Eclipse

Chapter 10

Time: Does it really matter any more?

Place: Jeremy's personal hell.

The man who was Jeremy's grandfather sat up on the operating table and started coughing. He looked down at his stomach to see the gaping hole, it began to close and heal itself. 

"Oh holy lord, thank you for the gift of life" came a horse and old voice. "Thank you for healing this deathly wound in my body so I may return amongst the living and spread your gospel." 

He looked around the room and when he saw Jeremy standing there, his eyes widened and a a smile spread across his face. 

"Young man" he addressed Jeremy, "I recognize you". He coughed some more blood up sending it spraying through the room. His wound almost fully closed now. 

"I haven't seen you in many..." he stopped by another round of coughing. 

"Years" Jeremy finished. "You're supposed to be dead. Why are you here, in this place, alive?" Jeremy backed away to one of the walls behind him, looking for anything of use, anything at all. 

"Why do you stay away from your grandfather like this? you're making me unsettled boy" His voice clearer now, still hoarse like that of an old man, with a small southern accent. 

A primal fear gripped Jeremy, each time he saw his grandfather was dreadful. Each time he was forced to "spend time" with him and each time the experience hurt him deeper and deeper, engraining a sense of terror in him. The last time, he had almost died. Now his grandfather was hear and wondering why his grandson was backing away. 

Robert turned and slid off the table, his legs giving out and falling to the floor. His muscles were atrophied from being dead so long.  He grimaced and started to pull himself off using the table for support.  

"Jeremy, I love you and only want to hold you. It feels as if it's been so long since I saw you. God has given me another chance to cleanse your soul to come to heaven with me." 

"You shouldn't be here" Was all Jeremy could stammer out. 

"What do you mean? You don't have the right to tell me that. My load has given me the right to be here, now, with you, we want you to return with us to the promised land" 

Robert seemed to pause for a minute, he seemed to be getting aggravated that his legs weren't working that well.  Then his arms, that were propping him up to the table gave out and he toppled to the floor again.  His head twisted in an unnatural manner and he looked at Jeremy from the floor. 

"Why is this happening to me" He asked as he started to get up again. This time he seemed to be a little quicker in his recovery.  

Jeremy started gripping his chain whip with greater intensity, knowing that he was going to have to strike. "Grandfather, please let me pass and leave." His tone was as respectful as possible as to not invoke the other persona, however, he took a more threatening stance. 

Robert seemed to notice this as he was able to stand up fully now without support. He seemed to ponder his thoughts for a moment.  

"Oh I see, you're the reason I'm here, but not in the way I thought." His grin turned from friendly to fiendish. His eyebrows narrowing. 

"You made me like this didn't you?" he asked, his tone darkening. 

"You let them give me that medicine that made me sleep for eons and eons it felt like." 

"Do you know what my dreams were Jeremy" His voice harsh and ugly now.

"JEREMY!" he yelled. "Do you have ANY idea what I experienced?"