Dont Look Back

The sun blazed relentlessly at the highest most point of the sky. Before me was a dirt and gravel road that stretched out for miles, not a single bump or curve in sight. On each side of the road rested quiet meadows with uncut grass and unplucked weeds. Bugs not visible bit and bothered. It was a foul road indeed.

There was little here but my thoughts, but when I tried, I failed to recall exactly what brought me here. In fact, I wasn't sure were I had been beforehand. Time seemed nonexistent in this place, and with a glance at my watch, it appeared my suspicions were correct. Time, in fact, did not exist here. The large hand did not move even after surely a minute. Perhaps it was broken. That was the realistic answer after all.
I must have come from somewhere, I nodded my head affirmatively, and turned to the scene behind me, or lack there of. The space behind me was black and empty almost like a wall. I stumbled in the gravel my eyes wide open and bulging. This was not a normal place.

"You know, sir, they say its bad luck to look back once you've begun." A high pitched voice come from my left and startled me.

It was a young boy, maybe 8, dressed nicely in a coat and tie like some sort of child detective.
" And who may you be, young man?" I squatted to the boy's level and he shot me a look of un amusement. I rose again flustered.
"What is your name, sir? My mother says its bad to talk to strangers." The child spoke once more. My name? What was my name? I couldn't remember. Who, actually, was I?

"No matter, sir. We have to go, sir."

The child turned away and began down the path at a pace far too fast for a child and i had to jog just to keep up. Who was this kid anyway? Why was he alone here? But this question went both ways.

"Why are we here, kid? Where did we come from?" I asked the child panting, reaching out and grabbing his shoulder.

Wait— that wasn't right. My hand was not on the child's shoulder now, it was at my side. I had never reached out in the first place. Why was this happening? I was sure I just put out my arm.

"Listen, kid, I dont know whats going on, but I need to leave. This place is strange."

The kid stopped abruptly. "You cant leave here, sir. There's just no way, sir."

The kid then turned around slowly, his face different than before. His face had morphed into a woman's. She was beautiful and young and somehow familiar looking. "What is—"

"You don't remember me, Daddy?" The morphed face spoke.

"No. I dont know who you are. I dont understand what is going on!"

"Dont you remember this place? Dont you remember the accident?"

Memories crashed over me like a ten foot tall wave. I did remember her and I remembered this place. Once again I could see that cold bitter night.

Wailing was heard from behind me, my daughter and my wife. I was not gravely hurt, but I couldn't bring myself to turn around and look. I was in no condition to move or get help even if I could even find it. Blood had splattered the scene like rain and a horse laid dead beside its carriage. The wailing trailed off eventually, after who knows how long. It almost felt like time did not exist then.

I dont know what death is like, but if I had to guess, its something like that. Misery.

"Dont look back, okay?" The young boy had appeared again looming over me with a pitiful look on his face. "Back there, behind you, is a scene you dont want to see."

Just like that, the scene vanished and the road was empty once again.

"Do you get it now, sir? Do you know what this place is now, sir?"

I did not answer the boy.

"This place is your mind. Surely you know what that means, sir."

"It means," My body wavered threatening to collapse. "It means I cant escape."
Not my beloved daughters death and not my wifes.
Suddenly it all made sense. Everything that had happened up until now, I finally understood it all.

"You're very right kid, I cant escape the fact my family died but that does not mean I cant escape this place- this road. This place ive created in my mind."

Thats right, everything around me right now did not exist. Not the gravel beneath my feet or the boy before me. All of this was simply my own imagination, a world I created in desperation to escape.

"The world is cruel. The world is bitter. The world is not nice at all, but id rather live in the real world than a fake one, because the world where they existed is the one I want to be in."

The boy tilted his head with a confused yet pleased look on his face. "Look back, sir."

And so I did.

The black wall that had been there before was gone and in its place my daughter and wife laid, covered in blood and cold and dead. It was a depressing sight, one that you dont ever truly recover from.

"But still i'm glad." I clasped my hand around my daughters'. "Im glad I had the chance to meet both of you."

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AN:
This is my first published short story so I hope if anyone reads this that you enjoyed!
Please let me know if I made any grammar or punctuation mistakes as they're not my strong points.
:)