The Only Way

Chapter 18 - The Only Way

I wake up, but I don't move, only my eyes flutter open, I look at Daina and she's still sleeping, I smile and my eyes shit close again. Daina wakes up while I'm sleeping, she's trying to shake me awake, she's panting I can tell, her breathe is heavy, she's shaking me much harder now. Daina keeps on shaking me and when my eyes finally open, she grabs my hand and dashes away back to the bridge. When I'm fully awake I wonder why we're going back to the bridge, when the bridge is in sight, I'm paralyzed in shock, Daina stops with me. We hide behind a tree, we spy on them carefully, it seems that the ghosts are surrounding the bridge in a circle, I wonder what they're looking at. I hear crying, it's familiar, very familiar, but I don't see any humans, but then I realise that it's my sister crying, I'm happy and sad at the same time, I'm happy that my sister's alive, but I'm sad that she's crying and who knows what the ghosts will do to her. I try to figure out what my sister's name is, then I remember, "Melissa!" I cried, all of the ghosts turn around and see Daina, they follow her. Daina dashes through the forest and the ghosts follow her, I make sure no ghost is with Melissa, I walk towards her, but she's a ghost, she's lying down right in the centre of the bridge. I turn towards her and give a big hug while a tear drips down my cheek and Melissa's cheek. I grab Melissa's hand and try to run, but she's still too weak to run, I walk her down to the river to get a drink, I get a drink too. When we're done, we go into the forest, the opposite direction that Daina and the ghosts went, when I think we're deep enough into the forest, I lay Melissa by a tree while she goes unconscious. Suddenly, Daina rushes to use, but I'm afraid that it will lure the ghosts in, but fortunately Daina mouths "I lost them" I give a sigh of relief. Daina goes check on Melissa, Daina wonders why Melissa is a ghost, while Daina checks on Melissa, I sit by another tree and wonder what happened to my mother, why she isn't with Melissa. I stay there paralysed thinking of my mother, then I finally got a theory, I think that she died because she chose an immortal life, but I think Melissa chose to be a ghost and not die, I'll ask Melissa when she wakes up, hopefully. 

I get up from sitting down by a tree, I see Daina dash away deeper into the forest, I think that she is running away from the ghosts, but she just comes back with a dead rabbit, she creates a fire and cooks it. While Daina cooks the rabbit, Melissa wakes up and I go check on her, if anything's wrong, she just looks at me and Daina and goes back to sleep, I really hope my sister is okay. When the rabbit is done cooking, Daina gives me a small piece and herself a small piece, we leave the rest for Melissa, if she wakes up. When we finish eating the rabbit, I dig into the ground for water, Daina looks at me stupidly for a moment, then realises what I'm doing, I find water and me and Daina smile, happy that we have a source of water to live. I drink from the water, then it's Daina's turn to drink, when I'm done I go and lay on a tree right next to Melissa, I can't help but look at my sister, she use to be a human, but now a ghost, I feel disconnected somehow. Melissa is a ghost and I'm still a human, I feel that our connection between the same kind has broken, I'm happy for my sister to live, so I have a tear of happiness run down my cheek. Now I have a stream of happy tears while I'm crying really hard, I look one more time at Melissa, the sight of seeing her makes me really happy, Daina sees me crying and comes to me to wipe my tears off my cheek, I smile. I get up and walk to Melissa, I sit beside her, I grab her hand and hold it, I feel relief running through my body that I can touch my sister again, my beautiful sister. She looks the same as last time, only she's a ghost now, I go to near her cheek and kiss it, proving my love for her, Daina comes over with watery eyes, I guess this makes her sad and happy. Daina sits beside Melissa, she and I look at her endlessly, I hug her and hold on tight, her body is cold and I think she hasn't eaten for days, she must be hungry, I get the rabbit and put it next to Melissa. The rabbit is fully cooked, and is just perfect to eat, but the problem with it is that it's cooled down and if Melissa doesn't wake up in time, the rabbit will be too cold be eaten. Daina falls asleep and I'm checking them both now, I can't stop thinking about my mother, I can't wait for Melissa to wake up, I can't wait to hear her voice, to ask her questions, it's sad and happy for me. 

When Melissa wakes up, I suddenly brighten up, I get up to her and stare at her for a while, I feel quite stupid for staring at my sister, even though I have seen her for a long time already. When Melissa sees me staring at her she jumps back and I smile, I take the rabbit and give it to her, she takes it without hesitation, she must be hungry, I smile while she eats quickly. When the rabbit is done, she looks at me and smiles, I smile back as well, but her smile goes back to a normal face quickly, I think she doesn't remember me. She looks at me curiously and finally she recognizes me, she smiles and gives me a big hug, I give her a big hug too, she has a tear drip down her cheek and I have a tear dripping down my cheek as well. We break away from the hug and smile at each other for a while, I finally speak when it becomes quite quiet. 

"Hi Melissa" I say in a soft voice

"Hi Caroline" Melissa says in a soft voice

"What happened?" I ask

"Nothing really" Melissa says

"Tell me" I say

"Alright," Melissa says "I didn't want to die so I chose to be a ghost, but only a human can turn me into a human again" 

"Alright then" I say happily

I grab Melissa's hand, focusing really hard, trying to turn her into a human again, after a flash of light Melissa turns into a human again and surprisingly, Daina wakes up just because of a small flash.

"Melissa!" Daina says "You're human again!"

"Yes," Melissa says "I guess I am"

I smile and let go of Melissa;s hands, my eyes meet with Melissa's eyes and I notice that Melissa has changed a lot.

"Wow Melissa," I say "You've changed a lot"

"Yeah," Melissa says "You too"

It's night now and the clouds separate to make the full moon appear in the night sky, I get worried due to Daina and Melissa looking worried too. Suddenly, Daina faints and we both gasp, me and Melissa help her up against a tree so that she can rest, then Melissa turns to me and speaks. 

"A full moon" Melissa says

"What about a full moon?" I ask

"A full moon brings out werewolves and they hunt for ghosts or other living things in the forest" Melissa says

I look at her in shock, then look at Daina, she's beginning to wake up, but werewolves, I never seen them before, they probably don't come out until a full moon. 

"There are no werewolves here" I say

"No," Melissa says "There are"

"I don't think so," I say "I've never seen one in my life"

"They only come out on a full moon and only be in the forest" Melissa says

"Are some humans werewolves?" I ask

"Yes," Melissa says "If they get bitten by one then they become a werewolf" 

"Alright" I say "But is there a cure to it?"

"Don't think so" Melissa says

"Alright" I say 

Daina's waken up, but having trouble getting up, she grabs onto a tree and pulls herself up, we go to Daina and make sure she's okay. Daina gets up and looks at me carefully, she speaks. 

"Werewolves" Daina says

"Yes," I say "I know about the werewolves"

"I told her" Melissa says

"Alright," Daina says "Werewolves can kill viciously"

"Then we must be alerted at all times" I say

"Yes," Melissa says "I agree"

We hear a high pitched howl somewhere in the forest while the full moon shines bright, we look around looking worried.

"The werewolves have arrived" Melissa says in a worried voice

We go to sleep, hoping that no one will find us, and I hope a werewolf won't find us, we all struggle to sleep because we all know tomorrow will be bloody.