Holiday Hell

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The deathly sun hung low over the endless beach. This wasn't what you saw in the movies or those travel brochures. It didn't have the wonderful glow of heaven or the horrific glow of Hell. It was just... there. It existed in a frame of time, never moving, never changing. There was not a cloud to be seen and the atmosphere was dry and merciless. There was nothing particularly note-worthy about it.

But something caught his eye. A carcass buried in a thin layer of sand. It may not have been human but it was a life nonetheless. A life that had been brought to an end way too soon. It was precious; it was sacred; it was dead. Its gills lay spread out as if a child had been playing with them. Its singular eye was wide, glaring, accusing. It searched for a reason. For a culprit. For an inch of life.

Harry approached the lost soul with nothing but hesitance in his step. He longed to have a conversation with it about its untimely demise. A funeral seemed like the only humane thing left to give it - a proper farewell he would never receive. It wasn't fair that it was unworthy of a real send-off. It had probably contributed just as much as any other human must have contributed to society. Harry gave the sea creature a nod of acknowledgement and then he went on. As much as he wanted to, he could not stare at the fish forever. For one thing, he could already feel the all-knowing eyes of judgement burning into him. For another thing, he was pretty sure that he would get sectioned.

He made his way down the dull beach, hoping to find something to distract himself with. Nothing was able to numb the constant anxieties that plagued his aching mind. He strolled along the beach, hoping to find something of interest but was disappointed. Nothing seemed to change the further he made his progression. The ocean was practically silent as it made its course. There were no soothing ways to relax his muscles or ease his mind. It did its job of maintaining the water to no aural pleasure. Harry did not understand the point of the sea without its sounds of the waves. It wasn't even a particularly pleasing colour. It was sort of a washed out blue that failed to please any kind of aesthetic. It was a body of water no special or exotic as seen on the photos on the website for the holiday place. It was clear that in this age of Photoshopping and photography manipulation that even the most boring of places could be changed to convey light and happiness. The reality was less than unstimulating.

He found a patch of the beach that he deemed was good enough. It was near a selection of rocks. The stench of seaweed invaded his nostrils from this area, even stronger than ever. He couldn't really be bothered to move. He had given up, if truth be told. He lay down his head on the beach and closed his eyes. His brain was going into overdrive. Thoughts of Abigail and his mistakes revolved around his head. A hundred thousand different voices criticised his every move, maximising his failures and destroying whatever little successes he had achieved. It was plain and simple - he had messed everything up. He was the cause of all their problems and he was the one who allowed their once happy relationship to fall apart completely. The truth was immensely painful to swallow but the dangerously toxic thoughts glugged it down his neck. They criticised him, picking apart each and every insecurity one by one. Even ones he hadn't realised existed. It completely and utterly destroyed him and he could feel himself shaking. Tears threatened to fall down his cheeks and he felt his eyes burn in the pain of preventing them. He wiped them away the millisecond they betrayed his eyes. He was such an i***t. Such a complete blundering fool. How could he allow himself to screw up his relationship like that? Maybe this was his second chance to rebuild the relationship. No, he brushed the idea away quicker than it came. This was his punishment. It was nothing but a reminder of how tremendously he had f****d up and how irreparable their relationship was.

He hated himself for it.

Gradually, his brain began to shut down. The thoughts began to tip-toe away and he felt his muscles begin to loosen. The fist he hadn't realised he'd balled released and he felt himself comforted by the ease of the sand. It wasn't too hard, nor too soft. It was quite perfect to just... slip away for a little while. The crying had made it easier for his eyes to glue together and for him to escape to a better place.

Dreams invaded like the aliens would. One minute he was perfectly fine on that mediocre beach, drifting away into his own thoughts that were on overdrive, the next he was far away from that blistering heat. A gentle breeze comforted him and sent a sense of pleasure throughout his entire body. He was floating. Floating away. He was miles and miles away from his own body. The soul that had once been bound to his body was now completely and utterly free. The word freedom had once been a word that connoted everything he had ever dreamed of having in life. Now, it was who and what he was. He was Freedom. He was Life that occurred After Death. He was...

Happy.

Yesterdays faded and opened up into beautiful, never-ending Tomorrows. Girls of all hair colours and eyes so bright and youthful surrounded him. They wore hula skirts and begged him to dance with him. There were too many to count. One by one, they pulled him in for a kiss. Some were brief and subtle, enticing him for more. Others were deep and passionate, exciting parts of him he had forgotten could even feel. He wanted to be with each and every one of them. To get to know who they were as people. To run away and learn about their darkest dreams and hidden desires. He wanted to be a part of them for one night only. He wanted to discover himself within them. It was something he had never experienced before.

But those blinding whites turned into the dullest greys. He was back into the claustrophobic land he had been longing to escape. He was trapped between those awful four walls, plunging into the unknown, anticipating the desperate reach of death. He was tied to the place. He was buckled down to his seat, unable to move. He was terrified. He was screaming.

He was back on the plane.

And she was coming near him. Eyes were blank and full of lust. Her smile had gone, replaced with a sneer of pure delight at his horror. She moved as though a zombie would who desired to eat his brain. But she wanted way more than his brain. She wanted to devour him. To eat at his weakest points and pick at his insecurities and doubt. She wanted to feast on his troubles and gorge on his thoughts. She wanted him entirely for who he was with no consideration of his consent or lack thereof. She wanted him all to herself. And he could not possibly say no, it was physically impossible. She lurched forward, teeth wide and sharp as a vampire's. An evil laugh emerged from her grim throat and she dived towards him. All he could muster was a terrible scream. He felt the life leave him as his soul had left before but this time it was not going to a better place. It descended way down below, plunging towards the darkest parts of Hell of which that he would be trapped and lost forever.

He opened his eyes and found her staring right at him. Her eyes were no longer blank but flirtatious and alluring. Her smile was really wide and way too welcoming. The sight of her made him scream and he fell backwards in the sand. He was too close to her, their noses were practically touching, and it had startled him that much. She giggled at his dismay. She climbed on top of him and leant in even closer to his face. "Sorry, I scared you, baby. Thought you'd be glad to see me."

He was pinned down. She was sitting on him and he was fixed, completely unable to move whatsoever. He snarled at her. "Get the Hell off of me. What in God's name is wrong with you?"

A pout softened her sharp expression. "Don't talk to me that way, baby. You hurt my feelings."

"Stop flirting with me. We're not even together." He felt a pang of guilt for talking to her so rudely but his confusion overtook his manners. "I'm sorry -- you're hurting me."

This only fuelled her desire to stay on top of him. "Why?" she smirked. She grabbed both of his wrists and pulled them down against the sand. Fear and shock prevented his instant retaliation. "I'm hurting you, baby? Oh, like you hurt me? Over and over and over..."

With a violent swing, he released his arms, sending her flying across the sand into a tremendous heap. "Don't do that to me," he told her.

She let out a pathetic exaggerated squeal and stood. She brushed the sand from her toned bikini body and her layered blonde hair. He had to admit, he was captivated by her body. It was one of the things that had attracted him to her in the first place. It was even better than he remembered. Her golden brown skin was glowing in the warm sunlight. He had a sudden desire to walk on over to her and wrap his arms around her, to pull himself close to her, to brush his lips against hers.

He controlled this desire, knowing exactly how things would turn up. There was a reason that they had broken up and for his own sake, they had to remain that way. They were toxic for each other, one more encounter and the poison would re-enter his system and he would be a complete goner. His own life depended on him being able to control these God given desires. It was a challenge to say the least.

"Take a joke, Granddad," she teased him with a wink that made his little heart swoon. "I was only coming over here to invite you for lunch."

"Lunch," he echoed.

"Lunch," she beamed at him.

"Why would I want to go for lunch with you?"

"To catch up. To see how we're getting on. I'll see you at 12:30, Brunch Bar, yeah?"

She was gone quicker than she had arrived.