Unlikely Friendship

This was it. Time to do it. The water rushed below you as you stood on the edge of the bridge. Wind blustered through your hair as you stared down at your feet. Your toes hung over the edge, water rushing down below you, churning up like your stomach. You have had a very normal life, plenty of friends, a good family, even a loving partner. But none of it felt right. You just weren’t happy. You had already left the note, trying to keep it simple, even giving the discreet location of your will. The police sirens screamed in the distance and you took a breath. Right foot out, then the left. You fall, smiling almost. It’s over before anything hurt. There was just… a void. You felt nothing either. You were there, but you weren’t. You felt you existed, but there was also a void of nothingness. But suddenly you feel a weight, a weight of something. You turn to see a dark shape floating there.
“Hello? Are you Death?” You ask. It doesn’t move, just floats there. “What are you?”
“Hello. You humans like to call me that, so I guess in your terms, I am Death.” A disembodied and breathy voice says; but the voice is two voices combined, a woman’s and a man’s.
“Okay, so are you going to take me somewhere or something?” You ask it.
“Yes and no. You are not supposed to be here yet.” Death says.
“Yeah, so?”
“You have now become my problem.” Death replies. It takes shape and a cloaked, bony figure takes shape. Their hood hides their face, but you can feel their gaze.
“Why am I a problem?” You ask, defensively.
“Because, I told you,” They say in an annoyed tone.
“Alright well can’t you send me back or something?” You ask.
“It does not work like that. I cannot undo the damage already done,” They reply.
“What damage?” You ask.
“The physical damage. You’ve created a new timeline within your lifetime. If you would have followed my set path for you, then… forget it.”
“What? Tell me.”
“If you would have followed the path, we wouldn’t be in this predicament,” They say with a tired sigh. You huff.
“So if you can’t send me back, what do you plan to do with me?” You ask.
“Looking at what you did accomplish during your life, you’re right in the middle of going to Hell or Heaven. You’re… unique; A special case,” Death says, slightly emphasizing the end.
“Ouch. You must be fun at parties,” You reply.
“I don’t go to parties,” They say in a deadpan tone.
“Well you have some friends or something right?” You ask.
“It’s my job to deliver souls to the afterlife when they die on time,” Death says, emphasizing the last part once again, “I don’t have friends. I have more enemies than I do friends.”
“Hey, I got an idea, I can be your assistant. As an added bonus, I’ll be your friend and help you bring souls to the right places,” You say. Death physically sighs and shrugs.
“The job does get kind of lonely sometimes. Not all these souls are okay with going to Hell…”
“Yeah, and I’ll help you. It’s a win-win situation,” You say, grinning. “So what do you say?”
“Deal.”