The Apparition || Bad Omens || Noah Sebastian

Chapter seventeen

Noah stood still, his heart pounding against his chest. The echo of his words seemed to reverberate around the room, bouncing off the walls, as Ruby stared at him, shocked.

"Someone... killed me?" Ruby whispered, as though grasping the thought for the first time.

"That's what the police think. They're investigating."

The tension was palpable, almost suffocating. Noah could see Ruby's face tighten, her once dark eyes now filled with fear. Her ethereal body seemed to tremble, and in that moment, the air in the room shifted. The lights started flickering, as if an electrical disturbance was coursing through the space.

"Ruby..." Noah began, but he didn't have time to finish. Before he could say another word, an object moved on its own in the corner of the room. A book, which had been on the shelf, was hurled to the floor with force. Then another, and another. Chaos erupted around them: the curtains swayed with no breeze, the desk lamp tilted violently, and Noah had to step back to avoid a candle falling off the bedside table.

Ruby was caught in a whirlwind of uncontrollable rage, and she seemed unaware of it. "It's not fair!" she screamed. "Why me, damn it! I... I don't deserve this!" Her voice resonated with a terrifying force that filled the room, echoing even within Noah's bones.

"Ruby, stop!" Noah shouted, trying to make himself heard over the clatter of things breaking and moving by themselves.

But Ruby was too consumed by anger. Her transparent hands clenched into fists, and the room seemed to respond to her commands. Noah ducked to avoid a picture frame flying towards him, feeling the tension rising. "Who could have done this?" Ruby screamed, her face distorted by pain and frustration. "I can't stay here... trapped... like this!"

Noah cautiously approached her, trying not to frighten her further. "Ruby, please, listen to me. I'll help you. We'll find the truth together, but you need to calm down first. We can't do anything if we lose control."

His voice seemed to have no effect on her, so he tried to speak again, but a lightbulb shattered before his eyes. Noah cried out in pain as a shard pierced his hand.

His cry of pain finally seemed to reach her. Ruby froze, her large, desperate eyes filling with tears. Everything around them stilled, as if the world had held its breath. She collapsed to her knees, or at least tried to, since her body always seemed to float slightly. "Noah, I'm sorry... I hurt you, I didn't mean to, forgive me... please," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I don't know what's happening to me. It's just... I can't bear it. I thought it was just an illness, something natural, I never believed someone would want me dead... how do I go on now?"

Noah sat down beside her, even though he knew he couldn't touch her. His hand was bleeding, but he didn't seem to care. "You're not alone," he said softly. "I'm here. And together, we'll find out who did this to you."

Ruby looked at him with eyes full of gratitude and sorrow. "Thank you, Noah."

The early morning hours had brought a strange calm into Noah's life, but his mind was in turmoil. The autopsy had revealed that Ruby hadn't died from a heart attack, as everyone had believed. The cause of her death was an overdose from some still-unknown substance, a lethal amount that couldn't have been taken by accident.

Noah couldn't stop thinking about who might have had the opportunity and the motive to harm her. Ruby didn't remember anything about the moment of her death, which made everything even harder. But one thing was certain: she hadn't been alone at the concert.

As he walked through the park near his house, he felt the weight of what he was trying to accomplish. The truth seemed distant, shrouded in mystery. Noah wasn't an investigator, yet he felt it was up to him to piece everything together. Ruby couldn't rest until they discovered what had really happened.