Nine Lives

Part 1

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"Analie," A cold chilling voice said from behind me. Too scared to look back, I kept running, the freezing air felt like blades on my skin, but I couldn't stop. "Analie, please, I just want to talk. Can't we talk?"

"PLEASE! ANYBODY HELP ME!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, but the streets remained quiet, and the lights in the house stayed off.

"No one's going to help, Analie." He was right. Everybody was fast asleep, and by the time they woke up and looked out the window, I would be halfway down the road, nearly out of sight, becoming nothing more than a nuisance they would talk about tomorrow morning. However, I continued to scream because this was the only way I could have some hope of help. I rapidly looked around as I ran, trying to find some sort of escape. I saw the entrance to the large park that was in my neighborhood. If I just cut through it, I would make it to my street and maybe alert someone at home, or, at the very least, I could run into some trees and hide there. In any case, the park was probably my only chance at survival. I quickly darted toward it and started crossing the vast land. I knew relatively where I was and where I was going, but seeing as my memory was still a little fuzzy after waking up in the hospital only a month earlier, I couldn't be sure I would be directly outside my house.

"Analie. Just give up. This is getting annoying." The voice called. The irritation was clear as day. Or maybe that was something else? Is he nervous? I'm getting closer to my house, and he knows it. I've also made a lot of noise; maybe somebody called the cops. Oh please, somebody call the cops. I'm begging you, please. I keep running. My newfound hope giving me slightly more energy. However, I'm still aware of how tired my body is. As I'm running, I see something, a dark figure standing under a tree. A person? Yes, a person!

"Please, help me! Someone is chasing me!" The figure made no movement, and I was sure it could hear me. "Please! He's going to hurt me!" Still, it didn't move. As I was getting closer, I started to make out more of the figure. It was a tall man, dressed in all black, carrying a black notebook. His eyes were looking directly at me. He's not going to help me. I continued to run toward my house, which was slowly coming into view, passing the tree the man was standing under. I could see it. Just a little bit further. I felt something make contact with my back, and my body went crashing to the ground. My hand stung as the concrete scraped my flesh, but the pain was quickly overcome by paralyzing fear.

"Now, Analie, let's talk." I was harshly flipped onto my back by the voice, his weight crushing my abdomen as he pinned me to the floor. The voice belonged to a man whose name was Andrew or so I thought. Earlier tonight he confessed his name was actually Darren, the name bringing back a very vague feeling of dread. Though, I couldn't quite place where that dread stemmed from.

"Please, you have to listen to me. Like I said earlier, my name isn't Analie. My name is Audrey Fitzgerald, I am 19 years old, I grew up in Hartford Connecticut. I don't know who Analie is." His eyes narrowed and the malicious smile he was initially wearing faded.

"Stop lying." He said cold and short. The way he said it sent shivers down my spine. I wasn't lying.

"Please," I pleaded. My eyes filled with tears.

"Your name is Analie Cunningham, you are 17 years old, and grew up in Billings, Montana."

"Please! I don't know what you're talking about. But I can help. I can find Analie for you." I suddenly heard a cracking noise and my head was knocked roughly into the ground, my mouth filled with the taste of iron, and there was intense pain in my right eye. I cried out in agony and I felt blood running down my face.

"I told you to stop lying, bitch. You left me. This is your fault and now you're going to get what you deserve." He leaned down and planted a forceful kiss on my lips then whispered "If I can't have you, no one can." The air was pushed out of my lungs as I felt an excruciating pain in my abdomen. He was stabbing me in my stomach with what felt like a serrated knife. The blade ripped my flesh as he pulled it out and pushed it back in a different location. The pain was agonizing and all I could do was scream. After what seemed like an eternity he finally stopped impaling my body through the pain still very much remained. My vision hazy, I watched as he stood up and looked down at my body then he walked away. That was it. Ah, so this is how I go. I suppose it was a life well-lived, even if I don't remember a lot of it. At least I die knowing this was God's plan.

"Quite the opposite, actually. This wasn't god's plan nor anybody else's for that matter." A voice said. God is that you? Maybe an angel? "Neither, I'm afraid. I'd probably be more related to the devil in all honesty." The devil? Does this mean I'm going to hell? "Ah yes, I suppose that may have been in poor taste. In any case, are you going to get up so we can go? We're already behind schedule and I have other appointments today." Get up? I slowly opened my eyes and looked at my surroundings. I was still lying in the park and there was a black figure standing over me. I knew that figure, it was the man I saw standing underneath the tree. Am I still alive?

"Excuse me, are you here to help me? Please call the police."

"Why would I call the police? You're already dead, there's nothing more they can do. Now get up. We need to go." I suddenly became aware that there was no longer any pain where I had been stabbed and it was surprisingly easy to speak. I guess I really am dead. So that makes this guy...

"Are you a spirit guide? Some sort of grim reaper?"

"Grim Reaper? I should hope not. Now up." He said, more sternly than the last few times. I decided I should probably comply since there was no point in staying with my bloody body. I hoisted my body off the ground and saw that while I knew I was standing up now, my body stayed fixed in its position. I'm really dead. I really died. "Yes, yes, it's all very sad. But I would think you would be used to it by now." I looked over at the man who was standing in front of a glowing white circle.

"Used to it? Have I died before?" He rolled his eyes and motioned for me to step inside the light. So this is it, on the other side of this is heaven? I took a deep breath and walked through the light.