Deceivers

1. The Visitors

Shouts are every where. Fire covers the room. The scent of burning bodies and hair are around me. My room is burning. Smoke, heat, fear tears. I hate smoke. It burns my lungs. Mommy. I want mommy. She makes the fire go away with Mrs. Barttle's help!

I tried to put my head on the floor. Mrs. Barttle said that fresh air is always close to the ground.

But I saw Mommy. Mommy's... Mommy's... She's lying in front of me—with me, on the cold floor of my room! Her green eyes are blank and she's crying of blood! Her hair's burning. The side of her face is burning. I tried to go to her. But fire is keeping me from doing so. I tried to make my small body smaller to keep the fire from going at me. But it licks my left leg. It hurts. I cried silently.

They might hear me and kill me. Mrs. Barttle and mommy said I should stay alive. But the smoke burns my lungs. I tried not to breathe, to keep the smoke away. If I can't keep the fire away from my leg, at least I will save my lungs from burning. I coughed hard, inhaling a huge amount of smoke accidentally. My throat feels like a sand...

Some one opened the door and walked on the fire to help me. I tried to look at his face, I see regret on his blue eyes.

The scenery changed. I am in a clearing. A paper and pen in front of me. I am sitting straight again, to help my mind be attentive and awake. You'll never know when they will take your body!

He sits on my left. He is teaching me how to write and read. I noticed that he smells of ocean and summer. He holds my right hand and put the pencil on my small, right hand. He guided me how to write my name on the paper.

“Your turn.” He said.

I tried to write my name. It looks ugly even to my own eyes. But he said ‘Very good! What a brilliant child!’

I woke up in a white room, there were no windows and no source of light. But it's bright inside, as if there is a very bright light bulb placed somewhere. There is a black door. I walked towards it and opened the door. I saw pitch black path. The darkness is more dark when you closed your eyes. Darkness is a living thing in this place. Someone pushed me outside and closed the door.

I hate darkness. It hides...them. This is their home!

I turned around and pounded on the door, until the door went gone, like a bubble. I am now pounding on the air.

Fear chokes me. Here they are. I can feel them slowly walking towards me! I have failed to keep my mind attentive.
I turned around on my back. They are all walking towards me—no. They are all going to the red light!

I watched the deads slowly pass me as if I am not there. ‘No, they will not get me. They are going to the light.’ I said to my self.

I will close the gate when everyone is there.

I walked towards the red light with them. I am about to close the gate when the spirits stopped moving. Like time has stopped. The moving rays of red light has stopped as well.

I continued to walk ahead of them, staring at the deads’ blank eyes. Some of them are old spirits, trapped and have just found their way today. I walked on the red light and stopped before it. A girl is facing away from the light, unlike the other spirits. She is about the same age as mine. And she stares at me.

"Hurry up. I am waiting for you." She said.

I took a step back.

No. She's not good.

She's a really bad news.

I took another step back, and back. Eyes are wide, my instinct warns me of her. It feels like I know her. But I can't put a finger for her name.