time passed he started tossing and turning slowly, he felt as if everything in his body was shutting down, similar to what you see a computer do when you click the shutdown button.  He could see his own breath and he knew that it must be freezing in this room; he used his bed controller to adjust  the temperature to eighty five degrees, but it wouldn’t have matter if he adjusted it to hundred and five degrees, Death was coming.  

Peter realized this and came to the conclusion that when Death is near, people can’t help but wonder what they would do with a second chance or what all they would do before their illness became too dire and great.  In the last few weeks Peter had try to sleep the pain away for the better part of most days, but today he knew would be different, he felt much weaker, he couldn’t move his limbs, he just laid there, circling the room with his eyes, he knew that the sun had went down, because the room was much darker and the temperature seemed to had drop dramatically.  He felt like it was much harder to breathe, gasping for breaths.  This must be what death feels like he thought, now feeling the coldest chill he had ever felt, his vision starting to fade and now blurry, he gasped for his last few breathes, fully aware that they are numbered, the end that he prophesied so much about and secretly dreading in his heart was finally here.  The cold was utterly intolerable, his mind seemed barely cognitive, and at that moment, Peter took his last breath, for a moment everything felt like it was in super slow motion for Peter.  Peter felt as if he could feel and see his last breath leaving his body, vision still blurry the transition right before death and it all goes dark, barely conscious!  A dark large figure moved towards Peter, this must be Death coming to take Peter.  The large figure grabbed Peter’s last breathe, holding it in his hand. The individual wore a Long cloth robe that went down to his feet and a hood that covered his face.  

His eyes were indescribable just piercing right through the heart and soul of Peter.  The individual just stood over Peter, still holding his last breath in mid-air, and then the most petrifying voice, called out to Peter, but Peter’s eyes are faded, Peter was there stiff as a board, as if nothing was on in his body, he was dead!  The individual called out to Peter in the most bone chilling voice again, “Come to me Peter”; It looked as if Peter soul was compelled to leave his body, Peter stood in front of this individual bodiless, as if in the form of an ghost.  Peter asked with a trembling voice, “Am I dead?”  The hooded individual replied, “Yes”.  In awe, Peter turned around looking at his limp body lying there on the bed, tears filled his eyes.  Peter was terrified of the unknown and even more frighten by the large individual standing before him.  The large individual’s robe was very unique, having weird symbols and marking, it was black like pure darkness and the hood gave you no inkling that there was a face underneath, just those piercing eyes of death.  “Are you Death?” asked Peter dreadfully,  “Over the centuries I have had many names known by humans, but Death has been the name so many of you humans have referred to me as for the past centuries”, said the hooded individual.  Death told Peter that he usually sends his Reapers to collect and direct the souls of man.  Peter thought to himself the answer everyone want’s to know; is it going to be heaven or hell.  Normally, said Death, he would answer this burning question, but in this case he has come with an offer.  Peter said, “What kind of offer?  What can I possibly have that’s of worth to Death?” Death said that he is offering 75 years of being cancer free from the illness that had plague Peter for the past few years.  Peter asked why him and what would he have to do?  Death told Peter, he was chosen by someone greater than him, but if he does not accept, the offer would be offered to another.  Death told Peter that a war of unimaginable magnitude is coming that for many of mankind will be unexplainable, but Peter would be the one to record all that is to come, not missing anything.  Death told Peter it is extremely important that you understand this task and offer? 

 Peter was confused and told Death that he didn’t understand why a war was coming or why even give someone the choice; just make him or her do it. Death stared at Peter with those piercing eyes and said, Peter, “you have always had a choice, a choice whether to live the life that you had to the fullest regardless of dying from cancer, a choice to be joyful and adore everyone with a smile; a choice to sell all that you own and give to the needy; a choice to become a monster or killer, the path of man has always been directed by choice.”  Death continued, “up until the very point before your soul is reaped, there is free will, if you say no to this offer it would be your choice and the rest of your path will fall into place. If you say yes Peter, and not follow through, you will be damn past the point of wishing that you didn’t exist.”  Peter didn’t have to think long and hard, he knew that he wanted to live.  He would do it, he desperately wanted to live, so he decided to make the deal with Death and record everything that has happen and that is to come.  

Death told Peter that the world as he knows it is about to change, the things he considered fiction, those things that go bump in the middle of night are about to become very real.  Death says to Peter, “there is an envelope on your desk where you meds usually are, the envelope is sealed for a reason, opening it will only void our deal.  Take it to the address that is on your desk and once you arrive at the address find a man name Ta'kur, hand him the sealed envelope and leave immediately.” Death continues, “Peter, do not forget that from today on, record all that has happen and that is to come and you should take Sarah with you.” Peter thought about Sarah and how good she has been to him; before  Peter knew it his lump body was pulling his soul back into it; then Peter started gasping for air, all the while he could hear Death speaking in a foreign language,  still violently gasping for any air in the vicinity, Death placed Peter’s last breath back into his body by almost force feeding it to Peter, which knocked out all the lights in Peter’s head for a split second and like that Death was gone.  Peter just laid there, but was able to breathe better and better with each gasp.  Peter’s vision has started to come back, now the ceiling seemed to look better and clearer with each second that passed; his pain that was once unbearable seem to fade, and fade, until it was totally gone.  Peter felt as if he was a new person, his since of smell was as if it was better than ever, a strong scent of menthol, from all the pain relieving medication smothered the room.  His first sensation, was that he was burning up, he could tell that the room was extremely hot, like he was in hell or something.  Still unsure about what really just happened or if he is still in a dream, but in the moment he felt better than ever and didn’t want it to end. 

 He walked over to the thermostat to the heater, he realized the heater was on full blast and adjusted the thermostat to off.  He felt renewed and regenerated, he felt really good for the first time and a very long time; longer than he could remember.  He stood there, like a stone or immovable rock with his eyes closed shut, listening to the silence, enjoying this moment of bliss.  He just listened, still use to an violent cough erupting at anytime now, but there was nothing, no cough and no pain, just a bit of euphoria and silence.  He feared even moving again at this moment because it might wake him up to the realization that he was still in the same pitiful state of dying.  Peter thought to himself, this can’t be a dream, now mumbling the same thoughts under his breath, “let this be real, let this be happening”.  Opening his eyes slowly with the anticipation of him somehow realizing this is some pathetic dream, but as his eyes continued to open and he receive visual clarity, he could see the sealed envelope on his desk. This is real, Peter thought to himself, Peter felt amazing and crazy at the same time, a piece of normalcy of his life before getting sick.  He decided to take a shower, still no coughs or pain.  Peter took off his shirt as he prepared for his shower, he noticed that his muscle definition was better, much better, balling up his fists to flex his muscles, Peter felt powerful and strong.  Peter was regaining his strength, but he wanted to see it for himself to help convince himself of the heck is going on, believing more and more that this is really happening; he slowly walked over to the bathroom mirror.  Peter looked in the mirror, breathing heavy and shaking profusely, as if he had just saw a ghost.