The first time Mal died it was on a muddy blood soak field. His heart stopped, his chest stop rising, and his body went limp. He saw the great white light, his mother, father, and little brother. They were all calling him like sirens to step into the light. He followed their voices blindly. He saw her. Her beautiful angelic face, her emerald eyes, her one dimpled smile, and her raven curls.

“I’ve missed you.” He whispered.

She placed a single finger over his lips. “It’s not your time yet.”

The light grew dimmer. Their faces began to fade. He reached out for them, but they pulled away. She took his face and kissed him. It was short but full of passion. “I’ll be waiting. We all will. But, it’s not your time.”

****

Book was once known as the harbinger of death. He had brought death to so many men, woman, young, and old. So the thought his own death was quite poetic, to die a bloody death. He wasn’t afraid to die now. He had found what he was looking for all those years in a small mining town with the men, women, young, and old that the verse had cast off. He had found redemption. Now all he wanted in his brief moments before death was for him to find it, to find what it took him years to find, hope.

*****

Jayne had always imagined to die in a blaze of glory with bullets, grenades, knives, blood, guts, and swears. He never thought he would find death at 93 in a cottage surrounded by his wife, children, grandchildren, and great grand child.

****

Simon didn’t have any regrets he did everything for love. He wanted to keep her safe. He wanted to give her the world. And for a brief time, he did. They both were happy, his two great loves. He was a realist and he knew that happiness didn’t last forever. He knew that they would keep coming after her, after them all long as she was a threat. His death would bring an end to it all. It would bring them both of them happiness. She would have a normal life without a constant reminder of what they had done to her. And she would move on, forget that day he hurt