Hi there
You can certainly die, and I know that some of the playtesters died multiple times before reaching the end, but there is randomness in how much damage you take, so I can imagine that even a risky path could leave you alive.
I do hear you on the ending. I guess it’s one of the pitfalls of adapting a short story (which of course only has one ending) in this way. I certainly found myself adding more material to the start than the end.