Craaven

Chapter 15: Mortemville, Montana 1979 November 1st

I sat there on the floor and stared off into space. My surroundings were nothing but a blur and my mind was preoccupied with playing over the sounds of Ally's screams until I couldn't hear anything else. I don't think I ever slept since what happened and if I did, my dreams were still nothing but the sound of her screams.

I didn't want to believe what had happened. I wanted to think it was only a nightmare and Ally was just outside cleaning and partaking in her odd imaginative stories that she enjoyed so much. It only made sense if it was a nightmare because something like that can't truly happen... It's just unreal.

"Boy, I raised you to be better and now you're murdering people..." an old familiar voice broke the pattern of screaming and the silence that followed buzzed in my ears.

"You're the worst kid anyone could ever be cursed with..." the voice continued and my gaze vaguely drifted to a space next to me. There, blurred out like everything else, was a black shape that somewhat resembled a bird-like figure. I stared at the shape until my vision warped enough to see none other than Will's face staring back at me with a disappointed expression.

"First, you murder an innocent old man trying to 'elp you... then you murder me in your own selfishness... and now you let a girl die because you're a coward... shameful..." he snarled.

"... Will..." my voice was weak and barely there to begin with but it was all I could muster.

"You just left me there, Edgar! You could've saved me but you didn't!" the bird yelled and tears brimmed my eyelids.

"I didn't know..." I mumbled but it was no use fighting against him.

"You could've saved her! But you didn't! You're a failure!" he yelled at me. The tears came flooding down my cheeks, blurring my warped vision even more but I couldn't stop them.

"You should just rid the world of your useless filth..." Will grumbled.

"I-... I don't want to... please don't make me..." I whimpered back but the bird was persistent.

"You're a disappointment! Who would miss you!? Who would notice!? You 'ave no one!" Will yelled angrily at me and my hot tears came more frequently.

"I'm sorry..." I whimpered in between Will's furious taunts. All at once, he became silent and the door behind me quietly unlocked and opened with an echoed creak. Abruptly, my vision was suddenly clear again and the sudden realisation that I was sitting in the Crematorium brought me back to a horrible reality that I existed in a world where my new friend had just been burned alive in front of me.

I first looked over to where Will had stood but I saw that the shape that looked vaguely like him was only my coat that lay in a heap next to me. With a deep breath, I turned to the door and to my surprise, I saw Daniel, tiredly peering in and staring at me with a look of confusion and fear in his eyes.

I only stared back, too weak to say anything or do anything. I was beyond furious with him for everything that had happened. He could've saved his daughter at any point in time regardless of the consequences. He was large and strong and his wife was nothing but skin and bones, what could she have possibly done to stop him? Yet, despite my rage, I had no energy to fight with him and for a moment, we gazed at each other with the same fearful, traumatized expression.

Finally, after a while had passed, the man slowly came into the room and shut the door behind him. His expression barely changed; only his eyebrows fell to indicate some deep thought he was contemplating while staring at me.

I wasn't expecting it when he spoke. His voice disrupted the painful silence and I barely registered it at first. When my brain did process his words, I realised he had asked me a question.