It’s kind’ve impossible to say otherwise.
It’s awkward as well, because it puts pressure on the person who was engaging in pleasant small talk to suddenly go into “caring mode” as I like to call it. I actually imagine myself telling people “life is over, I’m just waiting for the end” a lot lately. But, I never do. I just end up going with the standard “Good, how are you?” Sometimes, I get a “same as ever” or “fine” laced with a (but not really) connotation out. That’s the best I can do with small talk honesty.