Not allowed to die

She's right. I can't be sick. So I tried to get that man out of my mind. I'm sure if I'll just ignore it, the hallucination will soon stop.

"By the way. Will you stay with your job on the ship? I remember it's tomorrow?" Nari asked while we were eating.

I nodded. "I need extra money. Uncle has insurance but there are still a lot of expenses."

Today is the first day of the semester break and whenever there is no class, I do side hustles to help Uncle with all our bills.

He's just a regular employee in a company and he's been providing for us since day one, and it became harder now that I am left with all the responsibilities. I need to provide for our necessities, save for my tuition fee next semester, and pay our rent. More reasons to work.

"But you don't have to watch here all day. I'll be back the other day."

"Okay. Be careful."

"Thanks, Nari."

She smiled at me. I looked back at the cup noodles. I just looked up again when I heard a knock.

The door opened and I almost choked when I saw who had entered.

"Good morning, Doc!"

I looked at Nari in shock.

She can see him, too? Aren't I supposed the only one who can see him since he's just a part of my hallucination?

"Good morning. I'm here to check on the patient. Hello, Miss Sullivan."

I can't go back to eating. I looked at the strange guy. Now he is dressed in a white coat like a real doctor. He smirked at me once before going to my Uncle.

Let me stand up.

"Don't approach him!"

"Jace!" Nari scolded me and grabbed my arm. "What are you? The doctor is just checking on Uncle Eddie. I'm sorry, Doc!"

"Your friend is right. I'll just check him. Isn't that part of a doctor's job?"

"Doctor? Really?"

His eyes turned darker, lips were pursed on a thin line as if the meeting bored him.

Nari lost her hold on me. I heard a crash so I turned to Nari. I found her already lying on the floor, unconscious.

"Nari!" frantically I attended the friend. I shook her a bit but she remained unconscious.

"Don't worry. She's not dead yet."

I looked up at the man in front.

"So it's you! What did you do?!"

"I made her sleep, so she wouldn't hear our talk. It's nothing harmful."

"You..." I trailed off, can't decide what curse I'd spit first.

I closed my eyes sharply and drew a deep breath. I leaned Nari on the sofa before facing her.

"See? Even your friend can see me. Isn't that enough proof that I'm real?"

"If you're real, who are you? What are you?"

My brain can't even fathom that he is just an illusion, how can I now think that maybe he is real? It's unbelievable!

"Obviously not a human."

Of course!

"Yes, that's clear. But what in the earth are you? Are you an angel who's here to grant people's wish?" I asked sarcastically. By the looks of it, it seems impossible.

"Angel?" he echoed, a tint of red flickered in his eyes for a second. "I'm nothing close to that, Katherine."

"In that case, why don't you just say it straight? I'm not good at guessing."

Slowly, he advanced. His precise, heavy steps echoed in the whole room.

I blinked.

Then he's in front of me.

"I am between life and death, Katherine. I don't die, but I'm not breathing either."

I felt shivers ran down my spine. I can feel his eyes like cold silver piercing through me.

Small, strange noises distracted me. I looked down and rolled my eyes. The floor... was cracking!

It cracked even more and I gasped. I don't think this is still a hallucination. I feel like it's really real what's happening. If he isn't real, why would Nari see him? And she was even bewitched!

But it is still unbelievable!

"Three..." he started his count down.

I got confused. "What are you doing?"

"Two..." he continued, lips twitching.

I panicked. "Why the hell are you counting?!

"One."

And the floor collapsed.

I screamed because I felt like I was going to fall somewhere. The large parts of the floor were falling along with me and I couldn't think straight anymore. What's happening? Did the whole building collapse?

I can feel myself falling down so fast as the cold wind kept on blowing.

I will die. I was sure.

I closed my eyes.

I always wonder what it feels like to face death. Scary. That's what they say. But I didn't feel fear while I was falling down. I felt nothing.

It was cold and lonely to face death this way, but it didn't scare me. Or maybe I wasn't scared because I thought about the possibility of losing Uncle. If he'd end up dying, I might as well die with him. I can't handle the same pain of losing a family again.

I guess dying isn't that bad, huh?

My heart pounded because I felt I was close to reaching the end of it.

I was expecting my fragile body to crash onto something hard, or to pierce onto a cold sharp metal, but none of it came.

Instead, I felt warm, ironclad arms wrapped around my body.

"You are not allowed to die, Katherine," he whispered coldly.

I slowly stared. A pair of fiery eyes greeted me. It was blazing in both light and darkness. A combination I never thought would be possible.

"You're not allowed to die until I say so..."