A brief visit with death.

It was dark, dark enough so I couldn’t make any details about the shriveled figure in the corner out.  2 days I have been locked up, in a not so uncomfortable room.  The temperature was comfortable; I had a bed, three square meals that in all honesty weren’t even that bad. The only thing that I couldn’t quite understand was why I was even here. 

                Two days ago I had been abducted from my home, a bag was put over my head, and I was placed into a van, surprisingly gently.  Not once have my captors said a word to me. That combined with the dark, and the shriveled figure in the corner, were the only things that seemed to be of a puzzling nature. What I keep calling a figure is actually an old man, I hear his breathing and I find it quite labored, and his coughing fits go on for literal hours. I have attempted to make conversation with the old man but he is unresponsive. Day and night are the same things down here.  

The door slid open and we were told not to move, I was surprised to find my captor to be female, at least one of them anyway. I could see a very obscure shape moving across the floor to the older man.

“We are giving him some medicine” the female voice told me.

Moments later the definite squeals of an animal being eaten alive echoed through the small room. It was quite obvious the old man was just devouring the poor little creature. I was not looking forward to the man’s stomach undoubtedly throwing the animal back up…but it never happened. Instead to my disgust, the man seemed to instantly thrive on the live animal he just consumed…I say consumed because he ate everything, no bones or hair left.

The door closed and instantly darkness became my world again. The man began to cough quite a bit, but not the cough of a sick man, just someone trying to clear their throat. At last he seemed to clear whatever blockage he had. 

“Nice to meetcha Dave” he said “Undoubtedly you must have a few questions for me, least of all how I know your name.”

“Well actually, I have assumed that I have started to hallucinate.”

“Sorry to dissapointcha Davey bones. Firstly, I sent for you; that’s how I know who you are David. Now you might be asking yourself this but, I’ll go ahead and answer it now. I sent for you, because as you just witnessed, I grow stronger when I consume a living life force.”

“You’re going to eat me?”

“I’ll do more than just that.” He started to laugh this incredibly raspy and childlike laugh.

The sound of bones cracking filled the room as the man, not bound by any shackles got to his feet. The man stretched and bent over trying to crack every bone in a row it seemed. Finally satisfied with what he had just done, he resumed a seat right beside me. 

“Since I know your name Davey, I’ll give you some hints as to mine. Firstly it’s inevitable, secondly it’s natural and thirdly it’s feared.”  

I looked at him in horror, the only answer my mind could draw a conclusion from is impossible. Death cannot exist in a body can it? As if able to read my thoughts this man let out a deep sigh of frustration.

“I honestly have to go through this every time I need to rejuvenate myself. I am the embodiment of death, I am all four horsemen, and I am called the destructor, war, wrath by different people of different beliefs.”

“I thought that about 2 people died every second worldwide, how could you be death if you’re down here with me all decrepit?” 

A hearty laugh filled the room once again, sending shivers down my spine simultaneously.

“Death will always occurs regardless if I cause it or not, but you humans breed at an alarming rate. Are you familiar with causality?”

“I took philosophy in high school.”

“Than what would you call me Davey?”

“The prime mover.”

                Another laughter filled the room.

“Finally, someone in my presence is not a moron, nothing can happen without death. World War Two is thought to be the result of one man’s assassination. The jones town massacre was caused with nothing but words. How many jokes are there about the Jonestown massacre?”

“Are you serious?” I almost screamed at him

“I’m super serious. Please answer the question.”

“For the sake of conversation I honestly don’t know.”

“A lot but the punch lines are too long.”

                A bright white smile turned the darkness into an uncomfortable glow for a fraction of a second. Seeing the glow for a moment made me feel ridiculous, despite the horror of the massacre and how appalled I was at the joke…a laugh crept up through my throat and out my mouth and echoed inside the small room. 

“There you go Davey; you DO have a sense of humour. You have to understand that a human like any animal has a living capacity for your ecosystem. I am here to keep the balance, I am the reason all of the big problems you have ever heard of existed. War, the black plague, the Spanish flue, famine, drought, All of those things and more are my doing. For that I need energy, such energy only a living creature can supply, that rodent was a start. For dessert though you will suffice.”

At this point this started to sound more and more possible as I sat next to this thing. “I see.” I managed to utter.

“Well don’t be too down Davey. I still don’t have enough energy to consume you. You have a few days still to live down here, alone with me.” He began what could only be described as cackling.

Over the next two days, I sat and I sat. I also listened. I began to call the thing by its real name Death. 

Death has preached to me about the downfall of society, which sometimes a great sacrifice must be made to purge humanity. Events so enormously fatal are sometimes the best way to help humans pull together.  I became convinced I was special at one point that I got chosen for an honour. Death informed me I was nothing, just a walking skin bag, and with what he has in mind, I will be one of the most hated men in history.

If anything Death was a salesman, he convinced me there was no other way, if there was he would do it. His grand plan is to release a virus onto the population of china. A virus that is expected to jump china’s borders within days, maybe hours. Only by working together can the world’s best scientist work together on a cure, a cure that works.  Saving humanity will be the greatest accomplishment in recent history. Unfortunately, he informed me that while he won’t eat my body, he will eat my mind, and put his in my body. 

The dreadfully awaited day finally dawned. Now that it was upon me, I was no longer scared. I had days to reflect and accept my end was coming. I asked him if it would hurt, his response made me shiver.

“Only if you want it to Davey. Now close your eyes, and this will all be over soon.”

I closed my eyes slowly letting the last shreds of light slowly leave my sight. The moment they were fully closed I felt my mind fading, my thoughts become more and more distant as if someone was shouting at me across the ocean. I was falling now, losing grasp on everything I had left. The last thought I would ever have would be wondering if this was real, or I was insane and I’d never know the difference.