by Jay Sharman
Julian suggested, ‘Cohen, you could see the similarities based on the mole but that does not confirm that they are the same people.’
Cohen moved nearer to them again and showed Sally’s photograph again. ‘Look it looks similar to Nicki.’
‘What do you want from me?’ shouted Nicki.
Cohen moved away from both of them and said, ‘Oh my dear, I want you to come and join me in a different world. I have waited for you for so many years and the time for our union has come. Come to me, my darling.’
Nicki only saw Cohen’s white and expressionless face. The eyes had no sparkle.
Cohen raised his hand towards both of them and then ordered Julian, ‘Bring Sally to me.’ Julian pushed Nicki behind him and wrapped his arms around her and within few seconds Julian’s eyes had changed to red and his hair rose in a vertical line on top of his head, his breathing became faster, the colour of his face turned red like that of a volcano and his grip on Nicki tightened.
Julian felt like a slave to Cohen and he started to drag Nicki towards the gallows. Nicki put her feet on the ground firmly but could not match Julian’s increased strength.
Nicki shouted from the top of her voice and tried to free herself from his tight grip by moving his body from side to side. ‘Julian, what are you doing? This is me Nicki, your lover. Why are you taking me to Cohen? You are supposed to protect me and not destroy me.’
Julian just looked on to the side and kept on pushing Nicki towards the gallows. Cohen burst with laughter, the echoes of that could be heard all over the room.
He raised his hands in the air and whispered, Sally, Julian is under my control now. He can't hear you anymore. He will do whatever I will tell him. That is how he helped me to kill three Greens. He tied the rope on their necks and with increased strength empowered by me, he lifted them up with his hands and then hanged them.’ Ha, Cohen started to laugh even louder.
He looked at Julian across the floor, who was still trying to drag Nicki towards the gallows with his hands. Cohen continued, ‘Julian did not remember anything afterwards and police thought that Julian had killed them but could not find any evidence of his DNA at the crime scenes. So police could not prosecute him. Ha, ha. He is still useful to me.’
Nicki tried to bite Julian’s hands with her teeth and shouted while looking at Cohen ‘You are a murderer. You will be punished by God soon. Why do you use Julian? Leave him alone’
Cohen laughed as he tried to touch Nicki ‘I will finish both of you now as I do not want anybody to know about my existence, otherwise they will send a priest inside here to finish me off.’
Nicki looked at Julian who was motionless and stood in front of Cohen like a statue with his eyes focussed to the floor and waiting for next instructions from his master. She whispered, ‘So you are scared of God. If Jesus Christ is listening to my prayers, then he will come for my rescue.’
‘Ha ha, ha,’ Cohen started to laugh again. ‘Nobody can save you now.’
Nicki had already reached near the gallows. Nicki shouted again, ‘Julian, wake up, this is me Nicki. You do not know what you are doing now.’ Nicki tried to slap Julian’s face, but could not reach there. ‘Wake up Julian, think of God. You go to church every Sunday. Think of Jesus, he will come for your rescue. You do not have to follow a ghost’s instructions. Wake up, Julian.’
But there was no response from Julian. His face was like a red stone with colour of his eyes glowing with lava and completely expressionless. He kept on dragging Nicki to the top of the gallows, where a rope and a black cloth was lying on the floor.
Nicki was finally dragged to part of the gallows, that was covered by a piece of wood and underneath there was a drop of about fifteen feet. Nicki started to struggle and push Julian away. She realised that Julian was of no help for her, as he was under the magical effects of Cohen.
Cohen’s laughter became louder and louder, which frightened Nicki even more. Suddenly Cohen stopped laughing, and it was replaced by a pin drop silence. Cohen moved forward and said, ‘Sally, look at this place and that is where I was hanged all those years ago. I pleaded and I begged for mercy again and again, but nobody listened to me. At the time of my hanging, I had your photograph in my pocket. I will now put my photograph in your pocket and then you will die the same way as I did and then after your death, we both will be one and would be together for ever. ha ha’
Nicki cried with tears rolling from her eyes, she folded her hands together and pleaded, ‘Please do not do this to me. I am not Sally. I am Nicki and I belong to somebody else. I am of no use to you.’
Cohen shouted, ‘Julian, tie a rope on Sally’s hands and then a rope on her neck. I do not want to cover her face, as I want to see her die in front of me.’
Julian moved forward towards Nicki with a rope in his hands. Nicki did not have enough strength to resist and Julian managed to tie one hand with the rope. Then suddenly Nicki gave a kick on Julian’s groin area, which sent Julian flying to the floor.
Nicki saw a small cross of Jesus fall from Julian’s pocket that he often used for his Sunday services in the church. Nicki jumped forward to get hold of the cross. She dragged her body quickly forward and managed to get that in her right hand.
She twisted her body sideways and then pointed the cross towards Cohen, who started to shake vigorously and pleaded, ‘Take it away, come on take cross away from me. Sally put it down on the floor and come to me.’
Sally instead moved forward towards Cohen but within seconds, he disappeared from the scene. Nicki then showed the cross to Julian who fell to the floor.
Nicki went to Julian, ‘Come on Julian, let us run away from here before Cohen comes back. Be quick on your feet but Julian’s eyes went rolling backwards and forwards.
Sally felt that it was better if she left Julian on the floor and seek help from outside. She ran towards the exit door, that was still half open and came out of the gallows into the corridor of the wing. Nicki rushed towards the central gate, which had access to all the wings. As Nicki was running and screaming Greg came out of his cell and asked, ‘What is the matter?’
Nicki looked back at Greg and pointed toward the gallows and used her sign language to point to Greg that Julian was inside the door and he must go there and help him.
Greg being a macho towering man rushed towards the gallows, ‘Where is Julian?’ asked Greg.
Suddenly the door towards the gallows opened and Cohen was standing and smiling there. His face was white and eyes expressionless.
Greg felt a gush of cold air and his steps started to move towards Cohen, who whispered ‘Come on Greg, come inside. I have been waiting for you for a very long time.’
Greg felt a sense of fright running through his spine, and whole of his body froze but despite his resistance, he could not stop his steps to move forward. The doors closed behind him. Greg saw Julian standing near the gallows with a rope in his hands.
Cohen’ laughter filled the air again and asked loudly. ‘Greg, do you remember me. You hanged me here more than seventy years ago.’
Greg looked stunned and still struggling to breathe. His pupils constricted with colour of his face turning pale, he asked, ‘Who are you and what do you want? I have never come to this place before. You must have confused me with somebody else.’
Cohen looked towards Julian and then back at Greg to say, ‘You were the executioner at that time right here. I begged you to delay my execution and asked you to be gentle and kind, but instead you gave me a painful death.’
Greg folded his hands in front of him to plead to Cohen ‘Look, I do not remember anything. I must have been following orders of my superiors. Look, I do not believe in past births. You must be confused, please, let me go now.’
Cohen screamed at the top of his voice, ‘I have my orders too, Greg, your three friends have already joined me and now it is your turn. Nothing can stop me now. You are mine. Come to me’
Greg after hearing his friends name ran towards Cohen, who wa
s standing near the gallows next to Julian.
Cohen stepped back and ordered to Julian, ‘Tie him up Julian with ropes.’
Julian was standing like a statue with a rope in his hands and eyes focussed to the floor, awaiting the instructions of his master. His body and mind was lost somewhere else. Although, he had achieved supernatural powers, yet his actions were controlled by Cohen.
Greg was much taller and stronger than Julian, but despite that, Julian’s strength had grown to an enormous proportion. He was able to hold Greg like a little baby and tie the rope on his wrists by folding his hands behind him.
Greg shouted, ‘What are you doing, Julian? Leave me alone. You are crazy. I am not the same person. Please let me go.’
Cohen smiled as he looked at Julian to say ‘They all say the same thing. Even I begged to you that I am not guilty. Do not hang me, but you did not listen to me and why should I listen to you now.’
Greg felt like a helpless goat cramped in a cage. Tears started to roll from his eyes. He bent forward to mutter, ‘I beg you. Let me go. I do not believe in re-births. I can’t pass on any comments to anything that you have just said. I am not the same person. Please let me go’
Cohen laughed again. ‘I like it. I pleaded just like that all those years ago, but you did not listen to me. Do you have a last wish, before you die? I will fulfil that like you allowed me to keep a picture of my girlfriend, Sally in my pocket. Do you have any girlfriend?’
Greg fell on to the floor with his knees bent and said, ‘I do not have any wish, because I do not want to die. You have to let me go. Julian, come on, what is the matter with you. You are a doctor and supposed to save lives. You should not listen to this ghost.’
Cohen’s laughter became louder, ‘Greg, you are going to become a ghost soon as well. I would introduce you to other ghosts, who have been hanged here. Look at the ceiling. Your three friends are smiling and calling you. They are feeling lonely without you. Are not you going to join them?’
Greg looked at the ceiling and said, ‘I can’t see anybody there, please let me go.’
Cohen’s voice suddenly became stiff and harsh and he shouted, ‘Julian, put the noose around his neck. We have not got much time as other people might come here anytime.
Just at that moment, they heard a knock on the door as the priest from the Chaplin along with prison officer Mike Jackson and DC Lewis were knocking on the door. They were joined by other prison officers. ‘Open the door.’ shouted Jackson.
Julian quickly put the noose around Greg’s neck and tightened the knot by pulling the rope towards him.
Cohen walked towards Greg and said, ‘I am not going to give you a painful death and will adjust the drop according to your weight.’
Greg tried to pull the rope away from his neck with his hands, but the noose was too tight to shift. He folded his hands to plead to Cohen, ‘Let me go, please. You will not achieve anything by killing me.’
The bangs on the door by both Jackson and Lewis became louder and louder, but the door did not open. Jackson turned the keys around many times but it did nothing. Lewis asked two prison officers to bring a metal bar to break the door as all the attempts to open it had failed.
Greg’s eyes were getting tightly closed and darkness appeared in front of them and he dared not to open them in case the lever was pulled. His hands were free, but he could not do anything with them. He took few short and shallow breaths as he could hear his heart beats quite loud. From a distance, he saw Jackson and Lewis standing outside the door.
For a moment, his hopes were raised as he was confident that they were his last hope. He started to pray to God. ‘Jesus, save me. Forgive me for my sins. I will become a good person if I am given another chance.’
Cohen shouted at Julian, ‘Julian pull the lever now. I cannot wait any longer. Let us do it now before these officers come inside.’ Julian looked at Cohen with few drops of perspiration on his frowned forehead and he nodded with his head. Julian moved a step forward and with one jerk, pulled the lever down.
Within a split second, Greg was hanging by the rope, but he managed to put one of his foot on the top of the broken wood. The noose was tightening around his neck and he could feel that the air’s entry into his lungs was getting less and less. The darkness was increasing in front of his eyes and he knew that it was a question of a few seconds before his soul would depart from his body.
Suddenly, the doors plunged open and the priest started to run towards Cohen with a cross of Jesus in his hands. Lewis followed him with a gun in his hand pointing towards Cohen. Priest shouted, ‘you devil. Go away from here and leave these poor people alone. Jesus Christ will punish you. Go now.’
Suddenly Cohen put his arms in front of his face to neutralize the powerful effects of the cross. He started to move backwards towards the corner of the wall. Lewis ran forward to hold Greg from falling in the pit below. He quickly loosened the noose around Greg’s neck. He could still feel his pulse and hear faint breathing sounds.
Jackson opened the knots of the rope on Greg’s neck and put him to the floor. Greg was given CPR and first aid by the rest of the team.
Priest moved towards Cohen and a glow of light emitted from the cross towards Cohen, who found the bright light too painful to handle. He shouted at the priest with his hands in front of his face, ‘Father, please put that cross away from me. What do you want from me?’
Priest whispered, ‘I want you to be released from this prison. You need help. You do not belong to this world. You need to be hanged properly, which will set your soul free forever.’
Cohen looked at Greg, whose breathing was getting better and his face started to show some colour. He whispered, ‘No, I am already dead. I do not want to be hanged again.’
Priest stepped forward slowly with cross held by his extended right hand, he muttered, ‘Come here, my child. You need help. Do not be afraid. I will set you free from here. Come here, my child.’
Cohen started to move backwards but was stopped by the wall. In the meantime Greg started to cough and his breathing became more regular.
Priest shouted at Cohen, ‘Come here you devil, where are you running now?’
Cohen pleaded, ‘Take that cross away. I do not like it.’
Priest moved towards the left to stand few feet away from Cohen and said, ‘No, I would not do that. You can’t escape now. You need to be freed from this imprisonment in the gallows. You were not hanged properly last time, but now let us do that for you. Come here, my child. Do not be afraid. Come to me, slowly and slowly.’
Cohen seemed to be listening very attentively, while leaning against the wall. He asked, ‘Why do I need to be hanged again? I am already dead.’
Priest looked into the hollowness of Cohen’s eyes and said, ‘You are only half dead. Cohen, at the moment, you belong neither here nor there. Come forward and stand on the gallows.’
The priest’s power was so overwhelming that Cohen felt difficult to resist his commands and started to take small strides towards the gallows.
The cross was still shining on Cohen’s eyes and he was trying to protect them with his hands.
Greg had opened his eyes completely and asked, ‘What happened? Where am I? Am I dead or alive?’
Jackson gave Greg his hand to help him to sit down.
Julian was still sanding like a statue near the gallows. He was just gazing on the ceiling trying to figure out that why he was standing there.
Priest moved towards Julian to put his hand on his forehead and said, ‘Julian, why are you standing like this? We need your help. You are still under the supernatural effects of Cohen, so you are in a better position to handle Cohen. Wake up my child. We need you doctor’
Julian suddenly responded with few jerks of his body, his hands moved backwards, and his eyes opened wide as if he had just woken up from a dream. He looked at the priest and then around the room at other people standing there. He asked while rubbing his eyes with his hands, ‘What do you wan
t me to do?’ asked Julian.
Father still had Cross in his hands pointing towards Cohen, he looked at Julian to say, ‘I want you to tie a rope on Cohen’s hands, then cover his face with a black cloth.’
DC Lewis interrupted by stepping forward, ‘Father, Cohen is a ghost and does not have any hands. How can we tie him?’
Father whispered, ‘Son, you will be surprised to know that Cohen can be tied like anybody else. We then need to put a noose around his neck, as he needs to be hanged properly. Cohen, I want you to walk towards the gallows slowly. Come on my child, do it now.’
Cohen tried to look at the priest through the gaps of his hands and asked, ‘Father, I am already dead. Why do you want me to be hanged second time?’
‘My child, you were not hanged properly last time and that is why your spirit is still wandering here. You have been restless all these years and now peace will come to you, my child. Come on walk towards the gallows now.’
Cohen started to take small steps towards the gallows slowly without raising his eyes away from the floor, he then stepped up to the top of the gallows and just stood there next to Julian, who tied his hands behind his back with a rope.
Priest then kept on flashing the cross towards Cohen that dazzled his eyes and he found it difficult to keep them open. Priest shouted, ‘Come on Julian, hurry up and put a black cloth on his face.’
Cohen shrugged away, ‘No, I do not want my face covered. It is not nice to face darkness’
Priest staggered towards one side of the gallows and said, ‘No Cohen, we must cover your face otherwise, your eyes will keep looking at these gallows, and that will prevent you from leaving this place permanently and you will keep on wandering here in this prison like before.’
Julian put a cloth to cover Cohen’s face and then took the noose from Greg to put on Cohen’s neck.
Greg stood up and said, ‘Let me put this noose on this bastard’s neck. He has killed all of my friends. I must hang this evil man with my hands’
