The Ghosts

Chapter Five, Part Two

“Geo…? Geo, can you hear me? Shit…”

I felt like I was floating and I opened my eyes only to have a bright light shinned into them.

“Geo…come on. Say something…”

I squeezed my eyes closed and when I opened them again, my dark apartment came into fuzzy view. A light was on in the kitchen and from what I could tell, a hunched figure sat next to the bed, their top half resting next to me. It was a familiar sight, a comforting thing.

Michael.

My hand was clenched in someone else’s and when mine twitched, the person next to my bed woke up.

“Geo?”

Not Michael. My heart literally plummeted in my chest. I won’t be able to save you anymore.

“My head…”

“You were given a sleeping pill mixed with Rohypnol. You’re going to be…”

I blinked and when my eyes reopened, Luke was sitting on the bed next to me. He was staring off at nothing but when he saw I was awake…

“Hey, sleepy head,” he said quietly.

I blinked again and this time, Aidan was sitting next to me in a chair from my kitchen set, his familiar pant spattered jeans covered his long legs and graphic tee to match. He was drawing in his sketch book and the familiar sight made tears come to my eyes.

“What are you drawing?”

He looked over at me and smiled. “You, of course. What else would I be drawing?”

“Can you stop for a minute and just…”

He put the pencil in the book and closed it, setting it down on the nightstand. He crawled into bed next to me and took my hand, tucking it up under his face like he used to.

“Better?”

I nodded. “I thought you were gone.”

“I came back.”

“For how long?”

He pulled me closer. “For as long as you want.”

“Stay with me? Please?”

He kissed my forehead. “I wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else.”

“I missed you.”

“I know. I missed you too.”

I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, I was running through the forest, my pursuer hot on my trail.

I ran passed an oak tree and my sneakers slapped pavement.

“George—e—ana!”

Holy fuck! I glanced over my shoulder and found Jason running after me, the little flecks of ash floating down from the sky. I ran faster and rounded the building with a skid. The buildings were on fire and wailing people littered the street like discarded paper.

I ran into the usual building, up the familiar stairs, into the usual room…

But stopped.

There was no blood, just tiny dancers in blood red leotards and tutus. Black satin covered their eyes and their finger tips were blood stained…

“Oh my god…

They were all me…as a child. They were all in sync with their movements, bending, reaching, twisting…breaking.

A hand slipped over my mouth as I tried to scream. It was just so…disturbing.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?”