Back to Square One
1124 Words
It's my first day of work and I am already not feeling well.
When I got home last night, I immediately went to the bathroom and threw up. I barely slept as anxiety rushes through me like a tornado. The truth. It was more than I could handle.
Still, I straighten my corporate attire and tie my hair into a ponytail before I enter the office.
"Heidi! Oh, I miss you so much," a 5'8" lady with a brown curly hair and pair of glasses calls me. I flash her a wide smile as I recognize her.
"Reese! How are you?" she's my roommate and best friend back in college. We were studying the same major and she's the one who referred me to get this job.
"Better now that you're here. Come on. Let's get you settled in."
The office is situated at the heart of the town. Since it's an insurance company, they need the security against hackers and block intruders to prevent theft. And that's why I'm here.
There are twenty of us doing the same line of work. So far, I know Ben, who happens to be a handsome muscular Thai and Fred, who doesn't talk much but is the most efficient ethical hacker in the office. They are sitting next to me and they're both cool. We got along well so I have no problem with that.
After work, I decide to go to the nearest diner to order some take-out. I don't feel like cooking so I just pop in here for some meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
As I sit near the window, checking my phone, I see someone walk towards me.
"You ran away last night."
I just ignore him.
"You can't ignore me forever, Buttercup. You know that."
He's right. I raise my head and meet his intense pair of blues.
"You are the Shadow."
"In the flesh. I have no intention of freaking you out and I'm sorry if I did."
"But you are the Shadow," I emphasize the last word. "You tormented me. All those years..." I search for words. The words that would sum up all the things that have happened to me in the past comcerning him. But fails.
I claim my food in the counter then hurriedly leave.
I can feel that he's following me. The burning feeling that he's watching me.
"Get out of my life!"
"You don't mean that, Buttercup."
"I do."
His eyes widens when I put something out from my bag. I raise it inches away from him and mutter a prayer with my eyes closed. I see a lot of exorcism and this is not going to kill him but please, Lord. Just make him disappear and I-.
"Seriously?"
I open my eyes, surprised that he's still there with his head turned sideways, almost bored. His hands tuck inside the front pocket of his jeans.
"What? How?" I glance at the blue rosary on my palm. Why didn't it work?
"That's a nice try. But I'm not a demon, Heidi. You can't hurt me with a crucifix and a prayer," he looks at me knowingly as I am now pacing the pebbled ground. I start biting my index fingernail.
"Let's get inside and have some cup of coffee. It's going to rain anytime soon. Come," he says surprisingly calming. The blue eyed monster reaches out to me when I slap his hand away.
"You killed my brother!"
I search for a hint of guilt on his face. Waiting for him to tell me. To confess to me that he's behind it all. I already know but I need him to confirm it.
Nothing. There's no emotion on his face whatsoever.
"Nothing? Guess what? I am not here to hide anymore. And I will see to it that you get what you deserve. Bring it on. Because I will find a way to send you back to hell where you belong," my nosetrils flare, jaw clenching, teeth grinding and I can feel my skin burn as I point out to him the words that I never thought I could say in a million years.
I grip at my bag and paper bag then storm towards my car.
I feel...liberated. Empowered, even. I breathe a handful of air as I start the car.
Everything is going to change. I can feel it.
I look at the side mirror and I did not realize that it's a mistake. There he is, standing, looking straight at me...with his eyes glowing crimson.
Third-Person POV
It's been five months since they tampered with the ouija board.
A snickering sound woke Heidi at the middle of the night. She rubbed her sleepy eyes while walking towards the kitchen where the sound came from.
Neither the coldness of the tile floor and the dim lights stopped her from going downstairs.
It was louder than before when she turned and faced the most horrifying sight in front of her.
There he was. Gabriel Monroe with his filthy white shirt and shorts, his back turned away from her.
He rummaged through the fridge with his bloody face.
"Gaby?"
He munched at the raw meat. Making animalistic sounds that echoed through the entire kitchen.
She managed to snatch the meat from his mouth and dump it onto the island counter. It was a horrific sight to see as her own brother acting like a wild beast.
"I want my brother back," tears in her eyes begun to cascade onto her rosy cheeks.
His eyes softened and muscles relaxed. "Heidi. I am sorry...." reaching out to her, he crawled slowly. "Tired."
Her cries were more labored as she roughly wiped off the tears from her eyes with her arm.
"I'm tired," as he inched closer, his breathing became more evident. He collapsed on the floor and he layed there as he closed his eyes.
"GABY!"
Greeted by the dark surroundings of my room, I take in all that just happened.
It was all a dream.
I burst into ugly tears like I've never cried in a long time. My breathing speeds up until I am hyperventilating. My nightmare came back. I am reliving the nightmare that I have been escaping from. It never fails to remind me of my dark past.
All those years, my parents were convinced that Gaby died of a serious case of psychosis. A recessive trait that is passed through generations in our family. I could never shove into them the truth...the more sinister truth of what really happened. I can't do it to them. I can't shatter the last piece of sanity that they're willing to protect.
My light is stronger than the darkness.
I gasp for air. My hands are shaking as I grab the glass of water on my nightstand.
My light is stronger than the darkness.
No amount of therapy can make those images in my head disappear. It's already a part of me like a limb.
I can never escape it.
Right when I was about to forget, it brings me back.
And with that, I am back to square one.
- Writer
