《THE DEATH》 PROLOG The girl sat with her legs crossed at the top of a skyscraper tower, gazing at the cityscape that looked so busy under the full moon that hung in the jet sky. She was humming, while listening to The Killer through the black neckband earphones that covered her listening senses. The small screen in his hand suddenly rang, indicating an incoming notification. She quickly opened it without turning off the music she was listening to. ¡°District 15 Marian City, Zackaria Handerson, age 18.¡± The girl then sighed, ¡°too young, too bad ....¡± She put her cell phone into the inner pocket of her jacket and stood for a while, her small eyes looking at the city of Marian with a cold and cruel gaze. Her blonde hair and the large parachute jacket she wore fluttered in the night breeze before she jumped from there in a very fast movement. #### ¡°Zack ... help me!¡± ¡°Zack!¡± The young man with jet brown eyes that matched his hair gasped at the exclamation of the other young man sitting right beside him. He then turned around, looking questioningly at one of his friends. ¡°You''re called to the podium, you''re the best graduate!¡± exclaimed the pale-skinned young man, named Aaron, with a proud expression to his best friend. Zack looked forward and everyone was looking at him, waiting for the young man to come up to the podium to say the welcoming words as the graduate who had the highest final exam score. Zack stood stiffly and walked past the other graduates to the podium. From a distance, his father and his only teenage sister looked at Zack wearing a pastel blue robe and toga cap on the podium with pride. So did the principal and the teachers present there. Zack was known as an outstanding student and easy to get along with, so many people liked him. After the graduation ceremony, they took pictures together with other graduates, teachers and also with their families. Until the sky got hotter and some of the graduates and their families started to leave the school.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°So, where are you going to college, Zack?¡± Aaron asked as they gathered. Zack shrugged his shoulders once. ¡°I don''t know, I haven''t thought about it yet.¡± ¡°Ah, if you apply anywhere you''ll get in!¡± exclaimed Aaron as he patted Zack hard on the back. ¡°Zack!¡± A beautiful girl with long caramel hair greeted Zack. She was also wearing a toga that looked oversized on her. ¡°Irene!¡± Aaron exclaimed excitedly and the girl replied with a smile. ¡°Congratulations, Zack,¡± Irene said, ¡±I''m happy for you for being the best graduate in our school.¡± ¡°Irene, I heard you were invited by the Royal University, right?¡± Irene nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Yes, I''m going to study there.¡± She turned to Zack again. ¡°And you?¡± ¡°I haven''t decided where I''m going to study yet,¡± Zack said. ¡°Ah, you ... Irene''s already decided where she''s going to study, and you''re a top graduate with no life goals! That sucks ....¡± Zack chose to remain silent, not wanting to respond to Aaron''s babble. ¡°Uh, my mom called me. I''ll go first!¡± Aaron then ran towards his family then he waved at Zack and Irene. Irene waved her hand to the young man and Zack just looked at his best friend from a distance. ¡°Sometimes Aaron just can''t keep his word.¡± ¡°I don''t care what he says,¡± Zack said nonchalantly, ¡±I''m used to him anyway.¡± Irene chuckled then she looked at Zack. ¡°Zack... you''re okay, right?¡± Zack looked confused at Irene. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yeah, I felt something...like you were holding something back.¡± Zack was speechless, not expecting that an Irene he didn''t really get along with could sense the turmoil in Zack''s mind. ¡°I''m ....¡± ¡°Irene!¡± Irene turned to the group of girls wearing togas. From a distance they waved their hands at Irene. ¡°Let''s take a picture together!¡± she shouted. Irene nodded excitedly at her friends. She then turned to Zack, ¡°I''ll be right there, Zack!¡± Zack nodded and Irene ran across the street. A loud car horn sounded as Irene ran. Zack''s eyes almost popped out when he saw the car speeding toward Irene. Then he moved quickly toward the girl. Everyone turned around and was shocked to see what had happened so quickly. Suddenly Irene was rolling on the asphalt and her head hit the pavement hard. She was still conscious and her hand moved to her sore forehead. A bright red, fresh liquid was flowing there. Irene then regained consciousness and quickly turned her head towards the street. Her big eyes were perfectly rounded when she saw people rushing towards Zack who was lying in the middle of the road, unconscious. Irene hurriedly ran to see Za''s condition and so much blood came out of Zack''s head there that it soaked the asphalt. ¡°Zack!¡± CHAPTER 1 ¡¤[THE DEATH] CHAPTER 12jZack suddenly opened his eyes, the pure white roof immediately appearing in his dark brown eyes. He got up and looked around in every direction. The room was all white, the sound of medical equipment was so noisy and scary, Zack realized he was now in a hospital. ¡°Oh, you''re finally out.¡± Zack gasped and looked forward. A blonde pony tailed girl, with an oversized jacket covering a short leather sleeveless jumpsuit, suddenly stood right in front of Zack''s bed while crossing her arms under her chest. The girl had skin like snow and small, sharp eyes with eyeballs that contrasted sharply with the color of her hair. Zack wondered why there was a girl he didn''t recognize in his room. Moreover, the girl''s appearance was so fashionable. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter who I am. Now, come with me!¡± ¡°I don''t know you anyway... what am I here for?¡± Zack suddenly remembered the incident this afternoon, he remembered when Irene crossed the road, ran and pushed Irene and after that .... Zack quickly looked back and looked down, he could see himself lying down with medical devices helping his heart keep pumping. ¡°I-I ....¡± Suddenly Zack''s throat choked up seeing himself lying there helplessly. The girl quirked one corner of her lips. ¡°You saw it yourself, right? You''re dead and now you''re a spirit, I''m in charge of planning your death and sending you to the afterlife for a soul trial,¡± she explained, ¡±now, come with me before it''s too late!¡± ¡°No... I can''t die now,¡± Zack''s voice sounded shaky. The blonde-haired girl rolled her eyes lazily. ¡°Whether you''re ready or not, you have to come with me now!¡± ¡°But, I... have to help someone before I die!¡± The girl scrunched up her waist and gave Zack a sharp look while raising her chin slightly. ¡°I''ve taken thousands of human lives, you think you can postpone your death at will, huh?¡± ¡°That''s not it... if I die now, then forever my spirit will not be at ease!¡± Suddenly, there was a loud roar in the room. Zack and the girl turned their heads to the side, towards the source of the roar. Zack gasped in shock as he saw the face of a giant, hideous monster with sharp teeth filling its mouth and fiery red eyes piercing the walls of the room. ¡°What is it?¡± screamed Zack hysterically. Chuckling in exasperation, the blonde looked at the clock perched on her arm. ¡°I knew that thing would show up,¡± she grumbled. The monster roared when it saw Zack there. Realizing that he was the monster''s target, Zack quickly got up from the bed and ran out of the room. Zack ran fast through the hospital hallway while avoiding the people who passed by there. Suddenly, a nurse ran towards Zack and shot him. Zack was shocked and felt his body, Zack felt how stupid he was, he almost forgot that he was now a spirit. Suddenly there was the monster''s roar again and its huge hands with long sharp nails emerged from the wall, about to grab Zack. Zack crouched down for a moment and then he ran along the hospital hallway, through the people passing by. As Zack hobbled out of the hospital building, he turned his head, looking at the monster that was looking for him in the hospital. Zack shuddered in fear, even the size of the monster was bigger than the hospital building. Zack kept running, entering the dark narrow alley, feeling confident that the monster wouldn''t find him there. ¡°You may be able to hide from that horrible creature but you won''t be able to hide from me!¡± Zack jumped so hard at the sound that his eyes bulged. He quickly looked back and the blonde haired girl was already standing there.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°You!¡± ¡°Just give up and come with me!¡± ¡°I can''t die now!¡± The sound of the monster''s roar boomed again. Not only that, the sound of the monster''s feet treading the ground sounded so loud that it was approaching Zack''s current location. Zack fearfully turned his head towards the outside of the alley, the sound of giant footsteps was getting closer. ¡°You don''t have much choice, you only have two options. Come with me to the afterlife or get eaten by that beast?¡± Zack was really confused, he really couldn''t decide but the sound of the monster was getting closer. The girl then stretched out one of her hands and a flame-colored piece of light appeared in the shape of a parcel piece, gathering in her palm and forming a long apron. Zack was momentarily mesmerized by this and then he was startled by the roar of the giant monster that now appeared at the end of the alley. The blonde sprinted forward with quick movements then leapt onto the alley divider, planting her feet there so she could jump even higher. She slashed the monster''s head with her apron. The monster roared hysterically while thrashing in pain until its figure finally crumbled like sand in the wind. The girl then landed right in front of Zack, the celurit in her hand slowly turned into pieces of parcels and spread in all directions then disappeared. ¡°If only you''d cooperated earlier, I wouldn''t have had to deal with that thing,¡± the girl grumbled, ¡±now, come with me!¡± ¡°No way, I can''t die now!¡± said Zack. ¡°What are you talking about, you think you can manage your own death? Just so you know, there''s not just one scary creature, there are many of his friends who will come here after you!¡± And sure enough, there was a roar in the distance and there weren''t just one or two sources of that horrible sound. Zack almost despaired at the monster''s roar. ¡°I... have to help my best friend''s spirit before I die, I promised him!¡± Zack''s face seemed not to flinch at all looking into the girl''s dark eyes. ¡°That time... She died because she helped me, I felt bad for her and after she was buried, her spirit came to me many times and asked for help. I don''t know for sure what happened to her but I promised to help her!¡± she recalled, ¡±It doesn''t matter if you send my spirit anywhere or even to hell as long as I can help her!¡± The blonde-haired girl sighed and fell silent for a moment. She did not realize how naive human nature was and as a grim reaper, she hated the excuses of people who were not prepared for their deaths. What an irony. Actually, he didn''t really care about Zack''s friendship story but .... ¡°You can save your best friend,¡± the blonde said suddenly. For a moment, Zack was hopeful but a moment later he was disbelieving. It could be that the girl was trying to manipulate him into following her, but from the looks of it, the girl looked convincing. ¡°You''re not lying to me, are you?¡± ¡°There''s no such thing as a lying angel, even if it''s the grim reaper!¡± the girl said. Suddenly Zack felt a glimmer of hope for his years of turmoil. ¡°How?¡± ¡°I can give you powers and that way, you can save your best friend''s spirit and other lost spirits,¡± explained the blonde, ¡±but after you finish your promise, I''ll send you to the afterlife. Even if you don''t like it, I''ll drag you along, remember that!¡± ¡°I''d do anything for Gerry!¡± said Zack. ¡°Okay, give me both hands!¡± Zack put his hands up to the girl and she covered his palms with her hands. Suddenly a bluish glow appeared between their palms, Zack could feel his palms burning like he was holding fire. ¡°Aaargh!¡± ¡°Hold on!¡± For the sake of his goal, Zack endured the heat in his hands but the heat was now not only felt in both hands but began to spread to his arms. ¡°Aaaargh!¡± The heat continued to spread throughout Zack''s body until Zack felt like he was in a fire. Zack surrendered, he could not endure the heat that was eating away at his body any longer. All that was in his eyes right now was his father, his laughing sister and... Gerry. ¡°Aaaargh!¡± #### Zack''s eyes suddenly opened so wide, he woke up and everyone in the room looked at him in surprise. ¡°Big brother!¡± shouted a beautiful teenage girl who was standing right next to Zack''s bed. She immediately hugged Zack who looked confused there. ¡°Zack, you''re awake, son!¡± exclaimed his father, unable to believe his only son had finally woken up from his coma, ¡±I have to call the doctor!¡± The middle-aged man walked out of the room. ¡°Sister... thank God you''re awake, I thought you were dead because the doctor said you couldn''t be helped,¡± sobbed the girl with short caramel hair. Zack himself did not understand why he was still in the room. The last thing he remembered was being in a narrow alley with a blonde grim reaper, who shared her powers with him. Zack looked at his palms, they didn''t feel hot at all. It didn''t even look like his hands were on fire. Some doctors entered the room and to their surprise they saw Zack sitting on his bed, looking fine even though his head was wrapped in bandages due to the surgery on his head. The doctor then checked his vital signs through a monitor connected to Zack''s body. ¡°His vitals are normal but... we should do more tests,¡± said one of the doctors, ¡±this is truly a miracle.¡± ¡°Yes, God... You saved my son,¡± said the father. Zack himself just stood there in silence. He still couldn''t believe what he had experienced. Was I just dreaming?