After-Death

She sunk slowly, her head hitting against the porcelain bottom of the long bathtub. It didn't hurt.1

Alicia closed her eyes for a few long seconds before standing up. The water had long since gone cold and, she noticed, was slowly gaining a red hue. She crouched and looked at the pale body that floated lifeless on the water. Looking back now, that possibly wasn't the best idea.2

She sighed and stepped out of the tub, dripping water across the tile floor. It had been a bad day; she recounted as she swiped a hand across the steam-clouded mirror. There was no reflection. Alicia leaned forward and pretended to study her teeth, despite the fact that she only saw the wall. She became acutely aware of her naked body before realising that she should have done this while she had some form of clothing on.3

As she decided her teeth were fine a sharp knocking came from the door. She turned and glanced at it.4

"Alicia, love, C'mon! Other people do need to use the bathroom! The world doesn't stop for your love of baths!"5

The world doesn't stop for your need to stare at yourself, either. Find another mirror, you inane asshole.6

More knocking.7

"Alicia!"8

She sighed and wandered over to the door, reaching for the handle inattentively. Her hand went straight through the door. Alicia gritted her teeth and glared at the door, as if that might change something.9

"If you've gone to sleep... c'mon love, open the door."10

Open it yourself. I certainly can't.11

The knocking stopped for a second and a muffled voice muttered something about sleeping. Another voice said something about checking. She glanced down at herself again and folded her arms shyly as the knob began to turn. She turned to the mirror and her memory instantly filled in her reflection. The door opened quietly and closed with a click.12

"Alicia, you alive in here?"13

The voice carried amusement. Alicia raised an eyebrow.14

And if I weren't?15

She watched him pass by the mirror and she gained a smirk as he gave himself a quick look.16

Ever Mr. Vain.17

He turned towards the bathtub and slowly walked forward. Her gazed followed him curiously. She wondered briefly what exactly he expected.18

"Alicia...?" He sounded worried now. "Can you hear me?"19

"She is not going to answer you."20

Her voice bounced around the bathroom, echoing strangely. If he had heard, he showed no emotion to indicate so. He now stood next the bathtub, his face ghostly pale. 21

"My god... Alicia!"22

He dropped to his knees, pulling the limp body from the water. The reddened water dripped soundlessly from her hair. Alicia glanced over his shoulder.23

"I really should have had my regrowth done, shouldn't I?"24

He fumbled blindly for a pulse, or for any signs of life at that.25

"You aren't going to find any..."26

"No. God, no. Alicia, c'mon baby. Wake up... C'mon..."27

She tilted her head patiently.28

"I am standing right here, you know. But you aren't going to get anything out her. She's dead, you see..."29

He laid the limp body out the floor and began pressing down forcfully on her chest. She didn't think he knew quite what he was doing...30

"That's not going to work. Blood loss has that effect on people."31

As if hearing her voice, he suddenly stopped. Scrambling to his feet, he was leaning out the door and yelling at anyone within earshot to call an ambulance. To call 911.32

"You'd be better calling the morgue, I think." She muttered, looking down at her body. She ran a hand through her wrist and sighed. Possibly a silly thing to do, she reasoned.33

There were two people in the bathroom now, and she had no doubt more people were coming. His voice sounded abnormally horse as he repeated her name, as if trying to wake himself up from such a nightmare. Alicia just hummed.34

"Alicia deshia, bo-besha lisha, banana-bana, bo bana, Alicia!"35

She really half expected him to start crying next. It was just a dead body, for godsake. She watched him covered her body with a towel, but left her head un-covered. It was if he was waiting for a miracle.  They were really grasping at straws, now. She smiled in amusement; not even God himself could drag her from this.36

She leaned out into the corridor, looking at the various shocked and worried faces. Hmm, someone had even fainted.37

"That's not going to work either, you know."38

She looked back inside. He was still at it.39

"I'm dead. She's dead. We’re all dead. We're not waking up. Give it up, already."40

"God, Alicia..."41

"Not quite. But I do wish I was sometimes."42

"Why did you...? How could you?"43

"Easy. You take a razor blade, preferably a sharp one, and you press it against the inside of your wrist. Now," She said, sitting down on the edge of the tub, letting a hand run through the red-tinted water. "You have to make sure you slice downwards, away from the hand. See?" She gestured the movement with her other hand. "It's your own choice on how far you slice. I only did a few inches, but I know people who sliced all the way to the elbow"44

He was hugging her body now. She rolled her eyes and leaned back against the wall.45

"I want that body back, you know..."46