Chapter 1
A lone figure waited in a hallway of a hospital. The figure was cloaked, hooded, and silent as it waited patiently. Suddenly the hallway was plunged into darkness and filled with nurses and doctors panicking. The figure looked around and watched the panicked staff desperately trying everything they could to restore power to the area; especially since there were three patients on this floor hanging on to life via life-support. Unfortunately, the figure knew that as much as they tried, the staff would not be able to save the patients. The figure pulled from it’s cloak a small notebook and opened it to a page marked with the events of this day. Listed on it were the names of the three patients who would perish today. As the staff in the hallway calmed down with the realization of the patients’ imminent deaths, traffic slowed significantly. Three other figure appeared in three separate doorways, one for each room, and looked around curiously. Death straitened and began to walk towards them. While doing so, the form under the hooded cloak changed from a manifestation of shadows to the form that has often proven to set people at ease. When Death lowered it’s hood it revealed the head of a young woman with auburn hair and soft hazel eyes. The three ghosts relaxed somewhat at the sight of Death, but were still wary.
Death motioned for the three of them to follow. The first ghost to come forward was a young boy, about 10, who suffered from a deviant strain of a virus. The second was a middle-aged woman who had been in a horrible car accident. The third was an elderly man who had simply come to the end of his life. The three ghosts followed Death down the hallway and through a door that was different than the others; in that while all of the hospital doors were either plastic in nature or metal, this one was made of mahogany. On the other side of the door was what appeared to be nothing but darkness. The woman looked very nervous at the sight of the open doorway, but the other two followed Death through it and eventually the woman followed as well.
As the group walked in the dark the woman started crying about her death and complained about all the things she didn’t get to do. This went on for a long time until another wooden door appeared to the left of the group. Death pointed at the woman and motioned for her to go through the door. The woman refused at first, as she didn’t want to pass on. She started to complain again but was cut short by the sight of Death materializing a large scythe. The woman promptly quieted and went through the door. As soon as she closed the door behind her, it vanished from sight. Death began to walk forward again, and the ghosts followed suit.
As they walked the elderly man began to ask the child about his life. The child didn’t say much, but talked about his parents and his little sister. The child was saddened at the thought of leaving them and it seemed as though he was going to start crying as well. The elder exchanged a glance with Death and started comforting the boy by telling him not to worry. He then began telling the boy all about his own long life; how he had worked in an animal shelter when he was a boy, and all the fun he had with the animals there; the time he and his school friends did a fundraiser car wash for his school; and how he met his wife.
The story had to stop though, as another door had appeared and it was the child’s turn to go through. The child said his goodbyes to the elderly man and Death and walked through the door. After the door disappeared the man expressed his sadness at a child’s life ending so quickly. Death nodded at the man and as they continued walked talked about how she had always hated it when people died young. Most of the time they complained like the woman from earlier and annoyed Death constantly until their door arrived. Death spoke of how she always enjoyed walking with elderly people as they had the best stories to tell. The old man smiled and began to tell Death more stories of his life until his own door appeared. The old man gave a final farewell to Death before walking through his door. As the last door disappeared Death wondered again of what lies beyond the doors of the passed.
