At first, I think I’m safe: she’s not there when I get out of class, nor in any of the hallways, and she’s not even there when I get to the outer doors of the building. I pass through them.

I see her kneeling next to U-re’s car. He’s quite proud of it, even going so far as to say he’s going to get some lightning bolts painted on it...because of course he is. Still hasn’t managed to get around to it though.

Death hasn’t noticed me yet, fixated on the ground next to the car’s tires. I take my chance and quickly slip into the crowd of exiting students before she can look, though something about the way her horse watches where I am makes me uneasy; it’s like it absolutely knows where I am and what I’m trying to do. It sends an uncomfortably shudder down my spine, and I shift my shoulders to shimmy away the feeling.

It’s at that moment Death looks up at her horse and out into the crowd, eyes scanning for me.

I run for it. I don’t really know what I’m thinking exactly, but words like ‘train’ and ‘bus’ run through my head; if she’s going to be staking out U-re’s car, I’ll have to find a different way to get back to Gyeongju and the safety of training and practice as fast as possible. A cold wind blows at my back; the snow’s picking up.

I hear it over the sound of the wind in my ears: hoofbeats. The angry snort of something that doesn’t want to be involved in a chase, but is being forced into activity by its rider.

Both horse and rider pull in front of me to block my way; she swings her scythe to keep me from getting around them. And...up, she looks pissed. I hold up my hands, and put them down immediately, shoving them into my pockets because I’m still in public and nobody else can see the psycho-horse-lady that just chased me through the university parking lot.

“Cease this foolishness,” she sighs. Despite having chased me down on horseback, she sounds bored.

“You do realize you sound like a supervillain, right?” I realize too late I probably should’ve kept that one to myself. Mouth. Filter. Engage, Hyun. Engage.

She doesn’t acknowledge my idiot-mouth, instead pointing her scythe at my chest. “Tell me, Hyun, do you want to die?”

“No?” I answer, voice hitching up, making it sound like a question.

“Then you must listen to and do what I say.”

“Well, according to you I’m the son of Satan--”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Lucifer.”

“Whatever! According to you, my entire life is a lie and I’m not even human!”

“If you do not--”

“Or...this is all in my head,” I say with desperation -- not for her, but for myself. I’m still trying to convince myself that none of this is real. “What’s more plausible to you, Miss Imagination?”

“Plausibility and veracity are not the issue here. Your life, however, is. If you do not wish to die, you will humour this delusion and listen to me.” She winces, a little hiss of breath that I only notice because I’m, admittedly, completely fixated on her eyes. They were burning with an alien-like brightness that lit them up like lanterns right until the moment they tightened--

“Hyun!” A hand claps me on the back, and I actually thank God that U-re has chosen this moment to finally make it out from where he usually lounges in the back of our lecture hall. I swear the guy probably sleeps through class more than anyone and yet he still manages to get great grades.

“And you thought you could run away from me -- I believe the rematch you wanted awaits us back home,” he says through his usual cocky smirk, draping his arm across my shoulder. I can’t even respond before he’s half-dragging me to where his car was parked in a playful headlock. Normally, I’d protest and put up much more of a fuss, but this is the second time he’s saved my ass from dealing with the terrifying prospect of being literally chased down by Death herself.

The entirety of the drive back to Gyeongju is filled with U-re going on and on about some girl in our class he thinks is super pretty, and me making vague responses on how he should just ask the girl out then. He’s popular enough; she’ll probably say yes. That and also I’ve never before seen U-re have issues getting a girl, even back when we were in high school. Finally, we pull into the studio lot, and U-re’s phone almost immediately buzzes. He frowns down at the text and groans, “Well, fuck.”

“What?” I ask, realizing my voice sounds more than a little too alarmed. My apologies, but Death and her scary-ass horse are currently looking at me like they wish I would spontaneously combust where I’m sitting.

“I gotta take care of something real fast -- tell Coach I’m gonna be a little late, yeah?”

Augh, why? I cry inside. Not that he actually knew he’d basically been my getaway car-slash-knight in shining armour...but he had been, and now he was abandoning me.

I hate everything.

So I hold my breath, and brace myself to make another run for it -- thankfully, my target destination isn’t too far away. I kick the car door open, and I see Coach open the front door of the studio, waving at me to hurry up.

“You’re late!” he shouts.

I have never been so glad to have him yell at me as I am in this moment. Then again, I feel like I can practically hear Death screaming curses at me in my head, and I know that, eventually, I’m gonna have to face the unpleasant confrontation with her that’s looming.