Leaving the park though the south exit. The place she made into her home was just across the street. An apartment building five story tall.
Entering her building, where the faint sounds of lively music can be heard from the landlord's apartment. Getting her mail, two bills, and three spam the usual find on a Friday night.
Looking over to the mailbox beside hers suffering like someone wearing pants a few sizes too small. Peeking at the one mail sticking out, the corner of it dictated it was from the military.
Immediately pealing her eyes away, she needed to remember to mind her own business.
As Darcy ascended the stairs, a cacophony of sounds bombarded her. A mother's exasperated shout about a broken phone mingled with the distant laughter of friends gathering. A chorus of barks erupted from behind another door, followed by the affectionate cooing of their owner.
Reaching her apartment door, she glanced at the one next to hers. It belongs to her elusive neighbor next door, she wonders if he still lives here. Due to how full his mailbox was.
'I hope he's okay, it would be a headache if he died and the new tenant is a noisy Nancy.' Upon entering her apartment. Not acknowledging what she did at the mailbox moments ago.
Darcy was greeted by darkness and a biting cold. The forced smile she wore faltered as she removed her dirt-caked coat. A moment of silence stretched, a desperate yearning for the darkness to swallow her whole. A self-deprecating laugh rang out in the stillness of her home, getting a grip on herself and turning on the light.
The meager furnishings of her one-bedroom apartment came into view. Entering the bathroom, Darcy pressed the heater button, As she dumped her clothes into the hamper. Relief washed over her as she removed her bra and underwear, the straps no longer digging into her shoulders.
Turning on the shower, she waited for the rush of hot water. Stepping in, she closed her eyes, letting the water cascade down her sore muscles. It was a reprieve, a fleeting sense of normalcy.
But as she reached for her lavender-scented body wash, a phantom pain ripped through her, a chilling echo of her recent demise. It was getting hard to breathe, scathing her throat to remind herself she was alive.
Slowly, the phantom pain subsided, leaving her under the running water. The hot water did little to soothe her now chilled body.
Emerging, she went through her routine with practiced efficiency: drying her hair, applying a thin layer of moisturizer, and pulling on a comfortable nightshirt. Darcy decided not to wallow in the what-ifs. This had happened 293 times in 16 years, and adapting, however hollow, had become a necessity.
Booting up her computer, the greatest distraction to recent demise is getting sucked into video games. She felt the concerns of her lips tuck upwards at the red dot on her notification bell. It was a new game that had gone on an introductory sale called Mystic County. A game based on three aspects, farming, puzzles, and crime-solving.
'It's 25% off! Should I play it tonight? I'm off all weekend, and I can finish my errands before noon.'
Looking at the time, 10:41 pm after some self-debating. Darcy quickly purchased the game, waiting for it to finish downloading. Putting away every thought and emotion of her unfortunate existence.
Till it finishes downloading, going to her kitchen to reheat the previous night's extra serving of food she cooked up. Preferring to create enough meals, two days prior knowing she isn't going to have the energy to make them daily.
Quietly eating while watching a Let Play streamer-edited video. As she popped open a can of soda, a flicker of movement caught her eye outside the window. Rain lashed against the glass, blurring the park across the street. But something else moved amidst the downpour.
It was starting. Shiny fragments, like shattered glass, began to rise from the ground in the distance. They were the remnants, the "broken fragments" of her dead body, ascending towards the storm-filled sky. A cold dread washed over her, a morbid spectacle she had grown accustomed to witnessing every time.
Slowly, the fragments dissolved into shimmering dust, disappearing into the rain-soaked night. She doesn't bother to find answers to why these random deaths keep happening. Or how she can come back without any injuries.
'Who knows maybe when I reach death 300, it might be permanent. A girl gonna dream her own ending somehow.'
Darcy glanced down towards the road catching a grimace of a familiar figure being drenched under the rain. It was her neighbor who lived next door, watching him enter their building.
Being moved by curiosity, going over to her apartment door and flipped the switch off just in case. Standing there till the heavy sounds of footsteps reach this floor. She moves closer to the peephole, into the lit hallway as her neighbor gets in view.
He was shrouded in a dark coat, the rain clinging to his broad shoulders. As he passed under the dim light, a glint of metal caught her eye – a badge, tucked onto his belt.
As he stops in front of his door, turns his head to look at Darcy's door. She backed away, feeling her cheeks grow warmer in shame at her behavior.
'What the hell was I doing!? Didn't I pull such a creeper move just now? Ahh! Honestly is trying to be normal that difficult?!'
Her thoughts rang loudly, being curious is one thing but watching someone who barely knows her is much worse.
The sound of a door opening and closing was heard. Breathe a sign of relief,
'At least he didn't come back bandaged up like a few weeks ago.'
They were people who hardly knew each other last name. But Darcy found him captivating by an accidental encounter that happened months ago.
Going back to her room, the window was slightly open, rain water getting inside.
"Wasn't this closed? I must be losing my mind, keeping a creepy eye on my neighbor. I should get a hold of myself..."
She went over to slam the window shut, not yet noticing the water that got inside started to glow as it formed into a ball.