Dying Changes Everything Novels & Stories

____________________ Tanya’s POV Dying happens very slowly and then all at once. At first, everything hurts, cold and tight and dark around me as my lungs scream for air. Then, I lose sight of which way is up and which way is down, and the pain quiets. It becomes a distant whisper as I feel myself fading, like falling asleep. The strength seeps out of me, and my eyes slip shut, my limbs becoming loose. For a moment, I swear I can feel my heartbeat slowing, softer and softer with each beat.

Inside the casket, I couldn't tell night from day. Hunger eventually stripped away what was left of my sanity. I bit at the wood and clawed at the lid over and over, desperate to tear my way out, until every single one of my fingernails ripped completely off my fingers. The already thinning oxygen grew heavy with a suffocating, putrid stench as my own waste started piling. I didn't know how many days had passed when I finally died in agony.

Brian offers, but Adrian snatches his phone from him. “Guys, let's think about it carefully. We are underage and we are drunk; if we call for an ambulance, they will bring the police, and we aren't sure if the man could wait that long.” Adrian tried to reason. “This is a human being; we can't just let him die.” Bianca retorted, but the other members of the group were considering what Adrian was saying. “So we might just end up in jail for murder?” Matteo asked. “Then we would have ruined the future of seven people with nothing to show for it.” Adrian replied, “You can all forget about your bright futures when you have a criminal record.”

Death. Everyone was about to die.

"This isn’t the end." "For you, it is." Daisy stepped forward. "This city died once," she said. "It won’t die again." She touched his chest. Flame burst. Then silence. Zuri’s POV He was gone. No ash. No trace. Just peace. "It’s over," I said. Mom knelt beside me. "It’s just beginning." I nodded. "Then we face it together." Daisy’s POV "I should feel relieved," I said. Dickson handed me a mug of tea. "But you don’t."

Not long after, they were sentenced—gone forever, never seeing daylight again. Katherine's weak heart finally gave out when she heard the news. She dropped dead on the spot. Joffrey and Mateo would never know the truth. I had never died. And I would never forgive them.

The bodyguards dragged me roughly out of the hospital and threw me into the cold mud outside. Heavy rain poured down, smashing against my twisted body. This was the most remote slum in Neopolis. Homeless people die on these streets every day. I struggled to open my eyes. Rain hit my eyelids, twisting everything in my vision into a blur. Facing death once again, my heart suddenly became calm. Being reborn wasn’t to defy fate, but to let me experience once more, clearly and deeply, what it meant to have ten thousand arrows pierce the heart and be torn apart piece by piece.

"It's not your fault. Everyone dies. Just sooner or later." I sat next to her, crying like I couldn't stop. After a while, she spoke soft. "Chloe, if I die, will you cry like this for me?" I jerked and shook my head. "No! You won't die!" She looked at me and scoffed. "Idiot. You don't have to lie. I know I'm dying." She paused. "Maybe dying isn't so bad. If I die, I won't hurt anymore. And Grandma won't be alone."

Over the three days I'd been in the ICU, Blaire had sent me dozens of messages. Blaire: [Jim, please, just five thousand dollars. You can't let Dustin, who's dying of a terminal illness, get kicked out of the hospital and left to die, can you?] Blaire: [I admit I said a lot of cruel things on the phone last time. If you're willing to lend Dustin the money, I'll apologize.] When I didn't respond, her tone turned vicious. Blaire: [Jim, remember what you said when you got down on one knee? That you'd treat me well for life and never let me suffer? What a joke. Your word is worthless. I regret marrying you more every day.]

But that peace was short-lived. In the middle of the night, Daisy’s body began to twist and turn, her breathing coming in shallow gasps as she fell into a haunting dream—a memory from her past life. In her dream, Daisy was lying in a hospital bed, alone and helpless. The cold, sterile light of the hospital room felt oppressive as she clung to her fading breath, a sense of betrayal coursing through her veins. Faces swam around her—the doctors, the nurses, the ones who ignored her pleas for help, Natalie’s cold smile as she left the room without a backward glance. Daisy’s heart raced, her chest aching, knowing she was dying alone, unloved, and forgotten.