“We both blamed ourselves, but the choice was already out of our hands. Everybody had been given the order to give her space, and that’s exactly what we did. It was not his fault; tell him that, that he helped her in her last moments on this earth.”
No one said a word for what felt like an eternity. Ben sat in silence, his shoulders hunched, and tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked up, staring into Hannah’s eyes, sobbing openly as he did.
“Why are you doing this?” he whispered.
“James is still here,” Hannah explained. “I don’t know how it’s possible, but I can still see him. I’m trying to help him move on, and he was worried about you.”
“Me?” Ben asked, looking around the room, clearly searching for James. “Why me?”
James looked at the beer Ben had left on the side, his closest friend now. He had watched as Ben grew dependent on alcohol, pretending he hadn’t noticed his friend stealing a drink from the flask he kept hidden in his bag.
After the incident, Ben had continued in personal security, denying that Claire’s death had taken any toll on him at all, but James could see through his charade. The girl’s death had broken him in a way that Ben couldn’t even see.
Despite James’ insistence that he wasn’t to blame, Ben had continued to torture himself over the accident.
“Tell him that his reliance on alcohol needs to stop—that he needs to get help. Every drop of the stuff he drinks dishonors my memory; it dishonors Claire’s memory.”
Hannah nodded, repeating James’ words.
“I’m so sorry,” Ben said, searching the room in desperation, seeking out his friend. “I miss you so much. Who’s going to keep me in check now that you’re gone? I can’t bear to say goodbye, not again.”
“You’ll be fine without me,” James said, choking back his own tears. “You have a chance to live, so take it. Don’t let a single moment pass you by. Reach out with both hands and grab it; live a life worthy of us both.”
James forced a smile, trying to keep his emotions in control as he took one last look at him. He knew his words had been enough, that the look on Ben’s face confirmed his friend would remain strong.
His work there was done. All that was left for him to do now was move on. “Goodbye,” James whispered.
Chapter Thirteen
~James~
James walked beside Hannah through the luxurious public gardens, savoring his last moments with the woman. He didn’t know how he knew it, but something would soon come to separate them. It was an instinct that had awoken within him, whispering to him, warning him their time together was coming to an end.
The sun was slowly setting in the darkening sky, casting shadows upon the couple as they walked in silence. A gentle breeze whipped at Hannah’s hair, one that James could no longer feel.
He knew he should have been able to feel the chill of the evening air setting in, but he couldn’t. He was numb, his senses dead. The only thing left was his emotions, something he couldn’t make any sense of.
As he looked at Hannah, a smile forced itself to his lips. The girl was beautiful, graceful in the setting sun. Her long, dark hair shimmered in the failing rays, dancing upon the wind as she moved. Her brown eyes burned with intensity as she peered out from beneath long lashes, staring right through James and into his soul.
Everything about the moment was perfect. They stood alone on the path that led through the gardens, tall trees surrounding them like silent sentinels, watching over them as the moon rose to take the sun’s place in the sky.
“James, what you said today, it really made a difference,” Hannah whispered, taking a step closer to him. “He was lost and broken. You really got through to him.”
James nodded. He was happy he had the chance to set his friend straight, to guide him before any real damage was done, but now he had nothing left, no unfinished business left to attend to.
“Does this mean it’s time for me to leave?” he asked.
Hannah shook her head, a single tear forming in her left eye. “I don’t know,” she answered, taking another step. “I don’t want you to go.”
“I don’t want to go yet,” James admitted. “I feel like we’ve been cheated, given the chance to meet only when it’s too late for us to do anything about it.”
Hannah nodded, pressing her lips together to form a tight, thin line. “I know,” she said. “It doesn’t feel right letting you go. Not yet.”
James smiled at Hannah’s words. He was glad to hear his feelings weren’t purely one sided, that she seemed to feel the same way. “Hannah I…” he began, before something caught his attention.
A chill ran through James, something unnatural coming over him. Slowly, he turned, his eyes scanning the darkening path, searching for the source of his unease.
A tall woman walked towards him, hand in hand with an elderly man. They were both dressed in stylish clothing, the man in a full suit and the woman in a long, black dress.
They stared at James, their eyes glued to him, never looking elsewhere.
“You can talk with the living?” the woman asked, her blonde hair tied back in a bun. “How is this possible?”
The elderly man looked at her and smiled, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “They must be the pair that everyone is talking about,” he said, nodding at Hannah, who stood silently behind James. “You really have caused quite a stir, young man.”
James looked at the pair, confused, questions racing within his mind. “Who is everyone?” he asked.
The woman looked at the man, subtly shaking her head, a desperate attempt to force him into silence.
“You have so much to learn,” the man began, ignoring the woman’s warning. “You have upset the balance, and soon they will be coming.”
“Who?” James demanded, anger boiling up within him.
The pair fell silent—each of them staring off into the distance, seeing something he could not. Before he could ask them any more questions, they vanished, leaving him alone with Hannah, who had watched the exchange, never seeing the pair.
“We need to go,” James whispered, unable to shake the feeling they were being watched.
As they began to retreat, he watched the shadows, searching for a threat but finding none. Although he couldn’t see anything, he knew something was there, watching them, hunting them.
Chapter Fourteen
~Hannah~
Hannah was determined to find the answers they needed. She had taken some time to come around to the idea that James was real and now that she accepted the truth, she wasn’t prepared to let him go. She didn’t know what it was she was feeling, but she found happiness in his presence, something she knew she was selfish to feel.
“Why are you still looking?” she heard James ask from the sofa.
Hannah scowled over her shoulder at him. Ever since the exchange earlier in the evening, James had been mostly silent, clearly afraid of what the pair had said. He had slumped into the sofa, resigning himself to a fate she refused to surrender to.
“Should I give up just like you have then?” she demanded.
James shrugged. She couldn’t believe his attitude—how casual he was about what was coming.
“What use is there worrying about it?” he asked. “We know that something is coming, whether it is good or bad, there really isn’t much we can do about it. You tried, and for that, I’m grateful.”
“I’m not giving in,” Hannah argued. “There has to be someone who can tell us more about what is happening to you.”
James shook his head, standing up from where he sat, walking towards her. He knelt down so they were level, looking into her eyes.
“It’s out of our hands,” he whispered. “Let’s just enjoy this time together while we can. What will be… will be. I’m dead. We both need to accept that, and that something is coming to take me away.”
She looked into his eyes, feeling her emotions overflowing. A tear broke free, running down her cheek. She kn
ew it wasn’t an appropriate time to ask, but she couldn’t help herself. “What did the lady mean when she spoke about love?” she asked.
She saw the shock in James’ eyes once again, the fear and confusion mixing. She needed to know how he felt, needed to know if he felt the same way she did.
What she was feeling then was different from anything she had ever felt before. She found herself wanting James to hold her in his strong arms, to feel the warmth of his body, to never let him go. She wanted to protect him, to stay with him every moment of every day, despite how impossible it was. She was falling for him.
“It was nothing,” he answered, standing up and walking away. “She was clearly confused.”
Hannah stood up, following James, her temper getting the better of her. She knew he was hiding his feelings from her. He had been about to say something before being interrupted by the ghosts, about to admit how he really felt.
“Be honest,” she said. “I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”
James turned on her, his eyes dark with anger. She felt the temperature of the room drop, the scowl on James’ face causing her to stop where she was.
“What does it matter how I’m feeling?” he demanded. “They will come and take me away soon, so what I want, what I feel… it doesn’t matter anymore!”
Hannah could feel her heart breaking for James. She had pushed him to be honest, and she could see the pain he was feeling. “It matters to me,” she whispered, taking a step closer to him.
James raised his hands, taking a step back and shaking his head. “You deserve so much more than this,” he said, tears staining his cheeks.
She watched as he turned away from her, walking towards the door. Reaching out, she wanted to tell him how she felt, that it didn’t matter what she deserved. She wanted to tell him that the only thing she wanted was him, but she was too late. James was gone.
Chapter Fifteen
~James~
James walked blindly down the street, not truly concentrating on where he was going. He was angry, not with Hannah, but with himself. He had acted childishly, afraid of his own emotions and scared of what awaited him, lashing out because of this.
He didn’t know if what he felt was really love, but he knew it was a powerful emotion. Whenever he looked at Hannah, he felt something building up within him, something that chased away the terror he felt. When she was by his side, his death no longer mattered. He wanted nothing else but another minute with her.
Now he had ruined any chance he had with her, losing control and pushing her away. He knew that she cared for him, maybe more than he did for himself. She was kind, gentle, and caring. All of those things making her even more beautiful to him.
When she looked at him, she made him feel as though he were the only man in the world. The fact that she couldn’t feel him didn’t bother her; she was able to look past that. She was a truly inspirational person.
He stopped for a moment, looking around at the people walking down the street. The sun was setting, casting shadows as friends and couples walked side by side.
A group of young men walked out of a nearby pub, howling with laughter, preparing for a night out together. A middle-aged couple walked towards him, hand in hand, speaking in hushed tones as they looked lovingly into each other’s eyes.
They all went about their own business without a care in the world, enjoying life, never truly appreciating how soon it could be stripped from them. He had never stopped to look at his own life, never been thankful for what he had, and now it was over. He wished he could do it all again.
James carried on walking, fighting back the sadness he felt. Stepping onto the road, he turned left and walked towards a large bridge ahead. He had crossed this same bridge a number of times when he was alive, crossing to get to the train station that lay just beyond the town walls.
He stopped in the middle, turning to stare out over the river. The last rays of the sun danced across the water’s surface, shimmering brightly like a thousand sparkling diamonds. The view would have been breathtaking if he still needed to breathe, another thing he had never stopped to appreciate.
Below, one of the river tour boats passed by, the red and white colors standing out against the deep water. Small bulbs flickered to life as the lamps were lit, the passengers observing the buildings as the boat sailed along the river.
James turned away, leaning against the railing of the bridge and facing the other side. He was lost in thought, torn in two by his emotions. He knew he couldn’t waste another minute, that he needed to apologize to Hannah, but he didn’t even know where to start.
Before he could come clean to her about how he felt, he needed to be honest with himself. He needed to admit what he was really feeling.
“Have you lost your mummy too?” a child’s voice asked.
James looked down to where the voice had come from and saw a small boy who looked to be no older than five.
The boy stared up at him through his big, brown eyes, his fine blond hair disheveled and out of place. He looked tiny, his clothes too big for him.
“You can see me?” James asked, unable to keep the surprise from his voice.
The little boy nodded eagerly, smiling up at James. “Yep, should I not be able to?” the boy asked.
James didn’t reply immediately. As he looked at the boy, he noticed something odd about him, something unnatural. It was the way the child held himself, the way he spoke, as though he were far older than he appeared.
“How can you see me?” James asked finally. “Who are you?”
“You are filled with so many questions,” the boy replied. “I could answer them all if I wished, but I shall start with the easiest. I am like you, one whose death did not fit the plan, and because of that, we are left behind.”
“My death didn’t fit the plan?” James asked curiously. “I wasn’t meant to die that day?”
The child shook his head. “No, it wasn’t your time, but it was hers, and you interrupted that. You broke their plan.”
The words hit James like a fist. It had been Hannah’s time. Suddenly, he recalled the old woman’s words, that he was safe, but they were still coming. They weren’t coming for him at all.
“It’s not me they are coming for, is it?” he asked, terrified by the answer.
“Of course not,” the boy replied, his tone one of amusement. “They have no business with you. You broke their plan, and they intend to fix it. They will be coming soon.”
“Who are they?” James asked, panic seeping in. “How can I stop them?”
The boy looked at him, his smile disappearing from his face. “It’s too late,” he whispered. “They are already here.”
Before James could ask another question, the boy vanished, disappearing into thin air, leaving James alone with his fear. They were here already, coming to take Hannah away from him. He had been stupid to leave her alone.
Chapter Sixteen
~Hannah~
Hannah left her flat behind, leaving in search of James. She didn’t even know where to begin looking for him, but she knew she had to find him.
After their argument, she had felt awful for pushing James to open up to her. She had been so desperate to know if he felt the same way that she had acted out of character. She knew he was hurting, that he was confused, but she had still pressed him.
She knew the real reason was because of her own fear. Secretly, she had admitted to herself that their days together were numbered, that the clock was quickly counting down. James had died. His final days would soon be over, and before that happened, she had to speak to him, to let him know how she felt about him.
Hannah stepped out onto the street, quickly walking in the direction of the town center. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, a storm raging within her. Her heart was thundering in her chest, her heels clacking loudly against the cobbled street.
Every moment since her accident had been like some surreal dream, none of it truly making sense. The only thing
she was sure about now was that she loved James. She loved everything about him. She felt foolish admitting that, as she had only known him for a handful of days after all, but it was the truth.
If she had the power to turn back the clock and switch places with him, she would have without a second thought. He was kind and caring, with more to give to the world than he knew. She could see that his mistake in the past had left him scarred, afraid to truly embrace the world, but deep down, she knew he had so much to offer, so much that she had taken away.
Her carelessness had led to his death. If she had been more cautious, none of this would have happened, but then, they never would have met.
She had only walked a few minutes from her flat when she saw a young boy walking towards her, his expression one of fear. She stopped, kneeling so that she could see the boy’s face more clearly.
“Are you ok?” she asked.
The boy shook his head, tears spilling from his eyes. Her heart broke for him. He was clearly lost, looking for his parents.
“Where are your parents?” she asked, hoping to find out more information. “When did you last see them?”
The boy stopped shaking his head, standing frozen in place as he looked up at her. He began to shudder, peering from side to side, before looking back up at her.
“They are coming,” he whispered, his words turning Hannah’s blood to ice in her veins.
She looked up to where the boy now pointed and saw three men walking towards her, their faces drowned out by shadows. They moved quickly, their limbs blurring unnaturally, as they stalked towards her.
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