Work Text:
10:36 p.m.
The hourglass is almost out of sand. It's getting creepy. I'm picturing Death stalking me, hiding behind cars and bushes, ready to swing his damn scythe.
I'm mad tired, not just physically, but straight emotionally drained.
This is how I felt after losing my family. Full-force grief I have no chance pulling myself out of without time, which we know I don't have.
I'm making my way back to Althea Park to wait this night out. No matter how normal that is for me, I can't get myself to stop shaking
'cause I can be alert as all hell right now and it won't change what's going down mad soon. I also miss my family and that Mateo kid so much. And yo, there better be an afterlife and Mateo better make it easy to find him like he promised. I wonder if Mateo found his mother yet. I wonder if he told her about me. If I find my family first, we'll have our hug-it-out moment, and then I'll recruit them in my Mateo manhunt. Then who knows what comes next.
I throw on my headphones and watch the video of Mateo singing to me.
I see Althea Park in the distance, my place of great change.
I return my attention to the video, his voice blasting in my ears.
Just as I’m about to cross the street I here a voice
“-fus!”
huh?
”Rufus!”
Someone is shaking me and when I open my eyes I see him. Mateo. My Mateo. Alive. He’s Alive! Or am I dead? I don’t know. I don’t know and I don’t care. I bolt upright and almost nock him off the bead. I grab him at the last second and pull him to my chest.
“You’re ok! Your ok, your ok, your ok” I repeat over and over again.
“Yes I’m ok I swear ok? Breathe ok? Calm down and please tell me what happened.”
I look at him in confusion and feel something cold on my face. I grab his had from my cheek and look at it. Then him. Then it again.
“What is this?” I ask. He didn't have that before.
”It’s the wedding ring you gave me last year remember? On our wedding day.”
I stair at him. Wedding day? What was he thinking about.
“What about Deth-Cast? What about our end day?”
I ask confused.
“Death-Cast doesn’t exist baby you where having a nightmare. Everyones ok. I’ll even ask Lidia to bring Penny over later if you want but every one is ok I promise.”
As he says this I started to remember everything and I realized that what he’s saying is true. I realized that it would make a very good story if I could write it down. I also remembered that we watched a horror movie last night which was probably the reason for the nightmare.
I tell Mateo a summary of the nightmare and tell him I wanted to write it.
”go for it honey.” He says with a smile “as much as I hate the idea of me dying it sounds like an amazing story”
I get up and go over to the desk in the corner which we had put there for this particular reason.
_______________________________________________
6 hours later I’m finally done writing the first draft I look over at the bed to see Mateo asleep and the sun braking over the buildings.
“Fuck it”
I get up and get in to bed next to my husband. Just as I’m lying down he rolles over and curls into my chest, snoring softly.
“ I love you” he says half asleep “so, so much”
” I love you too baby. To Pluto and back” I say.
“To Pluto and back”