Dead Girls

0. Prologue

This was not how Cassiopeia Henderson thought she would die. Of course, she didn't think about it much, but if she had, she wouldn't have thought of bleeding out in a shitty run-down hotel.

She could barely recall what happened. All she remembered was hearing the gunshot, then feeling something warm and thick trickle down from her chest and the side of her neck. Seeing the small red droplets hit the floor was something she would never forget.

She then remembered running— from what, she did not know, and collapsing in the abandoned Stanthorpe hotel, bleeding out on the dirty floor covered in dust. It was like something from a movie. Except most movies Cassiopeia had seen ended with the protagonist being saved and living.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

The very last thing she could call to mind was the sound of ambulance sirens and the faint red and blue flashing lights outside the window. That was before her vision cut out, as did the noise of the ambulances.

————

'Time of Death: 11:37 a.m.' were the words Cassiopeia heard as she watched her body get pulled away. No! Cassiopeia had wanted to scream. I'm here! I'm- I'm right here; don't leave- but no matter how much she screamed, they just kept leaving. The paramedics left. Everyone left.

Until it was just her, sitting alone in an empty, abandoned room. It was a depressing event, death. So young too. Barely fifteen, but now never aging. Never growing. No kids, no spouse...

‘I can't believe I died before getting drunk,’ muttered Cassiopeia to herself. ‘That's miserable.’

Of course, Cassiopeia had tried to leave. But the moment she got a meter from the shitty run-down hotel, she appeared back in room 13. She assumed this was some tether- keeping her at the scene of her death.

‘What a cruel, goddamn joke.’

————

‘This- this must be some cruel joke,’ sobbed Jamie Cross as the nurses tried to console him. ‘Why- why Sammy? Why my boy?’

‘We did everything we could, Mr. Cross. He's been flatlined for over five minutes now,’ the head nurse said softly. ‘It would take a miracle-’

‘We've got a pulse!’ were the first words Samuel heard as his senses returned. ‘Time of revival is 11:38 a.m.’

Almost immediately, Samuel Cross was engulfed in a hug, his father's face pressing against his shoulder. Tears soaked Samuel's clothes. Though these were not tears of sorrow, nor grief, nor loss. Instead tears of happiness, joy and life.

‘Oh, Sammy,’ Jamie sobbed. ‘I thought- I thought I lost you.’

Never, in Samuel's almost sixteen years of life, had he seen his father cry. Not when they lost their dog. Not when Lila Cross had hit him. Not when Samuel's sister said he hated him. Not even when Lila, Jamie's wife of thirty-seven years, died.

Only now, when his only surviving child almost died.

‘It's okay,’ Samuel whispered, returning his father's embrace. ‘I'm- I'm okay. I'm here. You didn't lose me.’

Jamie continued to cry into Samuel's shoulder, squeezing his son so tight Samuel thought he might flatline again.

Thankfully, he didn't.

The nurses and doctors slowly filed out of the room. Something seemed... different. Odd.

Samuel's eyes flicked across the remaining people- people he had never seen.

‘Who are they?’ asked Samuel, pointing at the strangers with a pale hand. Jamie gave him a look of confusion.

‘What on God's green earth are you talking about, Sammy?’ Jamie asked. ‘There's no one there.’

‘But there is...’

‘It's probably a side effect of the painkillers,’ said Jamie dismissively. ‘Hallucinations.’

‘But-’

‘No buts. It's the painkillers.’

Samuel hesitantly nodded. Maybe his dad was right. It could have just been a result of the painkillers.

Hopefully.

————

That was a year ago, and it definitely was not a side effect. Samuel had actually learned to embrace his new ‘ability’ as he liked to call it.

He had made some friends with the souls, including Marvin and Luke. Jamie had caught him talking to them at times, and Samuel could practically hear the thoughts in Jamie's head. ‘Such a weird quirk.’

————

Unfortunately, it was not the same for Cassiopeia. There was surprisingly few souls at the hotel, perhaps 5 at most. It definitely wasn't anything like the Cecil Hotel.

The hotel had been renovated and was now a tourist attraction. It was so noisy- but then again, it was better than silence.

It made Cassiopeia feel a little sad that no one could see her. It also freaked her out when they walked right through her.

Maybe it was cruel to say, but sometimes Cassiopeia wished that everyone in that hotel would suddenly die. Then maybe she would have someone to talk to, perhaps that nice old lady who brings her 16 cats to the bar every week.

Such a depressing afterlife.

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Written by S.M.F (Soph12660)
Word Count: 810
Published: 25/4/24, 8:32 P.M.