Flirting With Death

Chapter 9

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It had been the first time I had fallen asleep in limbo, in this insane 'inbetween' world, and it had only made things worse.

Every toss, every turn in my bed, had been caused by a series of memories turned into nightmares.

"James! What are you doing in there?" I referred to my clueless baby brother. He was only three at this time, only his third Easter. No doubt he would forget about this as he gradually grew, but I knew I wouldn't.

"No, I need to find the egg!" He yelled as high as his little voice could reach, determined to find the last couple of eggs our group had left behind.

Although the Easter scavenger hunt was an annual thing, which I loved, it had been going on for so many years now. And as the people in our town grew older, they grew weary of the game, and the excitement of receiving a prize at the end of the game had died down.

At the moment, it was a happy, simple memory, just crossing my mind. It should've ended with James and I getting into a small disagreement, before I cracked a deal with him to let him have a Power Rangers marathon before mom got home, to which he had easily accepted.

But that's not how it ended.

"James, come on, everyone left, it's over," I dropped the carefully decorated basket in my hand onto the soft, fresh green grass before crossing my arms across my chest, waiting for James to get his little butt out of the thorny bushes.

He was suppose to come out safe and sound, it wasn't suppose to end this way.

I grab ahold of the blanket, completely aware that I am asleep, but I have no control over my state of being.

Heat was radiating from me, beads of sweat rolling down my forehead as I tried to will myself to take up.

The whole scene had aura of horror and fear around it, making an unsettling feeling take place in the pit of my stomach, while my head was starting to pound.

I stood there, tapping my foot, taking in the green, sunny surroundings. Spring was my favorite season, there was a cool breeze in the air, but not cool enough to make me put a jacket on. It occasionally blew my hair around, often in my face.

"Okay, James, I gave you another five minutes, we need to go now, the park is completely empty," I complain, growing tired of waiting for my sibling to find a stupid, decorated egg.

He was suppose to come out now; James was suppose to crawl out of the bushes, letting out a few 'ouches' as the thorns poked him here and there.

Instead, there was silence. Pure and utter silence.

I took immediate action and practically jumped into the bush, fear coursing through me instead of the blood that had run still.

I ran a hand through my hair as heart accelerated a million times faster than it was seconds before, and before I knew it, I was choking out painful sobs.

"James, James! Where are you, James? Where'd you go?" I screeched out, my chest becoming tight, and my breathing became heavier and heavier as I felt my knees buckle.

I fell to the ground, on my knees with my face in my hands. Pain was surrounding me, and I was unable to withstand all of it at once.

I had finally gained the strength to get my face out of my hands and to look around, look for help, anywhere.