by K. G. Reuss
“Mamá?” Silence greeted me. I stepped up to her bed where she had a box of old photos opened. Scooping up a handful, I smiled down at the pictures of me and her together at the park, at Christmas, with grandma. And then there was one with me and my dad. He was grinning widely, his green eyes—the same color as mine—alight with humor, his dark hair a mess on his head, as he sat in his favorite chair with his arm around me. I must have been about three years old. We both looked so happy. So normal.
My lips parted as I peered more closely at the photo. In the background, surrounding us, were dozens of creatures—maybe humans. Possibly the dead. Some looked like they were screaming in pain, others in anguish, and some were just watching. How anyone could miss seeing them was beyond me.
My hands trembled as I held the photo. I wasn’t crazy. I wasn’t crazy!
A loud crash pulled me from my thoughts, and my head snapped up to see a vase of flowers had smashed to the floor. I took a step back, the photo still clutched in my hands.
“Everrr, come child,” a voice beckoned.
“No,” I whispered, backing away, shaking my head.
“We’re coming. We are many. You cannot run! You must dieeeee!”
“Leave me alone,” I screamed, looking around the room frantically as I tried to find where the voice was coming from.
Wicked laughter surrounded me. I covered my ears with my hands, shaking, sobbing, as I tried to block it out. Cold bit my skin, making me shiver.
“We will get you, girl.”
A nasty, black figure broke through the mirror on my mother’s vanity causing the glass to shatter into bits around me. I screamed and fell onto my backside, my still tender ankle and wrist protesting as I tried to crabwalk away.
The gnarled, bony body came at me on all fours like a spider might skitter toward its prey. It was covered in blood and soot and things I didn’t want to even think about. Its hair was matted and dirty. Hollow holes marked the area where eyes should’ve been.
In its hand, a shard of glass gleamed in the setting sunlight that streamed in through the open window. I was on my back, propped up by my elbows. My chest ached with every breath I tried desperately to rake in. Its face was only inches from mine. Breath soured with death and decay blew across my face. Blood dripped from its mouth onto my white tank top as it glared at me with its sightless eyes.
I was frozen in fear while I waited for whatever would happen next.
The thing whipped its arm back and brought the shard of broken mirror down onto my arms over and over, stabbing into my tender skin. I screamed from the sheer agony as my flesh was torn. Blood pooled around me, running from my arms like a river. Maniacal laughter echoed from the creature—the ghost—as I bled and sobbed on the floor of my mother’s bedroom.
“Ever! Oh my God! Ever!” My mom ran into the room, her face a mask of terror. The creature over me disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, leaving me hurting and panting on the floor.
“Mija, what did you do,” my mom choked out. I looked down at my bleeding arms and sputtered on my shock. I was clutching the shard from the broken mirror in my hand, still etching it into my flesh.
“I-I didn’t, Mamá.” I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. “It-it was them. I swear.”
“Dios míos.” My mom rushed to her bathroom and brought back two towels, wrapping my arms tightly.
“Mom, I’m scared,” I whispered, shaking.
“Me too, baby,” she murmured, her eyes wavering as she looked at me. “We need to go to the hospital. I’m going to call an ambulance. Stay right there. I’ll be right—”
“No,” I interrupted, shaking my head vigorously and reaching out desperately to her with my good arm. “Please, don’t leave me.”
“Sweetie, look at me.” She took my face in her hands and made me look at her. “I will be right back. I promise.”
“No,” I choked out as she got to her feet. She rushed from the room, her footfalls on the stairs echoing in my ears.
Chapter Thirteen
I was sick of hospitals and doctors. I’d seen more doctors in the past few weeks than I’d seen in my entire life before the accident.
Once again, I found myself sitting in a cold hospital room. The white walls washed all the color from my skin, and made me feel cold and uncomfortable. This time I was totally conscious and very aware of what happened to me. Or what I did to myself. I guess it was just a matter of whose opinion you got.
Everyone that had come into my room to talk to me seemed to think I was a danger to myself. I was positive that thing had done it to me, though. Voicing that thought only got me strange looks and a shot of something that made my head feel fuzzy.
They stitched up both arms, shooting me concerned and skeptical looks. I was tired of trying to explain to everyone what had happened. I was groggy and tired and just wanted to sleep. Apparently, someone decided to consult Dr. Brighton because to my surprise, he walked into my hospital room later that night.
“Ever, how are you?” he greeted me in a serious tone. He looked impeccable with his dark hair combed back perfectly and his straight teeth nearly as white as the walls of the hospital room.
“Well,” I chuckled bitterly. “I apparently hallucinated. Then tried to kill myself. I’ve had a bit of a bad day.”
“It would appear you have.” He closed the door behind him and sat down in the chair beside my bed. “I told your mom I wanted to speak to you alone. Are we? Alone?” He looked around the room interestedly.
“Really?” I snorted dryly. He continued to look serenely at me. I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Yes, we’re alone.”
“Good,” he answered. “So, tell me what happened.”
I went into detail about the entire thing, even telling him about the photo of me and my father. He nodded and made some notes. When I finished, I sat and waited for his verdict.
“And the shadow? Was he there this time?” Dr. Brighton asked. We’d talked at length about how I felt like Shadow wanted to protect me.
“No,” I answered softly. “He never came.”
“I see.” Something like anger flashed in his eyes before he cleared his throat and made another note on his pad of paper. “I think we’ll double your dosage, Ever. Now, one final question. Do you want to hurt yourself?”
“No.” I frowned at the question.
“Great. I think we can spring you out of here tonight.”
“That’s it? What-what about those things? H-how am I going to go back home and try to sleep? Or even function?”
“Well,” he answered delicately as he closed the leather-bound legal pad he’d used to write his notes in. “They may just be figments of your imagination. For the sake of both of us not appearing off, let’s assume they are simply hallucinations due to your injuries and leave it at that. I’ll double your medications. That should keep things at bay, I daresay. You’ll be safe. I promise.”
“How can you promise that?” I demanded bitterly, glaring at him. “I saw a thing burst through my mother’s mirror and cut me. Then it had the nerve to make it look like I’d done it to myself. I-I can’t tell what’s real and what’s not.” I looked at him helplessly, silently pleading with him to understand my terror.
“It won’t happen again. Let’s just call it intuition.” He got to his feet. “You still have my card?”
“Yep,” I muttered, disgusted at everything that was transpiring.
“Great. Well, let’s hope I don’t have to see you before your next appointment.” He pulled open the door and started to step out. “Oh, and Ever. Stay away from mirrors. Seven years of bad luck and all that.” He departed, and I scowled after him.
If that was his idea of a joke, it sucked.
Chapter Fourteen
I went home with extra meds and lived in such a dense fog over the next few weeks that I didn’t know if I was coming or going. Sometimes I didn’t even remember where’d I’d been or how I’d gotten there.
It was frustra
ting. I hated it. On the flipside of it all, I wasn’t really seeing or hearing anything. Or if I was, I had no recollection of it.
By the end of the summer, I’d healed completely with the exception of the strange mark on my shoulder. Maybe it was a scar and would be there forever. I didn’t leave my house often, and I spent most of my time alone. Ever since my accident, I didn’t like to be around people, not even Nina or my mom. I felt different, more than I’d ever felt before. This overwhelming, nagging feeling of not belonging continued to plague me. I couldn’t shake it.
My appointments with Dr. Brighton continued. When I mentioned how weird things seemed, he’d make a note, nod, and then ask me how it made me feel. I didn’t feel like we were really getting anywhere with the therapy, something I made mention of at every visit. He’d added a new anti-anxiety medication to my ever-growing list of pharmaceuticals. I’d snatched it out of his hand with a scowl, all while telling him I didn’t suffer from anxiety disorders. There was something seriously out there trying to get me. Even if I couldn’t see them or hear them anymore, I could feel them lurking just beyond the veil of heavy drugs and the delusions that everything would be OK.
Annoyed that he didn’t seem to be taking me seriously, I started telling him I wasn’t hearing or seeing anything anymore. He simply looked at me impassively and made more notes on his yellow legal pad, then offered me a piece of green, hard candy that tasted very sweet with a hint of mint. It was actually rather enjoyable. But when he asked me if I liked it, I’d only grunted. He’d made another note on his paper before proclaiming our session over.
“Ever? Earth to Ever,” Nina’s voice cut through my brooding thoughts during our lunch period on the first Friday back since the new school year started.
“Huh?” I asked, looking at her in a daze made possible by the latest round of morning meds.
“I asked if you wanted to go to Jax’s party tomorrow. I mean, you don’t have to. I don’t want you to think I’m making you—”
“Thanks, I’ll pass,” I mumbled tiredly. I chanced a look over to where Dylan was sitting with his friends and caught him staring at me, a frown on his face. I figured it was because of how I looked—all gaunt and thin, sickly with dark circles under my eyes, limp hair, and dried, cracked lips. When I looked in the mirror, I reminded myself of an old house—the kind that was falling apart but that had once been beautiful. Now it looked haunted. I was haunted.
I snorted at the thought and pulled my eyes away from his. He hadn’t spoken to me once since I’d gotten out of the hospital or returned to school. I didn’t expect him to. He was seeing Casey now anyway.
So much for love.
I got to my feet, the bitter thoughts too much to bear.
“You OK?” Nina asked, rising to her feet and looking at me with so much concern and pity it made my stomach turn. Gemma and Beth gazed at me nervously making me wonder if Nina had told them about my hallucinations.
“Yeah.” I gave her a forced smile. “Just need some air.”
Nina gave me a tight nod, her eyes never leaving me as I backed away from the table. Out of the corner of my eye I made out a creature crawling along the wall. Whenever the meds waned, I started to see them again. It happened every day at that time.
I swallowed hard and blinked rapidly, whispering frantically, begging God to make it go away just like my mom had told me to do. It didn’t work. Instead, the creature came more into focus, its scaly, gray skin dripping chunks of flesh and thick, putrid-smelling liquid onto the floor. Its large all-white, sightless eyes glared at me. With abnormally long humanoid fingers and toes ending in four-inch-long claws, the sight of it sent a chill up my spine. The bones protruded from its skin in some spots.
“Go away, go away, go away,” I whispered. My hands clenched into fists so hard that my nails dug into my tender flesh tearing the skin on my palms. The creature cocked its head at me and made a funny clicking, hissing noise. I took a shaky step back. My breath leaving my lungs in ragged puffs.
Not here. Anywhere but here! Everyone was going to see.
“Ever?” Nina’s voice called out to me. It sounded far away. “Ever? Hey!”
The creature’s lips opened to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth. A nasty screech emitted from its twisted, ugly mouth. I covered my ears with my hands trying to shield myself from the horrid sounds. And then, the unthinkable happened.
Chapter Fifteen
It lunged at me, with teeth barred and claws aiming to tear, to maim, to kill. I fell backward, a scream erupting from deep within me. I desperately tried to scoot away, my hands frantically going out behind me to pull myself away from the nightmare that was before me, but I hit the legs of someone’s innocently eating lunch, thus halting my pathetic plans for an escape.
“Ever! Oh my God.” Nina rushed toward me, unknowingly putting herself between me and the creature. I was screaming too hysterically to warn her to move.
She let out a scream that matched mine and fell forward as the creature leapt off her, completely invisible to everyone but me. She rolled over and groaned as I stared transfixed, locked in a death gaze with the creature. Its pungent spittle dripped from its hissing mouth, while its forked tongue flicked out, sliding roughly against my skin.
I turned my head and whimpered, as its tongue continued to brush against my cheek. My entire body trembled.
Its tongue slurped back into its mouth, as it turned its hungry eyes over to Nina, who was trying to sit up. Her forehead was bleeding where she’d smacked it on a chair when she went down. He slinked over to her, hunkered down like a cat getting ready to pounce on a mouse.
“N-no,” I choked out. “Y-you will not touch her.”
The creature snapped its angry jaws at me, as it eyed me over its shoulder. Its milky white eyes narrowed on me. Someone was going to be its dinner, Nina or me. I could see that by looking into its eyes. It moved back a step, turned back to me, and hunched down, ready to spring. I covered my head, sobbing, as it rushed forward.
I sat frozen waiting for the inevitable pain that would accompany its pointed teeth sinking into my flesh. But the pain never came. It never made contact.
The shadow from my bedroom appeared out of nowhere and drew a weapon—the same sword he used before—and plunged it through the creature’s body. The creature fell with a yip and a whine to the ground. Its body twitched violently until it exploded, leaving nothing but a spot of black on the floor before fading away to nothing but a few bits of ash in the air.
“Ever? Are you OK?” Dylan called out to me.
I gazed up at Shadow, my savior, with wide, frightened eyes. He returned my stare with his own red-eyed gaze. I couldn’t see any part of him but darkness. My lower lip quivered as I remained captivated by him. There were so many unsaid words behind his eyes. So many secrets. So many things that frightened me.
Was he real? Was this happening? I knew him all too well. He’d been in my thoughts, perhaps only a flash, over the past few weeks. I couldn’t count the number of times I’d struggled to remember the night with him when I’d almost died. I’d been trying to make sense of it—of all of it—and had failed miserably. But there he was, staring me down in the school cafeteria, a picture of mystery for my eyes only.
“Ever,” Dylan pulled me to my feet, and I stumbled into him, my eyes still locked on Shadow’s. “We need to get you to the nurse’s office. You hit your head pretty hard.”
“I-I,” I stammered, glancing at Dylan before turning to look back at Shadow who was still standing in the same spot, unmoving. His eyes glared red at me, a heat coming from him that I’d never felt before. Was it anger? Was he going to ram his shadowy blade through my abdomen too, so I could join the creature he’d just killed? He didn’t seem the type to harm me. In fact, out of all the crap I’d been seeing and hearing, he was the only one that didn’t want to kill me or scare me. At least that’s what I felt.
“Come on.” Dylan tugged me away from the stoic shadow, and I looked around to
see that Jax had gotten Nina to her feet. Everyone in the cafeteria looked stunned. Many of them whispered behind their hands, as they looked at me with eyes filled with pity. I allowed him to pull me away, my eyes locked on the very thing I feared but had needed.
Shadow gave me a curt nod before turning on his heel and disappearing through the brick wall of the school cafeteria, his heat retreating with him.
I didn’t dare think that my hallucinations were warring with one another. That was just crazy talk.
Crazy talk from a crazy person.
Chapter Sixteen
Dylan didn’t say anything as he helped me to the nurse’s office. It was just as well. I was speechless, still seeing things slithering along the walls and hearing the growls and wails coming from places my mind couldn’t reach out to. I could only imagine what it would be like if I didn’t have my psych meds. But then, the very real thought of how they were breaking through now hit me. I needed something else to make them go away. Something stronger. And I needed it fast.
But I didn’t want to ask Dr. Brighton for more. I didn’t even want to mention it to him. He hadn’t questioned me much when I’d said I was no longer experiencing the hallucinations. I didn’t want to revisit all that. He’d seemed hopeful and told me things would get better soon. While I appreciated his optimism, he was full of crap. This wasn’t getting better. It was getting worse. Way worse.
“Ever?” Dylan’s soft voice cut through my thoughts, as I huddled even closer to him for the rest of our walk. His arm went around my waist, and I gratefully got closer. His nearness leeched calmness into me as we stopped outside the nurse’s office. I knew I shouldn’t want to feel the comfort of his nearness, but I couldn’t help myself.
“I-I can’t go in there,” I whispered hoarsely, gazing forward, my body stiff with fear and apprehension.
