As Good As Dead Ending の小説・ストーリー

There was no turning back now. The End.

It laughed so hard that even some of the crying stopped — people freezing mid-sob, stunned by the sheer insanity of the sound. I could feel it vibrating through my chest, every note cutting through my ribs. When it finally stopped, it wiped an invisible tear from the corner of its eye and said, still chuckling, “Have you forgotten?” Its grin twisted. “You’re also dead.” The man’s mouth fell open. “W-what?” he whispered, barely audible. The Game Master leaned down until their foreheads almost touched. “Dead,” it repeated, dragging the word out like a lover’s whisper. “Every single one of you. Including you. You died. You’re not alive.”

I instinctively curled up, trembling as blood poured from my lips. In the moments before total unconsciousness claimed me, I perceived the skepticism in Carl's eyes dissolve, twisting into outright terror. I then heard his voice echo toward me, growing clearer. "You're not allowed to die without my permission, Aria! You'll stay alive to atone for your sins!" I doubted I would ever have the chance to complete the requested atonement, as I was certain my life would end in just two more days.

The room froze. "They're both dead." Total silence.

As ready as we've ever been. THE END

Then, a single sentence that had been the deciding factor in everything that followed. We want the same thing you want. Not dead. Accountable. I had sat in the car outside their building for six full hours, turning that sentence over. The distinction between dead and accountable was not small. Dead was clean, fast, final. Dead closed the chapter, removed the variable, and ended the sequence of events so completely that the story could be rewritten around the absence. Claudia wanted dead. Every person Michael Van Leer had spent his life accumulating enemies who wanted him dead. Dead was the obvious ending.

“But please… please don’t leave me like this.” My chest burned with desperation. “If you walk away from me later, at least I’ll know you chose to leave.” My throat tightened painfully. “But I can’t lose you like this. Please.” I lowered my head closer to hers. “Please.” Adele smiled again. But this time the smile looked distant and peaceful. Her eyelids began drooping as exhaustion pulled at her. The pack was safe and her mission was complete. I could see the thought passing through her mind. Like she believed it would be alright if she died now.

Carl pulled her into his arms and said, "Don't cry, Pheebs. Everyone has their own destiny." What bullshit! I didn't believe in that rubbish, yet my fate had played such a huge prank on me. It had turned me into such a harbinger of misfortune. I saw the slight smile on Carl's face. He seemed to be pleased that I was dead. He and the rest of them surrounded my body. Silence descended upon them as they looked at my photo and urn. Gary said grimly, "Holly called me this afternoon and told me she was going to die. She wanted us to have one last meal with her."

All it took was a single sentence to stir her into this fury? He stepped closer, studying every subtle expression on her face in the dim night. As if he wanted to witness the pain of her accepting the truth, he deliberately said, "There's no need to be so surprised. What I'm saying is a fact. Otherwise, why would I let you stay here?" Ariel's fists trembled, but her gaze remained sharp and unforgiving. Samson didn't like seeing her like this, but he didn't mind. He leaned down toward her. "Ariel, Jayson's dead. He's not in this world anymore. You need to move on."

And they had zero regrets. **The End.**