Till Death do us Part

Runnin' From the Devil

I blinked at Kevin, just stared at him.

“I’m dead, Evie.”

“Right,” I mumbled, fishing my phone out of my pocket. I dialed a number I, unfortunately, knew by heart. Kevin gave me a bemused look.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

I ignored him, holding up a finger. “Hi,” I said to the person on the other end of the phone. “Is this Start Again mental hospital?”

Kevin’s eyes widened. “Evie—”

“Yeah, I’ve got somebody I think—Hey!” I cried when Kevin grabbed my phone and chucked it at the ground. “Dude! I kind of need that thing!”

He released a tortuous breath and grabbed my arm, pulling me into a narrow alley. He more or less threw me against the rough brick, caging me in with his hands on either side of my head. “Okay, look,” he said firmly. “I’m dead. Only you can see me. Sending me to a mental ward will only end up with you there, so I suggest you calm the fuck down and take me back to your place so we can talk.”

I swallowed hard, refusing to believe it even with the physical proof in front of me. “You’re not real,” I concluded. “You can’t be real. This isn’t possible. I just need to go home and get some sleep, just like Barbara said.”

I started to push him away, but he grabbed my wrists, pinning them above my head. It rendered me strictly immobile.

“Let go of me!” I demanded, glaring scathingly at him.

“No,” he ground out. “Dammit, I tried to be patient with you, because I know you just lost your mom, but this is ridiculous. We are going back to your place, and you will listen to what I have to say, because you don’t have any other choice.”

I was breathing hard, the cold air scalding my lungs. “I don’t want to go anywhere with you,” I hissed.

He released a strangle cry of frustration. “Yeah, I get that. But you don’t really have a choice.”

“I should think I have a choice.”

“No, you don’t. You—” he trailed off, eyes narrowing as his hands tightened around my wrists. “Shit,” he cursed. “We have to get out of here. How fast can we get to your apartment?”

I had to admit the unease in his eyes unsettled me. But really, everything about the situation was unsettling me. I still hadn’t quite come to terms with the fact that I was talking to a dead man. “It’s a couple blocks away. What—Kevin!” he grabbed my hand and hauled ass out of the alley and down the sidewalk, strategically avoiding contact with anybody along the way. I ripped my hand out of his, and the moment cold air sliced between us, he whirled around. He gave me a what-the-hell look.

“Get away from me,” I ordered, backing away, not caring if people thought I was talking to myself. “You’re just some fucked up hallucination, and I need to go to sleep.”

“Evangeline . . .”

“No!” I cried, spinning on my heel and running the opposite direction. It was difficult as hell with the brace constricting my movements, so it was more like an awkward hop and stumble. I couldn’t take this, though. My father already tried sending me to a psychiatric hospital, and I wasn’t keen on going because I was actually crazy. I couldn’t be. I just needed to get myself together, and maybe lock myself in my room until everything in the outside world made sense again.

“Evie!”

I heard his voice behind me, and it encouraged me on faster. My leg would hurt like a bitch after the adrenaline wore off, but if it hurt like a bitch and I was alone and not near crazy hallucinations, that would be worth it.