The Dead Travel Fast

Chapter 6

6

That night I had another vivid dream. I was standing in that prison again, in the big moonlit room with the purple haze. Celeste was there, but she was not in her cage. Instead, she was standing beside me. Even up close, her face was cast completely in shadow, her violet eyes glowing in the dark. She looked up at me—she was so shrunken and withered that I stood above her—with a gaze that made me want to flee immediately.

“You have made a mistake,” she said. “You have not obeyed me, and the consequences will be terrible. I want you to remember in the future that it was you who made that fateful decision, not I. If the guilt doesn’t destroy you, it will change you forever.”

I couldn’t speak. I reached up and found, to my horror, that my mouth was sewn shut.

“We don’t have time for your foolish chatter,” said Celeste. “Let’s go.” She extended a long-fingered, bony hand that resembled a talon, and I took it hesitantly. Then she was leading me through long hallways and passages, all made of that strange gold-flecked metal. I tried to see the cells and prisoners, but we were moving too fast, so all I could see was a dark, shiny blur. I could hear a blend of whispers and screams hurtling past me. We went down a flight of stone spiral stairs. For a moment, the image of the stairs blinked, and I could see the big staircase in my own house, but it was only a blip.

We reached an iron door. Celeste turned to me. “I have not really escaped from this prison,” she said. “I am still in my cage at this moment, though it may not seem that way. I am waiting for you to set me free, because only you have the power to do it. Exit through this doorway. I wish you luck. From now on, you can’t escape. You can’t run. You’re in the real world, Abbie, and you have to fight. At least fight for your family’s sake.”

With that, I was shoved out into the world.

And into consciousness.

What I saw made me scream.

There it was. My house, all up in flames.

These weren’t small, weak flames that spread slowly and could be put out with a gust of wind or a splash of water. No, these were huge, monstrous flames that completely swallowed the house and towered above it like a terrible giant. The fire was horribly hot, but I could not take my eyes off of it or even move away to a safer distance. I was frozen to the spot, staring at that burning house.

My house.

I could only see the fire—everything else around it was covered in darkness. And I could only think of my family, trapped inside that burning house. They would never escape. I thought I could hear my mom, dad, and sister screaming, but I had no idea whether those screams were real or if it was all my imagination.

I considered hurling myself into those flames, leaving the world behind me just so that I could be with my family. But I still couldn’t move. The world may have been cold and dark and uninviting, but I wasn’t going to leave it.

A figure standing at the edge of the fire caught my attention. It was tall and male, with a long, dark coat. He was mostly in shadow, but I thought I could see his face. I caught a glimpse of flashing gold eyes and a wide grin. But then he was gone, sweeping off into the night.

Suddenly I realized that I could move. I was no longer frozen. If I wanted to, I could go after that man. I was already sure that he was responsible for this, that he had murdered my family.

But instead of chasing him down, I turned around and ran in the opposite direction.

I ran away. I didn’t want to face the reality that my whole family was dead.

I dove into bushes, ran in front of cars, and almost got run over by a train. I couldn’t see where I was going—I just wanted to escape. I could hear sirens and see the red lights of fire trucks as they rushed toward my house behind me.

If you don’t leave this house soon and bring your family with you, you will lose something forever.

Was that Celeste talking, or just the memories of her warnings echoing in my head? I didn’t know and I didn’t care. Maybe if I ran fast enough, I would escape reality.

I don’t see you telling them to leave this house, to run away while they still can.

I crashed through someone’s yard. The thorns of a rosebush tugged at my clothes and scratched at my skin. I felt blood trickle down the side of my face, mixing in with the tears.

What a pathetic person you are.

I tumbled out of the rosebush, taking thorns and broken branches with me. But this time, I didn’t keep running. I was suddenly tired, desperate to leave this world behind. I dragged myself across the yard and rolled under a hemlock bush. In this hidden and protected place, I curled up and fell asleep almost instantly. I was eager to escape the tragedy of my life.