Short Stories (without happy end)

Alice (part. 3)

When I wake up, I am in a room I don't know. I am alone in the middle of the night. I sit down and get a terrible headache. I get up and examine the room around me. On the bedside table, a glass of water is accompanied by a tube of aspirin and a note saying "You must need it. I swallow a pill and see that my suitcase is at the foot of the bed and is filled with clothes. I choose a simple outfit and look at what is behind each of the two bedroom doors. As I had hoped, a bathroom is there. I take a brief shower and change before heading out to explore this place. It is completely dark and I don't dare to turn on any light. The walls are made of wood, like the ceilings and the floor. I spot that I am on the ground floor thanks to a huge bay window behind which are spread out conifers. The ground floor has nothing else than a room with a bathroom, a kitchen, and a gigantic living room lit by a fireplace. Behind me are some stairs that seem to lead to an upper floor. I decide to go down them to see what's there. At the end of the hallway, a door is ajar. I push it open and find Kyle curled up in his sheets. I approach him and notice that he is muttering incomprehensible words. I run my hand through his hair and start stroking his head. He is sweating and his fists are clenched. I say his name several times and shake him gently. He finally wakes up and I slip into his arms. He hugs me, repeating my name over and over. Alice. Alice. Alice. We stay like this for a long time until his heart stops beating against my chest. Kyle pulls away from me slightly and brings his face closer to mine. He kisses me more and more ardently. His hands roam down my body and mine are clinging to his shoulders like life preservers. I put myself astride him and he takes the opportunity to remove my shirt. I lean towards him and hide my head in his neck. He makes us roll on the side and it is now him who is on me. As always, our night of love passes in the sweetness and the passion.

*       *       *

Dawn has not yet arrived when I am awakened by a loud crash. I rush down the stairs and come upon a scene that, unfortunately, does not surprise me. Several chairs are lying on the floor and Kyle is sitting on the couch with his back arched. His eyes are lost in the flames and he doesn't flinch when I wrap my arms around his shoulders. ''Why?" he asks. ''Why? Why didn't you leave? You can see that I'm ruining your life. I want to keep you for myself and you don't do anything to free yourself from my clutches. It would be enough if you just left. If you left, you could live. So why?" he spouted. ''Why?" his voice breaks. Kyle stands up like an automaton, he seems suddenly taken by a dull and lightning madness. He grabs my arms until they hurt. Something seems to have disappeared, something has gone out of him. He seems broken from the inside. I reach for his face but he pushes me away violently. I know I can't reason with him so I imitate him, I push him away. He comes back to the charge and we begin to fight. ''Why are you here!? You succeed in making me forget my demons and when I am far from you, they are stronger! You are more effective than a drug, you are stronger than my demons. Leave me alone!''
Kyle pushes me harder and I fall on the carpet at the feet of the sofa. I remain a few seconds the glance lost in the flames but I leave my trance when I feel something bubble in my veins. In front of me, the glass of the stove explodes and I have just the time to cover my face before the blast of the explosion throws me back. I feel something on top of me and when I open my eyes, I see Kyle covering me with his body. Around us, the fire is spreading faster and faster, gradually igniting the cabin. ''We have to get out of here.'' The words have barely finished coming out of her mouth when the bay window explodes and the ceiling collapses where it had been a few seconds before. Almost at the same time, the kitchen explodes. We crouch down, me in his arms and him covering me as best he can. ''I'm sorry," he murmurs, holding me tighter. ''If I'm still here, it's because I love you," I manage to say before Kyle has a coughing fit.
I close my eyes and let the heat consume me.

*       *       *

I am standing in the middle of a pool of flames. They lick my body from all sides, whispering my name. They swirl around me, forming a bright halo. I see flaming reflections dancing down my arms. I step on what looks like luminous snow but is not; it is ash mixed with burning embers. I feel myself leaving, I am merging with them, I am becoming a flame. My heart stays here, with him, even though it should never have been there. Nothing matters anymore, I am just reborn, like a phoenix rising from the ashes. I am Alice.