Don't Let Me Die (2025)

[bunniefuu]

Yes?

Right.

I can't stay, Mother is waiting.

Don't leave her alone.

You'll stay with her, right?

I have an appointment at 9.

We're heading out too.

It's our 30th class reunion.

Everyone will be there.

I'm sorry, I have to run.

Did you call the ambulance?

Yes.

We were told she was inside,

in her apartment.

Does she live here?

Yes, upstairs from me.

Apartment 8, 1st floor.

First and last name?

Maria Laurint.

Mine or hers?

Hers.

I don't remember.

She's the cleaning lady.

She lives in apartment 8, 1st floor.

I've called the police.

Did she have any issues?

Was she unwell?

Maybe. I don't really know.

Husband, children?

Yes, a son.

I don't know about a husband.

Does he live with her?

No.

I don't know where he lives.

I see.

I've called the crime squad.

Seven.

Eight.

Hands on the wheel.

And turn it to the right.

And...

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Change direction. And

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Relax, shake your arms.

And One

the Scarlet Woman,

and a golden cup.

And to ride a snake

with seven dog heads and ten horns.

The cup is golden and full of milk.

Snakes are drawn to breast milk,

even kids know that.

Alright.

There's a statue in New York, right?

Paris has the Eiffel Tower,

New York has a statue.

A symbolic statue.

The Statue of Liberty.

You should think about that.

Over there, it's said too

that the sun turns as black

as a hairball,

and the moon, blood red.

The eclipse was on April 8.

Wars are getting longer

and last 12 years.

Is there any semi-cake left?

Yes, I saved you a slice.

Thanks.

Enjoy your meal.

You too.

Why are you staring at me?

I just heard.

Let me know if I can help.

Don't you know?

Know what, Irina?

Open the door,

I know you're in there!

Keep it down,

my wife is asleep.

I've done nothing wrong.

Why fire me?

Give me a warning,

cut my pay,

let's find a solution.

Anything than can be said is null.

What if I mention

the envelopes of cash?

We've come about

your mother.

We're from Regrets.

Your mother,

Isabela Ivan.

She's my neighbor, not my mother.

You should contact her son.

You're listed as the contact person.

I just called the ambulance.

Do you have his number or address?

I haven't seen him in ages.

I think he moved away.

Thank you.

Good night.

If you don't find him,

who'll bury her?

The municipality?

Is this some sort of joke?

In our line of work,

a sense of humor is essential.

But not in this case.

She'll stay at the morgue

until he's found.

Bodies wait in the fridge

up to five months, unclaimed.

Thank you for your help.

Goodnight.

Why are you here so late?

We went to your home first.

Don't worry, they only bite men.

Yes?

Have you decided?

Let me have a look.

Could you sign here, please?

Don't I have to be family?

I can show you the exact article

and paragraph.

We'd have taken care of everything,

but we're not allowed

in the building anymore.

What should we write on the headstone?

Well?

The headstone inscription?

I told you I don't know her.

We have to put something.

What are you looking at?

I'll let you think about it.

-Wait.

-No.

Wait!

Over here.

-Who, me?

-Yes, come here!

You were supposed to be here at 12.

You're here for Isabela Ivan, eh?

That's right.

So why are you surprised?

Firstly, I'm Nadia Gmneci.

Secondly, do you have

her death certificate?

We need proof of her death.

A medical certificate

certifying death,

which is not the same

as the death certificate.

Tenebrae nos curant.

Excuse me?

Excuse me?

What does

-Aren't you her daughter-in-law?

-No.

I was told you were.

Who are you, then?

-A neighbor.

-A neighbor?

Doesn't she have family?

Anyone?

Brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts?

I don't know.

I don't know any more than you.

I've no idea.

She was a Latin teacher.

She taught my daughter.

She was fired for talking to trees.

If you could pay us now,

you'll be reimbursed

as soon as we get approval.

When will that be?

When we get a reply.

Here, bring it back complete.

What was that thing you said?

Tenebrae?

We have a problem.

The burial plot lease has expired.

It hasn't been paid for 9 years.

Do I have to pay, then?

Could you hear me out, please?

As no one paid,

the plot has been reserved

for someone else.

You could always try to find him.

I can't stop you.

Or you can lease a plot elsewhere.

We're full.

But I can recommend

places outside of Salamandra,

where burial plots are cheap.

Another thing.

The closer the church,

the more expensive the burial plots.

That's all.

B. You use the horn

to warn the pedestrian to stop.

C. You brake sharply

and let the pedestrian cross.

Could you repeat the question?

What do you do if a pedestrian

tries to cross the street?

A. You accelerate

Give her the clothes

and have her sign.

Her pockets were empty, by the way.

What did she die of?

Do you know?

It's on the certificate.

Evidently.

Cardiac arrest caused by hypothermia.

But how?

Her jacket wasn't even zipped up

When your body temperature drops to 30,

your heartbeat becomes irregular

as it pumps less blood.

You feel warm, even hot,

you start to unzip your clothing.

Once it drops below 29, that's it,

your heart stops beating.

The vastness around you

remains beautiful and indifferent.

She had a cardiac arrest.

It shows in the middle of the heart.

May I see it?

It's too late.

We remove everything during the necropsy.

The heart is cut into slices.

One is for testing,

the others go in a bag

which gets discarded.

Her liver was inflamed too,

holey due to cirrhosis.

And she has a scar on her coccyx.

As if she'd had

an extension of the spine,

which was cut at birth

and formed a stump scar.

Anyway

-Like a tail?

-Yes, just like a tail!

It even has nerve endings.

It's irrelevant.

She didn't die of that.

He's failed

his driving test eight times.

Get going!

huge craters are appearing.

Apparently,

as the permafrost thaws,

decomposing organic matter

releases methane

previously trapped in the frozen soil.

The problem is, it escapes

when the pressure is too high.

And those areas explode,

leaving a hole in the landscape.

Stay tuned for the international news.

Sorry, I was asleep when you called.

Has something happened?

I didn't see you yesterday

with the dogs.

Did you sleep in your car?

Hey!

Yes.

I don't understand

why you don't want to meet Alen.

Who?

The pizzaiolo at Del Mar!

I showed you his photo.

But I do.

Good.

Walnut kernels.

Fresh wheat bran.

Romanian carrots.

A sweet summer onion.

On an empty stomach

Everything must be Romanian,

not just the carrots.

Nothing must be imported.

Why?

Because of diabetes?

The liver and lack of exercise,

but it works for any disease.

What do walnut kernels look like?

Testicles?

Brains?

I can't find it.

Keep looking.

What was your name again?

Maria Laurint!

Your mother's bones

will be taken out,

put in a bag,

then placed at the feet

of the new deceased.

ISABELA IVAN

HERE LIES ELENA LAURINI'm sorry, I didn't know.

The funeral was today.

How dare you go into my home!

You're even walking my dogs now!

They were crying with thirst and hunger.

This isn't about the dogs.

I don't care about them.

Sorry I missed your call.

What did the boss say

when you spoke?

He's in Turkey for his dental veneers.

His car is in the parking lot!

They took the other car,

it's more fuel-efficient.

Listen, I said I'd help you.

Don't worry.

I'll destroy you.

My back hurts now.

If it had been approved,

we'd have told you.

So it wasn't approved?

No, it wasn't.

They got the date of death wrong.

February 20.

Yes, February 20.

I'm going through some drama.

Well, some personal problems.

What drama?

My father died suddenly.

It was suspicious.

He was k*lled by a group.

One person couldn't have done it.

They forced him to drink Furadan.

It's a nerve agent used in agriculture.

Well, not anymore,

it's been banned.

You should go to the police.

You're barely listening,

and you give me advice!

The problem is,

he didnt die a good death

But why?

For a man who isn't even Romanian?

Right.

He-of-the-Great-Event did not approve

the plans for the bunker.

Because we'd have to go

via the basement,

and we know what's down there.

The pipes and excrement

need to be dealt with.

-We'll bring in a company.

-Excuse me.

Will all the tenants pay,

or just those connected

to that waste pipe?

Everyone. It's communal.

I didn't say I wouldn't pay!

Excuse me!

I'd like to say something.

I don't want to upset anyone.

I'm not religious.

I was thinking of asking a priest

to bless the stairwell.

Why are you laughing?

This is a multi-faith building.

Who are you anyway?

Are you serious?

What's your name?

I live on the ground floor.

I'll speak to the priest,

if you like.

Speak up.

I can speak to the priest.

Can we get back to the basement?

I need to sit down.

It's about 50 lei for an apartment.

Given the number of apartments,

I think 1 000 is a decent amount.

But he won't go into

the apartments, right?

No, just the stairwell!

I'll let you know

about the cost soon.

At your place

do you have hot water?

I don't know, I just got back.

Mom didn't pay the gas bill.

I wanted to wash.

Someone's coming to see the apartment.

I want to sell it.

You can wash at my place,

if you like.

Oh, no.

that isn't why I asked,

but thanks.

I don't want to bother you.

It's no bother at all.

Look at these ugly fingers.

I hate them.

What are you doing?

The whole area is blacked out.

I had a bad dream.

I don't remember about what.

I woke up all

I should have come to the funeral.

I thought you were dead.

Get down from there.

I went abroad to work.

I'm a welder at Papenburg shipyard.

We build cruise ships

for the Norwegians.

I see.

She said she breastfed you,

when you were little.

Who?

-Who told me?

-Who breastfed me?

My mom!

Your mom had no milk.

I don't know if it's true.

We're basically milk siblings.

What she was doing outside so late?

I've no idea.

Only she knew.

I've rounded it up to 7.000.

For all the bother.

Thank you.

I'll go get my jacket.

Bremen.

Hamburg.

I haven't been home in six years.

I'm a welder in Papenburg.

We build cruise ships

for the Norwegians.

She loved these two,

but not as much as Dante.

Her doberman.

She'd let him nibble her.

Everything was fine, except for

my defect.

The end of my spine is on the outside.

Know what I mean?

I was born that way.

I never went to the beach.

No one knew,

until I was forced to strip.

I'm sorry.

Yes.

They made me bark on all fours,

to get my clothes back.

They told the whole school

my mom f*cked the dog.

They barked during her class,

left bones on her desk.

I took Dante one night

and I walked 20 kilometers.

I left him on a beach

tied to a paddleboat.

I never told her what I did.

I said he ran away

from the garbage truck.

She looked for him for months.

She put out an announcement

on the beach radio.

If he was a doberman,

someone probably took him.

Of course he was a doberman!

I know my breeds.

But he was old and had heart trouble.

Let's hold a minute of silence for her.

Excuse me!

Have you seen

two mixed-breed dogs?

One has a white muzzle,

the other doesn't.

Boy and girl.

No, sorry.

Maria.

Maria!

We went to your house

but you weren't there.

If it's about the money,

you'll have to wait.

My funeral grant was refused.

I'll pay you when I find a job.

That's what we wanted to discuss.

Someone got the date of death wrong.

And I lost the dogs.

It'll be alright.

It will all work out.

We believe in continuity and empathy.

Why don't you ever say anything?

He's from Bulgaria.

He doesn't speak Romanian.

He's here as a witness.

A witness to what?

Have you seen

two mixed-breed dogs?

Well?

You think I'm having fun here?

Know what I do after this?

I go to the next place,

and so on until 6am.

What a schedule!

Go get some sleep.

What if I never wake up?

I don't want to sleep.

I can give you a number to call.

Ask for He-of-the-Great-Event.

He knows.

ISABELA IVAN

HERE LIES ELENA LAURIN