Just as she thought it was the end, the vision of her home faded into sight. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the hallway. Smiling as she recognised each and every familiar crack in the paintwork. Her dads’ handiwork. “Ahem.” She spun round to face a police officer. “And what are you doing here young lady?” he said in an immaculate British accent.
“I…I live here” she stammered.
“Preposterous!” cried the police officer. “You can’t live here!” close to tears, she looked him in the eye and said. “Why not?”
Just as the police officer was about to answer, her little brother stared at her in shock from behind him. His face completely drained of colour. He gulped and said “Officer, tell me you can see her too.” What was going on? Had he gone crazy? Was something going on in his warped 14 year old mind? What could he possibly mean by that?
“Yes I see her. What a strange thing to ask. She obviously there, I mean…” he stopped dead in his tracks. “Oh goodness. Is that…?” her brother nodded slowly, hardly believing it himself. “But that’s impossible!” exclaimed the police officer. “How can it be?”
“How can what be?” she asked. “What’s going on?” she stared at her brother, waiting for him to answer.
“You’re dead.”
It was so simple. Amazing what two little words could do. She couldn’t believe her ears. “I’m what?” she whispered.
“You’re dead sis. But then, how come I can see you? Are you like…some kind of spirit now? A ghost?” she stared blankly at him. He stared expectantly back into her eyes. Amidst the silence, the police officer crept away.
“I…I don’t know.” She said. “Am I…Am I dreaming?” she stammered. Confused, she held her heavy head in her hands. Her eyes rolled into her head and colours swirled in her mind. She felt as light as air. Just like a ghost! She looked at her hands and she could see her brothers’ horrified face through them.
“Delise?” he cried her name. She was too shocked to speak as she faded away into nothingness, or so her brother thought. She found herself in a beautiful, peaceful garden, full of tulips, her favourite. There was a sparkling pond with a weeping willow hanging over it providing some cool shade. She couldn’t help but relax and it felt so good. There was a tall, young man standing in the middle of it, she wondered how she had not noticed him until just now.
“Delise Patterson,” he smiled. “I’ve been expecting you”
“I’m dead,” was all she could say.
“No people never die, you are not a ghost, you are a person. That body was your ghost. Now you are free of it. Now you are nothing but yourself, like it was meant to be.” He smiled warmly at her but she didn’t return it.
“I have to go back! I want to go back!” she cried.
“Why would you want to return to a place where you can feel pain, where you can get hurt, where you can hurt others?” he asked, “This is paradise.”
“I was murdered! Please show me how to go back!” she screamed.
“Why do you want to go back?” he repeated the question patiently.
“I have to find the bastard who killed me!” she screamed angrily.
“No!” he flared out. “I’m not letting you get away! Not again, not ever.”
“Get away again?” she said to herself. What could he mean again? Have they met before? Impossible. She was sure she could recognise a face like that. Beautiful, yet twisted. Charming, yet deceptive. Cocky, yet hesitant.
“Never again will I let you escape. My whole life spent searching for something, and in a matter of seconds, it’s gone. She’s gone. You, were gone.” He said, close to tears. Delise could sense that if she didn’t do anything soon, he’d be sobbing uncontrollably and she’d never get out. She’d never go back. Back home.
But she needed to get back to take her wicked revenge. “Please stop crying. I…I will come back.” But he still wept. Delise was starting to get irritated. “Come on don’t be pathetic, what do you mean you won’t let me go again?”
“You don’t recognise me do you?” he said through tears.
“Why should I?” she asked, puzzled. “How can I recognise you if I don’t know who you are?”
“But you DO know me. You DO!” he cried. “How can you not recognise your own brother?”
Silence.
“Tim?” she whispered.
“Yes,” he whispered back. “Tim.”
He didn’t know why he did that. Lied to her. He guessed Tim was her brother. He’d change his name to Tim now. Yes. Tim.
“You look so different.” She said stunned. “Tim. If you love me, you will let me go back. Don’t you want the person who murdered me to get what they deserve? She sobbed.
“You’re not dead.” He said. “How many times do I need to tell you? You’re not dead!” he paused. How could he come up with a believable reason? “I took you here to be…safe.” Delise stared in disbelief. “I didn’t want you to get hurt.” He said.
“Hurt?” she questioned.
“Yes. Hurt. Hurt by…me.”
“What? But you’re my brother! Why would you hurt me?” she cried.
“I’m not your brother and you can’t leave. I have to protect you from him.”
“This is crazy.” She said.
“I’m protecting you from him, the guy in the sky, the man upstairs, GOD.”
“What? I’d rather be dead than stay here with you, you psycho.”
“Oh no you don’t.” he muttered. “Nobody stands up to me and gets away with it!” he screamed. “I am the most powerful being there is! Fear me mortal!”
“DELISE!” she heard a man’s voice. “Don’t look into his eyes! It’s Satan!” Satan? She knew she was in real trouble now. Clamping her eyes shut she screamed for help. Nobody came.
The darkness closed in over her. She could feel it getting nearer. Every breath a vicious flash back of her life…
She felt dizzy. Exhausted and sick. Ill with confusion. Fatigued, she fell into a deep sleep.
* * * * *
Delise awoke to the sound of humming. A mellifluous tune. Calming and dreamy. She hummed along as if she knew the tune all her life. Smiling, she sat up. Beside her, a man in his early twenties aroused, dazed. Not the man she met in the garden, he was too peaceful to be evil.
“Delise,” he whispered. “Is it really you?”
“Yes.” She whispered back. “Who are you?”
“Tim.” He smiled. Truth in his eyes. Eyes that have seen too much. Eyes like Delise’s.
“It’s really you this time, I can tell.” She said. “Oh Tim!” she cried as she threw her arms around him. “I won’t ever leave you again.” Tim’s eyes started to fill with tears
“That day…when the house was burgled and mum and dad…well you know…where did you go?” he whispered between sobs. “You just sort of…faded out of sight. All those years I thought you were dead.” He sobbed.
“I’m sorry Tim.” She really was.
“I was so alone! My friends turned on me. They called me an unwanted orphan. So long, Delise, too long.”
“Do they still…” she couldn’t think of what to say.
“Bully me? Call me names? No.” He said. “Never again. I am forever rid of them. The world is forever rid of them.” Her eyes widened in shock.
“Oh Tim you didn’t did you? Oh please say it’s not true!” she wept hysterically. Without waiting for his answer, she ran. She ran for what seemed like forever until she was out of breath. Panting, she rested her pounding head on the cool wall of the dimly lit corridor. By now, she was sobbing uncontrollably, she couldn’t, wouldn’t believe it. Her little brother? He’s a…she couldn’t bring herself to even think the word. Suddenly, she froze. Footsteps. Behind her. She waited.
Still the footsteps drew nearer, ever closer, the pace matching that of her hearts’. Spinning round, she searched for the eyes of her stalker. There was no one there.
“Delise.” Said a voice behind her. She gasped in horror.
“Murderer.” Whispered Delise.
“Delise, you need to understand, I had to do it. There was no other option.”
“No other option.” Said Delise coolly. “No other option!” she turned on him, pushing and shoving, wrapping her slender but strong arms around his dark neck. “Don’t give me that you little piece of shit! I’m ashamed of you Tim. You are a disgrace.” She hissed.
“It was either them or me. Satan is in charge of the world now and he controls everything. There’s no escape Delise. He’s even watching us right now. He makes people fight for his fun, but there’s no loser until someone dies. They had to die.” Still hitting him, but now more feebly, she wept. She wept for her brother, she wept for those he killed, but more than anything, she wept for herself as she saw an image play in her mind. She was standing, covered in blood. Someone else’s blood.
“This is it. You ready?” sneered a woman also covered in blood. Delise glared hard at her.
“You look just like my mother. I’m home” she spat back. Screaming, the anonymous woman ran at her dagger at the ready. Barbarically, Delise mirrored her actions but was a split second too late. The cold metal touched her skin seductively before breaking the skin, scraping her ribcage, piercing her already broken heart. Eyes wide open; Delise didn’t even have a chance to scream. The taste of fresh blood in her dry mouth, gushing out onto the sandy floor. A stinging mixture of blood, sweat and tears as she realised this was no vision. She fell forwards, pushing the dagger all the way through so that it protruded her back.
The darkness closed in over her. She could feel it getting nearer. Every breath a vicious flash back of her life. Closing her eyes, she let herself drift into sleep, never to wake again.
