I open my eyes, blinking several times to try and clear the soft haze from my sight as I sit up. It doesn't help. Everything appears soft, like the edges aren't quite set as I look around the rocky crags of the cave I find myself in.

"Where am I?" I groan softly, putting a hand to my throbbing brow.

I grimace as my fingers touch something wet and tacky, holding them out. Something dark and slick glistens on them.

There's a muffled moan from behind me, and I scream, nearly jumping out of my skin as I spin around to find the source of the sound. A young man pushes himself up on all fours, grumbling incoherently as he shakes his head. He turns, the scant glow of the cave's lighting barely illuminating his face.

"Theo?!" I gasp.

He stares at me for a second, his eyes taking a second before recognition hits. "Pheebs? Fuck. What happened? Where are we?"

He sits back on his heels, a hand going to his chest. He holds it out, staring at the smear of crimson on his palm.

"Pheebs... Are we... Is that blood?"

It feels like ice water is rushing through my veins as chaotic memories flash through my mind. The man with the gun. A shot echoed by a scream. Sharp pain in my head. Then suddenly nothing.

My lip trembles as tears start to course down my cheeks. Theo scrambles over to me, cupping my face before cradling me into his chest.

"Shh... It's going to be okay, Pheebs. We'll figure this out. We're going to be fine. I promise," he soothes, running a hand through my hair. I push back shaking my head, my shoulders shaking with every sob.

"N-no, Theo. We're n-not," I stutter as I look into his eyes. "I-I think... I think we're dead."

I can almost see the realization strike him, the way his face falls as he remembers our last moments.

He wraps his arms around me, his breath shuddering as we cling to each other. "Oh, Pheebs. I'm so sorry."

***

It's a while before we've managed to collect ourselves enough to take stock of our surroundings. Dark obsidian stones surround the narrow, jagged walkway we woke up on. To our left rests an empty chasm, the cliff face dropping away sharply into nothingness.

Theo kicks a pebble over the edge, but we never hear it land.

"Guess we go that way," he says with a shrug, taking my hand as we take the path to our right.

We walk for ages before the gentle rumble of a river reaches our ears. It grows to a crescendo as we round the corner of a massive boulder, the bleak churning waters tumbling from an opening high above.

"Look," Theo shouts, his voice barely audible over the thunderous roar of the falls.

There's a small dock resting on a tiny sandbar in the river's bend. Twin torches flicker on either side, their dancing flames beckoning in the oppressive dark.

"Better than nothing," I reply as we start to make our way down the steep slope.

We reach the bank, both staring at the small stretch of water separating us from the wooden structure.

Theo shakes his head, stepping to the edge. "It's not very fast here," he says, running a hand down the back of his neck. "Probably not too deep. We could wade across."

I bite my lip, eyeing the water anxiously.

He grins, reaching back for me. "Come on, Pheebs. I've got you."

His palm is cool as I slip my fingers into it, but his grip reassuring as we both take a step into the frigid river.

An overwhelming sense of loss rushes over me, my heart clenching as realization that we will never again feel the sun's warmth or grow old together hits me. My eyes burn as fresh tears well up, spilling down my cheeks before falling into the water. I sob, a crushing melancholy settling over me as I think of all the things we'll never get to experience. I hear a sniffle and look up to find Theo crying as well.

"Pheebs, I... I'm sorry. I wish I could have given you better. I wish... I wish..."

I squeeze his hand, trying to let him know I feel the same as we trudge onward. My gaze shifts to the docks, where a figure awaits us.

I stop, but Theo pulls me forward.

"We have to continue, Pheebs," he cries. "The river... The river is what's making us feel like this."

We finally make is across, and he helps me up the warped boards of the dock. The cloaked figure stares at us, his face half hidden in shadow behind a heavy hood.

"The first marker," he rasps, his voice rattling like wind over dry leaves. "The river Acheron, path of misery and woe. You have accepted your fate. Will you continue?"

Theo grips my hand tightly, eyes flicking to mine. I give him a slight nod as we turn back to the figure.

"Yes," Theo replies.

The edges of the stranger's hood ripple as he shifts, raising his arm and holding his open palm out to us.

"Passage across the Styx requires payment."

Theo pats his pockets, searching for his wallet, but comes up empty handed. "I don't have anything... Wait, what's this?"

He reaches into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a small black box. He stares at it like he can't believe what's in his hand before his shoulders slump. A strangled sob slips past his lips as he looks up at me.

"Pheebs," he murmurs, opening the lid and turning it toward me.

My breath catches as the small stone glitters beneath the torch light. "Oh, Theo."

"I think I was going to propose," he manages, his voice tight with emotion. "Before we... uh..."

He clears his throat, my hands covering my mouth as he drops to one knee. He holds the box out to me, giving me a misty smile.

"Pheobe Rhoderick, I'm sorry I waited too late to ask you this, but... Will you marry me?"

I sob, nodding frantically as he pulls the ring out and slips it onto my finger. He stands, pressing his lips to mine as he holds me against his chest. When he pulls back, he rests his forehead against my own and sighs.

"There. Not sure how the whole "death do you part" bit works when you're already dead," he jokes, and I laugh despite my sorrow.

"Payment," the stranger says again, his presence momentarily forgotten in our brief and fleeting joy.

Theo glances down at the ring on my finger. "What will you take?" he asks, intertwining our fingers. "Because that's staying on her hand."

"A memory may be enough," the figure breathes. "If it is strong enough."

Theo looks to me. "The moment I first saw you. You were sitting under that tree, reading a tattered book on campus. I forgot my own name when I tried to talk to you."

I smile, feeling my heart shatter as the memory flows out of him, the particles of it solidifying into a small gold coin in the figure's palm.

He turns to me. "And you? What is your payment?"

My mind whirls as a thousand moments flicker past, each one something precious. I settle on one I think should be strong enough.

"Our first kiss," I whisper, squeezing Theo's hand. "You were walking me home after the movies. I thought you never would, so I made the first move."

Theo grins as the memory fades from my mind's eye, a slim coin taking shape in the stranger's palm.

"It is enough," he murmurs, stepping aside to reveal a boat. "Passage granted."

We step inside, still holding hands as he pushes away from the dock, ferrying us out into the much larger river.

"What do you think awaits us?" I whisper, unable to keep the fear from my words.

Theo puts an arm around me, pulling me close. "No idea, but I'm ready for it. I've already faced the worst thing I could have ever imagined, and you're still here with me." He presses a kiss to the top of my head. "Whatever happens, we're together. We'll be okay."

I lean into him, realizing I don't hear the comforting thump-thump of his heart any longer. "I hope you're right."