Living Dead

Chapter 1

"Are you sure it was a good idea?" Vivien Harmon spoke, who had joined Constance in explaining me that I was basically dead and my spirit was trapped in the house for all eternity.

"Of course, we are going to take care of this poor creature but she has to get used to it, sooner or later, and I prefer it to be sooner because today I am not feeling patient." Constance replied.

I was petrified, I felt fear, confusion, anger... my body did not react to it, because it did not even have a heartbeat or lungs receiving air. I was living dead.

"Sweetie, do you want some space?" Vivien asked me sweetly.

"I was going to start my new job tomorrow." It was the first thing I said. "I didn't even finish unpacking." Luckily, I could allow myself to cry, it would be horrible to be dead and not be able to get it out somehow.

"I know, many of us here had a whole life ahead of us... my daughter Violet won't even go to college." She comforted me, rubbing my back.

I was a lawyer, a very good one, I must say, despite being very young, I had already won a couple of cases and my name was beginning to acquire its prestige. If I moved from New York to Los Angeles it was because I received an offer to fill a very important position available at Baldino Law Inc.

The person who sold me the house warned me about the people who died there, I thought it was just an urban legend, or it was habited by some kind of serial killer, whatever it was, I didn't care, I wanted to buy the house for its amazing architecture and next thing I knew, I was a ghost, and all my dreams, my goals, my aspirations went to shit.

Damn, I didn't even fall in love, not even once. I had always said that I would focus on my studies and when I started working, all I wanted to do was that, work, because I loved my job.

"Tell me I can at least talk to my family." I asked Vivien.

She let out a sigh.

"We don't have Wi-Fi, we had it when we were alive, but you know... we didn't make money because we didn't go to work and therefore they uninstalled the router."

But I had data! Damn, I had data!

I ran to get my cell phone and dialed the number of my parents, my lovely parents, I hoped they would believe me.

"Dad!" I exclaimed, as soon as I heard my father pick up the phone. "I love you dad! Fuck!"

He giggled.

"I love you too, daughter, but what about you? Everything okay?" He asked.

"No, I died six hours ago, I don't know if they will find my body, I only know that it is buried in the backyard." I snapped. "Before my data runs out, I want to tell you that I love you both."

And instead of even asking me to at least explain, he burst out laughing.

"Oh shit, did you buy drugs as soon as you arrived?" He inquired. "You broke a record, you know I hate you taking drugs but from here we can't do anything about it... don't take drugs, kiddo."

Yes, I was taking drugs, since I started college, they were all junkies, and what started as a curiosity, ended as an addiction. I put down a couple, and was starting to clean myself of others, but all of that no longer mattered. Nothing mattered.

"I swear on my life I did not take drugs of any kind, please Google my name in a few days and you will see that I am not lying." I tried to persuade him. "I have to go."

I hung up the phone.

I took my credit card and bought a data package online, the most extensive I could find, I had to make the most of the few days I had left before they found out that I was missing or dead, because when that happened, I was going to lose access to my credit card.

For the next three hours, I was watching some movies with Violet Harmon, who had introduced herself a little after I had turned on my computer to marathon the series that I had left pending, anyway, I had nothing else to do.

I heard the front door close, and I thought it was Constance who had done the gardening not too long ago.

"Shit, you never get used to the energy in this house." I heard a familiar voice.

And that's when it hit me...

No fucking way!

Was it... Billie Dean Howard?