Haunted

The Dead

"You are the what?" I stammered.  How is this possible?  I started to feel faint again.

"We are the dead.  Soon you will be one of us!" The creature threatened, pointing a knife inches from my neck.  He slashed and I winced.  He chuckled.  "This can't hurt you you little fool.  But I could if I wanted to.  In fact, I could kill you if I wanted to.  And I do."  His eyes shone red like a fire.  It was as if I could see the devil in his soul.  Unfortunately, I was his next victim.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked him.  "How did you die, why would you want everyone to die with you?" There were so many answers I needed, I just had to understand.  This creature, probably murdered, was just going to become a killer, like the person who murdered him.  I could still see sadness in him, even through the blood that soaked him, and the scars that stood rigged across his bulging red eyes.  I could see it through the boulder sized dent in his head, and everything else gruesome about him.

"It is tradition.  And enough with your silly questions.  We can either do this the hard way or the easy way."  He flexed every single muscle in his body.  "You can fight me, or I can snap my fingers, and make it quick and painless; it's your choice."

Of course I would want the easy way out, in a situation like this.  But the problem was, I didn't want to die.  "Can I chose neither and go for the option of living instead?"

The creature clenched his fists so hard that 3 of his scars reopened.  "Do you think I would let you tell everyone about it, thus ruining my after life?  Why do you puny humans think you can be heroes and escape everything that comes your way?  Then you gossip about your struggles to the popular girls in exchange for a spot at their table for a few seconds.  It's terrible," he snarled.  "You just think you're so amazing when you, especially you, are not!"  He gasped for breath, and become as normal as a dead man can be.

"But I have to make you understand," he said after a few minutes of silence.  "I will tell you my story in exchange for you life, is that a deal?" He asked.

It was all true.  I am a terrible person, I follow people like a puppy dog.  There is nothing special about me.  I deserve to die anyway.  I ditched my friends because I was scared.  And have I ever been respectful to anyone?  No.  So should I take his offer, to hear the story that I will agree with, in exchange for my life that wasn't well worth living?  I gulped as I said what could possibly end my existence in this cruel, hated world.

"Yes."